Lemon Cake (Naughty Desserts)

Rider

stepped out of the locker room shower and made a beeline for his phone, wanting to message Gemma immediately. Practice had been good—even if he’d had a hard time concentrating with Gemma’s eyes on him. He couldn’t help but grin as he read her text and fired off a response.

Glad you two had fun. Maybe I can make up for your loss with another trip to the bookstore?

He couldn’t help but feel disappointed when she didn’t reply immediately. He wasn’t a man who wanted a woman’s attention at all times, but he enjoyed talking to Gemma and wished he could do so all day long.

“I’m thinking about having a barbecue tomorrow afternoon.” looked up and saw Braiden approaching. “Want to come?”

“Need me to bring something?”

“How about that pretty lady that distracted you all morning?”

“That obvious, huh? ”

Braiden chuckled. “Just a little.”

“Fuck,” groaned, scrubbing his hands over his face.

“Just don’t let her mess with your head during games, then you’ll be fine.”

“She might not stick around that long.”

“Bring her tomorrow and if she stays after that , you know she’s a keeper.”

already had a feeling she was a keeper, but Braiden had a point. The guys could get crazy when they all got together.

“I’m sure Sarah will welcome her with open arms. She’s been waiting for you to get serious with someone.”

Sarah was Braiden’s wife and mother to his two daughters. They were high-school sweethearts, and organised the best barbecues.

“I’ll ask if she’s free tomorrow.”

“Even if it’s just for an hour, bring her by. I would love to meet her. Things kick off around two-ish.”

Braiden left, leaving to get dressed in peace. On his way to his truck, he texted Gemma again.

Friends of mine are having a BBQ tomorrow. Would you like to go with me?

didn’t notice a text back until he arrived home.

Would never say no to another bookstore date.

What time is the BBQ?

2ish .

There was a long pause where those typing bubbles appeared, vanished, then appeared again. He felt like he’d gone too far. They’d barely met once and he hadn’t even asked her out on a proper date.

We don’t have to go. Braiden just asked me and I thought I should put it out there. We can do something just us if you feel more comfortable with it.

I like the BBQ. Should I bring something?

Just yourself and your beautiful smile.

Want me to pick you up?

How about 1:30?

Sounds perfect. Can’t wait to see you again.

As he saved her address into his phone, he grinned like a kid on Christmas morning. Butterflies were already starting to tingle in his stomach again, and he hoped he hadn’t pushed her too far.

The next morning, spent his time in his home gym, trying to keep his mind—and body—occupied before meeting up with Gemma. Still, he couldn’t help but feel insecure, worried he’d gone too far by inviting Gemma to the barbecue. Before he got ready, he decided to call her to make sure she was comfortable.

“Hi,” her sweet voice came from the speaker.

“So, I feel like a dick,” he confessed. “I feel like I pushed you to come to the barbecue and wanted to offer you an out in case it made you uncomfortable.”

She giggled. “Not a dick.”

“But pushy, huh?”

“It does make me nervous but…” She paused and it felt like eternity before she spoke again. “I took it as a compliment that you think I can come with you without embarrassing you.”

“I wasn’t thinking when I asked you to come, but Braiden asked about you so I thought I should pass it along.”

“So, you’ve talked about me?”

scoffed. “I didn’t have to. They made fun of me because I couldn’t concentrate yesterday with you around.” Then, realising what he’d said he rushed to add, “Which is a good thing.”

“I thought you looked good.”

blushed. He fucking blushed like some lovesick teenager.

“I want to meet your friends,” Gemma continued.

“If they become too much to handle, I’ll take you to the nearest bookstore and buy you all the books you can carry.”

That made her laugh again. “Sounds like a win-win to me.”

“I’ll see you soon.”

was on time this time—almost—and parked in front of the complex and walked through to find her building. Only two minutes late he knocked on her door, his heart pounding a staccato rhythm in his chest. Gemma opened the door with a bright smile on her glossy lips, her hair in a loose bun decorated with a small bow. She wore light wash jeans, a simple blue t-shirt, and sneakers.

“Hi,” she said softly, pulling his attention from her body. “Let me just grab the cake and we can go.”

“Cake?” he called after her as she disappeared back inside.

took a risk and poked his head through the door. Her apartment was neat and modestly decorated with pictures all over the walls. Then his eyes landed on a wheelchair in the corner next to the couch. Not wanting to be caught spying, his eyes found her again.

“I thought it would be rude to show up empty-handed. Besides, I needed something to keep me busy.”

“Would it ease your mind if I told you I had to do the same?”

“Keep yourself busy?”

“Yes.” He took the cake box out of her hands and stepped out of the door frame. “I was a little nervous.”

Gemma paused to lock the door, tossing a grin over her shoulder. “I like honest men.”

He wanted to ask about the wheelchair, curious if she still used it but he’d learned his lesson last time.

