The way Kate’s eyes widened at the contact told Adam she felt something as well.
He watched Kate drop the notebook and pen back into her purse, walk to the door and leave his office without a backward glance.
Adam dropped down heavily in his chair and thought about their meeting. Somehow, nothing was what it should have been. He had planned to say don’t worry about the suit coat, but after his sister’s unannounced arrival and the chaos that followed, this was so far off his radar it wasn’t funny.
Leave it to his sister to change things up a bit and in a big way. He had no way to gracefully back out of the deal without looking like a heel in his sister’s eyes. And that’s the last thing Adam wanted to do. Hurt his baby sister in any way. No, he’d go through with it.
Adam looked over at his computer and frowned.
Now, he needed to get the information for Kate in order to stay in his sister’s good graces. And that wasn’t any easy task to do.
A small part of Adam was looking forward to seeing Kate Carlisle again. He shifted in his chair as the front of his trousers grew snug. Unfortunately another part of his anatomy was also looking forward to seeing Kate.
She was sexy, whether she knew it or not. Despite those long legs that promised a man a first class ride to Heaven and back. Her long brown hair was captured at the back of her head in one of those clip things, but Adam already knew it would feel like silk between his fingers. And her lips were all soft and pouty when she realized she was trapped just as he was, thanks to Tessa. Lips he would have no trouble nibbling and tasting for hours and enjoying every minute of the treat.
Normally she wasn’t the type of woman he went after. The women he was attracted to were blonde, tall, aloof, wanting nothing more from him then his cock and access to his credit card. Preferably the credit card if the past had shown Adam anything.
But something about Kate screamed
take me now
and who was he to ignore the obvious?
Adam groaned in frustration. The last thing he needed right now was a complication of the sexual variety.
How long had it been since he’d been out with a woman? Spent quality time in their company? Spent the night making love and waking up for a repeat performance the next morning? Business was his mistress and he’d made it a policy never to mix business with pleasure. Until now.
Too long it seemed since his body was now behaving badly. He needed to get laid and soon. Quite possibly with Ms. Kate Carlisle, if the circumstances were right.
Chapter Three
Kate toyed with the fringe on the throw pillow. Why did she feel so guilty for feeling happy when it turned out Adam Belfour wasn’t married? And the fact that the baby wasn’t his. And that the woman in his office turned out to be his sister, not his wife was icing on the cake. The list went on and on.
From his broad shoulders made for wrapping her arms around in passion, to his firm lips that Kate knew could kiss away even her darkest days. But it was his eyes that held her attention. They sucked her in, made her forget what she was saying and worse yet, made her want to do things she’d never done with anyone before.
She tossed the pillow to the far end of the sofa in frustration. The realization that she wanted to get to know him better, on a more personal level, sent heat cascading throughout her body.
Kate shook her head. No, she didn’t. Besides, the man was now a client and Kate had always had a strict rule never to date anyone she was working for. Even though she was the boss, she wasn’t about to change her rules. It was just a flight of fancy, nothing more. She didn’t need a man in her life. Not now and possibly not ever. All she needed was to make Sinful Sweets a success. After that, well then she’d decide on what direction her life would take.
Kate grabbed the newspaper, eager to get her mind off things better left unvisited. Scanning the front page, she turned the page to the horoscopes. While never a true believer, it always gave her a kick to see what was in store according to the astrologist. Kate wondered if they actually knew what they were talking about, or just pulling words out of thin air to make someone else’s life more exciting.
Today is a day not to look a gift horse in the mouth. Be very careful entering into new agreements. Make sure to explore all avenues before signing on the dotted line or shaking hands to seal the deal. Maybe a kiss to seal the deal would sweeten the pot, birthday girl Gemini.
The words bounced through her brain before settling in her psyche. A shiver skittered down her spine. Great Heavens it was as though the astrologer was talking directly to her. She thought back to her meeting with Adam Belfour. She had shaken hands and agreed to become the caterer for his sister’s baby shower. If truth be known, she would have agreed to anything in order to keep Sinful Sweets up and running. But thankfully, she’d hadn’t said those words out loud to Adam Belfour.
