Bet on It (8)

Aja thought on his words for a bit, her face turned upwards, letting him see the soft line of her jaw and her full cheeks clearly. “How long was the losing streak?” she asked.

“Twenty-two games.” He grinned.

She grimaced in fake sympathy. “Well, if the cobbler’s that good, I guess I have no choice but to try it … you didn’t happen to grab any forks, did you?”

“Nah, I was goin’ to eat these at home on the couch like the hermit I am. But I can go back in and get some.”

He dreaded the idea of having to encounter Louise again so soon, but for Aja, he was willing.

“It’s all right, I have a ton of disposable ones in my glove compartment.” Aja placed her cobbler on the roof of her car before she opened her driver’s side door, put her knees on the seat, and leaned in.

Had he been a better man, he would have looked away. Kept his eyes trained on the worn signs of the shops in front of him and not stared at her ass. But her dress stretched over her oh so perfectly, tightening so that he could make out the shape of the most perfect behind he’d ever had the pleasure of seeing. Full and round and so grabbable that his fingers ached. Walker’s teeth dug into his bottom lip as his mouth watered for something other than cobbler for the first time in days. He jerked out of his trance once she straightened, shutting his eyes briefly so he could keep the picture of her bent over in front of him at the forefront of his brain.

“Here you go,” she said, handing him a white spoon wrapped in cellophane.

The only sound between them was the rustling of their utensils being unwrapped. Once she’d gotten her first spoonful, she paused, waiting.

“You go first,” he prompted, his mouth watering as the scent of cobbler became stronger. “You deserve to experience this all on your own for the first time.”

“Are you always this dramatic?” she asked.

“Only about cobbler. Now…” His gesture told her to speed things up. He could only be patient for so long when faced with something so tempting.

With a roll of her eyes, she took her first bite. Walker could see the exact moment she fell in love with it. Her eyes widened some, then closed. She chewed slowly, working her jaw carefully as if she was trying to savor every taste. Once she’d swallowed it down, she ran her tongue over her lips twice, no doubt searching for more. It was a look he recognized well. Had there been a photo of him taking his first bite, he probably would have looked the same.

“Whoa…” She breathed the word.

Seeing her so pleased made it impossible to hold off on his piece any longer. The groan he let out would have been embarrassing had he cared enough to feel that way. The flavor hit every one of his taste buds, pure satisfaction worming its way into his heart the longer it sat on his tongue. He let himself take one more bite before speaking.

“Incredible, right?”

“I’ll be honest, I thought you were just being goofy but … that might be the best peach cobbler I’ve ever had.” She shook her head in disbelief. “And I have an auntie who’s won first place in the cobbler contest at the Prince George’s County Fair seven times. She’d kill me for saying that too. Either that or force me to peel peaches until my fingers fall off.”

She took two more small bites in quick succession, and he followed suit.

“This cobbler transcends familial ties, Aja. I’m pretty sure Minnie sold her soul to some kind of demon for this recipe.” He forewent all manners, speaking with his mouth full.

“I guess that would explain the, uh, ‘healing properties’ then.”

“No finger quotes needed,” he argued. “I never said it wasn’t demon magic that did the healing, just that it existed.”

Aja shook her head, grinning at him for the first time. It was brighter than the sun behind her, and prettier too. She popped her spoon into her mouth and closed the container, leaving her cobbler half eaten.

“I’ve got to head inside.” She sounded almost sad about it. “I’ve got four very long hours in one of those chairs ahead of me so I’m going to save the rest for later.”

“Smart girl,” he chuckled.

“Thank you, Walker. It really is incredible.”

“No problem. Like I said, everybody needs to try this at least once.”

“I have a feeling I’m not going to be satisfied with just one piece.”

“You won’t,” he assured her. “Now that you’ve tried it, you won’t be able to help yourself from comin’ back to get some more.”

She smiled again, then waved good-bye. “I’ll see you Wednesday?”

“Gram would kill me if I disrupted her bingo night, so yes, definitely.”

Walker kept an eye on her as she started walking away, and he moved two spots over to his truck. But instead of getting inside and driving back to Gram’s, he leaned against the closed truck bed. He’d idle a while, finish his dessert, feel the sun on his skin a little longer. It was beautiful out, and he was suddenly feeling good. Aja didn’t seem to want to rush inside either, keeping her strides short enough to make her ass bounce with each step. Walker watched her, ankles crossed as he stood, digging into his cobbler. When she was halfway there, she looked over her shoulder at him, and he smiled, lazy and satisfied.

He couldn’t be sure, it wouldn’t have been the first time his imagination had run away with him, but he could have sworn he saw her smile right back.