# CHAPTER 20: The Cupcake That Changed Everything
Hello everyone, it's me again! How are you all doing? Today I will continue to walk with you and review CHAPTER 20 of *Just for the Plot*. And let me tell you—if you thought the tension between Bower and Bennett was simmering before, this chapter turns up the heat until the pot absolutely boils over. Between stolen cupcakes, stolen jackets, and one very, very dangerous living room floor, things are about to get *complicated*. So grab your favorite snack—maybe NOT a red velvet cupcake, for reasons you're about to discover—and settle in, because this chapter is a wild ride of desire, panic, and one gloriously unhinged confession.
---
The night had been perfect. A little too perfect, if you asked Bower. She'd spent the whole evening beside Bennett at that charity event, close enough to study every angle of his face, to breathe in his cologne, to feel the heat radiating off him like a personal space heater. And then there was the thought that had been rattling around in her brain all night long—a thought so absurd, so ridiculous, that she refused to even entertain it fully.
*Bower, Bennett, and Adalade. Imagine.*
No, she couldn't imagine it. She absolutely refused to.
But just the *thought* of it triggered something inside her she didn't like. Something sharp and ugly and completely unwelcome.
Dare she say... *jealousy*?
She knew, she *knew* she was losing her mind. Adalade was old enough to be her grandmother, and Bennett—well, he was a friend. A friend who happened to be sweet, kind, handsome, and built like a Greek god. But the jealousy wasn't about *them*, she reasoned. It was because in that ridiculous imagined scenario, they found love and she didn't, despite trying so desperately hard.
God, she hoped that was it.
Because any other form of jealousy would just be completely unacceptable.
---
The elevator dinged, pulling her from her spiraling thoughts, and Bennett walked her the few steps to her apartment door. She turned to face him, his jacket still draped over her shoulders like a second skin.
"I have cupcakes," she announced.
His eyes *lit up*. Actually, genuinely lit up, like a kid who'd just been told Christmas came early.
"Really?"
"Yes. Red velvet with cream cheese frosting. Because I knew you were doing me a favor, and I wanted to thank you for it."
"You chose correctly," he said with that infuriatingly charming smirk.
So she unlocked the door, and the two of them stepped into her apartment. Bennett glanced around, comfortable and easy, while she moved toward the kitchen to grab the cupcake treasure from the fridge.
"Am I ever going to get my jacket back," he called out, "or are you going to keep it?"
"I believe it's mine now." She grinned, grabbing the cupcakes and napkins before heading to the couch.
He followed, taking a seat directly in the middle—right next to her, with zero hesitation and zero awkwardness. That was Bennett, she supposed. He'd been that close all evening, comfortable in her space like it belonged to him. And her traitorous body had absorbed every detail: the cologne clinging to his collar, the warmth of his thigh so dangerously close to hers, the sharp angles of his jaw.
He took a cupcake from her hand and peeled the wrapper off with way too much confidence before taking a *massive* bite.
"Whoa, that's quite the bite."
"You shaming me?" he said around his mouthful of cake.
"No, just surprised is all." She took a much more reserved bite. "You know how I am with sweets."
One more bite and his cupcake was almost gone. "Well, don't expect to come over here looking for more because you just devoured—"
He shoved the rest into his mouth and smiled at her, crumbs literally falling from his lips like a delicious mess of a human being.
"Oh my God, why are you a child? You're going to choke."
"No, I'm not," he insisted, cupcake bits tumbling out of his mouth, making her burst into laughter.
"You are! And I doubt I'll be able to save you because you're so much bigger than me."
He chewed, swallowed, and then leveled her with a wicked grin. "Which means stealing your cupcake will be very easy for me."
"Don't you dare." She shifted away from him, but his eyes were already dancing with pure mischief. "Bennett..."
He lunged.
She squeaked, falling off the couch and landing hard on her ass, his jacket sliding off her shoulders. He trained his eyes on her like a predator stalking its prey, ready to pounce. She tried to scramble to her feet, but he was *fast*. Faster than she could even think. He grabbed one of her legs and dragged her toward him with shocking strength, and she yelped playfully, holding her cupcake as far away from him as humanly possible.
"Don't you dare."
"Your cupcake is mine."
"Never!" she yelled, squirming beneath him and scooting backward, but he climbed on top of her, straddling her body and holding her firmly in place. "No, this is *my* cupcake. Mine!"
