Staring at himself in the mirror in the foyer, James readjusts his Windsor knot for the fifth time. It's not because he is nervous. It's because he doesn't want Lily to find any fault in his appearance. He'd been hemming and hawing all week about whether or not he should set this outing up for them, and Dora was quick to notice that the internal struggle left him more frazzled than ever.

They had a good time last Sunday—a great time, even!—if he dared to think it. And as soon as she'd gone, he missed her presence. The realization was jarring at first. Independent, strong James Potter missing a woman? He'd laughed when Sirius suggested it, but it was true.

In a stubborn attempt to prove to himself and his best friend that he didn't miss Lily, he avoided her all week. He derailed his plans to visit her at the bakery and stopped any thought of knocking on Mona's door to ask if she'd like to go for a walk. But it was all for nothing when Dora came home on Wednesday afternoon and told him about the disappointed look in Lily's eye when Dora stopped by at the bakery before school without him.

"It was subtle, but I definitely caught her eyes searching the rest of the store looking for you," Dora tutted.

That was all it took to break James's resolve, and now he's about to go pick her up for their date.

"Nervous?"

James scowls in the mirror when he sees Dora's reflection behind him. She's standing on the bottom step of the stairwell, leaning against the dark oak banister with a knowing smirk on her face.

"Why would I be nervous?"

"When's the last time you've been on a date?"

James shakes his head. "I'm not sure how that's relevant to this particular situation. I've been on dates before, and no, I'm not nervous."

"Then why won't you leave your tie alone? Sirius says when you fidget with your tie, that's when things are really bad."

"Sirius doesn't know anything. Where is he, anyway?"

"He's picking up pizza and then he'll be on his way over. You're missing out on a great horror movie line-up tonight."

James nods as he turns away from the mirror and reaches into the closet for his coat. "Sounds fun. Just make sure they aren't so scary that you have to wake me up in the middle of the night."

"Why? Planning on bringing Lily home?"

"Dora!"

"I'm kidding."

"Are you, though?"

Dora bursts into laughter, and James ignores her, checking to make sure he has everything one last time.

"I'm leaving. Call me if you need anything."

"I won't. Have fun! I'm sure Sirius would be happy to spend the night if you don't want to come home."

James's hand is on the door handle when he turns back to Dora. "Remind me that we need to have a conversation about what is and isn't acceptable behavior for a first date tomorrow, will you?"

"I'm kidding, now go!" Dora hops off the last step and lunges forward, placing both hands on James's back to push him out the door.

Teenagers…

James decides to leave the car in the drive and walk over to Mona's house. Lily might think it's presumptuous if he were to drive the car across the street. The thought causes a chortle to escape James's throat.

Only Evans.

As he approaches the front step, James double checks his watch and, satisfied with the time, lifts the door knocker to announce his arrival. Mona answers the door, and James tries to hide his surprise. He knows Mona lives here, it's her house after all, but when he'd imagined picking Lily up, he assumed she'd be the one to greet him.

"Oh, Mr. Potter!" Mona sounds equally surprised to see him.

"Hello, Ms. Sprout. Please, you can call me James. Is Lily almost ready?"

When Mona frowns, James's stomach twists and he wonders if Lily's changed her mind about tonight. Deep-seated disappointment begins to blossom despite his insistence to Dora that nothing serious is going to happen. It would look rather awkward if he returned home less than ten minutes into the date.

"Is everything alright?" James follows when Mona doesn't respond right away.

"Yes, yes! Lily just had a bit of unexpected news from home earlier that may have distracted her."

"Oh."

How is he supposed to respond to that? Did she intend to call the date off as a result? Is everything okay? James wants nothing more than to check on her and make sure she's alright, but the desire is preposterous. They aren't close enough for him to brush past Mona and go find her even if he knew which room she was staying in—though he has a sneaking suspicion he knows precisely where her room is. But he can't, it wouldn't be proper. So, he waits with bated breath for Mona to decide whether he should be invited in or turned away.

"I'm sure she's just finishing up now if you'd like to go check on her."

James looks up at the sound of a new voice to see one of Lily's friends he met at the pub in Belfast. Her name starts with an M, but he can't remember more than that. He wonders when she arrived since Lily hadn't mentioned anything about a friend coming to visit. Surely, she would have asked to postpone if she had visitors.