Yet somehow Kate had the feeling before the day was out, the man would know everything he needed to know about Sinful Sweets and the woman who ran it.
Tossing the paper down next to her, Kate closed her eyes and let out a shaky breath. No, it was only words on paper, made up to keep the viewers coming back for more. It didn’t mean anything. She opened one eye and peeked over at the page.
With a quick look at her watch, Kate grabbed the paper and headed for the recycling bin. Dropping it inside, she brushed her hands together, noting to her dismay that her palms were sweaty. This would never do. She needed to pull herself together before she faced the man in question. And in about three hours, she would be doing just that. Walking toward the stairs, Kate let out a deep sigh. Whether she was ready for this or not, it was show time. And the fact she lived just above her shop, made it very convenient never to be late for work. It was time to show Adam Belfour just how good she really was.
The bell over the door chimed and Kate looked up to find Adam Belfour hovering in the open doorway. She put down the tray of cupcakes on the front counter and smiled at him.
“Please come in, Mr. Belfour.”
Adam stepped over the sill and into the shop. “Please call me Adam.”
Kate nodded, saying nothing in return. She turned to her part time counter help. “Lisa, you can go ahead and head out. I’ll close up tonight.”
The young woman looked at Kate in surprise. “Are you sure, Kate? I’d be glad to finish up in here.”
Kate shook her head. “Nope. Go home and enjoy your evening. We’ve got a lot of baking ahead of us the rest of this week.”
“Thanks! See you tomorrow.” She pulled off her apron, grabbed her purse from under the counter and was out the door in the blink of an eye.
Kate followed her to the door, threw the lock and turned off the neon
Open
sign before turning back to face Adam. Now that they were alone in the shop, without anyone else, the quiet seemed overwhelming. And the one large space suddenly seemed incredibly close and intimate with him standing only a few feet away. Stuffing her hands in her pockets, Kate walked back to the counter, hoping her bout of nerves would fade before it became obvious to him.
* * * *
“Do you tend to invite strangers into your shop after hours on a regular basis?” Adam asked, looking around at the neat and tidy front counter laden with tasty treats. His stomach growled loudly as his gaze confronted freshly baked cinnamon rolls, cupcakes and cookies. That’s what he got for skipping lunch.
“Not normally. But this is different,” Kate said, pulling the shade down across the door.
“Why?” The smells were amazing and drawing him in closer to the cinnamon rolls. The swirls of icing dripping across the top of the treat looked as though they were hot out of the oven.
“Because I owe you. If you would have told your sister the truth about how we met, we both know you wouldn’t be here right now and I most certainly wouldn’t be getting ready to prepare a lavish spread for your sister’s baby shower.”
“True.” He needed to focus on Kate and not the food.
“Would you like something to eat before we get started?” Kate asked, walking back behind the counter.
His stomach growled louder and Adam closed his eyes.
Her laughter prompted him to quickly open them. She was standing in front of him, holding a plate with two rolls.
“Wouldn’t be good business if the customer fainted from lack of food in my store. Indulge yourself.”
A rush of heat hit his groin as her words sunk home. His cock sprang to attention and Adam was glad the counter hid the evidence.
“Indulge yourself.” Adam could think of quite a few ways to indulge himself with Kate at present, and none of them involved the cinnamon roll she offered. He shifted his stance, trying to ease the pressure in his trousers.
“Thanks.” The words seemed safe in the grand scheme of things. Thankfully, Kate seemed unaware of his discomfort.
Adam wasted no time in polishing off the cinnamon rolls as Kate read over the papers he’d brought. Everything she needed was on them, or so Adam hoped. Planning for a baby shower was harder work than he’d thought, as he’d listed out the questions for her after asking Tessa.
“You don’t have anything written on type of food,” Kate looked up at Adam.
He wiped his hands on the napkin before answering. “Tessa said surprise her. As long as it has chocolate and peanut butter, she’ll be thrilled.”
Kate made a note on her own notepad before bringing her gaze back to his. “This says the baby shower has one hundred and fifty guests invited.”