He grabbed the arm holding her precious dessert and brought it to his mouth.
"Bennett, don't you dare."
He opened his mouth wide, and out of pure defensive instinct, she shoved at his chest hard enough to throw him off balance. In one fluid motion, she reversed their positions—now *she* was on top, pinning him to the floor.
"Ha-ha!" she cried in triumph, taking a huge bite of her cupcake. "Nice try. Not as strong as you thought you were."
"I guess not," he said, and he didn't look remotely upset about being pinned. "But I *am* upset that you won't share your cupcake."
"Don't eat yours so fast and I won't—"
He snatched the cupcake right out of her hand.
She screeched. "Hey! Give that back!"
She shifted on his lap, reaching desperately for the cupcake he held high above his head like a trophy.
"It's mine now."
"No way!" She leaned forward, her chest pressing right against his face as she stretched for the stolen dessert.
"Hell, if *this* is what you plan on offering," he muttered from somewhere beneath her, "then you can have your cupcake back."
She snatched it and shoved the whole thing in her mouth before he could even try again.
"I'm not even mad about it," he said, his hands landing on her hips and holding her firmly in place. Right on top of his lap.
She chewed. Chewed. Chewed. And once she finally swallowed, she deadpanned, "I think you motorboated me."
"You were the one who shoved your tits in my face."
"I wasn't *shoving* them! I was reaching for my cupcake!"
"Mm-hmm," he hummed, and his thumbs began to dig into her hips, sending a shudder of electricity straight to her core.
*Jesus. What is wrong with me?*
She should get off him. Send him on his way. Thank him for a lovely night and offer him sweet dreams.
And yet...
She didn't move.
She stayed exactly where she was, straddling him in just the right way, hyperaware of every point of contact between them.
"I just like how you happened to pin me down despite me being much bigger than you," he teased.
"It's not my fault you folded like a feather," she countered, shifting on top of him.
"Maybe I wanted to be folded by you."
"Oh? For what reason?"
"So you could straddle me like this," he answered, his eyes never leaving hers.
Her hands fell to his chest. "And why would you want that?"
"You tell me." His hands moved, shifting her hips so they slid smoothly over his bulge.
His exceptionally large bulge.
Her eyes widened as she felt him rub right between her legs, and *oh fuck*, it felt so good. So, so good. Good enough that she allowed him to move her hips again, rubbing the full length of him through their clothes, feeling every inch of what he was working with.
Her skin broke out in a sweat. That telltale heat pulsed through her veins, sending her mind into a frenzy of need. Pure, desperate, unapologetic need.
And when she ground down on him a third time, she felt herself grow wet, taking it upon herself to move her hips slowly, torturously, but just enough to feel all of him.
*All of him.*
God, she knew she should stop. She knew she was crossing lines she could never uncross. The wine, the lingering tension from the evening, the crushing weight of being so *damn horny*—it all conspired to keep her right where she was. And he wasn't stopping her. He wasn't telling her to get off. He wasn't lecturing her about what they should or shouldn't be doing.
When she looked into his eyes, it almost seemed like he wanted this just as much as she did.
"What's happening?" she breathed, grinding down on him, watching his teeth catch his bottom lip.
So. Freaking. Sexy.
"It seems like you're trying to get yourself off," he answered, and she could feel every inch of his size pressed against her.
"I shouldn't." She squeezed her eyes shut, her stomach clenching.
"But you are."
She nodded, dipping her head. *Stop, Bower. Stop what you're doing and remove yourself.* But... God. She didn't want to. She wanted this. She *needed* this.
She needed to get off.
So she used his chest for support while her hips moved faster, his length driving along her clit through their clothes, creating the most delicious friction she'd ever experienced.
"Fuck, I need to stop."
"Then stop," he said, his hands finding her hips again. But instead of stopping her, he *encouraged* her to move faster. Harder. To use him exactly the way she wanted.
"I... fuck." Every cell in her body began to tingle.
*No, I should stop. I shouldn't be riding him. I shouldn't be using him.*
"Oh God," she moaned as his hips thrust up against her.
Fuck, yes. She couldn't stop. It was too good. Her fingers curled into his shirt, bunching the fabric as she tugged at his buttons until one popped open. A small gasp escaped her as she stared down at that patch of exposed skin. Tan. Strong. Beautiful.
And then, to her absolute horror, she undid the rest of the buttons, ripping his shirt open until his bare chest was completely on display.
