Her scrunched eyes popped open, and she stared up at him, surprise lifting her brows. “Jesse.”
“What the hell are you doing, Aspen?” Anger wove into his words, because fuck, if he hadn’t been here to catch her, she could have cracked her damn skull open.
“What the hell I was doing was getting the muffin tray down, becauseyouput it in a ridiculously hard-to-reach place.”
She pushed at his chest, and he set her on her feet.
“Next time, ask me.” He reached up and grabbed the tray before setting it on the counter. “You’re baking?”
She frowned. “Why do you ask like that?”
“Like what? A question?”
She rolled her eyes and went to the fridge and grabbed the butter. “Like you’re shocked.”
“I just haven’t seen you bake before.” And definitely not at seven in the morning.
“I’m changing my main character’s profession to a baker, but I haven’t baked much before, so I thought I should at least learn how to make muffins before I write about her doing it.”
Jesse leaned against the island. “What was her profession before?”
“An accountant. But it didn’t suit her. She’s not analytical enough for that. She’s messy and erratic and creative.”
“What does the guy in your book do?”
Her eyes flew up and flared before going back to the counter. “He’s in…law enforcement.”
The corners of Jesse’s mouth twitched. “Really?”
“Don’t read too much into it. Heroes in law enforcement are popular.”
“Is that because a man in a uniform’s sexy?”
“I suppose some people find them sexy.”
“Do you?” He was being direct, but he couldn’t bring himself to care.
Her throat bobbed. “I’m impartial.”
He almost laughed, and the sudden need to test her had him stepping closer. He lowered his head, touching a hand to the small of her back as he whispered into her ear, “So falling into my arms did nothing for you?”
A shudder rolled down her spine, one he felt with every muscle in his body. “Maybe for a small fraction of a second, I was a little bit affected.” She looked up. “But then you spoke.”
“Ouch.”
Her lips twitched, and she went to step away, but he snaked an arm around her waist and tugged her back. “Aspen. I’m sorry I got angry. I was scared about what could have happened if I hadn’t caught you.”
She looked up, and the second her gaze collided with his, his heart shot into his fucking throat.
Damn, she was beautiful. A natural kind of beauty. Effortless.
And standing this close, with her mouth an inch from his, her scent everywhere…all he wanted to do was kiss her. The voice in his head pushed him—screamed athim—to do just that. To lower his head and see if her lips were as soft as they looked.
“Thank you for catching me,” she whispered. Her eyes dropped to his lips.
It was too damn much to resist. He started to lower his head. She didn’t pull away. He was almost touching her lips, could feel her breath on his mouth…
When the ringing of the doorbell cut through the silence.
