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Xavier parked his SUV behind a white minivan with Bliss Bakery's yellow logo. One week had passed since he'd nearly held Ashley in his arms. One week filled with text messages as they coordinated times for him to shadow her at the bakery. One week spent wondering how she'd feel with him essentially on her turf, and if she'd thought of him nearly as often.
He carried a few of his mother's recipe cards in his pocket, per Ashley's request.
The bell jangled when he entered the shop. She waved at him from behind the counter. "Come on in."
"Busy today?"
A shadow fell across her face. "Not as much as I'd like. But that gives me time to bake with you. Want some coffee?"
"Sure." He surveyed the treats behind the glass. Cupcakes, brownies, muffins, and cookies. "Can I get a chocolate cupcake too? The one with the black and white swirled frosting."
That brought her smile back. She handed over the coffee and the cupcake, then waved off the ten dollar bill he held. "On the house."
"No way." He grasped her hand and pushed the bill into her palm, then closed her fingers over it. "And I need to pay you for my brother's cake."
"Ready to see it?"
"Definitely." He followed her into the kitchen. The three-tier creation, white with a touch of black accents, was perfect. "It exceeds anything I imagined."
Her face lit up. "Really?"
"They're going to love it. Can we settle up payment now, so I don't walk out of here later and forget?"
"If you did, I'd be able to hunt you down. But sure, you can pay now." She led him back to the main area.
He paid and pocketed his receipt. The bell over the door jangled and an old man walked in. Xavier took his coffee and cupcake to one of the small, round tables, moving quickly to get out of the way.
The old man lowered his glasses down the bridge of his nose while he perused the treats. "Ashley, I'll take one dozen assorted cupcakes and two dozen cookies."
"Seeing the grandkids today, Tino?"
"Yep. My daughter's youngest just turned five. I'll have a full house in about an hour. It's a blessing to have three generations of family under one roof today to celebrate Mother's Day."
Ashley's smile flinched. "How wonderful for you. That's really special."
"How's business, kiddo?"
A single shoulder lifted as she responded. "Same old, same old."
His expression soured. "I don't know why people keep flocking to Blackstone's. Stuff tastes like cardboard to me. You keep doing what you're doing, girl. They'll be back."
"Thank you." Ears pink, Ashley continued to chat as she rang him up. She boxed up the requested items and added a few more. Then she walked the old man to the door and held it open for him. She came back smiling.
"Good customer?" Xavier threw his trash away. He'd polished off his cupcake and drained his coffee embarrassingly fast.
"The best. He's been coming here every Sunday since my mom opened the shop. My most loyal customer." She dusted her hands on her cheerful yellow apron. "Ready to head in the back and talk baking basics?"
Not quite. He met her at the register. "What was that about Blackstone's?"
She wrinkled her nose. "They're new. And super close by. And everyone wants to try them."
"Aren't they in the competition with us? I'm pretty sure that's the bakery Tyson will be working with."
"Unfortunately." The shadow was back, dimming the happiness from her face. "Whatever player you see as your biggest rival, that's what Blackstone's is to me. And I'm having a losing season."
Years of playing sports, studying how to take down an opponent, and how to play to his strengths had more than prepared him for this. It was the one area—maybe the only area—where he could really help her. "Then let's go build a game plan to beat them."
The light of battle came into her eyes, and she motioned him back into the kitchen. "Are you ready to bake something?"
"More than ready. Ryan keeps texting me with tips and reminders and asking me the definitions on those flashcards. He's deemed himself as my coach."
"That's sweet."
"Sweet's one word for it." But he grinned. Ryan was helping him. Xavier read through the cards multiple times a day.
"When you sent me those texts, I decided to dig through my mom's recipes too. I mean, I use her recipes all the time, but I started digging for some that I hadn't seen in a while. And I was thinking, to tie more into the cancer charity, we could use recipes from our mothers' recipe boxes in the competition. That way, it feels like they're there with us." She wrapped her arms around her torso. "I know I'll need all the support and good feelings I can get."
She looked as lost and lonely as he'd felt when looking through those recipes that day. He pulled the recipe cards from his pocket. "I like that idea."
"So what do you have?"
He traced his finger over the even script. "She made these great chocolate almond crinkle cookies."
"Let's start there."
Xavier shuffled another of the cards to the top of the pile. "My mom had a cool pie recipe from her Italian grandmother. Ricotta pie."