He didn't stop her. Didn't say a word. Just smirked up at her, his hands still guiding her hips.
So, completely out of her mind, she let her hands run up his exposed chest, feeling every contour and divot, the thickness of his pecs, the rigid lines of his abs.
"Fuck, your body is incredible," she muttered absentmindedly as she lifted off his lap and lowered back down, letting his hard length spark a fire she couldn't stop chasing.
His hands slid up to her waist, fingers gliding against exposed skin, adding fuel to the inferno building inside her.
"God, I... I should stop. Tell me to stop, Bennett."
"No fucking way," he growled, thrusting up at her, pulling a moan past her lips.
"Fuck, I shouldn't... oh God." She squeezed her eyes shut, digging her fingers into his skin as she rotated against him with force, his hard, thick cock hitting her in just the right spot. The friction built and built between her legs until she was panting, every part of her pulling toward her center.
"Goddamn it," she whispered as her body tensed.
"Fuck," he breathed, his hips moving in perfect rhythm with hers. That single, quiet sound of his pleasure sent a wave of chills over her—so simple, so small, but it was exactly what she needed. It turned her on more than anything else could have.
She ground down on him a few more times, and then she was gone. Lost in the feeling of her orgasm sweeping her up, tipping her over the edge into a blissful state where nothing existed but her and Bennett and the way he was making her feel.
"God, Bennett," she moaned just as he stilled beneath her with a groan—the sexiest sound she'd ever heard—and came right along with her.
They were both left shattered.
His hips lowered. She loosened her grip on his chest, taking in the red marks she'd left behind on his skin. And then, as if they both realized the gravity of what had just happened at the same time, their eyes connected.
She saw desire in his.
She felt confusion in hers.
She wet her lips, catching her breath as fear began to ratchet up her spine. This... this shouldn't have happened. She didn't know what she was thinking. She didn't know—
"Don't," he said, breaking through her spiraling thoughts.
"Don't what?" she asked, worry tugging at her heart.
"Don't overthink it." That was all he said. He sat up, helped her off him gently, pulled her to her feet, and brought her into a warm hug, kissing the top of her head.
Her mind was racing. Her feelings were pulsing. Her regret was heavy.
But her need to do it again was even heavier.
When he pulled away, he smirked and said, "Catch you later, Bower."
*Catch you later?*
Wait...
*That's it?*
He didn't want to talk about it? Deconstruct it? Make a pact to never do it again or never speak of it to Gabby?
No. Instead, he headed toward the door, leaving her perplexed and satisfied all at once. She glanced down and spotted his discarded jacket on the floor.
"Bennett, wait."
He looked over his shoulder. "Yeah?"
"Your jacket."
He smiled—that handsome, heartbreaking smile that nearly split her in half—and said, "It's yours now, beautiful."
And then he was gone. The door shut behind him, and Bower plopped down on her couch, pushing her hands through her hair.
"What the hell did I just do?"
---
The next morning, Adalade found her in the kitchen, whipping up a batch of blueberry crumble muffins like her life depended on it. Bower was mixing the batter by hand, attempting to mix away the fear building inside her. Because she did something bad last night. Very bad.
So bad she didn't think it was forgivable.
"I told you to take the day off," Adalade said, gliding into the room with her signature poise.
"Didn't want it. Thought it would be better to come in and work, because work is what makes this country function, right? We need everyone to work, and when everyone works then we have a stable economy, and a stable economy means good things, and good things means—"
"What happened?" Adalade pressed, her hand gentle against Bower's arm, stopping her from overmixing the batter into oblivion.
"What do you mean? Nothing happened." Bower tried to smile, but it felt more like her teeth were trying to escape her mouth.
"Sweetie." Adalade took the bowl from her. "Something happened, because I can see the panic in your eyes."
"You can?" Bower's voice cracked, terrified now that she wouldn't be able to mask this feeling when Gabby called. She could only miss a few of those calls before her best friend started to worry.
"Yes, I can. So tell me what happened."
"Nothing... nothing happened." She shrugged, the truth eating away at her.
"Now, Bower, I've known you long enough to know when you're lying. And I'd appreciate it, as your boss, if you wouldn't lie to me. You don't want to form distrust between us, do you?"
"No," Bower whispered, guilt consuming her.
"Then I'm only going to ask one more time. What happened?"