Adam nodded. “Yes.”
“But that’s only three days away from today.”
“Is that a problem?” Adam frowned. Now was not the time to experience any problems. He’d do whatever it took to make Tessa happy.
“I owe you an apology and a dry cleaning bill. Nothing more. If you want me to pull this off without a hitch, I want fifty percent of what you were going to pay the other caterer. That’s only fair under the circumstances.”
“How about one hundred percent?” Adam asked Kate.
“What?” She looked confused, her pen still held in midair over the notebook.
“I’ll pay you exactly what I was paying them. Which is…” Adam pulled the contract from his pocket and laid it on the counter. “Here, how’s this sound?”
* * * *
The pen fell from Kate’s fingers and she gasped aloud as she stared at the bill. The amount on the paper was way more than anything she’d ever gotten before. It was almost to the point of obscene. It was more than enough to keep her business afloat for another two months.
“Agreed.” She’d be a fool to say no now.
“Is that a timer going off somewhere?” Adam lifted his head and looked over her shoulder.
“A timer?” For a second Kate couldn’t think, her mind still wrapped around the money he was offering. “A timer? Oh crap, the fritters.”
Kate leapt off the stool and headed into the back of the bakery with Adam at her heels. She grabbed the oven mitts, turned off the timer and quickly pulled the pan from the oven. After checking them over, Kate let out a sigh. The apple fritters had survived her forgetting about them.
“Is there anything you make that doesn’t smell amazing?” Adam hovered over the tray.
Kate smiled. “No, there isn’t.”
“Modest, too, I see.” He looked at her and smiled.
“Let me prove it to you. I’ll assume you’re still hungry.”
When he nodded, she pulled a plate from the cupboard, put an apple fritter on it, then crossed to the freezer and pulled out a carton of vanilla ice cream. After placing a scoop on the fritter, Kate carefully dusted it with confectioner’s sugar and then handed it and a fork to Adam.
“Prove me wrong.” She then slid a glass of milk over to him.
Kate sat down on the stool at the kitchen island and watched Adam dig in.
Watching the man eat was an erotic adventure all by itself. He closed his eyes after taking a bite and she could see the muscles in his throat go in and out every time he swallowed.
Her breath hitched when Adam licked his lips. What she wouldn’t give to jump across the island taste the apple on his lips, lick the smear of confectioner’s sugar from his upper lip and run her hands over the well-toned body of Adam Belfour. Her nipples tightened under her t-shirt and Kate nearly moaned aloud.
She wanted this man in the worst way and her body knew it.
Adam pushed the plate back a few inches and sat back with a satisfied smile. “I could get seriously used to this.”
Kate knew she was risking everything, but couldn’t help herself as she leaned over and wiped the sugar remnants from his lip with her thumb, then popped it into her own mouth.
His gaze honed in on her finger and Kate froze. Heat pooled between her legs, moisture wetting her panties and it was all she could do to hold his stare.
Adam reached over and took hold of her finger, bringing it back to his own mouth. He slowly licked it from base to tip, his tongue slowly teasing and tormenting Kate in equal measure.
“I…you…” Kate couldn’t form a coherent sentence.
Shivers raced across her body as the tension built between her thighs. She wondered if he’d give the same delicious attention to her pussy as he was to her finger. Somehow, she knew he would. This man would never leave a woman feeling unsatisfied. It wasn’t in his DNA.
Adam walked around the table, never letting go of her hand until he stood directly beside her.
Kate could feel the heat emanating off him in waves, engulfing her, threatening to consume them both.
“Sweetheart, being this close to you causes two problems,” Adam said, lowering his head and tracing the shell of her ear with his tongue.
“What two problems?” Kate hated the way her voice came out all airy and breathy. At the moment, his touch seemed anything but problematic.
“One,” he guided her hand to his bulging erection and Kate gulped as her fingers came in contact.
“And number two?” She looked up into his face, knowing she was blushing brighter than a red velvet cake’s frosting.
“Two, is the fact I want to strip you naked and have my way with you right here on the counter. And when we’re done with that, we’ll do it again and again, and again.”