"I've never made that before. I'm intrigued." She leaned over his shoulder as she studied the recipe. "Do you mind if I copy this down so I can practice it this week?"
"Go ahead. My brothers and I tried making that one for her once. But that's a story for another day." He couldn't handle the emotion of sharing that one now. After handing over the card, he walked the length of the room and stopped by a grouping of photos taped to the wall. In one picture, a woman stood with her arms around a younger Katie and Ashley. "This is your mom?"
"Yeah." The word was immediate and wistful. She joined him. Her smile was a shade too sad. "It was taken on Mother's Day the year before she got diagnosed."
"You miss her a lot."
"So much."
He wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "I miss mine, too. Especially at important moments, like tonight with my brother's engagement cake. Or back when I played my first game for the Frenzy. Or when Leo's team won the hockey championship last year. Or when he got married last summer."
"Holidays are hard too. Like today. I thought having us meet today would be a good way to take my mind off of not having my mom here, but it hasn't worked so well."
"I'm sorry. I can't say that it gets easier as the years go by. It's more like the grief changes."
She nodded. "That's what the grief counselor told me. But it's even the everyday stuff. I can't tell you how many times I've wanted to pick up the phone and call her, only to remember I can't. Or something happens and she's the first person I want to tell. Even just being here every day is hard. Memories are everywhere." Her voice broke, and she cast a helpless glance around the room.
Eyes stinging, he drew her against his chest. His childhood home had been the same, constant reminders of a deeply missed presence. "I know."
Her arms held him tight for one long moment, and then she slowly stepped away. Rubbing her arms, she leaned against the counter. "It's silly, and I was entirely too old for this, but when she was first diagnosed, I thought that if I wished and hoped hard enough that she would get better."
"I can sympathize. When my mom got cancer, I thought that if I was good enough, she'd get better. Ryan was only a baby, but Leo and Shane and I tried really hard. We didn't fight, we didn't get into trouble. Well, not much anyway. We did all of our homework and were on our best behavior. But it didn't work." Caught up in his memories, he fought for control. He never shared so openly.
She laid her hand on top of his. "I can't even imagine what it was like to lose her when you were so young."
"It sucked. My brothers and I banded together back then, and we've pretty much stayed that way. That's not to say that we didn't have disagreements, but we saw how hard my dad was working to keep us together, even when he was wallowing in his own grief. I don't know how he did it."
"The experience made you closer. Katie and I are definitely closer now because we had to lean on each other so much."
At that moment, he felt closer to her than he'd ever felt to anyone outside of his brothers and dad. United in pain and in heartache, they understood each other.
She had a sweetness, a vulnerability, and an inner strength that made him think of a combination of romantic princess and badass warrior. Much like the treats she baked, he wanted more. To keep delving for a richer flavor, a deeper taste, to continue exploring until he knew all. And then, to start all over again.
Surrounded by cakes and sinful scents, he watched and waited. She'd held him back once, so she needed to be the one to make the next move.
His pulse thudded with desire. That golden gaze bewitched him. As much as he'd told himself that getting involved with her wasn't smart while they were working together, he couldn't deny the connection and chemistry they shared. The intention to stay strictly professional fell away.
Ashley closed the space between them. She still held his hand. Raising onto her toes, she wound her other arm around his neck and drew him down.
Hands framing her face, he bent, inching closer, watching her eyes close and her full lips part. Still, he paused, a breath away, and let her initiate the kiss.
Petal soft lips brushed against his mouth. Her curves pressed into his torso. He wanted to devour but kept his hands gentle. She was someone to be savored.
With a low moan, he deepened the kiss and sought out more sweetness from her mouth. She tasted like frosting and magic and possibilities.
Her nails scraped over his neck, stoking the fire in his blood. He could kiss her for hours, days, forever.
When breathing became necessary, he lightened the kiss.
Ashley's lips curved into a smile. "Ready to start on the cookies?"
Switching focus to what they were supposed to be doing. Right. He shoved a hand through his hair and attempted to get a hold of himself. "Sure."
She pressed the recipe card to his chest. "Come on, I'll show you where I keep everything."
They spent the next hour going over how to separate eggs and whip egg whites and cream butter. How to measure flour and the right way to fold in ingredients. They covered all of the things on Ryan's flashcards. It was playful and flirty and fun. More fun than he'd had in a long while.
She finished preparing the cookie sheets and then set the bowl of dough between them. "Now for the fun part. We get to play with the dough. For these cookies, instead of using a cookie scoop, you roll them by hand. Like this."
