I’ve been wanting to do something nice for Hunter after all he’s done for me since I’ve moved home.
I eye the clock. Practice ends about ninety minutes from now. I’m full from breakfast and relaxed, and I’ve missed baking. I used to bake with my mother, but once I moved to New York City, I pretty much gave up cooking altogether.
I’m going to change that right now.
Hockey players aren’t big on sweets, especially when they’re in-season, but I know Hunter loves a good dessert every once in a while. And I know exactly which one.
So I take out a mixing bowl, turn on some music, and search Hunter’s kitchen for the ingredients I’ll need to get started.
* * *
I’ve just finished frostingthe cupcakes when Hunter walks in the front door.
“What smells so damn good?” he asks me as he steps into the kitchen.
I clean my hands on a dishcloth and give him a hug. “Baking you sustenance. I made cupcakes. Healthy cupcakes,” I add quickly. “Well, healthier. I substituted honey for sugar. And I know you have to watch your fat intake when you’re playing, but I thought you deserved a little treat after how hard you’ve been working, and…”
His eyes are misty with emotion. “You remembered,” he says as he curls his hand around the back of my head and kisses me long and hard.
I’m breathless when he finally lets go.
“I did,” I say. “Cupcakes were what your mama used to always make for you boys when you were little. You and I had that in common—it’s probably the one happy thing I can remember doing with my mama.”
He grins. “You know I’m going to eat one now. And then, in about ten seconds, I’m going to eat another.”
I reach for a cupcake and place it on a napkin.
“Here you go.”
I grab one for myself, and we take seats on the couch together.
Hunter bites into the cupcake and immediately groans. “So fucking good,” he says with a full mouth.
He’s so sexy right now, and I snuggle closer to him as I bite into my own cupcake.
It is good. Rich and decadent, and the frosting is delicious.
“I’ve missed this,” I say.
“Baking?”
“Eating whatever I want. We didn’t eat a lot of desserts in New York,” I say. “All my friends were in the business, and we were so worried about looking good for auditions or for whatever role we had at the time.”
Hunter finishes off his cupcake and heads to the kitchen for another.
He calls over his shoulder, “You’re gorgeous, Winter. You deserve to be happy, no matter your number on a scale.”
Hunter always loved my body. Whether I’d gained five or ten pounds or was on another stage diet in high school, he never wavered in his attraction to me. I missed that kind of unconditional acceptance when I was away, but what’s really sad is that I couldn’t give that kind of acceptance to myself.
It’s time to start. I finish my own cupcake and watch Hunter devour his before he even leaves the kitchen. I smile as he walks back toward me. When his ass hits the couch next to me, I climb on top of him.
“You’re right,” I say as I nibble his earlobe. “I need to treat my body well.”
He reaches for the zipper on my jeans. “Let’s start with me treating you well.”
“You always do,” I murmur, already feeling myself light up.
“I have a few more ideas up my sleeve.”
