Chapter 14 Tanner
TANNER
As Emily and I walk down the hallway, she’s already deep into planning mode, talking animatedly about the cake Hailey would want. I’m more focused on her—the way she walks, the way she smiles, the way she touches her nose as she’s planning.
“So,” she says, her voice picking up speed, “Hailey’s always been a fan of simple, classic flavors. Maybe something like a vanilla sponge with layers of buttercream? But not too sweet. She hates overly sweet cakes.”
“Vanilla sponge. Got it.”
“It won’t be too much, right?” she says, biting her lip. Damn, I’m jealous of her teeth. Fuck me.
“No, of course not,” I say distractedly. I feel myself wanting to agree with everything she has to say now.
She glances at me with a skeptical smile. “You’re sure about that? We don’t have the luxury of messing this up. Maybe we should sketch it out beforehand, just to be safe.”
“Good idea,” I reply, my gaze still on her lips. I swear she notices and looks away as we step into the elevator.
“We can’t go too fancy with limited resources anyway. Keep it simple.”
“Exactly,” Emily says, clearly pleased that I’m following along.
“We’ll find most of the ingredients and tools in the kitchen…hopefully.”
As we reach the reception area, I can see Collie standing at her desk, flipping through some paperwork. Emily glances at me before approaching her. This is where things could get interesting.
“Hey, Collie,” Emily starts, giving her a bright, hopeful smile. “We were wondering…would it be alright if we used the kitchen for a little while? Hailey’s cake got canceled, as you know, and we were wondering if we could, um, maybe bake a replacement for it?” she blabbers.
“It would mean a lot to the bride,” I step in, trying to make things smoother.
Collie looks up from her papers, her expression unreadable for a second. I brace myself for her to shut us down, but then she surprises me.
“You want to bake a cake?” she asks, sounding more amused than anything.
“Well…yeah,” Emily says, glancing at me like she’s waiting for backup. I give Collie a nod.
“Sure, go ahead. Lord knows we could use something sweet around here after all this mess. Just make sure you don’t burn the place down.”
I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding and exchange a relieved look with Emily. “No promises,” I joke, earning a chuckle from Collie.
“Good luck,” she adds as she returns to her papers.
We step into the kitchen, and it’s bigger than I expected. Stainless steel counters run the length of the walls, with industrial-sized ovens and a massive fridge that probably has more shelves than I can count. Pots and pans hang from a rack in the center.
“Okay,” Emily says, scanning the space with determination, “let’s see what we’ve got.”
She heads straight to the pantry and starts rummaging around. I lean against the counter, watching her move with surprising confidence. Her hands fly over shelves, pulling out bags of flour and sugar like she’s done this a hundred times.
“Found the flour,” she says, glancing back at me with a triumphant smile. “Now, where’s the baking powder?”
I move to the other side of the pantry and scan the shelves. “Here it is,” I say, handing her the container.
“Great, thanks,” she mutters, distracted as she gathers more ingredients. After a few minutes of searching, she spots something on a higher shelf and groans. “Of course, the vanilla is up there.”
I glance up at the shelf. It’s way out of her reach. Without thinking, I step up behind her, my hands resting lightly on her waist. “Here, let me give you a lift.”
She stiffens for just a second before relaxing into my touch. I lift her with ease, and her fingers graze the shelf as she grabs the small bottle of vanilla extract.
“Got it,” she breathes out, her voice a little shakier than usual.
When I set her back down, we’re closer than before—her back to my chest, the scent of her hair filling the small space between us.
“Thanks,” she says.
“Anytime,” I reply, my hands still lingering on her waist for a second longer before stepping back.
“I know I’m a little heavy,” she says.
“What?” I say, confused.
She bites her lip. “Nothing.”
“Emily—” I begin. I don’t quite know what to tell her except that she’s the most perfect woman I’ve ever seen—a round ass, perfect breasts, wide full hips that I could just sink my fingers into while I stroke in and out of her. Fuck.
“You’re perfect,” is all I can manage to say.
Emily turns, her cheeks flushed. “Okay, next on the list—eggs. Let’s stay focused here.”
As Emily continues to stir the batter, I keep reaching for ingredients without thinking.
It’s almost second nature—getting the right amount of flour and butter at room temperature and cracking the eggs one-handed like it’s something I do every day.
Emily glances at me as I measure out the sugar with precision, her brow furrowing slightly in curiosity.
“You know,” she says, eyeing me suspiciously, “you’re a lot more helpful than I expected.”
I freeze for a second, realizing I’ve let on more than I should have.