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, the other, a mountain of a man, had long auburn hair and kind eyes. "The competitors have arrived."
Xavier greeted them both with hugs and then gestured to Ashley. "Guys, this is Ashley. Ash, my brother Ryan and his fiancé who is also my teammate, Everson."
Ryan ignored her outstretched hand and hugged her. "Thank you so much for our engagement cake. We loved it."
She swallowed her surprise and accepted the warm and exuberant embrace. Something told her that she and Ryan would be fast friends. "I'm so glad."
Everson started to shake her hand, then paused, and added in a one-armed hug. "One of the best cakes we've ever had. We're definitely having you make our wedding cake too."
"You just made my day." The happy feeling grew. No matter if Xavier had asked them, they wouldn't want her to bake a cake for such an important occasion if they didn't really like her work. Hopefully, they wouldn't fall on the Blackstone's bandwagon.
Katie nudged her arm and whispered, "Is it just me, or are you feeling really short right now too?"
Ryan was almost as tall as Xavier and Everson had everyone beat by a few inches. Ashley took stock of the heights—and in her and Katie's case, the lack of—and laughed. "A little."
She gave the men a quick tour of the kitchen, all the while, keeping an eye on Xavier. He seemed to relax as the minutes passed and Ryan and Everson joked with everyone. "Are we ready to bake?"
Ryan rubbed his hands together. "Bring it on."
Katie moved to the room's center. "Okay, we're in Philly, so the theme ingredient naturally should be... cream cheese."
Possible recipes flipped through Ashley's mind.
Katie dramatically raised one arm. "Ninety minutes are on the clock. And...go!"
Xavier waved Ashley over. "Huddle up." He wrapped his arm over her shoulders and bent until their heads were touching. "So, what are you thinking?"
"Cheesecake. It's an automatic go-to with cream cheese, but I'm betting that Ryan might think it's too expected, so he'll make something else." She peeked over her shoulder. Ryan and Everson were huddled in the opposite corner. They separated and high-fived.
"My mom's recipe box had one with easy in the title. I remember seeing the card."
"That's the one I'm thinking of. Let's go. You grab the eggs and cream cheese." She preheated the oven, then grabbed a pie plate and graham crackers, confectioner's sugar, butter, and salt.
Xavier and his brother nearly collided in the center of the room. When he passed Everson on the way back from the fridge, the auburn giant mock-tackled him. Xavier dropped the cream cheese. Everson grabbed it and sprinted toward Ryan. "Fumble recovery."
Ryan raised his hands and caught the brick. "Touchdown."
As they celebrated, Ashley doubled over laughing. "Guys. You're too much."
Xavier jogged back to their spot, grinning. He held another brick of cream cheese. "They better not pull that stunt in the competition."
They worked on making the crust first. Ashley pressed the crumb mixture into the bottom and sides of the pan. Then, she handed Xavier each ingredient for the filling. Cream cheese and sugar, eggs and vanilla all went into the mixer. "Remember, low-medium speed, so too much air won't get beaten in."
He set the pie pan onto a baking sheet. When she gaped at him, he shrugged. "Ryan once said this makes it easier to transport in and out of the oven, and also protects the bottom of the crust from any potential scorching."
"He's right." Smiling, she poured the filling into the crust, the set the cheesecake in the oven. "Can you set the timer for twenty minutes?"
"Done."
"We'll add the crust shield after that, and bake it for an additional ten."
Further down the room, Ryan slid a tube pan into the oven. Everson set the timer for sixty minutes. Ashley assumed they were baking a pound cake.
Katie came in carrying five cups of coffee. "Refreshments have arrived. I think Xavier and Ashley made cookies too."
Xavier pointed to the cooling rack, where he'd abandoned the cookies to save Ashley from her pantry climb. "Oatmeal chocolate chip."
Ashley kept watch on the timer as she doctored her coffee, adding in a sprinkle of cinnamon and cocoa powder. Seeing the brothers interact, it was obvious they had a close relationship. He'd told her early on that family was everything. She was glad to see he'd meant it.
For the next hour, Ryan and Everson chatted with Ashley and her sister like they were old friends. Xavier stopped rubbing the back of his neck so frequently. He sat between Ashley and his brother and relaxed degree by degree. Maybe it had been worry over how she and Ryan would get along. She'd worried enough over Katie and Xavier before he'd begun shadowing her, but they got along fine. Or maybe it was worry about the upcoming co-hosting thing or the Spring 5k for his foundation. Whatever it was, she was happy to see him feeling better.