Bower let out the biggest sigh of her life, and then word vomit exploded out of her like a geyser of pure panic.
"Oh my God, Adalade, I'm so fucked, like majorly fucked, and I don't know what I'm going to do about it because I could lose my friendship and I don't want to lose my friendship, but oh my God, I can't stop thinking about it, about him and the way it felt, and I want more, but I know I shouldn't have more, and I just think it's because I'm horny, not because I like him or anything like that. At least I don't think I like him, even though he's sweet and kind, and handsome and has the best fucking body I've ever seen, but I don't like him, but I lost control last night and oh my God, I dry-humped him."
She nodded. "Yes, you heard that right, I dry-humped him, on the floor of my apartment, just humping my life away, clothes and all, no shame. Nope, there I was, on top of him, grinding against his dick, tearing his shirt open—" Her hands flew to her mouth. "Oh my God, that's right, I tore his shirt open, like he was the main event of a *Magic Mike* show. Oh my God, what is wrong with me? Maybe the romance novels are getting to my brain and I thought it was appropriate to just dry-hump a man on the floor of my apartment without any thought or care. And I haven't heard from him, even though he texted this morning, so I guess I did hear from him, but I didn't read it, okay, I did, he said good morning, but I didn't respond, okay, I might have. I sent a heart emoji because I didn't know what else to say, but he didn't respond to that and now I'm here and I don't know what to do."
And with that, she slid down the face of the cabinet until her butt hit the floor.
"Well." Adalade cleared her throat delicately. "That was a lot to take in."
"You shouldn't have asked."
"No, no. I'm glad I did." She motioned for Bower to stand. "Come sit down, as I'm not about to have this chat on the floor."
Bower followed her to the kitchen table, both of them taking seats—Bower slouching pathetically, Adalade poised like the elegant socialite she was.
"Now, when you say 'he' and 'him,' are you speaking of Bennett or someone else?"
"Bennett," Bower groaned, hating that she even had to say it out loud.
"I see. And remind me why this is a problem? Because everyone loved you two together last night. We thought you were adorable."
"It's a problem because he's my best friend's little brother, eight years younger, Adalade, and I promised her that I'd always protect him. And dry-humping him on my living room floor is NOT protecting him. That's taking advantage." Her hand flew to her forehead. "Oh my God, I took advantage of someone younger than me. I should be put in jail."
"My goodness, Bower, get a hold of yourself. If he's eight years younger, that makes him twenty-four. A very acceptable age to be dry-humping."
"Do you know what's NOT acceptable? Dry-humping your best friend's brother. That is not acceptable in any way."
"I don't see an issue with it."
"Adalade!" Bower groaned. "It's so bad. Like... really, really bad. She will lose her mind if she finds out."
"Are you going to tell her?"
"What?" Bower felt her eyes bug out of her head. "Have you lost your mind? Of course I'm not going to tell her. That would be the worst idea ever."
"Then what are you worried for? Do you think Bennett will tell her?"
Bower gripped Adalade's arm in sheer panic. "Oh shit, I don't know. Do you think he'd tell her? He tells her almost everything. What if... oh my God, what if he already told her? What if she's on her way to San Francisco right now to punch me square in the nose? I know I seem tough, but I can tell you right now I will NOT take well to a punch to the nose. I bleed easily."
"Where on earth is this coming from? Honestly, dear, this is very unbecoming."
"I'm sorry, I'm just... I'm losing it. I know I am. I'm freaking out." She leaned in closer and whispered, "And do you know what the worst part is? I really liked it. Like... liked it so much that I haven't stopped thinking about it." Even quieter, she added, "And he was huge. I felt just how big."
Adalade cracked a smile. "I wouldn't expect anything less from him."
Bower propped her elbows on the table and buried her head in her hands. "Adalade, what the hell am I going to do?"
"Great question, I'm glad you asked. First, you're going to relax, because his sister won't find out."
Bower popped her head up. "Wait, but what if he told her?" She spotted her phone on the counter and grabbed it. There was a text from Bennett.
"Oh my God, he texted me."
Calmly, Adalade said, "And what did he say?"
Bower opened it and read out loud: "'I'm going to be at the zoo today and then I head straight to the stadium. Late game tonight. Didn't want you to think I was avoiding you. Can we meet up tomorrow, maybe read some books together for the book club?'"
"That sounds very sweet."
"Is it? I can't tell. Is he playing games?"
"What on earth? No. That was very straightforward."
