Page 22 of Billionaire Daddies Next Door

He took it and held my gaze as he took a big bite. When he moaned after chewing for a few seconds, I had to look away to hide my blush. Smith finished off the muffin in one more bite and nodded after he finished chewing. “It’s terrible. You should just give me the entire batch so no one else has to taste them. I’ll take them off your hands.”

I laughed and then broke off a piece of the second muffin. “Everything in it is pet safe. Can Mack have a bite?”

Mack looked from the muffin to his Dad with drool hanging in big strands from his mouth. Smith grunted and nodded at me. “Jesus. If I’d known he was going to activate the drool machine, I wouldn’t have brought him in.”

I laughed and tried to feed Mack the smaller portion of muffin, but he had other ideas. He bypassed that hand to get to my other one which held the rest of the muffin. Gobbling down his ill-gotten gains, he let out a happy bark and looked up at me with adoration in his eyes.

“Mack!” Smith sighed. “I’m sorry. He’s pretty clear about his love of food. You aren’t the first person he’s stolen from.”

I tossed him the smaller piece and rubbed his head. “He’s a big boy. I don’t mind.”

Mack stood up and moved closer so he could lean his body against me. I was prepared for him this time and braced myself so he wouldn’t knock me over. His tail wagged as he stared up at me. I felt like I was waiting for him to speak to me. His eyes were just so expressive.

“After that muffin, I think we’ll both be walking home instead of running. Want to join us?” Smith smirked. “I promise we’ll both be on our best behavior.”

I didn’t trust myself around him, not after the way I’d thrown myself at Chase and Bear. There was something about the three of them that made me a little crazy. “I have my car…”

“There’s something else.” He smiled. “You don’t trust me?”

I snorted. “I don’t trust me.”

His eyebrows rose and his head cocked to the side. “The plot thickens. Is this about Bear and Chase?”

I choked on the air I was breathing and took a big step back. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“He’s talking about how everyone knows you’ve slept with both Bear and Chase.” Aaron leaned out of the kitchen service window and grinned. “I say go for gold, honey.”

Smith held my gaze. “I hear the third time’s the charm.”

Throwing up my hands I walked around the counter to grab my keys. “On that note, I’m going home. Goodbye, Smith.”

He leaned into the door, easing it open. “See you around, Joanie.”

I let my eyes linger on his tanned muscles as he slipped away. Then, I turned to Aaron and flipped him off. “You’re lucky I love you or I’d fire you.”

CHAPTER 17

Joanie

I managed to mostly avoid the guys over the next couple of days but my luck could only last for so long. I was baking alone in the diner before the sun rose, getting a bulk order of muffins ready so I’d have enough to feed Billie when she came in after her weekly meeting with her bosses. I expected to be alone for a few more hours before Aaron showed up so I was listening to a true crime podcast and tuning the rest of the world out. Lilyfield was dead at this time of day, so I didn’t have much to tune out.

Being in such a small, peaceful town for years had lowered my guard and I claimed the true crime podcasts and shows helped me remember to be vigilant, but I realized I hadn’t locked the front door when I heard the bell go off.

My heart lodged in my throat and I froze, listening for the moment the intruder came through the kitchen and tried to kill me. Gripping the whisk I’d been holding higher, I held my breath.

“Joanie?”

I nearly collapsed when I recognized Smith’s voice. Relief faded and was quickly replaced with anger. I stomped out of the kitchen and held my whisk up at Smith. “You nearly gave me a heart attack! I thought you were someone sneaking in to kill me. Oh, my god, Smith.”

He smirked. “Planning on hitting me with that whisk?”

I let out a growl of frustration and turned to go back to my kitchen. “You’re lucky I didn’t jump you. I’ve taken self-defense classes, you know. I could’ve kicked your ass.”

He followed and chuckled as he leaned against the counter next to me. “I’m nearly twice your size, Joanie.”

“And?” I twisted to face him and tilted my head back to look him in the eye. “I could still take you.”

“I’m sure you could.” Smith looked around the kitchen. “Want some help? I saw the lights on again and thought I could at least offer my talents.”

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