Chapter 22
Avery
Always
This kitchen is pure chaos as we work in tandem to gather everything we need.
Bowls and measuring cups of various shapes and sizes are scattered everywhere.
All the ingredients we need to bake cookies cover the kitchen island.
I think of how messy this will be, but I can’t help to smirk at the fun we’re about to have.
I clap my hands together, something I’ve been known to do right before stating a game plan. “Okay,” I say, rubbing my hands together. “So, snickerdoodles for you and double chocolate chunk for me?”
My mind might not always be neat and tidy, but coming up with a game plan is something I thrive off of. The anxious part of me craves control. So when things inside my brain feel disorganized, I find ways to gain control in other areas.
“You know me so well,” he says. I grab my wireless speaker and connect my phone to it, then hand it over to Cas, letting him select the playlist. We start baking as soon as the music starts playing.
At first, everything is going great. The two of us are working together as if we’ve been doing this for years.
The air starts to become more charged when Cas reaches around me to grab something he needs, placing one of his hands on my hip.
He could have easily asked me to grab it for him, but I got the sense that he wanted an excuse to touch me.
I’m not going to complain. Things only become more intense when he wraps his hands around my waist while I mix the dough.
His breath tickles my neck, causing tiny jolts of energy to surge through my body.
“If you keep distracting me like this, the dough isn’t going to turn out right.” I chuckle.
“Maybe I want to distract you,” Cas whispers before sniffing my neck and letting out a groan.
“You smell good, like honeysuckle.” He spins me around while I have a spoonful of cookie dough, causing me to accidentally smack him across the face, leaving a trail of gooey cookie on his cheek.
“I’m so sor—" was all I managed to get out before I burst out laughing.
He takes a step away from me, tilting his head to the side, his expression unreadable. “Oh, you think that’s funny, do you?”
“Hey, you spun me around when you knew I had a spoonful of dough in my hand. This is on you.” He steps toward me, looking at me like a starved man in search of his next meal, causing all the moisture from my mouth to evaporate.
I’m not sure what he’s planning to do, but I’m surprised when he dips his whole hand in the mixture.
“You know, if you wanted a taste, you could have used a spoon.” Before I can react, he’s looking at me with a wicked grin and I slowly start to back away from him.
“Don’t. You. Da—" I’m cut off when his hand smears cookie dough all over my face and neck.
“You didn’t!” I screech.
“Oh, I did! You really should be careful when baking, Avery. You’ve got some stuff all over your face and neck.” His eyes are wild and his grin is mischievous.
“That’s because you smeared it all over me. Now I need to go wipe it off.” I start to move past him, but his hands are suddenly on my waist. Within seconds he’s placing me on the marble countertop, putting me directly in his line of sight.
“Allow me,” Cas says. It all happens so fast. One second he was sitting me down on the counter , and immediately after he’s caging me between his arms. I can feel his breath on my neck, but I don’t have time to think because he’s licking my neck.
Cas is licking my neck! A moan escapes my mouth without my brain’s permission.
His tongue moves slowly up my neck and to my cheek, licking the cookie dough off my face and leaving a trail of goosebumps behind.
“Mmmmmmm, you taste sweet,” he moans, his face suddenly a hair’s breadth away from mine. Surely he’s going to kiss me, but he doesn’t. He gazes down at my lips before backing away.
“You are a frustrating man, Cas,” I blurt out.
“I am?” he asks.
“You keep saying all these things to me and almost kissing me, but never do anything about it.” He pauses, and inside my head, I’m berating myself for being so bold. He’s not going to want to date you now, Avery. Way to go.
His eyes grow more intense by the second. I want to snatch the words from his brain and throw them in the trash. Damn me and my teenage fantasies and hopes. I go to open my mouth, but he blurts out a question.
“You mean that?” he asks.
“Hmm? Mean what?” Damn it’s hot in here.
“You really want me to do something about it?”
“Um, yes?” My voice raises as if asking a question. Be bold and brave, Avery. I clear my throat and try a different approach. “Do you want to do something about it?” Yeah. Turn it back onto him, see what he says.
His eyes scan my face and I see a look that hasn’t been there since we first danced together. Cas looks at me like I’m one of the most important people in his life, like I’m the answer to his prayers.
