He opened the boxes. "Wow. Rocky is going to love these. You made them? I'm really impressed. And this other box? It looks like chocolate biscotti."
"Your mom's recipe."
Xavier's head snapped up. Emotions swirled over his face too quickly to name. "I haven't had them in years."
"It's the first batch of biscotti that I'm proud of. I hope you like them."
His fingers trailed over her hand and up her arm, then along her shoulder and paused to stroke the sensitive skin at her throat. "Of course, I'll like them."
Her skin heated. She moistened her lips, fingers tingling with the need to touch him. The soft material of his T-shirt bunched under her grasp as she glided her hands up his chest. His heartbeat pounded under her touch. She rose onto her toes as slid her hands into his hair, and urged his mouth down to meet hers.
Strong arms wrapped around her torso. Soft, yet firm lips closed over her own. His scent, his feel, his taste, she couldn't get enough. Xavier angled his head and deepened the kiss.
Her bones liquefied as his tongue swept past her lips to tangle and tease. She clasped handfuls of his hair and leaned into his body, stretching and long and tall as she could.
With a groan, he kissed a path to her neck, and his hands roamed over her back to land at her waist. Fingers flexed, and he lifted her.
Xavier set her on the kitchen bar and shifted to stand between her legs. The higher perch made kissing him easier, and put much less stress on her neck, and she dove back in, starved for his taste.
His fingertips edged along the skin above her waistband. She shivered and leaned into his hard torso, surprised by how the light, teasing touch could spark so much heat. As his exploration grew bolder, the strokes firmer, and her need higher, she delved under his shirt and skated her hands over hot ridges and planes, following the dips of muscle with her fingers and imagining tracing the same path with her tongue.
The bulge in his jeans pressed into her stomach. Ashley trailed a finger along the seam and swallowed his moan. His hands were wicked, roaming over her jeans and driving her into madness.
Metal jingled, followed by the clatter of nails on the hardwood. And then an enthusiastic "Woof!"
With a grunt, Xavier jolted into her. Their heads banged together. He quickly pulled away. "Sorry. Damn it, Rocky."
The dog jumped up, front paws on the counter's edge.
Shaking his head, Xavier pointed to the floor. "Down."
Rocky licked him first and then complied.
Ashley shook with barely contained laughter. When she met Xavier's gaze, she stopped trying to hide it altogether. "He's too cute. He just wants to be included."
"He's an attention hog." But Xavier's lips twitched, and he bent to pet his wayward animal. "Is your head okay?"
Ashley hopped off the counter. "No harm was done. But it's probably better that Rocky came in. The competition starts in two days, and there's so much stress right now. I'm afraid of complicating things or making them messy and awkward."
He blew out a breath and stood, rubbing his hand over the back of his neck. "I understand."
Did he? She wasn't so sure.
"Xavier, I like you. I want this. I'm sure you could tell how much. But I think it would be better to wait until the competition is over. I know we’ve baked against the clock at the bakery, and we’ve gone against Ryan and Everson, but that’s nothing like how the real competition will be. We don’t know what that’s going to be like, or what we’re going to be like in there."
"I get it. I've been telling myself the same thing since we started spending time together. Getting involved could hurt things, but we are involved."
"Then how about getting involved further can wait?"
He cocked his head to the side, lips pursed, as he considered. "Does that mean kissing is still on the table?"
"Yes."
"Hugs? Hand holding? I might need some handholding during the rounds."
Laughing, she nodded. "Provided we’re still speaking to each other, that is. If relationships can be ruined due to drama from playing a board game, then it could happen in the heat of the baking competition too."
His eyes, that wonderful shade of green, warmed. "All right, then. Kissing, hugs, and hand-holding if needed, and we'll promise to keep talking to each other no matter what. We should shake on it."
She pressed her hand to his. The slow glide of sensitive fingertips sent a tingle of awareness through her blood. The air almost sparked as she held his gaze. "Deal."
"Deal," he echoed. And then he touched his lips to hers in the softest, sweetest kiss she'd ever received.
Everything in her wanted to strain toward him, to keep kissing and touching and give in to want and desire. But she made herself pull away. Going into the competition, she couldn't allow for anything new to jump out and claim her attention.
She had a battle to win and a rivalry with Blackstone to slay.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Round one had finally arrived. If only they could get to the competition. Ashley leaned against the buttery soft leather seat. Xavier's SUV was ten steps above her little hatchback. "I swear, if we're late because of traffic, I'm going to camp out at the Convention Center for the rest of the competition."
Xavier turned toward her. He lowered his sunglasses, expression filled with determination. "We'll make it."
The fierce sun glare had caused an accident, which made Philadelphia's usual rush hour traffic crawl look like an easy drive down the highway. As the minutes ticked by and their car advanced the merest of inches, Ashley shifted in her seat, willing the cars in front of them to move. When the accident finally cleared, arriving late seemed unavoidable.
Xavier sped down the highway, joking about their situation being practice for the beat-the-clock rush. Foot to the floor, they came off the exit too
