A/N: Nothing owned or implied owned. None of it is mine, except the plot.

DMG and Serenity Kou...thanks for getting on my back about this...it is out now 'cause of your requests! I hope you both enjoy. In fact, I hope you all enjoy. Read and review please, thanks!

Chapter 9

One Night Isn't Nearly Enough

Serenity looked up into the cold blue eyes of the CEO before her. He took a hand towel from the drawer and dabbed at her nose. She was coated. He nearly laughed, but thought the better of it. Honestly, the cake could cook on her-she was turning such a brilliant shade of red. Honey brown eyes regarded him with anger, while the flush on her cheeks warned him against tenderness. Was it possible for her to be even more attractive than this? He couldn't tear his eyes off of her.

"You have got to be the biggest jerk I have ever known." She fumed through gritted teeth. "I mean, really…you had to know what would happen when you plugged the damned thing in. Was that your game Kaiba? Coat me in batter?" She was surprised at the insolence in her own voice. Bloody furious, or out for his blood? Oh how she longed to wipe that smug expression from his face.

"I'm under the belief that one good turn deserves another." His smirk was driving her insane. What the hell was that suppose to mean? His right index finger scooped a clump of drying batter off her soft cheek. He looked at the goop, then back at her. Softly he stroked her other cheek with the cloth, running it down her cheek bone to her chin. A second run was necessary to rid the cheek of the batter, completely. Gentle fingers tilted her chin up as the towel dabbed at her nose and then her upper lip. The splatters were small, but so cute and stubborn. They reminded him of the woman who wore them. He longed to catch her lips with his, and kiss the sugary confection mess from her skin. Her face was cleaned now, only her hair and clothes remained stained with scattered droplets.

"I didn't coat you in batter like this Kaiba, so I don't understand." She swiped the towel from his hands and wiped furiously at the clumps in her hair, and on her clothing. Why had she allowed him to touch her? She had let it go on for a few minutes as well, was she slipping? Had his eyes always been that blue? Maybe it was just the lighting in here, or the t-shirt he was wearing. This was much better than the trench coats; this defined his workout efforts more. The man had to workout, his shoulders were amazing. She halted her thoughts, slightly shaking her head, no thinking about Kaiba in any way except that he was Mokuba's big brother.

Mokuba's hot big brother…

"I think I can take it from here Kaiba." She turned away from him. God, could he see her blushing? Could he see it in her eyes? Looking at him was too…arousing. No, that was way too strong a word. The only thing the said, blue-eyed, amazingly built, chestnut brown haired, powerful CEO aroused was her anger.

"Are you sure? Because I can totally lend you a hand, you are an invited guest you know." His smirk was firmly in place, eliciting a chill down her spine. "Besides, I do owe you. According to my calculations I owe you quite a few at this point." He watched as she turned to face him. A soft confusion settled on her delicate features. He used his fingers to count out his points, "the snowball, the two slaps and least we not forget, the hot chocolate in my lap."

Serenity smiled up at him. He was keeping track? How amusing, then again, he was a computer expert. He was probably anal retentive in nature, no, of that she was sure. Still, it was cute. He was paying attention.

"Well, I think this mixer incident made up for most of that, and you did peg me with a snowball, which negates mine." She folded her arms across her chest, as she continued to regard him. He leaned against the countertop and smiled a crooked half-smile at her. He could be dangerous; did he know how good he looked like that? Absently she licked her lips. He placed his hands on either side of his body, gripping the countertop.

"This makes up for the hot chocolate. I agree about the snowball's hitting you, but you did take me by surprise so I still owe you a surprise Serenity."

"What do you call this mixer thing? That was a surprise." Countering his words may help.

"Um, no." He licked his own lips. Oh, how he wanted her. She tried his patience, and she was going to enjoy the end results.

"What do you mean 'no'?"

"I mean, you knew what would happen. Remember you told me to 'wait'?"

Damn him! "Fine, so you owe me a surprise. Are you going to slap me twice as well?"

"I will surprise you and I don't strike women, though I do believe you may need to be taken over my knee at some point." The leer he gave her caused her eyes to narrow.

"You want to spank me? You are such a pervert! Just when I was standing here thinking that…" She slapped a hand over her mouth. What the hell was she saying?

"Touché, Serenity. So now I know we're on the same wave length." He pushed himself away from the counter and started to approach her. She backed up until her backside hit the counter. There was nowhere to run to now.