My mind was so hyper-fixated on what his look means that I missed what he said.
“Ave?” Cas cups my face, his thumbs rubbing back and forth on my cheek. “Did you hear me?”
“I-no.” I let out a breathy laugh.
“Yes, I want to do something about it.”
Cas’ words are seeping into my brain as slow as honey. He wants to try? That’s what he’s trying to say, right?
“I can hear your thoughts, freckles. Your brain has never thought very quietly. Yes, I want to try with you, if you’ll let me.”
If I let him? Okay play it cool, Avery. We don’t need you acting all Buddy the Elf on him.
I look into his eyes and fight to hold in the giddiness.
My teeth are digging into my bottom lip to prevent a giant smile.
Chill out, Avery. Cas chuckles before using one of his thumbs to rub against my bottom lip, rubbing until I free it from its prison.
It’s so tempting to take his thumb into my mouth and suck on it.
I’m so stuck on this thought that my mouth forms a soft O and I glance at Cas from underneath my lashes.
Cas’ throat bobs as his thumb rests on my bottom lip. I could do it. Just open my mouth a tad wider and do it. He makes the decision for us both by stepping out of my arms and clearing his throat.
“Avery?” The hoarseness of his voice sends heat straight to my core.
I swallow a few times before answering his question. “Yes.” Short and to the point, and quite clearly the only thing I can manage to say.
“Okay. Cool. Yeah cool.” Cas is rubbing the back of his neck while looking at his feet.
Are we being bashful right now? Hmm, I think I might like this side of Cas.
Who knew bashful could be so sexy. “You, I, um…” He clears his throat before continuing.
“Let’s finish these cookies and maybe we can watch a movie or something? ”
We take separate spots in the kitchen. It’s better this way.
Safer this way. We don’t need the fire department called on us because we set the house on fire from burnt cookies while we were occupied doing…
other things. Once all the cookies are cooling off, we make our way to the front room to watch a movie.
I move to sit down on the other side of the couch, but Cas has his hands on my hips, pulling me to him.
I collapse onto his body and my face is so close to his.
After a heated moment, Cas plants me right next to him and instinct has me cuddling into his side.
His arm is wrapped around my waist, my head rests in the crook of his neck, breathing in his masculine scent.
It would be so easy to fall asleep, cuddling up next to him.
I mean, we did it earlier. I decided to sneak a look at Cas, just wanting to stare at him for a moment.
When I peek at him, he’s already staring at me.
Confusion invades my mind at the look on his face.
The word finally comes to mind. It’s as if Cas has been waiting for this moment all his life.
I can’t really explain why it feels this way. It just does.
“Why now?” I blurt out. The look on Cas’ face becomes more intense.
“Now?”
“Yeah, why are you interested in me like this now?”
“Baby, it's not just now. I’ve always wanted to do this.”
Always. That word has warmth radiating throughout my body. Always, I repeat in my mind. Could we have been doing something like this all along? As soon as the question enters my mind, I know the answer. No, we couldn’t have been. We both had to go our own way first before coming together.
Instead of responding to his comment, I snuggle in deeper. He presses a chaste kiss on top of my head. This isn’t something new. He’s kissed my head before, but given everything that’s happened today, it feels like more.
The movie ends too soon, yet we still haven’t moved from our spots on the couch.
His fingertips run down the length of my arm and back up again.
I let out a soft hum and my eyes flutter closed.
I was content with taking a nap with Cas wrapped around me, but his words have me jumping out of his embrace.
“Avery, will you go on a date with me?”
There is a computer glitch in my brain and it takes me a moment to speak.
“Yes.” Simple, yet powerful enough of a response.
“Perfect, I’ll pick you up tomorrow at seven.” He sends me a flirty smile and a wink before getting up to leave.
“Wait, what am I supposed to wear? Wait, don’t you want to try the cookies?” He looks over his shoulder and smirks at me.
“I already got my taste of the cookies, and I liked it—a lot. As far as what to wear, you look sexy in anything you put on,” Cas says. And with that, he walks out the door.
Holy shit. I’m going on a date with Cas. My neck still feels hot and tingly from where he licked it. I abandon the cookies and kitchen mess altogether and run upstairs to tear through my closet. Now that this is happening, I need to look my absolute best.