Chapter 12—Aspen
“You think?”
Aspen nibbled on the corner of her lip, looking for more input after her first-ever in-person catering pitch.
“Are you kidding me?” Mia slid the last plastic bin into the vehicle and placed her hands on her curvy hips. “Josh was searching for muffin samples like a kid snooping for hidden Christmas presents.”
A few days passed since dinner at her place and the smoking-hot kiss Connor claimed as his prize following their tv gameshow puzzle bout.
Yes, she’d been running crazy this week, but the buzz of their kiss continued to be felt long after the actual event.
His confidence, his assertiveness pushed buttons she didn’t know existed.
What she found the most intriguing were the small acts of kindness like clearing their dinner plates, and the slight, genuine smiles he sometimes shared with her.
How did she reward him for his generosity and his electrifying kisses?
She conked out on him on the couch. Even that didn’t deter her brutish prince from carrying her to her bed and tucking her in, making her feel delicate, cherished.
Or showing up at the bakery to offer the space more TLC then she could ever reimburse in three lifetimes.
While she felt woefully indebted to the effort Connor was putting in around her shop, she couldn’t hide the fact she loved to see him work around the bakery. Just being in his presence fed a loneliness she hadn’t realized was part of her soul. And his body...
There were times she literally stopped mid-stir to watch his wide shoulders covered in a Van Halen t-shirt flex and twist as he worked various small and big projects around her shop.
One of those big projects included Connor’s efforts to tweak the dastardly air conditioner that threatened to stop working at any moment.
He’d offered to buy her a new air conditioner on several occasions, but there was only so much she would allow him to do for her. The manual labor he provided around her bakery had to be enough; she had to draw the line at purchasing big ticket items for which Aspen was ultimately responsible.
In addition to admiring his body, honed to perfection, while he worked, their banter flowed easily. They teased, they joked, but they hadn’t kissed since the epic couch moment at her place.
Aspen appreciated the space but found herself more conflicted the more time they spent together.
He was right, there was indeed some crazy connection between the two of them, but she had far too much going on in her life to explore anything other than a shared smooch.
It all may be a moot point anyway. Maybe Connor’s lack of physical contact with her in the last week meant that he wasn’t interested in pursuing anything other than friendship.
She pushed thoughts of Connor from her head and focused on Mia, who had been talking non-stop.
“...and seriously I would expect you to be rewarded the contract for the hockey camp at any moment,” Mia nearly squealed with excitement. “Any. Moment.”
Aspen so appreciated Mia. She helped her get her foot in the door with this potential event and gave her the chance to dig deep into this new and exciting chapter in her business.
A business that would allow her to compete with the big brand coffee store down the street that took away from her literal bread and butter.
With her supplies loaded, Aspen shut the back door to her vehicle and turned to hug Mia.
“I can’t thank you enough. I won’t let you down if I get this job.”
“Pfffft. As if,” Mia waved-off Aspen. “I think you had the camp leaders at the ‘Abracadabra’ muffins filled with zucchini and carrots that taste as good as any fruit-filled treat you make. You’re going to take the Denver catering scene by storm, Aspen. Just you watch.”
“One can only dream and bake her buns off to make it so.”
Aspen silently reminded herself that she also needed to work harder at not noticing (cue panting, lusting) after a hot, hockey player. She needed to live in the moment and welcome the friendship he offered.
Mia wrapped her arms around Aspen in a tight hug. “What do you have planned for the rest of the day?”
“I need to get back to the shop to bake a batch of ‘Sweet Dreams are Made of This’ cupcakes,” Aspen described her cherry-chocolate cakes inspired by the eighties hit song by the Eurythmics. “Enough about me. How are things going with Matt since he gave you the friends-only-speech?”
“Honestly? I’m still pissed, but instead of getting mad, I’m getting even.”
Aspen offered a weary look. “Oh, boy, do I want to hear this?”
“It’s fine. Let’s just say I’m working to short-circuit his Harvard-trained-brain at every turn.”
“With your feisty Italian sass?”
“Actually, not words... more like shorty-short sleepwear and lots of extra wiggles when I think he’s looking.”
