Page 25 of Cupcake of the Month (Just Add Peaches #2)

He gave her time to read them, gathering more ingredients from the pantry and trying to find a piping bag for frosting. The kitchen filled with the tangy aroma of the whiskey and the sweet scent of maple syrup.

Her foot beat out a rhythm against the stool, and she made soft sounds of exhalation as she flipped through the paperwork, then returned to the beginning to read slowly and carefully.

Josh didn’t interrupt, just mixed and stirred and waited.

When she finished, she tapped the pages against the island to get them in a neat stack.

“So when do you leave for Connecticut?”

“I need to talk to my lawyer.” She poked at her wrist and winced. “They’re asking for my files. My assistant can work with my lawyer to get them, but if he messes up, I’m still responsible. Maybe I should go. I don’t know what to do about it all.”

She took out her phone and tapped while he measured more cocoa and powdered sugar. His phone dinged a moment later.

You and my situation have that in common. I don’t know what to do about you, either.

Ditto, sweetheart .

Being with her like this was too damn dangerous. He stirred his dry ingredients, willing himself to find inspiration for the frosting. Anyone could make maple or vanilla to go with the whiskey. Even Anthon. He needed something spectacular.

“Peach cobbler,” Jordan said. “In a cupcake. Do that. Now. My mouth is watering thinking about it.”

“I love your mind. When all else fails, just add peaches.” Josh gathered the brown sugar and cinnamon, along with a mason jar of canned peaches.

“What can I do?” Jordan asked. “I can’t sit here and watch you do all the work.”

“You could strip and watch while you’re naked.”

“I’m not really into exhibition unless we’re talking softball.” Desire flashed in her eyes behind the lens of her glasses. “I might make an exception.”

He responded by swiping his finger into the already-mixed batter dripping over the side of the bowl and smearing it near her upper lip. “Batter up!”

She giggled while she tried to dodge and swatted at him. “That was bad. Funny. But really bad.”

He handed her a napkin and turned back to the frosting.

She pinched it between her fingers, her eyebrows drawn down like he had handed her an avocado slicer and a turnip. “What’s this for?”

“It’s for…” he pointed to the mixture on her face.

“This is the best way you can think of to get this off me?” She angled her face toward him.

His body was instantly alert and eager to touch her again, but he swallowed and stared at her lips. Her full, inviting, pretty strawberry lips. “Hell, no.”

He leaned down, and she wrapped a hand around his neck. Instead of rewarding him with the soft sensation of her mouth against his, she smushed her cheek along his face, smearing the batter as she went.

Then she handed him the napkin. “You’ve got some schmutz on your face.”

He’d take it if it meant her cracking a joke. He wiped away the smeared batter.

The timer went off for the cupcakes, and Jordan left her place at the island to stand guard at the oven with all the eagerness of a six year old about to get a pony ride. “Oh, man, they smell good. When can we frost them?”

He grabbed a hot mitt and put the cupcakes on the counter. “They have to cool.”

“You’re so mean.”

“I live to torture you.” He combined the peaches with the other ingredients and the kitchen fell into a peaceful companionship.

And things felt…right. It all felt right.

The heat between him and Jordan managed to take the edge off the restlessness he carried with him since he turned over evidence against Clint and his mom.

This was what he could have had if not for them. And it was right.

Soft footsteps sounded in the dining room, then paused for a minute before someone called out. “Hello?”

Jordan peeked into the pass-through window and went into the dining room to greet the guest that had wandered downstairs. “Good evening, Ms. Halbert. You’re up late. Is everything okay?”

The hum of voices came through the window, but Josh tuned them out. He found jam in the pantry and used that to make the frosting. He knew the moment Jordan came back into the kitchen by the charge in the air, and he took a moment to drink her in.

By the time the cupcakes had mostly cooled, Mrs. Halbert was in the kitchen, firmly parked on a stool at the island. “I came down to the dining room to do some work, but the smell is incredible. Midnight cupcakes. How decadent. This wasn’t in the brochure.”

“They might be once Brandi and Wendy find out Josh is more than just a pretty chef,” Jordan said.

He flashed her a quick look. Midnight cupcakes meant being here each night, away from Zach. There was no way. He made quick cuts in each dessert, then filled the centers with the peach cobbler mix and finished it up with the frosting.