“So, Braiden is the wide receiver? ”

“That’s right.”

“I may have looked up your teammates to see who he was.”

laughed and walked her to his truck. “He’s married to Sarah, and they have two daughters, Clara and Ina.”

“I’m horrible with names, but I’ll try to remember everyone.”

“Oh, don’t worry.” He opened the passenger door for her and watched her climb in before handing her the cake and taking his own seat.

“By the way, your favourite book is now mine too. The kids and I loved Ellison the Elephant .”

“Good, I always did love that story.”

“Do you have siblings?”

“No, I was the only child which means I’m ridiculously spoiled. And you? Was it just you and your sister?”

“Yes, just me and Gina.”

“Twins, I assume? Since you said no one could ever tell you apart.”

“Yes. We didn’t make it easier either by dressing the same. We thought it was hilarious.”

“Did you ever switch sports teams?”

“Oh, no! That’s where we drew the line. We were far too much in love with our sports to miss practice or risk ruining it for us.”

“Ah, so you’re very competitive.”

“Always,” she laughed. “And Gina wouldn’t risk ruining her skin with bruises like I did.”

When she started talking about being a safety, her face simply brightened. Her love for the game was clearly still there, so definitely needed to get her tickets for the next game—maybe.

Once they arrived at Braiden’s house, took the cake from Gemma so she could climb out of the truck. After steadying herself on her feet, she gripped his arm just as she had leaving the bookstore.

“So should we have a safe word in case we want to leave?” he asked playfully.

“What’s your favourite dessert?”

You, he wanted to say but kept that to himself—for now. “Lemon cake.”

“Maybe lemon? It’s shorter.”

“Lemon it is,” he agreed with a bright grin.

“Then let’s hope no one asks either of us for lemons.”

Fuck , he liked her. With each passing minute, his adoration for her only grew. He led her around to the back yard, where everyone had gathered. Braiden was standing at the grill flipping burgers while Sarah was busy mothering the guests, making sure everyone had food or a drink.

The moment her eyes landed on the two newcomers, she rushed forward and spread her arms. “Hey, big man! Long time no see,” she greeted, pulling him into a hug.

“How are you?”

“Good, as always.” Then she turned to Gemma and gave her the same attention. “Hey, I’m Sarah.”

Gemma wrapped her arms around the woman. “Nice to meet you. I’m Gemma.”

“Come in and make yourself feel at home.” Her eyes fell on the cake in ’s hands. “You didn’t have to!”

“I can’t take credit. Gemma made it.”

“Unless it tastes bad,” Gemma joked. “Then it’s all ’s fault.”

“I already like you.” Sarah flashed them a wink and took the cake.

Following Sarah, led Gemma to his friends who were sitting on the patio under the sunshade. She was still holding onto him but not so tight that it seemed as if she was scared.

“Everyone, this is Gemma. Gemma, this is Jake, Tylor, Devon, and the one at the grill is Braiden.”

Gemma smiled at the group. “Nice to meet you all.”

“Why don’t you get your lady a drink and leave her with us?” Jake suggested with a cheeky grin.

crooked his eyebrow and opened his mouth, but Gemma let go of his arm and found herself a seat. “Subtle,” she laughed.

“I like to get straight to the point.”

Gemma didn’t seem uncomfortable, so felt assured that he could leave her side. “What do you like to drink?”

“Just a soda will be fine.”

He nodded and went to the cooler while Jake began his interrogation. Braiden grinned at as he grabbed two Cokes.

“You feel safe leaving her with them?”

“She played football. If she can handle a bunch of teenaged boys high on adrenaline, she can handle them too. ”

“They might snag her from you.”

“Ah, but I already know her kryptonite. I think I’m safe.”

Braiden laughed, giving him a shove back in Gemma’s direction. He sat next to her and handed over her drink.

“Apparently your woman kicked some ass in high school,” Tylor announced.

“I know.”

A warm, fuzzy feeling spread within him at the sound of someone calling Gemma his woman. It only intensified when she didn’t object, instead looking at him like he hung the moon.

Ina and Clara ran over with their hands filled with snacks. Clara was the older one and had just celebrated her fifth birthday, and Ina was three.

“Look at you gorgeous girls,” Tylor greeted them. “I love those matching dresses!”

Clara started giggling shyly. “Thank you, Uncle Tylor. We have snacks!”

“And where are ours?” joked, pulling Ina onto his lap. “Ina, Clara, this is Gemma,” he introduced.

“Are you Uncle ’s girlfriend?” Clara asked.

Gemma smiled. “Well, he did take me on a date.”

Clara squeezed between him and Gemma. “Where did you go?”

“He bought me hot chocolate and then some books.”

“I didn’t know was such a romantic,” Devon snickered from behind them.

“I like books,” Clara announced.

“Me too,” Ina echoed .

“Ah, I see we’ve made some new friends,” Sarah laughed and came closer.