"Are you sure that's a good idea, Marlene?" Mona asks.

Marlene nods. "Sure! I know my best friend well enough to know that she won't let that ruin her night."

The more they skirt around the issue that has Lily holed up in her room, the more James is interested in what happened. But unfortunately, neither of the women elaborate.

Mona hesitates for another moment before opening the door wider and welcoming James in. "Her room is up the stairs and the door furthest to the right."

"Thank you," James says as he unties his shoes. "And it's nice to see you again, Marlene. I didn't realize you were visiting. Otherwise, I would have postponed the evening so Lily could spend time with you."

"Don't worry about it! I caught an earlier flight and surprised Lily when she got home. I'm here for the Bridal Expo tomorrow. We'll have plenty of time to catch up then, so you can have her tonight," Marlene winks. "Mona and I are going to stay in and watch some sappy movies instead."

"Sounds like a relaxing evening," James agrees before disappearing up the stairs.

He follows Mona's instructions and stops outside the door to the right. His mind drifts back to the evening when he was out with Sirius and swore he saw her reflection in the window. Lifting his hand, he knocks gently on the door, waiting for a response before entering.

"Who is it?" she calls, her voice sounding muffled and stuffier than he's used to.

She hasn't been crying, has she?

"It's James. Marlene and Mona said I could come up to check on—" He's cut off when the door is ripped open in front of him and Lily stands there in a disheveled mess.

Her eyes are puffy and red, and her hair is unkempt, and it's clear whatever news she received completely derailed her thoughts of their evening together.

"James! Oh, my God, I'm so sorry. I—I forgot." Lily cradles her head in her hands as she backs away to let him in and sits on the bed.

"Is everything alright?" He turns to shut the door halfway, giving them some privacy in case she wants to talk, but not so much to give her the wrong idea about his intentions.

"Yes, things are fine," she says unconvincingly with a heavy sigh.

"No offense, but I have a hard time believing that."

Lily snorts at his response, and James expects her to come back with a rude quip about how she doesn't owe him an explanation. She lays back on the bed and James cuts across the room to sit on the window seat in an effort to give her some space. The same window seat where he saw her that one evening and thought he'd hallucinated.

"I—no, okay, things aren't fine. It's just really embarrassing and I'm not sure if I want to talk about it."

"I'll respect your decision if you don't want to say anything."

Even though he's desperate to know who or what hurt her, James respects Lily enough not to pry.

"Thank you. I'm—I've been put in a tough situation and I don't know how I'm going to fight it."

Wait, what?

A tough situation? What was that supposed to mean? That's not what James was anticipating at all. He would almost prefer to not know anything at all. Now, he'll just want to speculate what she means by 'tough.' James decides to pry a little more.

"Who would do that to you?" he asks.

Apparently, it was the right question to chip away at her barrier. "Some wealthy man that thinks he's entitled to whatever he wants, and since he didn't get his way, he'll stop at nothing to destroy me," she lashes out.

Her words cut deep. He knows she's not talking about him, but there is so much contempt in her voice when she uses the word 'wealthy' that he feels guilty by association. Not that James would ever do that to anyone. So, he bites his tongue and allows Lily to express her anger.

"That seems a little extreme, doesn't it?"

"Is anything really extreme when you have the money to buy someone off or bend them to your will?"

"I wouldn't know. I've never tried."

Lily sits up and turns to look at James. He meets her piercing green eyes and refuses to tear his gaze away, willing her to understand that he's not like whoever is trying to hurt her.

"I'm sorry, James. Maybe it's best if we call tonight off. I'm not in a great mood, and I'll just be terrible company. I'd hate to put you through that."

"Would you, though?"

"Excuse me?"

"We've yet to have an encounter where one of us doesn't offend the other," James reasons.

"But still—that's not—"

"Evans, are you really going to sit in your room all night and wallow?"

"Well, I was planning on it."

"Then, by doing so, you'll let him win. I promise we're going somewhere that will take your mind off that letter and cheer you up. You did say you trusted me earlier, and I intend to make good on that trust."

