I didn't care what Harry thought or said. He might not care openly about having solved a major problem that any other person would've thrown a party to celebrate. I was a normal person, and to me this was a huge deal, ergo I was doing something to make it a special day. Or rather a special evening.

It was after dinner, and I had sent Harry's staff off to bed so I could be alone in the kitchen to fulfill my plan. It wasn't going to be anything too elaborate, just a little something.

But if I had just done something worthy of a million dollars, then I would want some cake.

And so cake there would be.

I wasn't a master chef, but I knew my way around a kitchen since my mom hadn't been the most motherly type. I had had to make my own lunches for school and had to make my own dinner the days she was out doing God knew what when she was off her meds. Sometimes, I even baked myself some comfort food, including my own birthday cakes when she accidentally forgot one year. Since then, I had started making my own cakes, just in case.

Standing in Harry's kitchen now, working up a very simple red velvet-vanilla frosting cake, I didn't think I would have any problems until I reached the part where my icing needed whipping. I was used to hand-whipping, but despite this being an old house, it seemed everything was modern and up-to-date in the kitchen. That meant no hand-held whisk. Only the electronic kind.

And this one was being a little bitch, just because it was my life.

"Come on, you," I snapped at it as I shucked the actual whisks into the little holes in the machine. "Click. Just stay in! God, is it that hard?"

I was talking to a hand mixer. What exactly did I expect would happen?

Glancing over at my cake, which was cooling on the rack, I turned my eyes back to the whisk when it finally snapped into place. Thank God. "Finally."

Putting the whisks into cream and vanilla bean mixture, I snapped the plug into the outlet – and then let out a yelp as the whisks started whisking, catching me off guard.

"Sonofabitch!" I screamed as cream went flying everywhere, and as quickly as I had plugged it in, just as quickly did I pull it out, letting the whisks grind to a halt as I breathed heavily in my spot.

There was cream on the walls, the counters, the floor, and yes, on yours truly.

"I think I've seen this porn before," I breathed to myself as I slowly set into motion, reaching for the dish towel laying on the kitchen island. Thankfully most of the cream spray seemed to have been contained to one corner of the kitchen.

Wiping myself down first, then the floors and the counter, I was halfway through finishing cleaning up the walls when I suddenly heard a throat clearing itself behind me.

Oh, God.

Slowly turning around on my foot, I smiled sheepishly as Harry stood in the door, arms crossed and brow raised. He glanced at me, then to the cream on the wall, then to the cake on the rack, and then back to me again. I could see the pieces clicking together in his head.

"Surprise?" I tried, chuckling dryly.

"Which part?" He questioned, now coming in as I awkwardly shifted and tried to hide the mess behind me. "The cake or the cream or finding you alone in my kitchen?"

"Uhm... which one do you like the most?"

He leaned up against the kitchen island and glanced over my shoulder to the last cream I hadn't gotten rid of yet. "This is the part where you explain, I believe."

I sighed heavily. Then, moving aside and showing the bowl of cream and the whisking machine, I grabbed the cloth and started cleaning the rest up. "Well, it was supposed to be a surprise. I wanted to make you a cake so we could properly celebrate you solving that equation. I was gonna bring it to your office, maybe with a candle and a big fanfare. But you just had to spoil the surprise, didn't you."

His lips twitched a little when I threw the cloth away with a grumpy look. Yes, I was a little annoyed about the fact that I'd just spent the better part of an hour making a whole cake and planning everything, only to be caught before I was done. I think that was fair enough to be irritated about.

"And the cream?"

I grunted frustratedly and gestured towards the whisks. "Your machine did me dirty. I'm used to hand whisking, but you don't own a fucking hand whisk!"

"That would be Jean's department. Speaking of which, where is my kitchen staff?" He asked as he glanced around the very empty kitchen.

"I gave them the evening off," I told, seeing him slowly raise his brow and cross his arms as I leaned back, crossing my arms as well, but with a smirk. "I wanted to work alone."

