“Spiked?” I pick up the glass and give it a sniff. “Whoa, that’s spiked all right.”
“Thought it would keep the night going, and I have more in the back.” She picks up a fork and hands it to me. “Dig in.”
“Do you have a particular order I should eat these?”
“I’m glad you asked.” She smiles broadly. “I would start on the right and move your way over.”
“Sounds good.” I push my fork through the chocolate cake, and it smoothly sinks into the sponge. I’m not surprised—the cakes here are always moist. I bring the fork to my mouth and take a large bite. The flavors easily melt on my tongue, reminding me of home on a wintry day. “Fucking delicious,” I say through my mouthful. She chuckles, and I go in for another forkful. “These won’t last long. Just a heads-up.”
“I can see that. I take it as a compliment.”
Over the next few minutes, we enjoy the cakes together—the samples are small, so it’s not like I’m taking down large slices—and we do exactly what Nora planned: we wash them down with some eggnog. After the cakes are cleared and the cups are drained, she goes to the back to drop the plates off in the sink and refill our glasses.
“Thank you,” I say as she returns. “That was fucking phenomenal.”
“You’re welcome. Told you it was the best dessert place.”
“I had no doubt in my mind. And the eggnog, it’s really good.” hiccup I cover my mouth and look up at Nora with wide eyes.
She laughs out loud as another hiccup pushes through me. “Oh God, you’re like one of those drunk sailors—you can’t handle all the booze in your belly.”
I hold my breath and count to twenty before slowly releasing it, waiting for another hiccup, but when it doesn’t come, I sigh in relief.
“That was slightly embarrassing.”
“I thought it was cute.”
“Yeah?” I raise a brow. “Hiccups are cute to you?”
“I thought yours were.”
And I’m not sure if it’s the heavy dose of rum from the cake or from the eggnog, but . . . is she flirting? And do I like it? I’m so out of practice, so goddamn unaware that I don’t think I know what flirting really is.
“Not sure how to respond to that. Should I try to hiccup again?”
“I’d be impressed if you were able to pull that off.”
“Impressive and cute? Seems like I’m becoming a dangerous specimen.”
Her pretty nose wrinkles up. “Specimen? That’s so not an attractive way to describe yourself.”
“Then how would you describe me?” I ask.
She leans both of her arms on the narrow counter between us and props her torso up on the counter. Her chest is framed by her arms, and the shirt she’s wearing clings to it like Saran Wrap, making my eyes wander where they probably shouldn’t go. But I can’t help it—she’s hot. There’s no denying it. Her curvaceous body has been driving me nuts all night. It’s hard not to take her in, especially when she leans in the way she is.
“Well, let’s see. Am I describing you purely on a physical basis?”
“I believe so,” I say, wetting my lips as my eyes trail to her mouth. The goddamn red lipstick has been a tease all night as well.
“Physically, yes, you are a specimen, but that’s the obvious part. If I were to describe you to, let’s say, a friend, I would say pretty muscular.”
“Pretty muscular? I enjoy the compliment, but that doesn’t really replace ‘specimen’ in my vocabulary.”
“Ugh, Mr. Editor coming in as a wet blanket.”
I let out a roar of a laugh. “Sorry, can’t let it slide—you’re going to have to try harder.”
Letting out an exasperated sigh, she finishes her eggnog and then dips down under the counter. I’m about to ask her what she’s doing when Christmas music begins playing softly over the speakers of the bakery. And then she flips off the overhead light, so the only light in the bakery is coming from the Christmas strands strewn through the store. Hate to be corny, but hell, it’s romantic. She then rounds the counter and walks up to me. Hip leaning into the counter, she rests one hand on top of mine and draws lazy circles over my knuckles.
Just from her soft touch, I can feel a part of me, one that’s been asleep for so long, light up. Something dimmed inside me after the divorce, and she just turned on the light.
My body heats up, and my mind wanders to what it would feel like to touch her, to lean in closer and taste her lips.