"Do you think he told his sister? You know what? I'm just going to ask him."
"I don't think that's a good idea. You don't want to get his sister involved."
Bower looked Adalade dead in the eyes, hoping she wouldn't get fired after all was said and done. "She's already involved because she's the sister AND the best friend. There is no scenario where she's not involved."
"She might know the both of you, but that doesn't mean she needs to know the both of you *together*."
Bower shook her head. "We're not together. We just had a drunk night. Too much wine. A cupcake got in the way and then his hard dick just... ugh, never mind. I can't talk about it or my mouth will start watering again." She looked right at Adalade and added, "But I want to say this, and it's probably what's freaking me out the most: I went on several dates with Cougar and there wasn't even a glimmer of a spark. But one dry-hump session on the floor with Bennett and it was like fireworks shooting off in my stomach. Which is bad. I can't be having fireworks where he's concerned. Maybe I need to dry-hump Cougar."
"Do you think that will help?"
"No," Bower groaned as she sent a text to Bennett.
**Bower:** Did you tell your sister about last night?
Adalade leaned over and read the text. "Bower," she reprimanded. "You didn't even answer his question. Don't you think that's a little rude?"
"Uh, don't you think it's rude that he didn't acknowledge what happened?"
"He's probably being a gentleman and knows you're freaking out. He's attempting to calm you in a way that feels natural."
"It didn't work."
Her phone buzzed, and she quickly opened the response, letting Adalade read it too.
**Bennett:** Why the hell would I tell her about that?
"See," Adalade said. "You have nothing to worry about."
Bower stared down at his text, her mind racing with even more fear and uncertainty.
"Do you think there's a tone in his text?"
"What?" Adalade asked.
"Look, he said, 'Why the hell would I tell her about that.' It almost seems like he's insulted I'd bring it up, or even mention it, like... like it was a mistake to him or something."
"Oh boy." Adalade sighed. "You know, dating was so much easier back in the day. Now you have too many factors that could ruin it."
"We're NOT dating," Bower said, just as her phone buzzed again.
**Bennett:** You never answered me. Are we on for tomorrow?
Bower bit her bottom lip, staring down at the message.
"You know, for a guy who seems quite adamant about seeing you, I wouldn't think he considered what you two did a mistake. It seems like he wants to make the most of the opportunity—or if anything, just bring things back to normal."
Maybe Adalade was right. Maybe he did want to bring things back to normal. That would be very Bennett of him.
"We do like to read together," Bower capitulated.
"See." Adalade gestured knowingly. "He's probably thinking that you guys had a little fun, but it doesn't change anything. You're still friends, and that's how you'll remain."
Bower perked up slightly. "You think so?"
"Absolutely. The dry-hump was just a blip, and you two will still remain friends."
"Yeah..." Bower swallowed hard. "*Friends*."
---
## Reader's Impressions & Star Rating
Oh, this chapter was an absolute *ride*. The playful cupcake battle that descended into full-blown furniture wrestling, the explosive physical chemistry, the gut-punch of morning-after panic—it was all delivered with perfect rom-com energy. Bower's internal monologue is hilarious and painfully relatable, and her word-vomit confession to Adalade is pure gold. The way Bennett keeps his cool while Bower spirals into existential chaos? Chef's kiss. The tension between "we're just friends" and "I literally dry-humped him on my floor" is so deliciously thick you could cut it with a cupcake knife. And that ending—with Bower agreeing to meet up tomorrow while clearly NOT being over what happened—sets up so much delicious potential. The pacing was tight, the heat was *scorching*, and the emotional depth keeps you completely hooked.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 4.8 / 5 Stars
---
## Next Chapter Prediction
Judging by the chemistry explosion between them and the fact that neither of them can stop thinking about the other, their "book club meeting" is going to be charged with unspoken tension. Bennett clearly has no intention of pretending nothing happened, and Bower's defenses are crumbling fast. I predict their next encounter will push them past the dry-hump stage into something far more intimate—and just when things heat up, Gabby is going to call at the worst possible moment. Bower will have to lie through her teeth while Bennett smirks in the background, and the secret will become even harder to keep. The question is: how long can they keep their hands off each other before the truth explodes?
---
To listen free the next reviews chatpers, please access website novelsaudio.com and search keyword: Just for the Plot or click the link in the description of this video or if you want to listen or read full the Just for the Plot please access website audible.com