Harry watched me closely for a moment. Then, he shook his head and tsk'ed his lips. "I think I do need to remind my staff who they're working for."

I chuckled, but then turned towards the whisking machine again, eyeing it warily before shortly saying, "Either stand there or complain or come help me now that you're here anywhere. I've come this far; I'm not letting a hand mixer get in my way. If you could grab the strawberries from the fridge and slice them in halves, that would be great."

Despite my bossy tone, I saw from the corner of my eye as Harry slowly headed towards the fridge and pulled it open. I smirked pleased to myself as he then grabbed a chopping board and a sharp knife from one of the drawers.

"You know, I don't consider this as a celebratory cause," He commented.

"Shut up," I told him, just as I turned on the whisks with a little yelp, but thankfully didn't get splashed again now that the whisks were set to the right speed.

The machine started whirring and conversation became impossible while I whisked the cream into stiff peaks. After a full five minutes, I then turned it off and tapped the whisks against the bowl.

"There," I smiled satisfied as I slid a finger against the inside of the bowl and tasted a bit of the whipped cream. "Perfect. How's the strawberries coming along?"

I turned my eyes to find Harry having unbuttoned his sleeves and rolled them up to his elbows. He was chopping the strawberries with deft hands, slicing off the top and then once down the middle.

"Curious question," I said, when he didn't answer, but kept chopping the strawberries. "You seem deft with a knife. If you know how to cook, how come you have a chef?"

His lips twitched a little, but then he slid the strawberries to one side on the chopping board. "Work takes up too much time."

I shook my head. If there was a prize for the biggest workaholic in the world, he would've won that as well. "You really need to branch out a little. Don't you ever miss doing anything else but math?"

I had started transferring the whipped cream into a piping back, and while I did so, Harry finished chopping the strawberries and set them aside.

"Rarely," He replied, walking to the sink to wash his hands.

"Don't you have any other interests?" I asked interestedly, while tying off the end of the piping bag with a twist.

"I didn't know I was required to have more than one."

I sighed and gave him a curt glance when that sarcasm annoyed me. He merely smiled crookedly at me, leaning back against the counter while drying his hands. "So you literally don't do anything else with your life other than solve math? What about hobbies? Or... things you like. Some guys likes cars, you know. Or football?"

"I like dynamical systems and differential equations."

I groaned heavily. This was impossible. "Alright. Then how about this," I said, as I started to ice the cake, smearing the cream between the two layers and then around and on top. "Favorite things. Food, color, flowers, seasons, those types of things."

"Do people actually sit around and decide on these things?"

"Yes, they do. Well, they have preferences. We all do."

"Preferences only closes you off to other options. By favoring one thing, you automatically put the other thing in a negative light."

"Jesus," I sighed and turned towards Harry, seeing him lift a brow. "Not everything has to be explained or put into a logical term, Harry. Sometimes you just like certain things and dislike others. For example, I like red velvet cake and strawberries with cream. Do you?"

He smiled a little, but then shrugged his shoulder. "I'm not a picky eater."

There was never a straight answer with him. "You better like this cake, jackass," I huffed and turned back towards my cake to finish icing it, while hearing Harry chuckle quietly behind me.

"I'm sure I will."

Damn right he would. I might not have been the best at math, but I was great in a kitchen. I liked baking and cooking. Creating new flavors from different flavors, while silently just making something beautiful and aromatic as well.

– It was like sex.

Fifteen minutes later, the cake was done. After icing it and smoothing it out, I had decorated it with the cut strawberries and just a small zesting of chocolate on top for added effect. Harry had been silently letting me work while watching from the side.

"There," I said, smiling proudly at my creation. "Time to eat. Grab some plates and forks."