"Look at me, though! I'm a mess. I haven't even showered from spending the day in the bakery. I smell like sugar and dried eggs, and you're dressed as if we're going to a five-star restaurant."

James chuckles. "I can assure you we are not. There's no strict timeline if you need to take some time to get ready. You can dress casually."

"I think we have two different definitions of the word 'casual.'"

She's right. As James thinks about it, he realizes he may be overdressed, and though he's grown accustomed to wearing three-piece suits as often as anyone else might wear jeans and a t-shirt, he forgets that others don't follow this train of thought. So, in an effort to make Lily feel more comfortable, he reaches up to the Windsor knot he spent fifteen minutes tying and retying and loosens it from around his neck.

Sliding the loop over his head, he peers at Lily, whose lips have parted as she watches him closely. "Is that better?"

"That depends on whether you're going to loosen the first few buttons on your shirt as well."

"One or two?"

He's not intentionally challenging her with his question, but James feels the corner of his lips tug into a smirk when Lily opens her mouth and no response comes out.

"Surprise me." She narrows her eyes and shares her own triumphant smile with her witty remark, and James is relieved that her sassy spark is returning. "Give me twenty minutes, and then I'll be ready."

"No rush, Evans. I'll wait downstairs with Mona and Marlene and leave you to it."

(Lily)

Twenty minutes later, Lily descends down the staircase, true to her word. She's chosen to wear a cream cable-knit sweater dress with a skinny camel-colored belt that's tied around her waist. It's dressy enough where James won't look out of place in his pale green button-up and black trousers but comfortable and warm enough that she won't freeze depending on where he's taking her.

Lily pulls her matching tan knee-high boots out of the closet and slips them on over her tall woolen socks before venturing into the kitchen to look for her date. James sits on one of the stools, engaged in rapt conversation with her best friend, and Lily feels bad for interrupting. She decides to wait for an opening in the conversation and uses the time to get a closer look at James.

He seems relaxed as he chats with Mona and Marlene, and it's strange for Lily to see him this way. James is always so uptight and rigid; even when they were baking last Sunday, he couldn't seem to relax. Well, he almost did, but then Dora, Sirius, and Regulus returned, and that was that. She wonders what side of James she'll see tonight.

"Marlene, I hope you're not boring him with Uni stories," Lily chides, interrupting before her best friend divulges any of her deepest, darkest secrets.

"Who, me? Of course not! I was just telling James about my role with Madame Malkins' Bridal."

"Which I'm sure is just riveting, but I've already delayed us enough," Lily jokes. "I'm ready if you are?"

Her gaze rests on James, waiting for his response. He flashes a genuine smile in her direction while he runs his hand through his hair, ruffling its messy state even further. Lily's eyes drift down and she notices he's undone two of the buttons on his shirt. It's a wise choice and one that sends a tingle of desire straight to Lily's core.

My God, he's not even shirtless, and I'm already drooling. Maybe it's been too long since I've gotten laid.

Images of James hovering over her flood her mind, and Lily almost loses herself to the fantasy before she gets a grip.

"I'm impressed. Twenty minutes on the nose." While Lily was fantasizing about James, he had made his way over to her and was now guiding her toward the front door with his hand on the small of her back.

"What can I say? I'm a woman of my word. Now, are you going to tell me where we're going?"

"I'm afraid that will ruin the surprise."

"Okay, well, can you at least let me know if there will be food? I haven't eaten since lunch."

James laughs at Lily's request for information. It's not that absurd of a question. The last thing she wants is to be stranded somewhere and starving, so she thinks it's a valid inquiry.

"Yes, there will be food. But, perhaps I should warn you that we do have a bit of a drive ahead of us before we arrive."

"Oh?"

"You'll see. Don't worry, I won't keep her out too late," he tells Mona and Marlene.

Lily rolls her eyes at the sentiment as she bids her friends goodbye and follows James out the door.

A bit of a drive is an understatement. The journey is just over an hour, and Lily made her fair share of quips about whether he was taking her out to the country to murder her and dump her body on the way.

"Evans, it was funny the first time, but now you're beginning to concern me. You sound like Dora after she's watched too many horror movies."

