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Avel raised his eyebrows before stepping to the side and gesturing her into his room.

As Holly passed him, she smelt his woody scented body wash and took a deep breath. She needed to be careful not to show the effect he had on her.

“You’ve brought me a cake?” Avel closed the gap between them, his hand reaching for the tin.

She pulled it out of his reach and turned. “Maybe. I’ll set them out while you get dressed.” Holly kept her back to him as she placed the tin on the table by the couch. She couldn’t stare at that luscious body for a second longer without starting to drool.

She heard Avel chuckle as he disappeared into the other room and returned a moment later dressed in a black jumpsuit. Even that fitted perfectly and did nothing to hide his toned muscles.

Holly chastised herself as she fussed with the cupcakes. He must spend a lot of time working on his physique. She shouldn’t be coming here tempting him with cakes in the hope of... what? She wasn’t even sure what she’d hoped when she made the decision to visit. That she’d found a friend? That Avel could teach her something about standing up for herself? Now she was here, she felt out of her depth.

Avel peered over her shoulder. “They look amazing.”

“Thanks.” Holly hurried around the table and took a seat on the couch. “If ever I have a bad day, I find cupcakes make everything better.”

“It works for me.” Avel grabbed the cupcake and took a huge bite. He groaned and closed his eyes for a second. “That tastes even better than it looks. Holly, you’re a genius.”

She grabbed her own cake and bit into it. They ate in silence for a moment.

Avel licked frosting off his fingers, his gaze on her. “Tell me how this baking business works.”

“You want to know how to make a cake?”

“The disasters I made tonight weren’t edible,” Avel said. “It sounded so easy. You get the ingredients, you stuff it in a bowl, you give it a stir, and then you put it in the oven. What did I do wrong?”

Holly finished her cupcake. This was something she knew about. “Well, that’s the basic steps. You need to be precise with your measurements. If the ratios skew, you’ll get the wrong mixture consistency. Cupcakes are fragile. You start with the dry ingredients, measure them out, place them in a bowl, and stir together. Then you move on to your wet ingredients. Again, you need to be careful with your measurements. And if you’re using eggs, you must be careful of the size. Mix them together and add to the dry ingredients. When you get to the end, you’ll see if the mixture is wet enough. If it isn’t, you add liquid a tiny bit at a time.”

Avel grunted. “Who knew baking was such a science?”

She grinned. “It absolutely is. There’s a knack to getting it right.”

“My first attempt sucked. I don’t have the knack.”

“No one’s first attempt will be perfect,” Holly said.

“I did a good job of making something inedible. It was far from perfect.”

Holly smiled. “We all have to start somewhere.”

“Why don’t you help me?”

“With what?”

“Learning how to cook. The food you serve in the dining hall is amazing, but it might be nice to knock something up for myself.”

Holly worried her bottom lip with her teeth. “You have your food replicator.”

“Sure, and that does in a pinch, but to know you can cook for yourself, that’s a useful skill to have.”

“You’re asking me for lessons?”

Avel shrugged. “Only if you have the time. I could teach you something in exchange.”

Holly thought about her desire to let her anger out and channel her rage. She couldn’t ask that of Avel. If she did, he’d want to know why. She rarely spoke about her past relationship. She was embarrassed that she’d let someone belittle her for so long. If Avel knew she’d put up with that, let someone trample all over her, he’d think less of her. Just as she did, she sometimes hated herself for being such a doormat.

“There must be something you want, Holly.” Avel leaned over and brushed the side of her mouth with his thumb.

She pulled away, her heart pounding.