“I know he’s looking, and I can only imagine the torture you’re putting him through,” Aspen could only imagine herself trying to temp Connor in that way, but came up short. “You’re such a vixen, girl. I need to name a cupcake after you.”
“I don’t know about that, but I know I’ve been pushing Matt’s buttons. The poor boy had an unfortunate run-in with the counter that came close to hitting a very special, very private part of his anatomy,” Mia waggled her eyebrows.
“Poor guy.”
Aspen was convinced Connor would see through any attempt at trying to seduce him through blatant flirting via playful words or seductive actions.
Besides that, Aspen was certain she did not possess a seductive bone in her body.
To build off that sobering factoid, Aspen didn’t have time for the type of reindeer games Mia played with Matt.
Business. All about the business.
“Like I said, I’m getting tired of Matt making decisions for both of us, so I’m just showing him what he’s missing,” Mia shook her head, obvious frustration poking at her senses. “Can you make the new cupcake inspired by me named something like ‘Take No Prisoners’ or something wicked like that?”
“Done. Maybe something that combines a cannoli and something snappy.” Aspen’s mind began spinning at the ingredients to build a new cupcake motivated by her feisty friend. “See you tomorrow?”
“Bright and early!”
After one more hug, Aspen jumped into her SUV and headed back to the shop.
Thinking about the tasks she needed to complete, Aspen needed to focus on the job at hand and not longing to feel the way her body responded to Connor’s demanding kisses.
“He’s not interested in you anyway,” Aspen responded into the empty cab of her vehicle and smacked the steering wheel a few times for good measure.
Frowning and realizing the palms of her hands were hurting a bit, she heard a car horn. Oh. Yeah. She had forgotten for a moment she was in traffic and slapping the steering wheel got the attention of a driver in a boat of a Buick waiting at the same traffic light.
With a slight wave and a look that (hopefully) screamed she wasn’t bonkers, Aspen accelerated forward once the light turned green. But it was hard to keep her attention on her surroundings and her mind went back to recalling the events over the past week since the infamous Wheel of Fortune kiss.
Yes, it was amazing. The way it started so slowly then escalated to heavy breathing, heads angling for position, and sweet buttermilk biscuits, the way his tongue danced with hers.
She was on complete and total sensory overload, which probably resulted in her crashing on the couch when he retreated to the kitchen. He probably thought she wasn’t interested, which is why Connor friend-zoned her like Matt currently engaged Mia.
It was all for the best. No time. Not looking for... whatever sparked between them. Besides the business mantra that consumed her waking and sometimes sleeping moments, she was too much of a chicken to broach Connor about the subject.
She’d just continue her focus on working toward the black in her business ledger and remain forever-indebted to her friend, and hot-as-hell construction guy, donating his time and talents to getting her shop on the mend.
Reaching her bakery, Aspen slid into an open two-hour parking slot—thank you parking gods—so she could unload before moving her vehicle into the garage located beneath her apartment building.
Before she could unbuckle her seatbelt, her cellphone began to ring, the display showing the Fun4Summer name. Aspen took a deep breath, her hands shaking.
Ohmygosh. Ohmygosh. Sound calm. Sound professional. “This is Aspen.”
“Aspen, this is Josh, director of the Fun4Summer program here in Denver.”
“Yes. Hello, Josh. How may I help you?” Aspen worked to control her voice.
“It’s how you can help us, actually. Our entire team loved the samples you shared, kudos for that, and your price point is perfect. We’d like to contract you for the upcoming hockey camp.”
“Absolutely, Josh,” Aspen’s excitement couldn’t be tamped down. “I’m looking forward to working with you and your team and will send over a contract outlining what was discussed during today’s presentation.”
“Sounds great, Aspen, and congratulations.”
After finalizing some details she’d be sure to drop into the contract, Aspen ended the call and nearly floated out of her SUV to begin unloading her travel bins from the afternoon presentation for the camp leaders.
It was then she spied Connor on his haunches as he caulked one of the windows of her bakery. If her heart rate speed increased any more, she would be in danger of passing out on the sidewalk with an empty tote in her arms.
“Oh, hey, BB,” he called over his shoulder, then returned to finish the bead of the rubbery material against the edge of the window frame.
“Hey,” she responded lamely, not trusting herself to say anything more for fear she would comment just how sexy the deep and defined muscles of his thighs bulged through the denim of his jeans.