Harry followed orders and went to a cabinet where he grabbed two small dessert plates and then some dessert forks from a drawer. This kitchen was stocked with literally everything one would need to host a social event, and yet the owner was the most anti-social being I had ever met. Even having a normal conversation with him without it turning into a life lecture was impossible.

While Harry placed the plates next to me, I cut out two sharp slices of my cake and marveled at the sight of the perfect layers of cream and strawberries. I think I was more excited about sinking my teeth into this than he was.

Plopping one slice onto his plate, then onto mine, I grinned as I then took a seat on the counter while Harry leaned up against the one opposite mine. I picked up my plate and my fork. "Alright. Here goes; to solving an impossible equation, but pretending you didn't to save your friend. No matter the latter, it's still amazing."

He chuckled a little, but then sighed. "Thank you."

"Bón appetit," I told, before slicing off a piece of my cake, hungrily. I stuffed that sucker in my mouth like my life depended on it. Dear lord.

I moaned in my head as I chewed, seeing Harry fork off a slice as well. He chewed with a smile, but then swallowed before I could ask.

"Do you like it?"

"It's a good cake," He confirmed, taking another bite and chewing like it was normal food and not heavenly.

"Just good?" I said, raising a brow when he kept eating his slice with as much enthusiasm as someone drinking a cup of stale work-coffee. "Come on. Go deeper. I want compliments on this."

He chuckled and chewed off another piece, before setting his plate down for a moment and crossing his arms. "I'm sensing this has less to do with celebrating and more to do with your culinary skills."

"I'm just saying, I could use a bit more praise after just struggling through that whipped cream incidence. Maybe say something nice about the icing."

"It's good icing."

"You're impossible."

He chuckled and picked up his plate again, scooping the last two bites into his mouth before licking his bottom lip with a nod. "It was excellent, Cassandra. Thank you for baking a cake."

A broad smile slid onto my lips. "See? That wasn't so hard was it? You're welcome."

He shook his head with a smile, but then started rolling down the sleeves on his shirt again, buttoning up the wrists. "If that's all then..."

"It's not," I said, now removing the smile from my face and turning a bit more serious. Tonight hadn't just been about celebrating his problem. There was one more thing I wanted to say. "I wanted to say... thank you. For helping me this whole summer. Giving me those math problems. Giving me a second chance, after..." I trailed off when we both knew the end of the sentence.

"After you tried to get me to knock you up?" Harry needlessly finished anyway. I gave him a sour scowl. He chuckled back. "Don't mention it."

I scoffed. "I'm serious. You weren't all sunshine and rainbows either, but I think... I know we both learned something this summer. And I just wanted to thank you for... it all."

His face softened from joking to a genuine smile. Lowering his head, he gave a nod. "It's been a pleasure having you here, Cassandra."

"Literally," I teased, jerking my foot forward to poke his thigh. His lips twitched and he shifted on his feet.

"In every sense," He affirmed, now lifting his eyes again and meeting mine. "Yes."

I felt my chest suddenly get poked back, but not by any physical thing. This one was purely emotional.

"Well..." I swallowed a little, but then eyed out the last slice of my cake on my plate. "I guess that ends this celebration. I should probably get up and take a shower. I still feel creamy."

He gave a nod, smiling a little. "Thank you for the cake."

I smiled back, but then slowly slid off the counter. "You're welcome."

It was then my eyes fell to his shirt. A tiny bit of strawberry juice had made it into the very bottom of it, probably from when he had been slicing them on the chopping board.

"You've got some strawberry on your shirt," I told, pointing to the spot. Harry looked down and found the spot I was talking about. "You should probably get that in the wash so it doesn't stain."

"Thank you," He said.

"Well... Goodnight then," I said, taking my plate and his and bringing them to the sink. I still had to stuff my cake away in the fridge and clean up the last mess before I could head off. "Try and get some sleep now that you're actually free from work. At least until you find your next unsolvable riddle to solve."

"Who says I haven't?"

I scoffed and started washing the dishes off, despite the dishwasher right beside me. "It wouldn't surprise me if you have..."