"I'm not on your wave length." He leaned in close to her mouth, hovering in the air before her, a hair's breath away from her lips.

"The way I see it, I'm owed three kisses slap-free, naturally,and one surprise." He lingered there, his warm breath caressing her lips.

Her eyes darted from his lips to his half-lidded eyes, why was he so appealing? What did she ever do to deserve this punishment? Was she wicked in some way?

"Why three kisses? I only slapped you twice…" Her voice was lower and raspier than before. She felt trapped, his hands on either side of her, holding the counter. He had no intention of letting his quarry escape.

"The third will be punitive…" His mouth started to descend on her lips, when the kitchen door swung open, propelled by a small Kaiba shouting his eagerness to begin. What the older Kaiba was eager for, would simply have to wait.

Trying to get anything to work with two men, who clearly had no skills in the kitchen, was proving impossible. The first batch of cupcakes never rose; one of them forgot the baking soda. The second batch tasted all wrong, Mokuba had switched the salt for the sugar. He did it as a stall tactic, which worked quite nicely. He thought it was hysterical, Kaiba and Serenity were less than thrilled.

It was fast approaching midnight when they started the fourth batch. Serenity looked up at Kaiba in hopelessness. He did look adorable, flour traces on his left cheek and nose, some decorating his hair, thanks to Mokuba proclaiming a 'flour fight' earlier. Seto had stopped it, just as quickly as it began, but damage had been done.

"He's adorable when he sleeps." Serenity said, with noted sarcasm, as she motioned toward a curled up Mokuba on a prep counter. He was all tucked in, much like a baby. Kaiba had tossed his ski jacket over him. She smiled and looked to Kaiba, who was attempting to mix up a batch of frosting. Who would ever believe this picture? None of it made any sense. Seto Kaiba in the kitchen, making cupcakes? Mokuba Kaiba playing cupid? Her heart doing stupid little flip-flops whenever her eyes settled on his blue ones. What was gong on?

"I think this crap is done." Kaiba huffed as he wiped his forehead with a towel.

Serenity walked over and looked down at the fluffy green frosting. Quickly, she swiped a finger in it and popped it in her mouth. Kaiba, at that moment, longed to be frosting. He watched her with interest as she smacked her lips together.

"Well, if you ever decide to quit as CEO you could become a dessert chef." It was actually quite good. "But I don't think you're ready to resign your day job just yet."

They finally finished at about two in the morning. Looking down at the little cakes, Serenity couldn't help but smile. They had accomplished a nearly insurmountable task. She didn't think it was possible. Seto Kaiba had become quite efficient in the kitchen. Well, he was no Wolfgang Puck, but he was better than she thought he would be. That was bad, she actually didn't mind spending time with him. Chalking it up to the late hour, she sighed. He was even more fun when his mouth stayed closed.

"I really have to get home now." He looked up at her; he had never made cupcakes before, and couldn't seem to stop looking at them. They were nothing special, but he had to admit, it was almost …fun…was that the word? It probably had more to do with the company than the task.

From the first moment that he saw her, descending the steps, he knew she would compliment him. She didn't shrink under his glare, or stutter when a foul mood washed over him. Her beauty was captivating him, but he liked her dedication and her heart. She was soft where he was hard, he was unyielding where she reasoned, and she defended Mokuba when he, himself, snapped at his brother. It had been a ploy, Mokuba knew it as well, but she had stood up for the boy. He wanted her; he just had to make her want him now. Physically, he knew there was an attraction, but would she be able to hack past his cold exterior? Would a woman so obviously warm ever want someone so cold?

"Earth to Kaiba," she whispered, waving a hand before his face.

Cold, harsh blue eyes snapped onto her warm honey brown ones. "What?" He growled.

"I want to go home, we're finished here and I need some sleep." She folded her arms, defensively, across her chest. "Now, Kaiba." She tapped her foot, there would be no more stalls. "You can take me to the school and drop me off at my car." She suggested, hating the fact that she would have to shovel out her car and brush off the snow. At two in the morning she should be cuddled into a nice warm bed.

"That's ridiculous," Kaiba sneered. "I'll take you home and in the morning the limo will pick you up on its way to school. Mokuba has to go the same way, remember? It would also solve your problems of the pastries. The driver can help you and they won't freeze in your car overnight, unless you planned on making several trips to trudge them into your place?"

