Sweetest Temptations (4 page)

I let the conversation rest and just enjoyed the game. By the time it was over, and Kennedy guided us safely from the packed building and out of the parking lot, it was going on eleven o’clock and I was sure I had never been more tired in my life. It took everything in me to keep my eyes open on the way back to my apartment and I half wondered how I would make it when it came time to crawl out of bed and open the shop in just a few short hours.

5

“You look like shit.”

Those were the first words out of Dex’s mouth when he walked through the front door of
Sweetest Temptations
. I looked up from helping a customer, seeing my friend strut his stuff past the long line of patrons to my counter, the majority of them passing him dirty and curious looks. He looked hot in a pair of Converse, close-fitting black jeans, wide white belt and white t-shirt tucked in. His blonde hair was gelled into a sharp but befitting mock hawk and when he winked his baby blues at a couple of ogling women, I could swear I heard them swoon. Too bad they weren’t his type.

“We can’t all roll out of bed looking as fresh as a summer’s breeze,” I retorted as I cashed out the woman in front of me. “Have a nice day,” I told her pleasantly.

“True, I am naturally gorgeous,” Dex said as he moved to join me behind the counter. Scraping the stool I had taken to using whenever business was slow across the floor, he seated himself to my left, close enough to be engaged yet out of my way.

“If you call guy liner and hair dye natural.”

“Enrique says that I was born to be a blond. I can’t help that my genes robbed me of that.”

I laughed at his crazy talk. Dex was openly gay, but despite his cheekiness, he wasn’t flamboyant. He fell somewhere in between—playful, sweet, slightly feminine, but he could also be very take-charge and commanding when needed. He was the perfect balance, and if he were into girls, I would have snatched him up ages ago.

“Two apple tarts,” the next woman in line requested, and I turned to fill the order.

“So what brings you by?” I asked Dex.

He shrugged as I moved past him to the counter and punched numbers into the register. “It’s Saturday, and I’m bored. I thought I would check out your new place.”

“It’s noon and you’re already bored?” I questioned.

“I have high energy.” He shrugged. “And I missed my girl.” I jumped and gave a little squeal when he slapped my ass as I bent to grab a bag from under the counter.

The customer standing on the other side of it gave me a tight smile, unsure if they approved of our banter or not. I didn’t really care. It was my business and if I wanted to be spanked in full public view, then I would. I passed the bag over the counter and took the next order. “You can hang out here for a while,” I suggested. “I can put you to work. There’s plenty of stuff around here that needs to get done.” And I needed all the help I could get. Once again, I was swamped. Saturdays were looking to be my biggest money maker. Despite coming in early, I hadn’t had a chance to make it back to the kitchen since the doors opened that morning.

Dex glared at me, but I knew he wasn’t the least bit mad or irritated. “Yeah, sure. Where do you want me?” Dex stood, searching for a place to start.

“Do you know how to run a register?”

He eyed the ancient piece of machinery. “It’s not computerized?”

I shook my head. “Nope. You just punch the numbers like this,” I said, demonstrating as I input the total, “and hit total and, voila!” The register chimed and the drawer shot open.

“Looks easy enough.”

I walked Dex through a couple of sales, and then showed him where I kept the bags, boxes, and sanitary gloves. “I’m going to head back for a bit and get some stuff in the oven. Will you be okay out here?”

Busily working the register, Dex said over his shoulder, “I’m fine. If I need you, I’ll holler.”

With one last look at the line leading out the door, I turned and headed back to the kitchen. I had my work cut out for me today, and if the business I was pulling in here was any indication of what to expect for the future, I might need to start thinking about hiring on another person to help out. Maybe Dex would be willing to sign on for the job? With a mental shrug, I walked back to the kitchen and got to work.

An hour later, maybe more, since I tended to lose track of time when baking, I was forearms deep in double chocolate brownie batter when I heard knuckles rap against the open door. My head popped up, a spoon of batter I’d been sampling pressed between my lips, caught in mid-moan, to see Dex standing there wearing an amused smirk. “Yeah, hate to interrupt…whatever the hell it is you’re doing in here, but you have a special request.”