He held himself in the equivalent of the Rooster Pose in yoga with little to no effort, a pose which made her routinely topple over while trying to perform.
Friends, Aspen.
“I saw the bakery was closed this afternoon so I worked to clear the tattered caulking from the windows outside the shop and replace it with new.”
Hot, probably mega rich hockey player or not, he was doing way too much for her.
“Connor, I’m sure you’ve got much better things to do than worry about filling my stuff with caulk.”
Filling my stuff with cock? That dreaded silent ‘l’ in caulk?
Shoot. Me. Now.
Connor quirked a tiny grin from his full lips. He then laid the tube of the sealant on the sidewalk and slowly stood to his full height, which still soared over Aspen’s own tall measurement. He slowly closed the gap between the two of them letting his eyes roam over Aspen’s body in the process.
Taking the plastic bin from her arms and holding it at his side so they were now standing mere inches apart, Connor placed his thumb under her chin to tilt her face up. “I will caulk your stuff anytime, BB. Anytime.”
Aspen could see his pupils dilate. He began the slow descent to her lips for a repeat performance of the Wheel of Fortune kiss.
All her inhibitions about Connor just wanting to be friends and her business focus flew out the window faster than a teen uploading a video to Tik Tok at the thought of another kiss from the incredible man standing before her.
Just before his lips connected with hers, Aspen’s phone rang, jolting her from the sultry and anticipatory bubble in which she floated.
She checked the display on the phone, trying to find some semblance of control in the meantime. “Sorry, one sec. It’s Mia.”
Connor moved to place the tote by the door before returning to her SUV to grab the other items.
Aspen connected the call and Mia’s voice blasted through the phone and could probably be heard within a three-block radius.
“You got the job,” she shrieked in delight. “I knew you’d get the job. Congratulations!”
Aspen locked her car after Connor closed the back hatch and then went to open the bakery door. “Thanks, Mia. I couldn’t have done it without you.”
“Yeah, yeah you could, and you did. “I’m so excited for you. Great job.”
“Thanks again. Now the hard part, right?”
“You’ve got this. What does Wolfe call you? Boss Baker? Go get ‘em, tiger.
“You weirdo. I’ll see you tomorrow,” Aspen disconnected the call.
“The catering gig?” Connor asked and the first full smile she’d ever seen from him painted his beautifully angled face. “You got it?”
“I did. Can you believe it?”
“I most certainly can,” Connor whisked her in his arms and spun her in a fanciful circle on the Denver sidewalk outside of her shop. “We should go celebrate.”
Aspen’s body tingled at their exchanges just before her phone rang, but then the pull of reality swathed her.
“I probably shouldn’t. I need to get some things done before tomorrow and work on the contract.”
“Just dinner, BB. You need to eat.”
“I can just make—”
“—don’t say pot stickers,” he teased. “Just. Dinner. I’ll get you home before you turn into a pumpkin.”
“Is that a ding on my hair?”
Connor’s eyes drifted to the mass of curls tucked firmly in her ‘baking bun’ as she referred to it.
“You must be kidding. I’d never make fun of your hair. It’s...” he swallowed before continuing and she wanted to lick along his bobbing adam’s apple. “Beautiful. And sexy. In fact, you should wear it down tonight.”
“Boys and their obsession with hair.” Aspen rolled her eyes, but secretly loved the fact he liked her fiery tresses. “You know, I didn’t say I’d go to dinner.”
“First, I’m no boy, BB,” Connor crossed his arms over his chest, the muscles flexing in their chiseled glory.
“And if it means I’m an ass that I’ve thought nothing except about how I wrapped your hair around my hands the other night, then sue me.
Now, go get that cute catering butt of yours upstairs and get ready for dinner. ”
Oh shit, maybe the kiss was just as powerful for him, and he wasn’t looking for a friends-only approach.
Aspen thought she landed on cloud nine at being awarded the catering gig. However, his sexy, bossy words made her spike to cloud twenty. If there was such a thing.
“We’ll see about that,” was about all she could muster for sultry. Where was Mia when she needed her.
“Hair down, BB.”
“You’ll just have to wait and see, won’t you, Connor?”