"I'm only saying, we've been driving for a while, and it seems like we're in the middle of nowhere. Plus, it's dark, so how much is there to do outside of London in the country?"

"Not a lot."

"See? That's all the validation I need."

"Honestly, Evans, if I were planning a murder, do you really think we would have taken my vehicle? I don't want to think about how much it would cost to get blood stains out of the leather seats."

He turns right off the motorway, and Lily rolls her eyes. Not once has he mentioned the expensive sports car he's driving. Lily doesn't pay much attention to cars, but she's pretty sure he's driving a top-of-the-line Aston Martin, so despite the joke, there's an underlying truth.

"We're here," James interrupts her thoughts as he pulls into the drive of a massive estate.

"Where is 'here' exactly?"

"You'll see."

"Potter," Lily warns. She can hear the smirk in his voice, and the anticipation is starting to get under her skin.

"I promise it'll be worth it, Evans. Though, I'm surprised you don't recognize the location."

"If you haven't noticed, it's dark out, which makes it hard to see much of anything."

"Come on, you'll see soon enough. I'm not spoiling this for you."

"Fine."

Lily gets out of the car and meets James on the other side. He begins walking away from the stately building, and Lily watches the distance grow between them for a moment, trying to make sense of where he's going.

"Are you coming?"

"But the building is that way."

"Yes, but we're not going there yet. We're meant to take a quick stroll around the grounds first."

"But it's the middle of winter!"

"Evans."

"Potter."

"I am not against picking you up and carrying you if you can't walk."

Lily huffs, knowing she's not going to win this particular battle, and trudges over to meet James before they begin down a winding path toward the back of the estate. The only light to help guide their way comes from the windows in the house and the moon above.

Luckily, the path is smooth, so Lily doesn't have to worry about tripping. She shudders at the recollection of their first meeting at the Belfast Bake Off. Though, she can't really complain about that particular instance of clumsiness because it led her here with James. Not that she expects anything to happen. He's just being friendly and showing her around the area.

Maybe if I keep saying the 'friendly' line, I can make myself believe it…

As they approach a bend in the path, Lily can see more light up ahead and she wonders what is around the corner. When the lit area finally comes into view, Lily freezes. Her hand reaches out and clutches James's arm. There is no way they are here. The last time she checked, the property wasn't open to the public.

"All right, Evans?"

"James Potter, are we where I think we are?"

"That depends. I can't read your mind, so you're going to have to elaborate."

"Is that the Great British Bake Off tent?"

"It is."

She turns toward him now. "But how did you—they don't offer tours! How did you—"

Lily's rendered speechless by the sight of the giant white tent in the nearby distance. It looks even larger in person than it does on television.

"I'm a past winner, remember? I only had to make a few phone calls to arrange a visit."

"Oh, my God, this is amazing!"

Before Lily can stop herself, she's throwing her arms around James's shoulders. The scent of his cologne overwhelms her to the point that it makes her dizzy with desire. It's woodsy, a mixture of teakwood and mahogany, and it's just so James. When his arms wrap around her lower torso, Lily realizes just how close they are and slowly backs away, hoping the night sky will mask the blush she can feel creeping across her cheeks.

"Sorry, I—"

Lily turns her head away, staring at a spot on the ground as if she's investigating what color the gravel might be in daylight. Neither dares to move, frozen in the moonlight. The only indicator they're still breathing is the puffs of warm breath exhaled into the cold night air.

"It's nothing," James finally says, loosening his grip around her waist.

Lily reluctantly drops her arms from around his shoulders, missing the warmth she felt from their closeness. His expression is unreadable, and she'd give anything to know if he welcomed or despised the act of appreciation.

"Would you like to continue admiring the tent from afar, or shall we go in?"

"We can go in?"

"Do you think I drove us an hour to stand here and stare at a tent in the dark?" James laughs wryly.

"I guess not. Excuse me if I'm having a difficult time wrapping my head around the fact that I'm on the location where the biggest baking competition in the UK takes place and is televised to multiple countries around the world."

Despite Lily's sarcastic comment, she can't mask the giddiness in her voice. The excitement reaches a new level when James reaches out to take her hand and gently tugs her along the path, forcing her legs to work properly again. Part of her wishes he won't let go, but once they're walking, he releases her and places his hand back in his coat pocket.

