Page 129 of A Taste of Vanilla

“You should move,” I say quietly.

His eyes hold mine. “Probably.”

He doesn’t move.

My pulse is loud in my ears as I watch him swallow.

“This is a terrible idea,” I mutter.

He nods.

I break the trance first, pulling away and grabbing the bars of chocolate from the shelf as he cleans up the sugar.

Placing them on a cutting board, I get to work chopping the chocolate into small pieces for the cookies.

“Careful,” Warren says, eyeing my hands.

“I know how to use a knife,” I snap, really over everything going on right now.

He hums. “I know.”

“Then don’t ‘careful’ me.”

“I just don’t want you to chop a finger off.”

The knife goes still in my hand as I process what he just said.

Practical flirting is one thing. Criticism of my oven, fine. I’ll allow it, I guess. Mixer-speed arguments are acceptable under duress. But sentences like that are dangerous.

At least, they are to someone like me.

I look away. “I’m not fragile, Warren.”

Before he can say anything, Marley marches back into the kitchen. “I’ve decided I can tolerate this for about four hours a day.”

I set the knife down and turn to her. “What?”

She points between Warren and me. “Whatever this is. Professional or sexual tension. Maybe one or both. I hate all of it. The bakery needs help, and Warren needs somewhere to direct his energy before he starts coming over to my place every day and alphabetizing it.”

“I wouldn’t do that,” he scoffs.

Marley looks at him.

“Not without asking, at least,” he adds.

She nods. “So here are my terms.”

“Your terms?” I ask, my brows furrowing.

“Yeah. Since apparently I’m the only one here with boundaries and a vested interest in not developing a stress rash that’ll put me in the hospital for a few weeks. One, Warren helps with production systems temporarily. Just while he’s here figuring out whatever midlife crisis he refuses to name.”

“I’m thirty-eight,” he corrects. “That’s not midlife.”

She side-eyes him. “With your personality, it just might be.”

I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing.

Marley lifts two fingers. “Second, Halston remains in charge. It’s her bakery and her recipes.”