Free Connections by Emilia Winters

highlight of his whole week.
    Well, having sex with her would be the highlight of his whole week, but at this point, he’d take what he could actually get.
    After he left the office, it only took him another half hour to reach home.   He loosened his tie and shrugged off his jacket when he walked in the front door, but he didn’t change clothes.   The quietness greeted him, the air cold since he hadn’t been home all day.
    He flipped on the gas fireplace so it would be warmer for Olivia and turned on the living room and kitchen lights.   Despite the cold, modern feel of his home, the lights cast a warm, yellow glow on the gleaming countertops and hardwood floors.
    He saw Bubbles quietly waiting at his sliding glass door.   Ever since he and Olivia had lured her in, the pure white cat had been a regular visitor inside Alex’s home.   Her bowl was now permanently a fixture on the floor next to a set of kitchen cabinets.   Alex let her in and filled her bowl before starting on dinner.
    He decided on grilling steaks for them tonight and he’d just started up the barbecue in the backyard when he heard the doorbell ring.   His hands were still dirty from seasoning the steaks, so from the kitchen sink, he yelled, “It’s open, Liv!”
    He heard the front door open and then smelled lavender a few moments later.   He glanced over his shoulder, still lathering his hands, and smiled for the first time all day when he saw her.   She had a box in her hands and she set it on the counter before rounding it.   He leaned down to give her a kiss when she stopped at the sink next to him.
    “Hi, darling,” he greeted.   She smelled like soap and the tips of her hair were wet so he figured she’d went home before driving over.
    “Hi,” she replied, her eyes glittering as a smile lit up her face.   Her eyes went behind him and she laughed, surprised.   “I see that even you couldn’t resist the cuteness of Bubbles.”
    “I figured I’d keep him around.   He gets me brownie points, remember?” he asked lowly, purposefully deepening his voice as he teased her.
    She blushed but regardless, she raised a brow sassily and corrected, “Her.   Bubbles is a her, remember?”   He knew that—he’d been the one to check, after all—but he loved to see her get feisty.   Alex watched, drying his hands on a dish towel, as she squatted down in front of the cat and petted her head gently.   After making cooing sounds that were reserved for babies and animals, she looked up and asked, “How are you today?   Did you give your assistant a talking to?”
    He nodded, leaning against the counter next to the raw steaks.   He’d called her last night once he got home from the office to rant about his day.   “I think I almost made him cry, but I didn’t think I was being unreasonable.”
    Olivia bit back her smile.   “You underestimate how intimidating you are.   Poor kid,” she teased, as she rose from the floor.
    He didn’t want to talk about work, so he gestured to the box she’d brought with her.   “What’s in there?”
    “Oh!” she said when her eyes landed on it.   “Well, I’ve been getting requests for gluten-free cupcakes from customers, so I had some spare time and whipped up some experimental batches.   They’re not half bad, I have to admit.”   She smiled and looked up at him under her lashes.   It was unintentional on her part, but blood rushed to his groin at her innocent invitation.   She didn’t know how truly sexy she was.   “I know you’re not a dessert person—which is very odd, if you ask me, and I probably shouldn’t even be dating you because it’s obviously a flaw in character—but I brought some on the off chance that you’d actually try them.”
    “I like your cupcakes,” he argued, amused.   Well, he liked a hell of a lot more than her cupcakes.   He took a step closer until he brushed his finger over her cheek.   “And, just for the record, I love dessert.