"I didn't realize when I made these arrangements that my own fame would be shown up by an inanimate object," he jokes.

Lily doesn't miss a beat in her response. "How does it feel to be knocked down a few pegs, Mr. Billionaire?"

"I will not lie to you, Miss Evans, my ego has been substantially wounded."

Despite the formality in his voice, it's clear that he's made a genuine joke, and Lily laughs heartily. Until now, she hadn't realized just how funny James actually is when he allows himself to open up. She could still do without the constant prim and proper etiquette, but perhaps he was brought up that way, and it's ingrained too deeply in his being.

"So sorry to deliver such a harrowing blow," Lily mimics his formal tone in an attempt to continue loosening him up.

Her efforts reveal a poorly hidden smirk as they pause outside the tent's entrance. "Your private tour awaits." James invites her in with a gesture of his arm.

Lily takes a deep breath to settle the excitement that is bubbling through her veins. She's always dreamed of entering the Great British Bake Off tent. Granted, the dream included her as a contestant on the show, but she'll take a private showing with a hot former winner instead.

When she walks over the threshold, everything looks exactly the same as what she'd seen on the telly. Two columns of six baking stations stretch out before her, with butcher block counters and pastel greens, blues, and purples adorning the fronts of each island. The back wall isn't full of its usual containers of ingredients, though, most likely because no competition is currently taking place.

Lily twirls around, taking in every detail as she gravitates toward the nearest station and runs the palm of her hand along the smooth surface of the counter. She walks around to the other side to investigate the rest of the station, including the oven and cupboards of baking sheets and utensils that await their next use.

As she's meandering around, she thinks out loud. "I've always wondered what it's like to compete here."

It's a secret that few people know about, and she's surprised that she's confiding in James, of all people. She looks up to observe him, waiting for his response. He is leaning against the presentation table, arms crossed and a look of genuine interest on his face.

"If I can recall, it was a lot of stress and very little glamour."

"Oh, I'm sure, but to bake for Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith? To be challenged in a way that I've never been before? It's always been a dream of mine."

"Have you applied?"

Lily sighs. "No, not yet. I always hoped I'd be able to build my resume first. The goal was to open up my own bakery and get my name out there. Then I'd start applying, and if I was accepted, I'd revisit bread-baking and other obscure pastries they might give out in the challenges."

"You've given meticulous thought to this, then," James observes.

"There's nothing wrong with having a dream." Lily becomes defensive, completely missing the lack of malice and sarcasm in his tone.

"I never said there was. I think it's quite commendable, actually. Did you know that London has a similar competition? It's relatively new and isn't televised, but it starts next week."

"I didn't."

"It's called London's Top Baker. We started it at the main facility in Gourmet Gloucester, but it became so popular that the idea spread. The competition's selective, we only take eight contestants."

"That sounds intriguing. Maybe I'll apply next year, and I can stay with Mona again if I get accepted."

"Why wait?"

Lily shoots him an incredulous look. "You said it starts next week. Surely, they picked their contestants months ago!"

"They did, but one dropped out at the last minute, and they're having trouble filling the final spot. I'd only have to make one quick call if you were interested."

Speechless, Lily stares at James. He can't be serious, can he? Is this all a joke? "Are you a judge?"

Laughter fills the tent as he pushes off the table and makes his way over to her. "Not a regular judge, no. They might call me in as a special guest, but you won't have to suffer my nit-pickiness."

Lily frowns. She's relieved to know he's not a judge, but that's only one of the hurdles she can foresee. Of course, she wants to join. After all the bad news today, she'd be crazy to not take the opportunity, but…

"I don't know. I mean, I want to, but I'm here to work for Mona. What would she think if I abandoned her to participate in some competition instead?"

"Lily," James coaxes, his voice soft and gentle as he raises a hand to cup her cheek, "I don't think Mona would fault you for joining. Besides, the rounds of the competition are only on Sundays, so you wouldn't miss any time at the shop."

"Yes, but still…"

Lily works through the reasons in her mind. It would be a huge opportunity, but James would be handing it to her on a silver platter. She's done nothing to prove she's worthy of competing on her own accord. Plus, Sundays are her only day off, and if she competes, then when would she be able to spend time with Ja—

Wait. Since when am I reserving my free time for him?

