She's No Angel (5 page)

Starting the design over from scratch was not his intention, but somehow he’d spent an hour with his mouse and CAD program. By the time he looked up it was dark, his stomach was growling and his neck was stiff from hunching over the miniscule desk in his room.

He threw on running clothes, deciding that putting in a few miles would work out the kinks, clear his head, and if he planned it right, he could finish at the diner and grab a greasy cheeseburger as a reward for good behavior.

He never made it. After running the grid of streets around the inn he headed down Main, but only made it halfway. On the opposite side of the street, his gaze was pulled to Sugar & Spice by the magnetic force that seemed to surround Lexi Harper. Asphalt, glass and wood couldn’t even blunt it.

His feet slowed and then stopped. Standing in the shadows, he watched her. Her body rocked to an unheard rhythm, her ponytail swaying back and forth. He wondered if the music was in her head or piped through the store.

She pulled out trays, placing them atop the glass case as she transferred her goodies to airtight containers. It was late. He wondered what had kept her tonight.

She paused, swaying back and forth, her eyes closing for a second as she gave in to the music. It was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen. His hands clenched into fists at his side. A half-hard erection tented the running shorts he’d thrown on.

“Use the daughter.” Bowen’s voice echoed through his brain.

He wanted her. That had nothing to do with the resort and everything to do with Lexi Harper. She was nothing like the women who usually caught his attention. And maybe that’s why he couldn’t get her out of his head.

The way she’d responded to him last night, he knew she wanted him, too. She might not want to admit it, but there was no denying her reaction.

They were inevitable. Two roads heading toward each other were destined to meet at some point.

He didn’t want to sleep with her because he needed her influence. But if that was a perk of having her, he’d take whatever help he could get. This town was killing him and any chance he had at that bonus.

She disappeared behind the red curtain and without realizing what he intended, Brett found himself across the street, opening her door.

5

S
HE
WAS
LATE
closing the shop. A last-minute rush order from her online store had taken her almost an hour to prepare, box and schedule for shipment. Luckily, she’d gotten a jump on the baking for tomorrow so at least she’d be able to squeak out an extra half-hour or so of sleep.

Taking some of the leftover inventory into the back, Lexi wished she could juggle the rest of her problems as easily.

The bell at the front door chimed. Lexi cursed her preoccupation. Why hadn’t she turned the sign and locked the door? With a sigh, she wiped her hands on the towel hanging from the waistband of her apron and headed to the front. Now that the customer was inside she couldn’t order them out. She didn’t have much left in the cases so hopefully the sale wouldn’t take long.

Halfway through the curtain separating her kitchen from the display area she changed her mind. Brett leaned against the case. Awareness rippled through her belly. He hadn’t noticed she was there yet. She could turn around and leave.

His eyes rolled upward, nailing her to the spot. Too late.

She’d just pretend that last night had never happened. He was a customer, like a ton of others she’d helped over the past few years.

“You’re smudging my glass.” Overcompensating for the unexpected nerves, her voice was harsher than she’d meant.

Instead of being perturbed, a knowing grin tugged at his mouth. It irritated her. She wanted to wipe it away. But not with her own mouth. Not at all. She wasn’t going to kiss him again.

“What can I get for you?”

“I was worried about you.”

She hummed doubtfully. “You’re the one who was hiking strange land in the dark last night.” Her body responded to the reminder, flushing with heat. So much for not mentioning it.

His eyes sharpened, and Lexi swallowed. Not good.

“You’re usually gone by now.”

“Why do you know that?”

“I’m staying at the inn,” he answered, like that explained everything.

It was close, but not exactly across the street. Lexi raised a single eyebrow and waited for the rest.

“I notice things.”

“Are you watching me?”

His fingers drummed rhythmically against the glass. It annoyed her, not because of the relentless tinkle, but because it drew her attention to his fingers. And made her think about them running over her body.

“No.”

They both knew it was a lie. Lexi should be sending him packing, but instead of finding his scrutiny annoying it thrilled her a little. What was wrong with her?

At least it was nice to know she wasn’t the only one losing her head in this situation.

Lexi glanced down at him, for the first time realizing he wore workout clothes. It shouldn’t have mattered. So he ran and took care of himself. It meant his body would be hard with well-honed muscles, though. And she wanted to touch all of them.

A pair of shorts hung loosely from his hips and a soft T-shirt clung to a wide chest, molding to his damp skin. Hot and sweaty shouldn’t have been appealing. But it was. On him it totally was. She wanted to taste his salty skin.

“Stop looking at me that way.”

The low rumble of his words startled her and she jerked her eyes up to his. “What?”

