The Sweet Shoppe: Tempting Prudence (4 page)
Read The Sweet Shoppe: Tempting Prudence Online
Authors: Melissa Schroeder
She laughed. “I doubt all my happenings were so interesting that Joe would report them to you.”
When he said nothing, she turned to face him. Nothing. No expression. Joe had said Eli had been Special Forces and apparently they were all the same. Her father, Joe and Eli were good at hiding their feelings.
“So, when is everything going on today?”
“The memorial service is in a couple of hours. We thought to do it up on the hill.”
She smiled. “Oh, Joe would have liked that.”
His lips curved slightly. “Yeah he would.”
“More than likely he would have wanted to sit in the audience and hear all the gossip people were saying about him.”
Eli nodded. “Then, we will be in the library here for the reading of the will.”
She nodded and then her stomach rumbled. Her face heated. “Do you think I could rummage in your refrigerator? They fed us on the plane, but my metabolism is kind of…well, my father said he could feed an entire battle group on what I eat in a week.”
“Sure.”
“There’s no cook that’ll come in here and yell at me?”
He chuckled. “No. We have a cook for the men, out in their quarters. Joe and I did for ourselves.”
She nodded and opened the fridge. It was stocked full of fruits and vegetables. She decided the best thing to have would be a salad.
“You do know there will be a meal served at the memorial, right?” Eli asked as he filled his coffee cup.
Crysta laughed. “I told you I have a high metabolism. It’s probably the reason I learned to cook at an early age.”
“Along with not having a mother.”
She looked up at him surprised. “I guess Joe told you?”
He nodded. “Most everyone in the community knows his sister is dead.”
She didn’t know what community Eli was talking about, but she figured it really wasn’t any of her business and let it go.
“Dad’s a good cook, but as he moved up through the ranks in the Navy, he had less and less time at home. Being an only child, I learned to fend for myself.”
She thought Eli would leave, but instead, he slipped into one of the chairs at the breakfast bar across the counter from her. Part of her wished he would leave her alone. She was tired and her nerves were frayed. She had too much coffee on the plane. Never before had she been this super sensitive to a man’s movements-unless it was her Dom. And she hadn’t had one since she’d broken off her engagement.
Still, she was sick enough that a part of her wanted him to stay. He was mysterious, which she liked. Men with deep dark secrets always intrigued her. It had been her downfall with Ted. He’d had secrets, one of which turned out to be that he was fucking his administrative assistant.
She brushed that thought away. She glanced at Eli and found him watching her. It was so…dominating the way he watched her. If he was into play, he was definitely a Dom.
Do not go there, Crysta. No playing for you
.
Another reason she was interested in him was his relationship with Joe. Her uncle had admired Eli.
“Must have been a lonely upbringing.”
It took her a second to remember what they had been talking about. She shrugged. “My Grandma Bessie was with us. She’s the one who taught me to cook. Dad was deployed a lot, of course. After Mom died, there was talk of him leaving the Navy, but my grandmother wouldn’t hear of it. She decided to stay on with us.”
“Stay?”
She glanced up. “When mom got sick, she came.”
“Oh.” He said it as if he didn’t understand. He might not. She didn’t know much about Joe’s foreman, but Joe had said he didn’t have any extended family. To a woman who grew up with a large family—not to mention the military family for backup—it was a foreign concept.
“Would you like some salad?” she asked.
“No. I need to get out and check on a few things. You be sure to let me know if you need anything.”
The way he said it made her think it was a double entendre. His expression gave nothing away and Crysta figured the jet lag was starting to get to her.
“Thanks,” she said.
He picked up his cowboy hat and left without another word. The long, slow walk was so stereotypical of a cowboy, she wanted to laugh, but she didn’t. He was dressed in jeans, and she couldn’t help but admire the way they cupped his ass so wonderfully. Did he wear leather? God, he would be gorgeous in leather pants. She could just imagine seeing those long strong fingers wrapped around the end of a crop.
The screen door slammed, breaking her daydream. She shivered and tried to get that image out of her mind. It wouldn’t be smart to get all googly-eyed over a man like that. Besides, he had been like a son to her uncle. He’d always said that St John and she would get along well. Crysta didn’t know what her uncle had been talking about, but she doubted St John and she had much in common. He was quiet while Crysta well…wasn’t.
With a sigh, she decided not to worry about it. She was on the Big Island for a short while to honor her uncle and spread her mother’s ashes. Then, she would return to DC and sort out her life.
About
Melissa Schroeder
From an early age,
Melissa loved to read. First, it was the books her mother read to her including her two favorites,
Winnie the Pooh
and the
Beatrix Potter
books. She cut her preteen teeth on
Trixie Belden
and read and reviewed
To Kill a Mockingbird
in middle school. It wasn’t until she was in college that she tried to write her first stories, which were full of angst and pain, and really not that fun to read or write. After trying several different genres, she found romance in a Linda Howard book.
Since the publication of her first book in 2004, Melissa has had close to fifty romances published. She writes in genres from historical suspense to modern day erotic romance to futuristics and paranormals. Included in those releases is the bestselling
Harmless series
. In 2011, Melissa branched out into self-publishing with
A Little Harmless Submission
and the popular military spinoff,
Infatuation: A Little Harmless Military Romance
. Along the way she has garnered an epic nomination, a multitude of reviewer’s recommended reads, over five Capa nods from TRS, three nominations for AAD Bookies and regularly tops the best seller lists on
Amazon
and
Barnes & Noble
.
Since she spent her childhood as a military brat, Melissa swore never to marry military. But, as we all know, Fate has her way with mortals. She is married to an AF major and is raising her own brats, both human and canine. She spends her days giving in to her addiction to
Twitter
, counting down the days until her hubby retires, and cursing the military for always sticking them in a location that is filled with bugs big enough to eat her children.
You can connect with Mel all over the web:
Or email her at: [email protected]
Other Books by Melissa Schroeder
Harmless
A Little Harmless Sex
A Little Harmless Pleasure
A Little Harmless Obsession
A Little Harmless Lie
A Little Harmless Addiction
A Little Harmless Submission
A Little Harmless Fascination
A Little Harmless Fantasy
A Little Harmless Military Romance
Infatuation
Possession
Surr
ender
The Harmless Shorts
A Little Harmless Surprise
A Little Harmless Gift
Prelude to a Fantasy
By Blood
Desire by Blood
The Santinis
Leonardo
Marco
Gianni
Vicente
Once Upon An Accident
The Accidental Countess
Lessons in Seduction
The Spy Who Loved Her
Leather and Lace
The Seduction of Widow McEwan
Leather and Lace—Print anthology
Texas Temptations
Conquering India
Delilah’s Downfall
Hawaiian Holidays
Mele Kalikimaka, Baby
Sex on the Beach
Getting Lei’d
Bounty Hunters, Inc
For Love or Honor
Sinner’s Delight
The Sweet Shoppe
Turning Paige
Cowboy Up
Tempting Prudence
Connected Books
Seducing the Saint
Hunting Mila
Saints and Sinners—print of both books
The Hired Hand
Hands on Training
Cancer Anthology
Water—print
Stand Alone Books
Grace Under Pressure
The Last Detail
Her Mother’s Killer
A Calculated Seduction
Telepathic Cravings
Operation Love
Coming Soon
The Harmless Shorts
A Little Harmless Ride
Craving
Relentless