Honestly, she hadn't thought of that. It was icy, cold, snowy and late. He did have a few good points. Still, she didn't want to owe him anything. It was time to cut the ties to this man. He was so not what she had in mind when she thought of a boyfriend. She wanted warm and fuzzy, not hot and dangerous.

Kaiba was quite hot; she smirked, but so very dangerous. She didn't need dangerous. She was a schoolteacher for heaven's sake. No worries, he could never make her laugh, why bother fretting over something that would never occur? She had better things to concern herself with.

"I hate bothering your chauffer at this hour." She lamented. "Maybe you could just call me a cab."

"Not at this hour of the night with all the psychos out there. I'll be driving you home." He left the kitchen before the word 'no' slipped off her lips. More time with him? When would this evening end? She was so done with him, her outfit was ruined, her patience tried, and her heart had decided to try a new erratic beat.

He walked back in, holding her coat open for her. She decided to just go along. Why prolong the agony any more? The sooner she cooperated, the sooner she got home and away from him. She started working on the buttons as Kaiba gathered Mokuba in his arms. She assumed he was carrying the boy up to bed. Plopping down in a chair, she waited.

It was the first time she was alone with him; it was quite disconcerting. He was quiet, and the night was so dark and cold. A fresh layer of snow had turned everything white, and even though inside she was in turmoil, outside she enjoyed the sacredness of the snow. It almost looked like a post card. The tires slipped several times, and it just made her more thankful that he was driving and not her.

It took a bit of time, due to the need to drive slowly, but eventually they arrived at her apartment. There was a spot right outside her door, the place her car belonged in. She swallowed hard. This wasn't technically a date, so why did it feel like it was? She moved to get out of the car, and felt the lump rise again as he turned the car off. Why did he do that?

He stood as she did.

"Really, I'm good now. Thank you for bringing me home." She told him over the hood of the car.

You can go now.

What now? Would he walk her to the door? Maybe try to kiss her? This had to stop. He walked around the car and took her arm. She felt his fingers grip her around her upper arm.

"What are you doing?" She tried to jerk out of his grip and felt herself slip on the ice. Luckily he was ready and grabbed her around the waist. She was saved from a very unlady-like fall. "Do you mind?" She spat out as she tried to squirm.

"Would you like to break your ass on the ice? I mean, I know you're stubborn but I didn't think you were stupid." His icy eyes bore into hers.

"If you fall you'll drag me down with you," she stammered.

"I have boots on, if you didn't notice. In those stupid heels you don't stand a chance. It seems like your building maintenance men neglected to salt and shovel." His eyes left hers as he surveyed the walk to the door. "Now, do you want help, or should I leave you to kill yourself? It doesn't matter to me." He shrugged and she felt the movement through her own body, he was holding her quite close.

"Fine, help me." She growled.

A sly smile played about his lips. "What amazing manners, Serenity. Is that how you ask for help?" His grip loosened and she felt her foot slip. Her eyes widened. He was a jerk.

She frowned, "What do you want me to say?" She might as well get this over with.

He sneered as his lips lingered dangerously close to hers. "How about, 'please Seto, please save me from falling.'"

Too late, she thought sadly, the fall was already starting. Damn him, no curse him.

"Please help." She offered.

"Please help…who?" He smirked. He was having too much fun.

"Please help me." She gritted her teeth to keep them from chattering. The snow that continued to fall started to stick in his hair, how could someone so cold look so angelic? How does one reign in their hormones?

"Whom are you requesting this assistance from Serenity?" He knew what he wanted her to say, and she was dancing around it.

"From you," she smiled sweetly.

He loosened his grip again, this time she slipped a bit before he captured her again. Her soft gasp caused a genuine smile to slide across his lips.

"From whom? We could play this all night or you could cave. I think I'm warmer than you are…your nose is turning red. It's quite unbecoming. I'm also sure your feet are freezing, seeing as they are buried under several inches of snow now." He looked at her so smugly, a real pain in the ass.

"Fine!" She growled. "Please help me Seto Kaiba, I would really appreciate it." She wanted to hit him again, but then she would owe another kiss. Her Id nearly caused her hand to fly, thank God for Super Egos…

In one fluid movement he grabbed her keys from her hand, and then tossed her up over his shoulder. He gave her backside a firm swat and smiled. "Just how I like my women nice and compliant."