I was too preoccupied with washing the dishes and the forks to realize Harry had moved behind me. It was from the corner of my eye that I saw him moving towards the fridge, carrying my cake and setting it inside on a free shelf for me.

But the thing that had me widening my eyes was the fact that he had taken his shirt off.

As he opened the fridge and let the cold hit his exposed torso, I saw the way his taut nipples stiffened in natural response to the colder air. The light from the fridge hitting his carved body was enough to have my appetite returning, but not for the delicious cake I had just devoured.

"Jesus," I whispered to myself, quickly turning my eyes away when he then turned and grabbed his soiled shirt from the counter behind me. "Fucking tease."

"Pardon?"

I looked up to see Harry raising a brow, thinking I had been speaking to him. Which I kind of had, but he wasn't supposed to hear it. "Nothing. Just strip down in front of me in the kitchen. I won't complain."

"You said it yourself, it would stain."

"Yeah, well I meant take it off in your room. Don't parade in front of me when you know very well how much I'm holding back."

I suddenly sensed him behind me, because I suddenly couldn't breathe.

"This has been you holding back?" He murmured in my ear, with just a hint of a teasing edge. Fucking God. That was it.

I spun around, and with my wet hands, I wrapped them around his neck. He backed up when I pushed him against the counter, trapping him there. "Shut up. You don't fucking realize how much I want to suck your dick some days and how hard I refrain from doing it. The days I actually give in, you always stop me, though."

I saw Harry's eyes darken when I stepped onto my toes, pressing my lips together. His hands softly cupped my face, swiping my cheek. "I don't need you to do that for me."

"But what if I want to?" I whispered, pressing my body up against his. "What if I want to suck your cock, Harry?"

He exhaled slowly when my hand crept down to his pants. I gently cupped him and felt as he started hardening against my palm. "You have such a graphic mouth," He repeated the same words he had spoken to me before.

Oh, but he didn't know the start of it.

"You never let me finish," I complained, my palm beginning to rub him. I noticed his jaw clench. "You never let me suck you till you come."

"I didn't want to assume anything of you," He lowly replied, just as I let my lips press gently to his chest, kissing his left pec.

"You didn't want to assume I wouldn't swallow?"

"Christ," He blew out a harsh breath and removed my hand from his crotch when he was getting painstakingly hard. "I don't want to disrespect you like that, Cassandra."

I almost let out a laugh. He thought coming in my mouth would offend me? He was so... gentlemanly.

"You won't, Harry," I replied, gripping tighter onto his neck and pulling him down when he tried to put some respectable distance between us. "You have no idea how much it would turn me on."

His eyes were about the color of ink as he stared down at me, his jaw locked tightly. I couldn't tell if he was fighting me or resisting me any longer. 

And that's why, with a bold move, I jerked him down to my lips and pressed my mouth against his.

I felt his body stiffen up in surprise, but the second I pressed my front against his, I felt him ease and wrap his arms around me. Still keeping him trapped against the counter, I slowly let my hands travel down to his belt, unhooking it and pulling it open.

"Cassandra," He breathed against my lips. There was a warning tone, but it only made me that much giddier.

"Let me taste you," I whispered, carefully tugging at his pants. "I want to have you in my mouth."

He grunted lowly, but then caught my chin when I kissed the side of his mouth. "Such a dirty mouth."

I smirked naughtily, but then let myself free from his grasp to lean down and kiss his chest. I caught his nipple in my mouth and sucked gently, swirling my tongue around the flat areola.

I peppered kisses all over his chest, hearing him breathe heavily as I went on, gradually moving lower and lower towards his belt. His hands finally fell to his sides when I knelt down in front of him and looked up. He stared darkly down at me, his chest rising and falling with deep, controlled breaths.

Tugging at his pants again, I managed to get them below his hips, taking his briefs with them to get to what I wanted. He was hard already, ready to get sucked, even if he tried to resist the truth. If he had been holding back for me, I deserved reverence.