Jordan’s eyes gleamed as he handed her and Mrs. Halbert cupcakes on a plate. Jordan raised the dessert and studied every dip, every swirl of the frosting. She breathed deep and closed her eyes, as if blocking out her other senses, and her tongue darted out to wet her lower lip.

By the time she actually licked off the thick cream, Josh’s cock was throbbing in his jeans.

“Oh. My. God,” Jordan breathed. “This was worth the wait. Holy cow, Josh.”

“Damn, this is good.” Mrs. Halbert had closed her eyes and was slowly chewing. “I have to go get my sister. She was razzing me about working right as I’m about to retire, but I bet she’ll eat her words now. Literally.” She slipped off the stool and headed toward the dining room.

A scraping noise from the butler’s pantry had Josh moving cautiously in that area, trying not to react or get Mrs. Halbert’s attention as she left. He’d never seen any vermin in Fountenoy Hall, but maybe they risked it at night. Or the smell of maple and peach whiskey had lured them out of hiding.

A panel near the floor next to one of the cabinets swung into the room and he jumped out of the way. Maybe it was a mutant mouse. Or a raccoon. He searched for a broom, but made do with a wooden tray, holding it at his knees to help guide whatever was skittering in back outside.

Brandi crawled through the space, ending at Josh’s feet. Her blonde hair was pulled into an efficient ponytail, and she had changed out of her evening gown and into a pair of worn jeans. “Hi.”

“What the hell?” he asked.

“Believe it or not, this is a shortcut.”

“From where?” He held out an arm to help her up.

“Thanks.” She brushed at her knees and avoided eye contact. “You know, the grounds can get creepy at night.”

That wasn’t an answer, but the Belle’s Medicinal Brewery polo shirt she wore clued him in that he wasn’t going to get a straight reply.

Brandi and Wendy’s ancestors had run a whiskey still during Prohibition, which had morphed into a legal alcohol distillery now shrouded as a well-known secret.

This was probably a passage from the grounds of the brewery to inside the house that had been used to escape revenuers.

“What are you doing here, Josh?” Brandi snapped the panel back in place and took a step into the kitchen. She grabbed the wall, inhaling deeply. “And what is that heavenly scent?”

“Cupcakes!” Jordan mumbled with her mouth full.

“There are more,” Josh said.

“I didn’t need to fit into these jeans anyway.” Brandi washed her hands and grabbed one, then nudged Jordan with her shoulder. “You okay?”

Jordan raised her cupcake. “Getting there. Though I hope Blake is still getting the chocolate out of his underwear.”

Fifteen minutes later, Mrs. Halbert and her sister had joined them. The two women gobbled the cupcakes, making moaning sounds and licking their lips in ecstasy. “These are too much,” said Mrs. Halbert.

Josh basked in the gratification of people gathered around his food, enjoying something he had created with Jordan and instincts instead of relying on recipe cards. He slipped behind her and put a hand on her shoulder.

“Thank you,” he whispered in her ear.

She cupped his cheek with her hand and gave him a quick kiss.

“Honey, if he made me food like this, I’d be doing more than kissing him,” Mrs. Halbert’s sister declared.

Brandi choked on her dessert.

“You’re right.” Jordan rose slowly from her seat, keeping her body an inch from his. Her breath fanned his face. “I’ll help with the dishes.”

“Great,” he said. “I could use an extra hand.”

“No, Jordan, not with that wrist. Don’t worry about them, either of you.” Brandi stacked the plates at the island. “I’ll do them.”

“Thank you.” Josh said. “I’m going to head out now.”

“Good night, Josh,” Mrs. Halbert said. “Thanks for the treat.”

He nodded, then turned to the people in the kitchen and caught Jordan’s eye. “Good night.”

It was too much to wish she would make an excuse and come with him. He trudged back to the stables and crawled into bed. Even though their rooms were on opposite sides, the space felt empty without her.

This permanent state of arousal was torture. At least when he went home, he was able to get away from the constant reminders that she was nearby. Now, being so close to her, there was no escape.

He closed his eyes, imagining her coming into the stables, reaching behind her, and slowly unzipping that blue dress, showing off her beautiful breasts with their beautiful pink nipples. His dick got even harder at the thought.

Damn. He couldn’t have her, but he had the memory of eight years ago. He shoved his hand under the waistband of his boxer briefs and tugged gently, then a bit harder. The relief wouldn’t last, but he had to do something.