"Lily, you're talented. You deserve this, but I won't pressure you into something you aren't comfortable with."

His closeness turns Lily's brain to mush as she tilts her head into the palm of his hand. Is he still talking about the competition or something else? All of the gestures he's made this evening are overwhelming. Knowing just what to say when he picked her up earlier, taking her to a place that he knew was special to her, and now offering to help her join a competition that could prepare her to one day be a contestant in this very tent. It's almost too much, and she is overcome with the sudden urge to kiss him.

It's getting harder and harder for Lily to deny how attractive he is. Ever since she first laid eyes on him, she couldn't deny that he was drool-worthy. But then his rude and condescending attitude had turned her off. Looks meant nothing if he didn't have the right personality, and she'd all but sworn him off because of that.

And yet, she'd given him another chance on their way back from the bakery, and that afternoon last weekend left her mind spinning. Seeing a different side to James Potter was causing Lily to second guess every opinion she'd made about the billionaire, and tonight was only adding to that list.

Without another thought, she gives her answer before she can change her mind.

"I'll do it."

"You will?"

"Yes, as long as the spot hasn't been filled. Don't pull strings and kick the replacement out for me."

"I won't," James reassures her. "Just let me go make a quick phone call and square things away. I'll be right back."

She nods as he steps away and strolls toward the exit of the tent. It's not too cold where she stands, but the sudden loss of James's warmth causes Lily to shiver. Thankfully, he's not gone for long and returns before she can think about missing him too much, which is ridiculous because she is not that attached to him. But no one has ever set up something so special for her before, and the brevity of everything James has done for Lily this evening hits her like a freight train.

When he returns, Lily makes sure he knows how appreciative she is for tonight. The arrangements may have been a drop in the hat for him, but he didn't have to do any of this. Especially not for Lily, who's been hot and cold with him since they first met.

"Thank you for bringing me here."

"There's no need to thank me." James shrugs as he lifts a hand to rub the back of his neck.

"I can't imagine it was easy getting them to open up the tent in the dead of winter for a private showing. Or cheap, for that matter."

"Like I said, Evans, it's nothing."

Great. Now he's back to his cold, standoffish self.

"Well, it's everything to me." Her voice is barely audible.

The soft admission is enough to train his attention back on her. "I couldn't have you think I'm an incorrigible ass all the time, now could I?" His hand inches closer to hers, and Lily closes the gap, intertwining her fingers with his.

"Who said I thought that to begin with?"

"No one said anything, but our track record certainly seems to hold if you go by our first four run-ins."

"You can be rather crass and uptight," Lily admits.

James tuts in mock offense. "Thanks—"

"But you also have moments where you can be incredibly charming," Lily adds, stopping his argument in its tracks.

"Did you just call me charming, Miss Evans?"

"Perhaps. But I'll take it back if you insist on using the 'Miss' again."

"Noted."

They stand there, suspended in the tranquility of the enclosure. Lily unconsciously licks her lips as she waits for something—anything—to happen, and then, James leans in. For a split second, Lily thinks it's going to happen, that he is going to kiss her. Her breath hitches in her throat, and her eyes flutter shut until she notices James pivot his direction as he whispers into her ear.

"I have one more surprise for you if you'd like to see it?"

Trying to hide her disappointment, Lily nods, unable to trust her voice. James tugs at her arm, pulling her along with their still entwined hands and walks her over to the baking station three back and across from where she's standing.

"Will you close your eyes for just a moment?"

Lily opens her mouth to argue, but she catches a glimpse of hope and excitement in his eyes and decides to make this easy on him. He did go to all this trouble for her, after all.

She does as he asks but still cracks a joke in the process. "You aren't just using this as an escape, are you? Asking me to close my eyes to pull out some surprise, but you actually leave me stranded here instead?" Nervous laughter bubbles as she waits for his response.

She is greeted with radio silence so quiet that you could hear a pin drop, and her heart beats faster in her chest. Lily could have sworn she heard movement a moment ago, but her heart is pounding in her ears and drowning out the sound she's trying to focus on. He hadn't actually left, had he?

