after nine that night, Piper unlocked her apartment door and stepped inside. A bright aqua couch sat on a multicolored area rug that added life to the otherwise rundown room. She tossed her purse on the round table with mismatched chairs in what she called the dining room of her cramped living space and ambled into the old-fashioned kitchen with white cabinets and walls she’d painted sunny yellow.
As she grabbed a bottle of water from her old refrigerator with one hand, she pulled her cell phone from her jeans pocket with the other. After clicking a few icons, she pressed the one that dialed Lonnie’s number.
“So? How’s it going?”
Falling to her sofa, Piper winced. “It’s okay.”
“No problems from Cade? No fights? He didn’t bring me up, did he?”
“Nope. It’s like he’s pretending it didn’t happen. Basically, he’s all business.” Except when he called her darlin’ and gave her chill bumps. But Piper intended to ignore that until she got accustomed to it. Surely his voice and good looks couldn’t affect her forever—
Could they?
She didn’t know. She’d never been this kind of attracted to a man before.
“I could have told you he’d pretend the past didn’t happen.”
“Yeah, well, he seems to want to play fair.”
“That’s good then.”
“It feels weird working with the guy I know left you at the altar.” And weirder to be attracted to him. Horribly attracted. Breathlessly attracted. And she just wished she could talk about this with someone. But Lonnie was not that person.
“It doesn’t have to be. Just don’t talk about me with him and you’ll be fine.”
Except for the big honking attraction.
“Yeah. You’re right.”
The following morning, Piper woke at six, glad she’d talked to Lonnie. Cade might be a jerk, but he acted like a businessman. As Lonnie said, as long as they didn’t talk about her and/or Hunter, they could run the store.
She showered and almost dressed in her favorite jeans and a sexy top, but her inner good girl paused her hand over the lacy shirt. No woman trying to avoid an attraction dressed up when she’d be with the guy who made her heart stutter. Best to fade into the woodwork. Be humble Piper. Capable Piper. Helpful-to-customers Piper. Anything but sexy Piper.
She put the top back and chose a plain pink T-shirt. She also didn’t curl her hair. She pulled it into a high ponytail. Nothing sexy. Nothing interesting. Just plain, boring Piper, the woman who could live and work in a small town where she’d left two guys at the altar because she was emotionally in control. Always. No guy, no matter how sexy, would throw her off her game. She could handle this.
Driving her car into the grocery store parking lot, she noticed Cade’s truck was already there. She shoved open her car door and walked into O’Riley’s. Cade stood by the coffee and doughnut stand. The rich, sweet scent of warm doughnuts surrounded her, but she barely noticed. She was too busy staring at Cade.
He wore jeans as he had the day before, but today he didn’t wear a sedate white shirt. Today, he had on a thin cotton T-shirt. Unlike yesterday’s dress shirt, the T-shirt slid nicely across his broad chest and molded to his muscled torso. Short sleeves showed off a Semper Fi tattoo on his right bicep and a dragon tattoo on the left. The tail of the growling beast slithered down his forearm, almost to his wrist.
“Mornin’ darlin’.”
She swallowed. Desire rippled through her, making her fingers itch and her mouth water.
Damn it! What the hell was wrong with her? This guy was trouble and she was salivating?
She shook herself out of her haze. “Good morning.”
He motioned toward the cashier’s cage. “How about if we go to the office? There’s a little something I’d like to discuss before we open.”
She held his gaze but couldn’t stop thinking about that soft T-shirt molded to his perfect chest, and she prayed to God he could not read minds. Because
As she grabbed a bottle of water from her old refrigerator with one hand, she pulled her cell phone from her jeans pocket with the other. After clicking a few icons, she pressed the one that dialed Lonnie’s number.
“So? How’s it going?”
Falling to her sofa, Piper winced. “It’s okay.”
“No problems from Cade? No fights? He didn’t bring me up, did he?”
“Nope. It’s like he’s pretending it didn’t happen. Basically, he’s all business.” Except when he called her darlin’ and gave her chill bumps. But Piper intended to ignore that until she got accustomed to it. Surely his voice and good looks couldn’t affect her forever—
Could they?
She didn’t know. She’d never been this kind of attracted to a man before.
“I could have told you he’d pretend the past didn’t happen.”
“Yeah, well, he seems to want to play fair.”
“That’s good then.”
“It feels weird working with the guy I know left you at the altar.” And weirder to be attracted to him. Horribly attracted. Breathlessly attracted. And she just wished she could talk about this with someone. But Lonnie was not that person.
“It doesn’t have to be. Just don’t talk about me with him and you’ll be fine.”
Except for the big honking attraction.
“Yeah. You’re right.”
The following morning, Piper woke at six, glad she’d talked to Lonnie. Cade might be a jerk, but he acted like a businessman. As Lonnie said, as long as they didn’t talk about her and/or Hunter, they could run the store.
She showered and almost dressed in her favorite jeans and a sexy top, but her inner good girl paused her hand over the lacy shirt. No woman trying to avoid an attraction dressed up when she’d be with the guy who made her heart stutter. Best to fade into the woodwork. Be humble Piper. Capable Piper. Helpful-to-customers Piper. Anything but sexy Piper.
She put the top back and chose a plain pink T-shirt. She also didn’t curl her hair. She pulled it into a high ponytail. Nothing sexy. Nothing interesting. Just plain, boring Piper, the woman who could live and work in a small town where she’d left two guys at the altar because she was emotionally in control. Always. No guy, no matter how sexy, would throw her off her game. She could handle this.
Driving her car into the grocery store parking lot, she noticed Cade’s truck was already there. She shoved open her car door and walked into O’Riley’s. Cade stood by the coffee and doughnut stand. The rich, sweet scent of warm doughnuts surrounded her, but she barely noticed. She was too busy staring at Cade.
He wore jeans as he had the day before, but today he didn’t wear a sedate white shirt. Today, he had on a thin cotton T-shirt. Unlike yesterday’s dress shirt, the T-shirt slid nicely across his broad chest and molded to his muscled torso. Short sleeves showed off a Semper Fi tattoo on his right bicep and a dragon tattoo on the left. The tail of the growling beast slithered down his forearm, almost to his wrist.
“Mornin’ darlin’.”
She swallowed. Desire rippled through her, making her fingers itch and her mouth water.
Damn it! What the hell was wrong with her? This guy was trouble and she was salivating?
She shook herself out of her haze. “Good morning.”
He motioned toward the cashier’s cage. “How about if we go to the office? There’s a little something I’d like to discuss before we open.”
She held his gaze but couldn’t stop thinking about that soft T-shirt molded to his perfect chest, and she prayed to God he could not read minds. Because
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