Stirring Up Trouble by Andrea Laurence

everything.
    Even now, handcuffed to her, he wondered what she’d do if he kissed her. Maybe this was his chance. It wasn’t like she could get away. It’d almost be worth it to see the look on her face. And maybe once he kissed her, he’d realize there wasn’t anything special about her and he could focus on something else.
    â€œBoth,” he said, inching closer to her. He expected her to pull away, at least as far as she was able, but she stayed in place. His left hand reached out for her cheek and he stroked her skin.
    Maddie stiffened initially at his touch, then her eyes closed and she leaned into him. He hadn’t expected that reaction at all. Emboldened by her response, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. He wasn’t sure what kissing her would be like, but the reality was far, far better than he ever could’ve anticipated. For someone so uptight and critical, her lips were soft and inviting. She molded to him without an ounce of tension in her body. She seemed to welcome his touch, even groaning softly as his free hand stroked the long line of her neck.
    It was the sound that jerked him back to reality. What was he doing? She might be beautiful, but she was a total pain in the ass. She was the kind of high-maintenance woman who expected a kiss to lead to something more official and that was not at all what he was interested in. He just wanted to blow off some of their aggression in a more pleasurable fashion.
    He abruptly pulled back. When their lips parted, they stayed still and close, the heat of their bodies together making the air warm around them. He could smell the scent of her skin when they were this close. It wasn’t a harsh perfume, but something soft, almost like lavender-scented soap or lotion. He imagined she had a very intensive nightly ritual with expensive French skin creams. Her skin was so soft and supple, he could almost imagine what it would be like to massage a scented cream into it.
    â€œWhat was that?” she asked softly.
    â€œA kiss.”
    â€œWhy?” Her blue eyes searched his face.
    â€œBecause apparently I’m a masochist.”
    Maddie frowned and her delicate eyebrows knit together. He could just see her brain whirling as she tried to figure out what he meant by that. Before she could say anything, the buzzer on one of the ovens went off. She pulled as far away from him as she could, her cheeks flushing an attractive pink like her apron. Cool air rushed between them, bringing them both to their senses. Shaking her head, she led him over to the oven, where she pulled out pans of lemon pound cake and banana bread.
    Impossible women. He had a fatal attraction to impossible women. He needed some damn therapy.

    Simon was waiting outside Woody’s when they arrived. He was leaning casually on the hood of the squad car, sipping a cup of coffee from Ellen’s Diner down the street.
    Thank goodness he was on time. Maddie couldn’t wait to regain her freedom. She’d gotten only about two hours of sleep before all this started, and there was nothing she could do about it now. She would go back to her place for a shower and a cup of strong coffee, but then she had to get back to the kitchen. The shop opened in two hours and she was way behind on her baking. Having one arm handcuffed to Emmett had slowed everything to a crawl. They’d managed to make just a few loaves of sweet breads, a tray of sticky buns, and some lemon bars in three hours. She needed to get back in there and crank out about a dozen other items before the shop opened. She could only thank her stars she didn’t have a wedding cake being picked up today.
    â€œDid you two play nice?” Simon asked.
    â€œExtremely,” Emmett replied with a smug smile on his face.
    Maddie blushed bright red at his words. She couldn’t help it. It was bad enough she’d let sleep deprivation lower her guard; she didn’t want everyone to know what