“I could hold a conversation with a paper clip if you asked me to,” she says. “So yes, I’m basing our chemistry off an éclair.”

“Wow, well then, if that’s the case, I’d like to say that these smell like absolute heaven.”

Her expression falls. “You have just relinquished your opinion.”

I pause and then nod in agreement. “I accept the punishment.”

With a smirk, she lifts the éclair and takes a large bite. And for some weird reason, as if this really matters, I wait on bated breath to see what she thinks. Just to see if her reaction is valid or not, I take a bite of my own as well. The chocolate combined with the cream center and the baked outside is fucking awesome on my tongue. If she says these are bad, I’ll know she’s a goddamn liar.

She chews.

I chew.

She swallows.

I swallow.

And then I watch her twist her lips to the side. “I don’t know . . . they were sort of—”

“Don’t even fucking lie. You know they’re good.”

That makes her smile. “Unfortunately, you’re right. They are good.”

“Why is that unfortunate? That means we have good chemistry, right?”

“Right, but I don’t want good chemistry with you.”

I’m about to shove the rest of the éclair in my mouth when I pause. “Why the hell not?”

“Because I told you, I don’t do dating or anything like that, so the fact that we have good chemistry sadly puts a damper on my morals.”

“Maybe this is the universe telling you to give me a chance. Besides, isn’t it fate that we ended up at this class together?”

“No, I think that’s meticulous planning behind the scenes to force that to happen.”

“Either way,” I say, brushing off her comment, “I think you should give us a chance.”

“And then what? Date you? Aren’t you busy with baseball? Don’t you have a demanding schedule?”

“I do, but I also have a personal life. It’s all about balance. I’m here at a baking class with you today, aren’t I?”

“I guess so.” She twists her lips to the side, giving it some thought. “But why me? Why are you so interested? It’s not like I’ve blown steam up your ass like probably every other girl you’ve met. I don’t toss you compliments you most likely receive daily from others around you. And I’ve done my very best to keep you at a DM distance only.”

That she has, and it’s been infuriating.

“Why you? Isn’t it obvious? You put a smile on my face, Myla. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you ever since you curled up in my wall décor that one night.”

“That was years ago. I’m pretty sure you stopped thinking about me at some point.”

“Maybe here and there, but you were always in the back of my mind.” I reach out and link our hands together. “Don’t you want to see where this chemistry can lead?”