“Don’t look at me like that. I did a Google search on your brother last night. The prospect of getting my face bashed in isn’t very appealing, and if you keep looking at me that way I’m going to kiss you again.”

Lexi sucked in a surprised breath. “What makes you think I want you to?”

His jaw flexed and his eyes sharpened. His gaze snagged on her mouth, and without her consent her lips dropped open, issuing an invitation she had no intention of making.

Triumph flitted across his face. Lexi frowned.

Before she could come up with a proper response he glanced down at the case and asked, “Are these for real?” He pointed to the multi-tiered, gold-rimmed platters of aphrodisiac chocolates.

She’d draped a couple of yards of deep gold satin and lace she’d gotten from Willow’s material scraps around the display. Dried red rose petals scattered the surface. Atmosphere. She was excellent at making the product. Thank God she had friends like Willow and Tatum, a talented florist, to help her with the rest. All she had to do every day was replace the chocolates on the platters.

“Yes, they’re real chocolate truffles.”

“No, I mean are they real aphrodisiacs? Do they work?”

“Yes.”

He eyed her askance. “I find that hard to believe.”

She shrugged. “Okay.”

Lexi had run across plenty of people who thought aphrodisiacs were a bunch of bunk. And then there were the people who swore by them. She fell somewhere in the middle. There was no denying that the herbs she infused her chocolates with had been used for medicinal purposes for centuries. They affected the body. Fact. Whether they affected it strongly enough to prompt people to do and feel things they might not normally, she wasn’t sure.

Not that it mattered, really. She’d developed the chocolates as a novelty item a couple of years ago for Valentine’s Day. They’d sold so well she’d kept them on the menu. Sure, while she was developing them she’d tested, but not in large quantities. Not for effect, but for taste.

She had no idea if they really worked. Plenty of her customers told her they did and that was good enough for her.

“Okay?”

“Believe what you want.”

“You don’t stand behind your product?”

“Of course I do. They’re delicious.”

“I’m sure they are.” His sharp, cool eyes cut to hers. “Everything I’ve tasted has been amazing.”

Why did she get the feeling he wasn’t talking about the cake he’d bought?

“But do they perform as advertised? I suddenly feel the need for verification.”

“Then buy some.”

“Oh, I plan on it.”

Lexi reached down for a box, ready to start placing an assortment inside.

“But I’m not sure that’s enough.”

Her hand stilled beneath the glass, halfway to grabbing some chocolates from the top platter. Lexi stared at Brett. His gaze trained on her hand hovering just beneath him as he leaned across the case.

“How will I know if they work?”

Lexi quirked a single eyebrow. “Didn’t your mommy tell you about the birds and the bees? You see, when a man and a woman are attracted to each other...”

He laughed, the sound deep and rich as it echoed through her chest. How could his laugh make her skin tingle?

He reached out and tugged at a strand of hair that had fallen from her ponytail. The touch was hardly a caress, but her scalp tightened with anticipation anyway. “Oh, I’m plenty attracted. Would you like me to prove it? Again?”

“No,” Lexi croaked out.

“Liar,” he whispered, his voice a soft stroke she felt deep in her belly. “You’re a hypocrite.”

“Excuse me?” She recoiled, only just now realizing how close she’d leaned into him across the case.

“You’re a hypocrite, right along with everyone else in this town. What’s the loudest criticism for the resort plans?”

“That they’re tacky?”

He shook his head. “That they take the theme you’ve used to build a thriving tourism industry one step too far. Like aphrodisiac chocolates don’t do the same thing.”

“They do not,” she protested, affronted for herself and the entire town. “They aren’t tacky. They’re sensual and they work.”

“Prove it.”

They were back to this. “How?” she asked, exasperated.

“Help me test them.”

Again she asked, “How?”

“Have dinner with me. Your chocolates can be dessert.”

“I don’t think so.” That was just asking for trouble, something Lexi wasn’t in the habit of doing. “Take someone else to dinner.”

There was no reason it had to be her. Sweetheart was filled with beautiful single women. Lexi tried to ignore the pinch of spite that hit when she thought of him out with anyone else.

She couldn’t have her cake and eat it, too. Either she wanted him for herself or she didn’t.

And she didn’t.

End of discussion.

“Ah, but there’s a flaw in that plan.”

If there was she couldn’t see it.

“I don’t know many people in Sweetheart. If I take out someone I don’t know, I won’t know for sure if my reaction is from the chocolates or just from natural attraction.”

He leaned closer. Lexi wanted to pull back, but couldn’t find the strength to actually do it.

“We already know how I react when you’re close.” His finger slipped softly down the curve of her cheek. She couldn’t help it; she tipped her head into the caress, wanting more.

She was in so much trouble.