Pulling the spoon out of my mouth, I swallowed the lump of chocolate, noting that it could use a pinch more sugar, and shook my head. “I don’t take special orders.” Yet. I was too swamped, too early in the business and trying desperately to get a handle on the responsibilities I had now, to even begin considering taking on anything more. As awesome as the opportunity would be…Shit, no, I couldn’t trap myself by biting off more than I could chew.

“Oh, you’ll want to take this one.” Dex’s blue eyes held a devilish twinkle that was only strengthened by the wicked smile spreading across his face.

“Dex…” I sighed. Holding up my hands, covered in flour and cocoa, I arched my eyebrows. “Even if I wanted to, I’m in no condition to go out there right now.”

“Fine, I’ll send him back.”

My mouth gaped open. “Dex!” That was the last thing I wanted him to do. But he was already gone. Spinning around, I searched for the towel I usually kept close to wipe my hands on. I was scrubbing the dried, caked ingredients off my fingers when I heard a throat clear.

“I was told to come on back. I hope that’s okay?”

Damn, would I ever get used to that deep, husky voice? I brought my head up and looked right at Ken’s smiling face. He looked good—too good—standing in my doorway, in my kitchen with his arms spread out to his sides, his hands gripping the doorway. He leaned against the jamb just enough to make the muscles in his arms thicken, stretching the sleeves of the navy shirt. There was a golden firefighter emblem over his left pec, giving me a little thrill. I was dating a firefighter.

“Of course, you’re always welcome back here.” Considering that he’d already seen what a mess I was, I gave up trying to clean myself, and tossed the towel aside. Picking up the spatula standing straight up in the metal bowl, I gave the batter a few more whips. “What brings you by?”

Walking deeper into the kitchen, Kennedy approached my side of the counter and leaned his hip into it. “I was craving more of those cookies.”

“It’s always about the cookies,” I said teasingly, shaking my head.

A shiver tracked through me when Ken traced a finger lightly down the back of my arm. “I have a weakness for sweets.”

I heard the double meaning in his words, and had to work to concentrate on finishing my task. These brownies weren’t going to make themselves. “It’s a good thing that you’re here then. Sweets are my specialty.”

Kennedy leaned closer, setting his mouth against my ear. “That’s why I came to the expert. What are you doing tonight?”

Dragging a baking pan across the counter, I hefted the bowl of batter against my chest and passed him a questioning look. “Why, are you asking me out?” Damn, the bowl was heavy. I would have thought by now, after the hours of whipping and beating and kneading, my arms would be a little less wet noodle and a little more taffy, but they were weak with too many hours of endless baking. I felt the weight of the bowl taxing what was left of my strength and knew I needed to hurry up and fill the pans before I dropped it on the floor.

“Here,” Kennedy said, reaching out and taking the bowl from my arms. “Let me help you with that.”

Surprised, I stood back and let him slide into the space I had just occupied. “Fill it to just half-way,” I instructed.

“So, I wanted to take you to dinner tonight, if you’re up for it,” Kennedy said as he followed my instructions. I smiled at his profile, watching proudly as he picked up the spatula and began filling a second pan, scraping the bowl clean in the process. I hadn’t even had to tell him.

“You have experience in the kitchen,” I pointed out.

Setting the bowl aside, Kennedy turned toward me, leveling his bright eyes on me as he brought his hand to his mouth and wrapped his lips around the fleshy area between his thumb and forefinger, sucking away the batter that had transferred there from the bowl. “It’s a needed skill. I take turns with the other guys at the firehouse cooking and cleaning. Picked up a few things.”

Intriguing
. “What kinds of things?”

A playful smile crept up, tilting the corner of his lips. “Maybe I’ll show you sometime.”

Oh, boy. Yes, please
. “Maybe,” I said slowly. I began clearing the counter to make room for my next project. “So, where would you be taking me?”

