I grab a paring knife and slice the fruit in half, tossing the stems into the empty jar. Lyndee places the pieces along the piping and gives me a smile when it’s complete. “Can we eat it now?” I ask, returning her grin.
“No,” she giggles, carefully placing the cake inside a box.
“But…we can take this leftover icing, right?” I waggle my eyebrows, loving the happy little sound that spills from her lips.
She closes the lid and glances over her shoulder. “We wouldn’t want it to go to waste, right?” she states with a wink, grabbing a small container for the leftovers.
“And these cherries too. I want to eat them off your tits.”
She barks out a laugh, a cute blush creeping up her neck as she bats her eyelashes. “Maybe I want to eat them off you.”
I groan at the thought of her tongue on me, my cock jumping to attention like a good soldier. “Let’s go. We’ve got a date with icing and cherries.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Lyndee
“Happy birthday to Lyndee, happy birthday to you.”
I lean forward and blow out the two candles in the shapes of threes on top of my cherry chip cake, smiling as I get a round of applause. Besides Dustin, Dana, and Jasper, Jameson came too after finding out at work why Jasper was in such a hurry to get home. Apparently, all you have to do is say cake, and Jameson is there.
Jasper takes the cake and cuts it into healthy slices, handing a plate to each person. “I promised Numbers I’d save him a piece, if we have some left.”
“Where’s he tonight?” I ask, taking my first bite of cake. Of course, I can’t stop thinking about what happened in my kitchen while baking the cake, or what followed after we got back here after Dustin went to bed. Let’s just say I was cleaning sticky icing residue off almost every part of my body.
“Went to Savannah’s family’s for dinner,” Jameson grumbles, pulling a face.
“So, not a Savannah fan, huh?” I ask, teasing, though it’s clear my assumption is right on.
He snorts in disgust. “She’s not good for him and she strings him along. Plus, I’m pretty sure she cheated on him at least once over the last few years. I hate her.” He’s blunt and to the point, letting his dislike for the pretty woman known. Truth be told, I wasn’t that impressed with her when I met her on Sunday. She seemed very self-absorbed, barely paying Isaac or anyone else any attention. As the other newbie in the group, I tried to talk to her after dinner, but felt like she was just trying to get away from me to return to her phone.
“Oh my God, this is so good.” Dana takes a healthy bite of her cake and closes her eyes to savor the flavor. That’s always my favorite part. Watching the joy on their face as they enjoy something I created.
“What do you think of the icing? Doesn’t it make you want to stick your finger in the cake and lick it off?” Jasper asks, a smirk on his face, as he shovels a big bite into his mouth, looking all flirty and amused and…smug.
I, on the other hand, am not feeling as amused. I can only picture what he did with that icing-coated finger and the way I came hard as he sucked it off my body.
Is it hot in here?
Jameson snickers, as if he knows exactly what his friend was talking about, or worse, doing. Fortunately for me, Dustin and Dana seem oblivious to the thick sexual tension in the room and continue chatting, while enjoying their dessert.
When I finally glance back up at Jasper, I can read his thoughts as if he spoke them aloud. His mind has clearly gone into naughty territory. He licks his lips and gives me a very sultry look, elevating my blood pressure into stroke territory.
By the time we finish eating cake, my brother declares it present time. He wheels himself into the den down the hall and returns with a large gift bag with bright pink tissue paper sticking out of the top. “What’s this?” I ask, grinning as he brings me the present.
“Open it and find out,” he replies, setting the bag on my lap.
I pull the tissue paper and find a set of square canvas prints. There are four different images, all with different ingredients. “I love these,” I tell him.
“I thought they’d look great in your office, since the walls are still bare.”
“They’re perfect. Thank you,” I tell my brother, giving him a warm smile.
“Mine next,” Jameson hollers, pulling an envelope out of his inside coat pocket.
“You didn’t have to get me anything,” I insist, taking the envelope from his outstretched hand.
“Well, it’s not much on short notice, but my mama raised me not to show up at a birthday party without a gift,” he replies with a grin.
I slip the sheet of paper out and read it over. “This is amazing, thank you!”
Jasper looks over my shoulder, reading the note. “Wow, pulling out all the stops, aren’t we?” he states with a laugh. “Do I need to be concerned about you stealing my girl?”
My heart hammers in my chest at his question to his friend. I glance over at Jameson, who just winks. “Not at all, but if Lyndee were to discover who the better man is, well, that’s on you, friend.” He’s clearly joking, but the statement gets a rise out of Jasper, nonetheless.
He leaps at him and puts him in a headlock. “Keep your hands to yourself,” he demands, laughing, while messing up Jameson’s hair.
When the guys are finished messing around, Dustin reaches for the paper. “What’d ya get?”
I hand it over and reply, “The first official beer tasting tour for Burgers and Brew, plus a variety case, once they have it ready.”
“Cool!” Dustin proclaims, showing the paper to Dana.
“You’re welcome too,” Jameson tells my brother, trying to finger-comb his messy hair while throwing glares at his friend. “It should be ready to start producing beer next month, as long as our inspections go through.”
“I can’t wait to see it,” I announce.
Jasper disappears down the hall, only to return a few minutes later with a wrapped box. He sets it on my lap and starts cleaning up the cake mess. Am I supposed to open this now? He’s not even over here watching.
I glance up and catch Jameson’s eye. He winks at me and nods, encouraging me to open the gift. I pull on the ribbon and rip off the bow before digging into the paper. Inside, I find the most gorgeous journal. When I remove the book, I realize it’s not really a journal. It’s a recipe book, and it’s blank, ready for me to fill it in.
My gaze moves to the counter, where Jasper is working intently on sealing the cake into a container. When he doesn’t look my way, I stand and head toward him. “Hey,” I whisper, when I’m right beside him.
“Hi.”
“Thank you,” I murmur, my voice clouded with emotion. “I love it.”
He shrugs, keeping his hands busy. “I just thought you could add some of your own recipes in it. I’m sure you have them all memorized, so it’s probably a stupid gift,” he stammers, seeming completely unsure of himself for the first time since I’ve known him. Jasper’s always so confident, but not now.
I set the book on the counter and slip my arms around his waist. I hug into him until he stops moving. I feel him relax as he wraps his arms around my neck and holds me tight. “It’s an amazing gift. Thank you,” I repeat, glancing up.