"I really like your cock," I whispered, palming it in my hand and seeing his lower abdomen tense up. "It feels so good when it's deep inside of me."

"Cassandra." God, his voice was dark and warning. I felt chills run through me. Excited chills.

"I want to make you feel good as well," I breathed, just before wrapping my lips around his tip and swirling my tongue around it. His hand gripped the edge of the counter and clenched it tightly as I eased him deeply into my mouth.

He exhaled hard, but then remained quiet as I started sucking on his length, my hand holding onto his base and squeezing firmly with every bob I made. I could feel the veins along his length pop out with each tug and the steel of his cock jerk inside my mouth when I slid him along my tongue. I let a moan slip free from my throat, grating against his thick shaft. I felt him stiffen against the counter, letting go of a harsh breath.

His hand came to my head, but instead of pressing me deeper into his cock, I felt as he gently swept my hair away from my face and cupped my cheek. My eyes flickered up as he caressed my cheekbone, while his cock was still in my mouth.

He was looking down at me, a soft look in his eyes, despite the arousal I could feel coming from his body and throbbing against my tongue. His eyes captured mine for a moment and stunted me, catching me off guard.

That look...

I tore my eyes away and turned back to my job, which was his cock, and with a hard moan, I let him slip as deeply into my mouth as I could.

A hiss slipped past his lips, and I peaked up just in time to see him grit his teeth and shut his eyes, leaning his head slightly back. I kept his cock pressed against the back of my throat, letting him pulse against my palate until I couldn't breathe any longer. I pulled back slowly and saw his chest deflate with a long exhale. So he liked deepthroat.

I smirked a little and let my tongue swirl against his tip again, catching the first nips of pre-cūm leaking from his slit. I sucked gently, but then took him to the back of my throat again, the same time my palm cupped his testicles.

A harsh sound came from him, and suddenly both his hands were gripping the counter behind him when I started bobbing on his length again, bringing him to the back of my throat every time. I took all of his length inside and felt as he swelled in my mouth, his tip rubbing against my tongue. He was close. Very close, but he wasn't letting go.

His breathing was labored and I noticed a light glean of sweat on his chest as he exhaled hard. His stomach kept clenching, just as his hand once again came to my head and swiped through my hair.

"Please," I whispered, moaning as I took him all the way back again, hearing him let out a strained grunt. "Come in my mouth, Harry."

He blew out a hard breath, but then gripped onto my hair. Surrender.

With a final deep suck, I then felt as he let go, stiffening against the table and breathing in staggered breaths as each spurt filled my mouth. My throat quickly swallowed, taking all of it as he with small jerks fulfilled my wish.

I kept sucking him softly, even as I felt his cock begin to soften in my mouth, spent and satisfied. The evidence was on my tongue as I licked my lips and looked up at Harry with a dirty glint in my eyes. He was still panting lightly, but shook his head at me.

"Thank you," I smirked, kissing his cock one last time before letting him help me up off the hard floor. He offered me his hand without a word and steadied me as I gripped on to the edge of the kitchen island. My knees hurt. Worth it, though.

"You're a strange woman, Cassandra," He spoke while buckling himself up. I chuckled and shrugged nonchalantly. "And by far the most insatiable one I've ever come across."

"Then you won't be surprised to hear how drenched I am right now."

I stepped closer once again, only to tease him, because the truth was, I didn't want to take this further. The look in his eyes from a minute ago was still too clear in my mind. It had shocked me for a moment, but I couldn't let him know.

His eyes watched me closely, waiting for me to make another move. I merely smirked up at him before stepping back.

"Goodnight, Mr Devon. Don't forget to wash your shirt."

And then I stepped out whilst ignoring the ache between my legs and the aftertaste of him lingering in my mouth.

• • •

I've never named my chapters before now, and this is the reason why.