He was infuriating! How dare he? She felt like a sack of potatoes! And he smacked her ass!

"I can walk! Put me down!" She struggled.

"Would you like to fall from six feet up?" She stilled her movements. She was fairly high off the ground. "Better." He grunted.

"If you insist on carrying me, why not carry me like you did Mokuba?" she slapped his back, as hard as she could, feeling the sting in her hand, but knowing he probably felt nothing.

She felt his chuckle before she heard it. "One day I will Serenity."

"You are so arrogant and smug, self centered and aggravating. Do you think you are God's gift?" She slapped him a few more times as her hair dangled down, close to his backside. This was humiliating!

"I never claimed to be a gift, but you'll be mine on Christmas Eve Serenity. I've already picked out the bow…" She giggled at that, she had no idea why, but she did. Somehow, the image of this man sticking a bow on her head was amusing. Why? She had no idea. The click of the lock let her know they were entering the apartment. He slid her down and towered before her.

He shut the door and looked around the apartment. It suited her. Pastel paintings decorated the walls; the sweet smell of apples and cinnamon assaulted his senses. The furniture was cozy and a hand made blanket was draped over a rocking chair.

"Would you like to come in," she whispered as he pushed passed her. "Make yourself at home," she sighed as he walked into her kitchen.

He spotted the bouquet of roses on the counter. "Who are these from?" His eyes narrowed. They were a sad display, not that they were dead, just too common for a girl like her. She deserved something that had a little more imagination, more snap. He squeezed a bloom, wanting to crush it as he read the card. It was an apology.

"What did he do to you?" Suddenly he had the urge to throttle the boy.

"It was a minor misunderstanding, nothing big."

He just wanted to have sex with me, and misread my signals.

"Do they send you flowers often?" He asked as he shrugged off his coat. Guess he was staying.

"Duke does, he sends me these God awful lilies that make my room stink. I usually carry them in one door and toss them out the other." She wrinkled her nose, just thinking of the putrid smell. Funny, he hadn't sent any here yet. She giggled, whenever she stepped into a funeral parlor she thought of Duke. What a correlation.

She looked at the man sitting on her couch, what now? Then an idea popped into her head, a little test for Kaiba.

"I hope you don't mind, I'd like to slip into something more comfortable." She motioned down at her batter stained clothes.

"Go ahead," he waved his hand at her, as if dismissing her.

She hurried into her room and locked the door. She pulled on her sweats and a t-shirt. Her feet were frozen, so she slipped into a pair of warm socks and fuzzy pink slippers. Slowly she made her way back out. She smiled as she saw Kaiba looking over her tree.

"They're my favorite ornaments," she offered.

"You like Christmas?" He asked as his fingers traced a small gingerbread cottage nestled in between the boughs.

"I do. Do you Seto Kaiba?" He turned to face her and she smiled.

He looked her up and down. "I'm glad you decided to put something warm on, you looked half frozen." He murmured as he approached her.

"I wouldn't have been so cold if you had let me into my apartment sooner and hadn't made me stand in the snow." She placed her hands on her slim hips, defying him.

"It's late, I better go." He looked over her and towards the door.

Why did her heart sink at his words? It wasn't like she wanted to sleep with him, but she didn't want him to leave either. Was this disappointment? Disappointment at his absence? How ridiculous.

She walked behind him to the door.

"Thank you Kaiba," she touched his arm. He looked down at her hand, then back to her eyes. "It was a nice evening, and I also want to thank you for your help with the cupcakes."

He grunted.

She rolled her eyes.

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her.

Her knees went weak.

He deepened the kiss.

She complied.

He pulled her closer.

Her fingers tangled in his snow-dampened hair.

His mouth caught her sigh.

She leaned into him, he moaned softly.

And just like that-it ended. He walked to his car in the still falling snow. She stood in the door way watching as his car turned out onto the road. Did that count as one of the three she wondered. Her fingers played over her moist lips. He tasted like the sweet frosting. Had he snuck a taste?

A/N: I wasn't into doing a kitchen scene too much, I wanted to focus of them. I was just in that kinda mood. Hope no one was disappointed, I kinda like it. Next chapter look for a certain dice boy to come into play…but, fear not, Seto will be there as well…Thank you for all the awesome reviews. You guys are great!