“You’re like a control. If I’m more attracted to you after eating the chocolates—if I can’t keep my hands off you—then we know they work.”

“You can’t seem to keep your hands off me now,” she breathed out, the accusation far from as forceful as she’d intended. “Besides, there’s a flaw in
your
logic.”

He cocked his head to the side and waited.

“I don’t need to prove anything.”

A grin played around the edges of his mouth.

“True. But you’ve piqued my interest.”

“Your problem, not mine.”

“Perhaps, but what if I made it worth your while?”

“How?” She didn’t want anything from this man. Really, she didn’t.

“What do you want?”

“For you to leave town.”

Humor pulsed across his sensual mouth, drawing her attention and scattering her thoughts. What were they arguing about?

“Not going to happen.”

Oh, yeah, her chocolates. “Then stop harassing my friends. Leave the business owners alone and find another way to get what you want.”

He considered her for several moments. How could his cool blue scrutiny make her insides melt to mush? “Fair enough. If your chocolates work as described then I’ll stop harassing your friends.”

Lexi’s eyes narrowed. She was suspicious. He’d given in a little too quickly, which made her question whether he had any intention of following through on the promise.

“Why would you agree to that?” she wondered aloud.

A wicked gleam crystallized deep in his eyes. “Because I think it’s a bunch of bullshit. I don’t see how a ball of chocolate can increase sexual desire. It’s all up here.” He tapped the side of his head.

“What do you get if you’re right?”

“A night with you,” he said baldly. “I want to kiss you again. It’s all I’ve thought about since you walked away last night.”

“Why don’t you just ask me to dinner?”

“Would you say yes?”

Slowly, she shook her head. “No,” she whispered, not sure if her answer was to his question or his challenge. Or both.

Leaning across the counter, Brett invaded her personal space. He didn’t touch her. He didn’t have to.

“Coward,” he breathed through parted lips. She couldn’t pull her gaze away. She wanted to close the space between them and taste him again.

“Are you afraid of me, Lexi? Or of yourself?”

“I’m not afraid of anything.”

“Prove it.” His words were punctuated with the sensual taunt that dared her to test him—and herself. Did she have the fortitude to tell him no?

Apparently not. “Yes.”

Finally, he touched her, running the pad of a single finger across her aching lips.

“You may have the rest of this town snowed with your quiet, efficient businesswoman facade, but you don’t fool me.”

Lexi pulled back and swallowed, pushing down the lump of nerves that had lodged in her throat the moment she agreed to this madness.

“I’ve seen the other side of you. Passionate. Fiery. You’re strong and determined. Beneath the gingham aprons and cookie dough lurks the heart of a siren. I know. I’ve seen her.”

“You don’t know me at all.”

“Maybe not, but I want to.”

* * *

H
E
’
D
MANIPULATED
HER
with that to-die-for smile and his intensely cool eyes. That was all there was to it. If she’d been in her right mind she never would’ve agreed to have dinner with him.

And to make it worse, she had an entire day to get through before she could get it over with.

After dipping about fifty apples and creating raspberry, lemon chiffon and coconut truffles, she’d jumped on the treadmill and pounded out about six miles. The exertion should have taken the edge off—it usually did. Instead, she was still cranky and now sweaty and in desperate need of a shower.

Luckily, she had a three-piece bath built into the back. The shower wasn’t huge, but it did the job. Although, as she was pulling on her jeans and a pale blue sweater set, Lexi frowned at her reflection in the mirror.

Her face was free of makeup. She hardly ever bothered with it at work. Between the heat of the ovens and her daily exercise routine, it never stayed on long, anyway. Her clean face had never bothered her before. She’d never been one of those women who got excited about experimenting with color on her face.

But today, it bothered her.

She had some time before the store opened. Without second-guessing herself, Lexi headed into the alley that ran behind the row of stores.

Willow and Macey’s boutique was four down. She didn’t bother knocking, but walked right into the storage room with rolls of fabric, perfectly organized beads and embellishments, and various boxes stacked to the ceiling. On the other side was a tiny office and break room. The largest space was the display area up front and Willow’s design studio down the hall.

Neither of her friends or their employees were in the back, which was unusual. Especially since they wouldn’t technically open for another forty-five minutes, although, they did sometimes take early appointments.

Walking closer to the front, Lexi heard the soft murmur of voices: Willow’s elegant cadence, Macey’s no-nonsense, clipped words, and someone male.

Even before she’d walked through the decorative swinging doors that separated the spaces the quickening in her body told her who that voice belonged to. But pushing through and seeing Brett standing at the glass counter, surrounded by tiny beads that caught the light, colored sequins and lace should have made her laugh.