"J-James?"

"You can open your eyes now."

Relieved by the sound of his voice, Lily's eyes fly open to see him standing on the other side of the island, but where it was empty before, the counter now has an assortment of pastries scattered across the wood. It almost looks as if it's set up for tea, except instead of teacups and a pot, there are two champagne glasses and a bottle chilling in an ice bucket instead.

James grabs a towel and begins unwrapping the foil and wire over the cork in order to pop it open.

"When did you arrange all this? And how did you manage to set it up so quietly?"

With a twist and a loud pop, the cork is released from the bottle and James fills the two glasses as he laughs at Lily's surprise.

"I thought I might recreate my last challenge and make a spread of tea for you while we visited. It'd be silly to come all this way just to admire a structure with flimsy white walls, don't you think?"

"You prepared all of this too?" Lily asks in disbelief.

James nods. "It didn't take that long. If I could make it for a timed competition, I could bake it all again in a leisurely setting. Although I will admit, it's the first time I've made a Battenburg cake since." He shudders, and Lily is met with the urge to look up his season and watch it to see what happened.

Lily's eyes pass over the spread in front of her. In addition to the champagne, there are four types of pastries, all cut into delicate little bite-size pieces just as they would be for a formal Afternoon Tea. The Battenburg cake James has mentioned sits in the center, cut in small rectangles that show off the perfect pink and yellow squares held together by what she assumes is apricot jam if he's kept with tradition. Next, there are mini treacle tarts and Jaffa cakes on either side and then some type of scone sits closest to her. It all smells heavenly, and Lily's stomach lets out a loud grumble, reminding her that she hasn't eaten since noon.

"So, you made all of this? For the Bake Off?"

"I did. Our final challenge was to create a menu for tea, and we had to highlight three items."

"But there are four here."

"I know. I was cocky enough to try and incorporate the fourth item. It helped me stand out, but it was risky." James shrugs.

Lily bites back a retort about being 'that' contestant, but she can see in his admission that he already knows, so she lets it slide.

"And you've recreated it all for tonight?"

"I have. I thought it would be clever."

"It's brilliant!"

Lily picks up one of the champagne flutes and holds it up in cheers. James clinks her glass with his own and they each take a sip. The beverage is cold, and the bubbles tickle her nose, but the flavor is just tart enough to counter the sweetness of the selection before her.

"What kind of scones are those?"

"Honey Almond Fig," James responds as he sets his glass down.

Lily picks up a scone and breaks a small piece off. "You have a thing for honey, don't you?"

"Not intentionally."

She pops the bite into her mouth and is met with an explosion of flavor she's not expecting. "This really works, though. I'm not the biggest fan of fig, but I could eat the whole platter!"

"That's a high compliment coming from you," James says through a laugh.

"You make it sound as if I don't give credit where it's due."

"Not at all, only that you're a tougher critic than me," he teases.

Lily takes a large swig of her champagne, feeling the liquid travel through her system. It takes the edge off the tension between them, but Lily figures she should slow down until she has more food in her stomach to soak up the alcohol. She debates which treat she should try next when James picks up one of the Battenburg cakes and holds it up to her mouth.

"Try this. I'm curious to know your thoughts."

Lily hesitates, but only for a moment. Marzipan isn't her favorite, so she tries to avoid it when necessary. But one look at James's eager demeanor, and she can't say no. She opens her mouth and leans forward, and James places the small cake on her tongue. James releases his fingers once the sponge makes its soft landing and watches her through his glasses as she judges the flavors.

The cake is light and fluffy, but where she's expecting apricot connecting the layers, Lily tastes an overwhelming orange flavor. Marmalade? Interesting substitute. And the marzipan, it's soft, chewy and the flavor isn't too strong.

"James, this is...wow," is all Lily can manage. "Marmalade instead of apricot? And homemade marzipan?"

"I learned that from our family chef—Minnie—growing up. She was the one who insisted marzipan should always be homemade."

"This is—I could eat this whole platter, too!"

Laughing, James holds up a treacle tart. "Well, at least sample the rest first."

