She arched one of those perfect eyebrows. “But if I don’t?”
He rounded the counter, drawn to her despite himself. This close, her scent drifted toward him. Soft, floral, more alluring than his favorite smells from Sugar Blitz. “Then I will publicly admit my cupcakes are stale.”
Her nose wrinkled. “That’s it? I’m gonna need more if I’m going to set aside my doubts and give your cupcakes an honest try.”
He sighed. “Fine. I will also beg your forgiveness.”
A grin played across her lips. “Beg, you say? I like the sound of that.”
He ignored the way his blood thickened at the blatant flirtation. She was trying to distract him. And doing a damn good job of it. He couldn’t let her. “Too bad it’s not going to happen.”
“We’ll see.” Her raspy chuckle sounded way too sexy to his sex-deprived self. A condition that was completely his own fault, as he’d put training for and playing football and then opening the cupcakery at the top of his priority list over the last six months.
She raised the dessert to her perfect lips. He watched intently, and if he was honest with himself, it wasn’t just because he wanted to see how she would react to the cupcake. Her eyes drifted shut as she chewed slowly, like she was savoring all the dessert’s flavors. At least she didn’t spit it out. She went for another bite but got too close to the frosting. A streak of it ended up on her chin. And her nose. Her eyes flew open. “Crap!”
“Careful,” he said. He didn’t mask the laughter in his voice. The frosting in no way marred the perfection of her face, even if she did now look the tiniest bit like a clown.
She glared at him while swiping at the offending spot on her nose with her free hand.
He grabbed a napkin off the counter. “Here.”
“I’m fine.” She swiped again, spreading a trail of red cream across her chin.
“You missed a spot.” Or two. “Take the napkin.”
She snatched the napkin out of his hand and wiped her face. “Are you always this bossy?”
“Yes.” He saw no reason to deny the truth.
Humor sparked in her eyes. “Did I get it all?”
After he nodded, she went back to delicately eating the cupcake. He should not be noticing how lush her lips were as she nibbled on the dessert. All he should care about, all he would care about, was her reaction to the cupcake. Her poker face gave nothing away.
“So do you say ‘yes’ to the cupcake?” he asked when she was halfway done. He couldn’t wait any longer. “Do you want to marry it?”
She froze. “I say it’s time for me to go.” She thrust the cupcake at him, forcing him to take it or end up with cake and frosting all over his shirt, then jerked her chin at Olivia. “Come on.”
Without another word, Critic marched toward the door, moving like she was made to walk the runway, the jumpsuit hugging her swinging hips in the best way possible.
“That means I won,” he called after her. He resolutely ignored the panic that had unexpectedly surged through his entire body at proof of her impending departure. He never panicked. About anything. Besides, he only had time to care about football and the store, and an attraction to a woman who talked smack about his cupcake shop was neither of those things.
She halted, then spun to face him. “No, that means the cupcake was … decent.” The bougieness was back in full force. Her gaze swept the space. “The atmosphere, not so much.” She locked eyes with him. “I won’t be back.”
“We both know you don’t mean that.” He saluted her with her abandoned cupcake and a wink because why the hell not? He’d obviously lost his damn mind. “See you next time.”
The snick of the closing door was her only response.
“Good going, boss,” Ella called out from behind him.
Donovan groaned. Damn, he needed a cupcake.
Chapter Two
“Not a word,” Jada Townsend-Matthews said to her best friend, Olivia Madison, as she strode down the sidewalk away from the cupcake shop. And that guy with a stick up his ass.
“I’m not going to say anything. I’m just going to enjoy the best cupcake I’ve had since the last time I stopped by Sugar Blitz.” Olivia took a bite of the dessert and stared hard at Jada.
Jada’s shoulders hunched defensively. “What? I didn’t do anything.”
Olivia’s stare didn’t waver.
“I mean I wasn’t trying to do anything.” Somehow, she just found herself in these situations.