He watched as she demonstrated, rolling it into a ball between her palms, then grabbed a hunk of dough and tried to follow her movements. He held up the cookie. "How does this look?"
"Not bad for a first try. That's a little too big, and you want it to be rounder, so it bakes evenly."
He winked at her. "Help me? Maybe I need to feel how you do it."
She pressed her hand to his—palm to palm—and made gentle circles. Heat washed through him. Nerve endings charged a line straight from his hand to his cock. Ashley gazed at him with parted lips and mists of desire in her gorgeous eyes.
The bell over the door rang, breaking the spell. They both pulled away. Ashley watched him for another second before returning to the front of the shop to deal with the customer. Xavier blew out a breath and took a moment to compose himself. The charge between them was white hot.
Over the course of the afternoon, each time the bell rang, Ashley's smile bloomed. He'd have to convince his family and friends and teammates to start patronizing the bakery. Anything to see that smile.
Finally, he had to go, but he didn't want to leave. The cookies were baked, and he couldn't think of another reason to stay. "My family is expecting me soon."
She rubbed his shoulder. "You should go. You don't want to keep them waiting."
He lingered by the door, skimming a hand through the edges of her ponytail. "I'll see you this week. So we can practice some more." Baking. And kisses. Definitely kisses.
She held the door and then helped him maneuver the cake into his car. "If your brother and his fiancé like it, do you think they could leave a review for the bakery? Or share a photo on social media?"
"Uh, sure."
"Reviews really help. Any type of endorsement helps."
He fought the urge to kiss her once more. It might not be a good idea to get involved while the competition lay before them. It was likely a horrible idea, given the number of things that had the potential to go wrong. But there was something about Ashley...
Xavier started the car, watching Ashley's hurried pace as she slipped back inside the bakery.
He took a deep breath. Her perfume lingered, tempting and teasing his senses. Then, he turned toward home, rubbing his hand over his heart.
Practicing would hopefully ensure a win. He needed to commit his mother's recipes to memory, like he did when memorizing a playbook, so he could be prepared for any theme ingredient thrown at them.
But what if recipes didn't stick the way a football play or route did? His whole life, he'd been football-focused. What if he truly wasn't good at anything else?
* * *
Ashley could barely see the canisters of Sheffield's Dark Cocoa on the top shelf of the pantry. Sighing over her lack of height, she scanned the area for her step stool. It wasn't in its usual spot. Even with stepping on the lower shelf, her fingertips only brushed the glossy label. Stretching on one tip-toe for as much height as she could manage, she braced her foot on the next shelf up, gripped the one above her head and pushed off. Her flats slipped against the shelf's metal edge, and her feet met air. She shrieked as her stomach clutched and lurched and panic stiffened her limbs.
Strong arms wrapped around her waist. The air remaining in her lungs huffed out under the viselike grip.
"It's okay. I've got you." Xavier's rumbling voice murmured in her ear.
Gasping for breath, Ashley twisted her neck to better see him. She clutched her hand to her chest. Her heart's frantic, thundering beat echoed in her ears. "Oh, nice catch."
"That's my job." He set her firmly back on solid ground and turned her to face him. His hands lightly cupped her shoulders. "You okay? What were you reaching for?"
Warmth rushed into her cheeks. She inhaled deeply, and her cheeks puffed out with its audible release. "That container of ninety-percent cocoa."
"This must be good stuff if it's worth risking life and limb over." He reached up and snagged the canister with little effort, and handed it to her. "You know, you could have just asked me for help."
She had to lean back to keep her gaze on his. The man was a giant. "I can manage. Usually."
"Well, when I'm here, ask me."
"You were busy taking the cookies off the baking sheet." Her feeble protest fell away at Xavier's raised brow.
They'd worked well together over the last three weeks. In shadowing her, he observed more than doing anything else, but always jumped in when she asked. His presence in her kitchen made the days better and brighter. Eager to learn, he'd helped with deliveries, gotten his hands dirty with recipe attempts, and was probably responsible for the bulk of the orders that had come in—mostly from his family and friends.
She'd baked cakes and cupcakes for employees' birthdays at the Brennan family's gym, half a dozen loaf cakes for an LGBTQ homeless shelter's fundraiser provided by Ryan and Everson, and had even shipped two boxes of cookies to the eldest Brennan brother in Buffalo.
The Brennan family had been good to her, and she hadn't even met them in person yet. All of that would change today. Ryan and Everson were due to arrive any minute to take part in a mock-battle baking competition.
With the real competition only one week away, a steady thread of adrenaline laced through her system. "Have you heard from your brother?"
"Ryan? Yeah, they're on their way." Xavier raked a hand through his hair.
Ashley caught hold of his hand. "Nervous?"
"Excited. They're looking forward to meeting you." But then his other hand rubbed the back of his neck.
She didn't have time to ask him what was wrong. Footsteps, more than one pair, echoed in the hall, and her sister's voice grew louder as it came closer.
Katie entered the kitchen, followed by two tall, muscular men. One resembled Xavier,