“Do you need help with anything?” Gemma asked.

“I’ve got it handled. I’m just grabbing the salads. I didn’t want them going bad in the heat.”

They grabbed plates and filled them before finding their seats at the large table. Gemma sat next to him while Clara sat to her other side. As the meal went on, Gemma only seemed to get more comfortable.

During dessert, everyone established that her cake was amazing and that had to bring her more often so she could bring it again.

After they’d eaten, they sat inside and got comfortable on the sofas with Zootopia playing on the TV for the kids . Gemma leaned against him and he couldn’t help but rest his arm around her shoulders, inviting her to move even closer and lean on his shoulder.

“We can leave whenever you like,” he whispered.

She tilted her head to look up at him. “Whenever you’re ready.”

“Gemma, do you still toss the ball here and there?” Tylor asked.

She tensed in ’s arms. “No, not since high school.”

“Shame. I would’ve loved to see you kick ’s ass.”

could sense that it was something Gemma didn’t feel like talking about and it had him tugging her closer.

They stayed until the end of the movie, and waited for everyone else to say their goodbyes. When it was their turn, Sarah pulled Gemma into a hug. “It was lovely meeting you. ”

“Likewise.”

leaned in for his hug and Sarah squeezed him from the side. “Be safe and bring her back very soon.”

As they stepped out, didn’t hesitate to take her hand in his and intertwined their fingers. “So, it wasn’t that bad, was it? You didn’t use our safe word.”

Her thumb brushed the back of his hand, gently smoothing his skin. “Neither did you.”

couldn’t help but smile as he opened the truck door for her. “I enjoyed having you around.”

“So, did I pass the test?”

“Of meeting my friends?”

“Yep.”

“With flying colours.”

After he took his own seat and started the engine, Gemma took his hand again. “Thank you for bringing me.”

“I was afraid we would scare you away.”

“No, I enjoyed it.” There was a little pause in which he sensed her wanting to say more, so he focused on the road and gave her the space she needed. “I haven’t gone out with anyone in a while, cause well…” Her head was tilted down, hiding her face from him. “The accident.”

“I know I may have been a little fast asking you to come with me and meet my friends but we can go as slow as you need.”

Gemma’s lips twitched, but she still hid her face in her lap.

“Whatever you need, we’ll do,” he reassured.

“You’re so sweet.”

“Look, I’ll be honest: when the season starts, you might not even hear from me that often—maybe even days at a time.”

“I won’t take it personally.”

“As soon as it’s over, I’m all yours.”

She seemed to like that, her cheeks turning that gorgeous red again. God, he couldn’t get enough of that.

“Why haven’t you been with anyone?” asked.

She shrugged. “I guess because I was afraid.”

“Of rejection?”

“Yes.”

“Can I be honest with you?”

She gave him a slight nod, her eyes still fixed to her lap.

“I am curious. I do want to know about the accident and how you figured out living after it. When I asked you to come to camp with Dan, I wasn’t even sure if it was too much walking for you, or if it was painful. I didn’t ask because I don’t know how open you are about your prosthesis and everything that comes along with it. I’m unsure how to talk about it because I don’t know how I’ll make you feel and I don’t want you to think I’m a dick.”

“You’re not,” she whispered, lifting her head, eyes shining with unshed tears. “I don’t really talk about it, because I don’t know how to either.”

“Is that why you didn’t say anything to Tylor?”

She nodded. “Everyone always has questions and in the past I got emotional about them. I’m a huge mess when it comes to my leg and the accident.”

“I’ll never push you to do or say anything.”

“ Do you want anyone to know?”

That question baffled him. He hadn’t tried to give her the impression that she had to hide who she was. It hurt for her to even think he was that kind of person.

“Gemma, I would never want you to hide anything about yourself.”

The tears started spilling from her eyes. Desperate to soothe her, he pulled over and put the truck in park. With his fingers under her chin, he lifted her head so he could look at her properly.

“Has anyone ever asked you to keep your prosthesis a secret?”

“They never asked directly.”

“Listen to me. If anyone makes you feel uncomfortable about it or becomes too personal, I’ll have your back.”

“And you don’t mind?”

“Beating someone up for you?” he chuckled. “No.”

Gemma rolled her eyes, but smiled. “Me having a prosthesis.”

Anger boiled just beneath his skin, and he wanted to punch whoever it was that had made her so insecure about herself. “No,” he said sternly, then he softened his voice. “I might ask stupid questions or be a bit insensitive at times but it’s never intentional. I want to know so I can be educated.”

“Okay,” she whispered.

“And I want you to tell me when I’m being an idiot.”

“We can use lemon for that too,” she giggled, her cheeks turning that beautiful pink that he was slowly falling for.

“Perfect.”

Then, out of pure instinct, he leaned down to press a soft kiss to her forehead. Her face brightened, and she leaned into his touch, soaking in his affection.