Lemon Cake (Naughty Desserts)

Gemma

The rest of the ride was quiet, but the silence was nice. Rider still held her hand, his body relaxed into his seat. “I’m off on Thursday, if you want to do something together again,” he said.

“I’d love to.”

“Should I pick you up at four again?”

“That would be wonderful.”

“Do you cook as good as you bake?”

“I haven’t killed anyone yet.”

“Why don’t we figure it out together?” he suggested.

“I love it.”

Rider parked the truck, pausing as he saw her empty lap. “We forgot your cake holder.”

“Oh, I’m sure I’ll see Sarah again.”

“I’ll ask Braiden to bring it to me tomorrow.”

She nodded and climbed out.

Rider helped from the truck and she held onto his arm as he walked her to the door. It was a sweet gesture, just like when he’d gotten her a drink or put his arm around her shoulder and hugged her tighter when he’d sensed that she was uncomfortable.

“Thank you for today,” she told him.

He chuckled. “I should be the one thanking you.”

“I enjoyed myself.”

“Me too.”

looked down long enough to dig her keys from her purse, then back to the man in front of her. Rider looked down with a shy smile on his face, and she couldn’t help but think of him as gorgeous. He was tall enough to make her tilt her head to look at him. He shaved often, with no beard or stubble in sight. His eyes, deep and chocolate brown, held a hint of something—insecurity.

“Can I kiss you goodnight?” he asked bashfully.

In place of an answer, stepped closer. She reached up, hooking her arms behind his neck. Slowly, their lips met. At first, the kiss was hesitant on both sides. Then they both relaxed into each other and Rider tilted his head more, deepening the kiss. He tasted good, a hint of Coke still on his lips. Her heart raced and her fingers tingled as he gently laid one hand on her waist and cupped her cheek with the other. Far too soon, Rider broke the kiss.

His dark eyes swirled in a pool of melted chocolate, his thumb grazing her cheek. “I’ll call you about Thursday.”

“Sounds good.”

Rider leaned down to give her a soft kiss on her forehead, then turned and walked towards his truck.

beelined for the couch and threw herself into the plush cushions, digging out her phone to keep her promise to Gina.

Her sister picked up right away. “Tell me all about it. ”

“It was good,” swooned and couldn’t help but grin. “His friends were really nice, and he was super sweet.”

“So, was there more than just hanging out?”

“He kissed me goodnight.”

Gina screeched through the speaker loud enough to shatter eardrums. “Did you two talk about how you feel about your prosthesis?”

“We did.”

“And is he a creep?”

“No. He was honest about it, and he was incredible. He said he didn’t want to come off as an idiot or weird me out but he is curious about it. He even said he was worried about me coming to the camp because of all the walking.”

“Oh that is so thoughtful!”

“He didn’t ask outright because he didn’t want me to feel uncomfortable.”

“He seems to be open to talking about it. I think you two just have to get to know each other a little better and everything will feel smoother.”

“I hope so. I really like him.”

“But you’re still insecure?”

sighed, throwing her head back on the cushion. “I’m just afraid, you know?”

“Of what?”

“Maybe he thinks he can handle it but what if I take my clothes off and he changes his mind?”

“Look, I know it’s scary but there is no way of knowing beforehand. Based on what you’ve told me, he’s not like that. ”

“I just don’t want to fall for him just for him to leave.”

“Oh, sweetheart. It’s already too late for that, don’t you think?”

Gina was probably right. was already falling for Rider, there was no stopping this snowball. She hoped that he would be her parachute rather than letting her crash on the rocks.

“When are you two going to meet up again?” Gina asked, pulling from her thoughts.

“Thursday. It’s his day off so he suggested we cook dinner together.”

Gina squealed again. “Super cute! I’m sure he’ll be busy during football season so you should get him hooked on you before it starts,” Gina laughed.

“Hopefully I don’t burn the food and can keep him a little longer.”

Another laugh. “I love you.”

“I love you too. See you tomorrow.”

As soon as they hung up, opened her messaging app and shot off a text to Rider.

Hope you made it home alright.

I did. Thank you for checking on me.

pulled her wheelchair over, then worked her jeans off. She still liked using it in the house, especially at night. At the beginning, she’d had no other choice. Even after the prosthesis had been fitted, she’d relied on the wheelchair quite a bit. Learning to use her “cool” leg—as Dan called it—had been uncomfortable at first, and she’d needed to take breaks from it. Eventually, it had become easy to manage with both.

She unhooked the pin that connected her leg’s sleeve with the prosthesis and set it aside. Then she carefully rolled her sleeve over her knee and inspected her skin to make sure no red or sore spots had formed throughout the day. As she looked down at her legs, she couldn’t help but hope that Rider wouldn’t mind. She hardly knew this man and he already made her heart flutter and her mind spin. Being with Rider felt like being a teenager with her first crush again.

Clearing her head, changed into her pyjamas and cuddled up in bed. As she closed her eyes, she relived the afternoon, mentally picturing every second of that kiss.

The next morning as got ready for her day, a message from Rider popped up.

Good morning,

beautiful.

Good morning

Heading to work?

Yeah, thought I’d wish you a good day before leaving .

You made me blush.

I hope you have a good day too.

Love seeing you blush for me.

rushed to fix her hair, then took a picture of herself in the mirror and sent it to him.

Now that made my day!

A moment later, a picture of him with that cocky little grin popped up on her screen.

And that made mine.

’s day was filled with end of the year tasks. It was her kids last week in her class before they moved to the next level, which meant things were pretty crazy. It also meant that she was preparing for the new school year. Name tags had to be printed but first had to figure out what kind of theme she wanted to go with. Alongside that, she would also be getting a new assistant teacher before meeting the new families.

When Rider called on her way home, instantly perked up. “Hi there,” she greeted him.

“How was your day?”

“A bit sad but it was good.”

“Why sad?”

“It’s the last week for my kiddos before they move on to the next class and we had our end of the year party. I really enjoyed this set. ”

“Do you not always enjoy your classes?” he asked teasingly.

“I do, but some are more loving, others are more funny, and some are a lot more work but they’re all totally worth it.”

“Are you excited for the next group?”

blew out a breath. “Yes, but I still have to get a lot of stuff done. I only figured out a theme to go with on my way out, so now I have to start planning everything.”

“You have a new theme every year?”

“Yes. I also have to get the cribs back out because some of these kids don’t walk yet.”

“Sounds like you have your work cut out.”

“How was your workday?”

“We talked about strategies before we did some walk-throughs.”

“Sounds like you’re living the life.”

“What are you up to now?”

“I’m about to pick up Dan and make sure he’s entertained until Gina gets home.”

“Do you help her out a lot?”

“Yeah, sometimes when she has to work late, I take him for a few hours. What are your plans for the night?”

“Just going home and going over the plays we talked about, probably gonna do that on the treadmill.”

“Fancy,” she giggled.

“What?”

“The treadmill in your home.”

“Wait till you see the jacuzzi tub.”

“Well, that sounds like something I would enjoy much more than a treadmill,” she laughed.

“And that’s something I’d enjoy seeing.”

“Me in your bathtub?”

“Too early to say those things?”

“I didn’t use our safe word, did I?”

“No, you didn’t.” could hear the smile in his voice.

When she found herself parked at Dan’s school, her heart sank a little. She enjoyed her talks with Rider. “I just parked at Dan’s school.”

“I’ll talk to you later then?”

“Of course.”

“Say hi to him from me.”

“Will do.”

Rider ended the call, and as soon as Dan had his arms around her, she couldn’t be upset anymore.