He offers her the tart, which she gladly takes, followed by the Jaffa cake. Both are incredible. The treacle tart with its sticky-sweet filling and flaky crust, and the unconventional Jaffa cake, where he's used black cherry jam instead of orange and paired it with dark chocolate.

"You know, I'm beginning to think you made a substandard custard to lure me over to your house. It doesn't add up to this."

The smile that sweeps across James's face gives away his guilt. "My custards have always been substandard. I never lied about that."

"But your flavor profiling," Lily argues, "you could have easily come up with something more in-depth."

"I'll remember that for the future," he concedes, though that infuriating smirk somehow tells her he did it on purpose.

"So, which is your favorite?" Lily changes the subject and gestures to the trays in front of them.

"I've always been partial to the Jaffa cake."

Lily picks one up and lifts it closer to James's lips. He opens his mouth, much the same as Lily did earlier with the Battenburg, but keeps his eyes trained on Lily the entire time. His piercing gaze cuts through to her soul as his hazel eyes darken. His lips close around her fingers, and she forgets to pull away at first. After she does pull her fingers free, Lily notices some chocolate ganache was left behind on the corner of his mouth. As he chews, she reaches out to wipe it away.

"You've got a little something there," she whispers.

She swipes it clean with her finger and resists the thought of licking it off with her tongue. She uses her free hand to grab a napkin when James catches her wrist and pulls her chocolate-covered finger into his mouth. A desperate gasp escapes her lips at the contact as Lily shifts closer to James. For the first time, Lily sees James's guard come down, and she's certain that he wants her just as much as she wants him.

Lily tilts her head up as her eyes flick down to his lips. His name is on the tip of her tongue, but she doesn't need to use it. Time disappears when his lips meet hers, and all Lily knows is James Potter. He tastes like a variety of different jams and sugar, with notes of chocolate from the Jaffa cake.

Lily's been kissed before, but never like this. Never so fully consumed by a man where she never wants the kiss to stop. A whimper flows from her mouth as she pulls her arms tighter around his shoulders and presses her body as close as she possibly can to his. His hands travel down her body as she feels the vibrations rumble from a groan in his chest. Lily's vaguely aware when her legs wrap around his torso as he lifts her up and sets her on the counter, carelessly pushing the trays away.

All thoughts of Severus's intent to sue her are forgotten as her hands rake through James's hair, and she rolls his bottom lip through her teeth. Their tongues meet in an intricate dance, and Lily gasps for air as they break apart to catch their breath.

Everything about the moment is pure bliss as James's hands slide up her torso to cradle her face. She opens her mouth in an invitation for him to return and deepen the snog they'd just abandoned. Instead, he nips at her earlobe and places small kisses down her neck before resting his head in the crook of her neck. His breathing is heavy and hot against her exposed skin.

"We should get back to the Welford House for our dinner reservation."

"Oh." Lily tries not to sound disappointed despite the pout that takes over her face. Luckily James can't see her furrowed brow and protruding bottom lip as he nuzzles further into her hair.

"It's not that I don't want to continue this. I just don't trust we'll make it to dinner if we don't stop now." He lifts his head to meet her eyes, and she can see the sincerity flicker in the golden-green flecks.

"I appreciate your forethought to make reservations. As much as I could eat these tea cakes all night, I suppose they don't count for sustenance, do they?"

"No, I'm afraid not."

"Well, as long as it's not because I'm a terrible snog and you're just being polite."

James doesn't hesitate to pull her in for another searing kiss, which Lily eagerly accepts. When he pulls away again, their foreheads remain connected as James assures her, "Not in the slightest."

She wonders if the kiss has rocked his world as much as it has hers. There's a tiny nagging voice in the back of her mind screaming about how this isn't a good idea and won't bode well, but Lily ignores it. There's nothing wrong with having a little fun while she's in London, especially when there's a hot guy offering to take her out and vying for her attention.

Lily flashes a seductive smile at James. "Well, in that case, let's go eat so we can see just how comfortable the backseat of your Aston Martin is after."

She doesn't think she's ever seen him move faster than he does as he helps her off the counter. Her hand nestles into his as they walk back to the estate, and Lily can't help but think how thankful she is that James convinced her to join him tonight. Perhaps he's not the arrogant prick she'd pegged him for, after all.