Everson stood and removed the tube pan from the oven. He set it on a cooling rack, next to the cheesecake. "Smells great in here. Obviously, we were a lot more relaxed today than the real competition will be, but we both managed to get everything done within the time limit."
As if on cue, the alarm in Katie's phone went off. She silenced it and took some photos of the cakes. "Looks great. Can't wait to taste them."
The front door's bell jangled, and Ashley leaped to her feet, but Katie waved her off. "I've got it."
Ryan joined Everson at the counter. He peered at the cake with a critical eye. "Should we call Shane to come in and help judge? He loves giving his opinion on things, solicited and otherwise."
Xavier snorted. "I'll tell him you said that, Ry."
"What about me?" A man Ashley recognized as the Frenzy's quarterback Tyson stood in the doorway. "I can help taste test."
Concern overshadowed the surprise on Xavier's face. "What's going on? You look stressed and pissed off, maybe both."
"I was just at Blackstone's. The dude is shady. He called and asked me to stop by, but instead of doing a practice round or run-through, it was a photo op. He handed me a box filled with cupcakes and then one of his employees came over and took our photo. He posted it on all his social media accounts and website, saying that I was a big fan of his bakery. I'm not, actually, and I'm even less a fan of him."
Ashley didn't know what to say. She met Xavier's gaze and waved the quarterback into the room.
Tyson tossed the back and gold box on the counter. "Then he told me to take these with me. He first asked me to stand outside his store and give them away to people."
Everson chuckled and shook his head. "Since you're here with a full box, I'm guessing you told him no."
"I wanted to tell him where he could shove his box, but there were kids around, so I told him I had an appointment and left. He doesn't have any trash cans outside his store. I didn't see anywhere to toss them. Figured I'd wait until I got home."
Xavier opened the box and broke a cupcake in half. He bit into it, and his sour expression didn't improve. After he swallowed, he looked at her. "You don't have anything to worry about. You're a better baker."
She smiled at his words and support. "A lot of people like his products."
"I don't know if this will make sense, but it tastes like a typical bakery-made treat to me. A little stale and impersonal. But yours, something just says home. Like the best desserts you remember from growing up."
Katie came back in and grinned at his words. "You know Mom would have called that the made with love part."
Ashley nodded and shared a smile with her sister. "She considered that the highest compliment."
"So there you go." Xavier chucked the rest of the cupcake into the trash. The long-sleeved T-shirt didn't hide the play of muscles as he attempted that three-pointer. Dusting off his hands, he turned toward Tyson again. "But how did you know that I was here? Unless you stopped by to see Ashley."
Tyson held up his phone. "You were tagged in a Bliss Bakery photo. The notification came in as I was walking."
There was only one source for that photo... Ashley pinned her sister with a glare. The last thing she needed was Xavier thinking that she was anything near Blackstone's level of shadiness. "You shouldn't be posting pictures of people without asking them."
Her sister waved away the concern with a roll of her eyes. "All I did was post side by side pictures of the cream cheese challenge and ask our followers to vote on which one they liked best. I did tag everyone here. If that's an issue, I'll remove the tag, but you should see the number of likes and comments we're getting."
Ashley snatched up her phone. The bakery's account was blowing up with notifications. "Wow."
The comforting weight of Xavier's hand cupped her should a second before his arm came around her and he leaned in to look at her screen. "The Frenzy's account shared it too."
"Is that okay with you?"
"Ash, I'm happy to help you."
"I don't want you to think we'd use you like Blackstone tried to do to Tyson."
He skated his fingers down the side of her face. "If I thought that, I wouldn't be here. But if tagging me will help increase sales, do it. In fact, I'll do it." He moved away from her, and the flash went off as he took some shots of the bakery. Then he typed into his phone.
A moment later, a new notification popped up on her screen. Xavier had tagged the bakery in a photo of the cupcake display and captioned it: The cupcakes at Bliss are a touchdown for your taste buds. Come in and try them.
She tapped the heart below the post and commented with the bakery's usual response: So glad you found some bliss!
His gesture was sweet, and appreciated, but did he really mean it, or had he felt pushed and pressured?
She didn't want to do anything that might alienate him the way Blackstone had alienated Tyson. The competition was so close. She had to avoid any possible roadblocks to their working relationship.