“Yeah, well,” I shrug, trying to play it off. “I might know a little more about baking than I let on.”
Emily pauses, the spatula in her hand, and looks up at me, intrigued. “How little?”
I wince, knowing what’s coming. “I, uh...worked part-time as a cake decorator in high school.”
Her mouth drops open, and for a second, she just stares at me like I’ve grown two heads. Then, she bursts out laughing. “Oh my God, are you serious?”
I nod, feeling a little sheepish. “Yeah. It was supposed to be just a summer job, but I ended up sticking with it for a while.”
She shakes her head, still laughing. “You? The tough, outdoorsy guy who fights fires for a living...was a cake decorator? I’m sorry but I just don’t see it.”
“Hey, it was a job, alright? Paid well and kept me out of trouble,” I say, but the grin tugging at her lips is contagious.
Emily snickers and turns back to the batter, clearly trying to hold back laughter. “So, does that mean you can handle decorating this cake?”
I groan, rubbing the back of my neck. “I walked right into that one, didn’t I?”
She puts down the bowl. “You’ve got to show me your skills. I demand proof.”
I groan, rubbing the back of my neck. “No way. That was years ago. Besides, it has to be our little secret.”
Her eyes light up with mischief. “Why? You don’t want the guys to know you’ve got a hidden talent?”
“If they find out,” I say, dead serious, “they’ll razz me about it for the rest of my life.”
She laughs, and there’s something about the sound that makes the whole situation feel...lighter. “Why? It’s impressive.”
“Impressive,” I repeat, my tone skeptical. “More like a liability. My friends would never let me live it down.”
She’s still shaking her head. Something in my chest tugs at the sight of her smile. She looks free and unburdened and not as stressed as before. I’m glad I could be of help. “I can’t believe this. The firefighter slash cake decorator. This just keeps getting better.”
I shrug, trying to keep it cool, but her laughter makes me grin. “Everyone’s got a past, right?”
“Apparently,” she says, still chuckling as she points the spatula in my direction. “I just didn’t expect yours to involve batter.”
Emily flashes me a playful smile, stirring the batter with more enthusiasm now. “Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me. For now.”
I raise a brow. “For now?”
She shrugs innocently, her grin widening. “Depends on how well this cake turns out. No pressure.”
I laugh despite myself. “Great. I didn’t know you were this devious.”
She winks at me. “Devious? Hardly. I just know how to play my cards right.”
“Alright, alright,” I say, taking the bowl off the counter. “That’s enough talk. Let’s get to work.”
It’s easy with her—surprisingly easy. We work well together, like we’ve done this a hundred times before, even though we’ve only just met.
But my mind keeps drifting back to what happened earlier with Axel. Something definitely went down between them, but weirdly, it doesn’t sit in my gut like jealousy. Instead, it’s…curiosity. Intrigue. And that bothers me a little.
I should be uneasy about the idea of Axel and Emily, right? But instead, I can’t stop thinking about the possibility, about how different it would be—her with Axel, maybe even Jace and Ben.
What if we could all have her at once? I can almost picture Emily caught in the middle—like she belongs there.
I shake my head, trying to rid myself of the thought. Focus, Tanner, I tell myself.
I glance over at her again. She’s biting her lip in concentration as she smooths the batter into the pan, completely unaware of what’s swirling through my mind.
I shouldn’t be thinking like this. But damn, the way her lips twitch into a smile every time she catches me looking, it’s like she knows exactly what I’m thinking.
“How’s it coming?” I ask
Emily wipes her hands on a towel, giving me a nod. “Good. Messy but good.”
“Cool,” I say, but I’m distracted.
She looks up, catching the slight hesitation in my tone. “You alright?” she asks, her eyes searching mine.
I force a smile. “Yeah, just...a lot going on.”
She laughs softly, shaking her head. “Tell me about it.
There she is, tangled in bed, in my arms. But I’m not the only one there. We take turns mixing the batter, making sure there are no clumps.
“You’re quite the perfectionist,” I say.
“Well, it has to be perfect,” she says. “And I think we’ve almost got it now. But there’s not enough of it, I think.”
I peer over her shoulder. “Actually, you might be right. Even if we don’t exactly bake a giant cake, we’ll have to make enough for everyone to have at least one bite.”
She nods in agreement.
“I’ll help you.”
“So,” I say, grabbing the stand mixer and starting to mix beside her, “you never really told me much about your life in the city. What’s it like?”
She glances at me, smirking. “I work in Marketing. Long hours. I get takeout more often than I should. Not that interesting.”