“It’s a surprise.”

“And if I don’t like surprises?” I countered.

“You’ll like this one.” The smirk he wore now was full of something close to the same wickedness I’d seen in Dex’s smile just before he sent Ken into my kitchen, but Ken’s was more. It was dark. Dangerous. Full of promise. Full of something I couldn’t begin to name. Whatever it was, it made me tingle…everywhere. I had no doubt that I would like whatever he had up his sleeve.

“Time?” I asked, turning my attention to cleaning up the workspace in order to mask the nervous excitement now coursing through every cell in my body.

“What time can you get out of here?”

I glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. It was after one in the afternoon. “I close up at three,” I told him.

“I’m sure you’ll want to shower and change first?”

Ideally
. Looking down at my clothes, splattered with all manner of baking ingredients, I asked, “What makes you say that?”

His lips twitched and he took a step closer, closing the distance between us. Picking up my hand, he lifted it up between us, bringing my fingers to his mouth. Unable to take my eyes away from his, I held my breath as I watched his lips part. The brush of his wet tongue against my fingertips sent a bolt of white hot desire zipping through my body. I felt the pinch of my core as it contracted, then exploded into flames that heated my blood to boiling.

Kennedy sucked my fingers until they were clean before slowly pulling them from his mouth. “Mmm,” he groaned low in his chest. “If you want to skip the shower, I’d be more than happy to make sure you get clean.”

It was a good thing that Ken was an expert at putting out fires, because I was certain that I was about to combust. Aside from what I thought might be a flicker of heat in his eyes, Ken didn’t appear affected by his advances. At least not at the same level I was. Feeling slightly off-kilter, I tugged my hand back. “I can be ready by four.
After
I shower and change.”

He gave me a knowing look. “Where do you live? I can pick you up.”

My head was already shaking. “I can meet you.” One date had turned into two. That had never happened before, and part of me was a little overwhelmed with the prospect. I would need the extra few minutes to clear my head and prepare myself. Date Number Two. Amy was going to shit herself when she found out.

He studied me for a moment, and then nodded. “Okay. Station eight.”

“I know where it is,” I told him. I passed by it often on my way to the grocery store. In the summer, sometimes I would catch a glimpse of the firefighters outside in just a pair of shorts, hosing down the trucks. I combed my memories, wondering if Kennedy had been among them, but I couldn’t place him.

Touching my arm, Kennedy leaned in and dropped a quick, but scorching kiss on my cheek. Drawing back slowly, his eyes held mine. “See you later,” he murmured.

All I could do was nod and look on as he brushed by me and sauntered from the room. My cheek burned where his lips had made contact, and I wondered if his kiss would be just as powerful once they were pressing against mine. Shaking myself from my stupor, I glanced at the clock on the wall.

One…two…three…

“Holy, shit! A date? A
date
!” Dex burst into the room right on cue, his face alight with excitement. “Did I hear that right? Is my Abby Cadaby going on a freaking date?”

“You heard right.” I grinned.

“Not like that, you’re not,” Dex sneered, looking me over. “Jesus, did you get any batter in the actual bowl?”

“What?” I looked down at my spattered clothing, seeing nothing out of the ordinary.

“What, she asks,” Dex muttered to himself. “That man was hot, and you need a good scrubbing.”

“I know. He told me,” I said.

“He
told
you?” Dex sounded affronted and I couldn’t help giggling a little.

“Yep, and he said he would be more than happy to help me get clean.” My grin grew wider as Dex’s jaw unhinged. “He also may have suggested that he would use his tongue to do it.”

“Holy. Shit. Are you sure this guy is straight? Cause he sounds like exactly what I have been searching for all my life.” I burst out laughing. “Seriously, what are you still standing here for? You aren’t nearly as dirty as you need to be.” Snapping his fingers, Dex pointed to the pantry as he headed for the fridge. “You get the chocolate syrup and I’ll get the vanilla frosting.”