Page 18 of 40 and (Tired of) Faking It
There were so many ways he wanted to thank her, but none of them would be appropriate to mention now. “Remind me and I’ll give you my thanks later,” he said with a wink.
That lovely pink blush rose to her cheeks, and he savored the sight as he settled his hand on her lower back and guided her through the coffee shop into Gimme Sugar.
Entering the room was like walking into a cocoon of bread- and sweets-scented air. He drew the aroma deep into his lungs, savoring it, and noticed Lily doing the same. Her eyes were closed, a deep hunger on her face. Would she have that look for anything other than desserts? In his bed, maybe? With his tongue on her? His—
He broke off the thought, but not before it hardened his body in a rush. He was only faintly surprised by the reaction at this point. He’d always been in control of his attraction, no matter how ripe the woman was. But his attraction to Lily? She undermined his defenses so quickly, so easily that his control was beginning to get a bit ragged.
“Claire!” Lily called.
Her friend entered from the back of the bakery, tucking stray corkscrew curls back under the wide band holding her hair back. “I’m here; I’m here. Don’t throw a hissy fit.” She lifted her well-used apron over her head, balled it up, and pushed it behind her back, breath a bit heavy. “I’m ready.”
JD chuckled. “Relax. I’m not here to judge you, Claire.”
“Well of course you are,” she said, shaking her head. “You have to be to find the right resources for your resort. Nervousness is just my MO.”
Lily was nodding her head. “It doesn’t matter how fantastic she is or how we rave over her creations; she’s still nervous every single time.”
“Please don’t be on my account. I’m just looking forward to tasting some sweets. My friend Linc has no problem outing me as having a terrible sweet tooth.”
“Then you’ve come to the right place,” Claire said with a bright smile.
Just then DeeDee entered from the coffee shop and moved behind the bakery’s counter. “I’m all set, Claire. You guys go on.”
Claire led them to the back of the bakery, through a kitchen JD could tell she put to good use, and into an office with a battered desk and a high-top table that had seen better days. She directed them to sit in the barstools before taking the one closest to the door. “Tell me a little about what you think you’ll need,” she began.
JD explained the basic concept of the resort, elaborating on the large need for essentials when it came to the lodge. The restaurant, with its more high-end offerings, would come afterward, along with the brewery. “My friend Lincoln is an executive chef in New York at —”
Claire held up a hand. “Wait. You don’t mean Lincoln Young?”
It was an unusual name. “Yes.”
“TheLincoln Young.”
Lily was staring between the two of them, a vee of confusion between her brows, taking in Claire’s near panic and JD’s calm shrug.
“You mean Lincoln Young, winner of the James Beard Rising Star Chef of the Year Award and Best New Restaurant the first year he was in business? The Lincoln Young who is a regular contributor toGatronomica?That Lincoln Young is coming here, to Black Wolf’s Bluff, to oversee the establishment of your resort and restaurant?”
JD noticed her hand, still hanging in the air, was shaking. “Yes, actually. I take it you know of him.”
“Um”—Claire’s eyes bugged—“yeah! Is there a chef or a baker worth their salt who doesn’t?”
JD lifted his hands and shrugged. “No idea. I just know we practically grew up together. That’s all.”
Lily gripped Claire’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “Stop worrying. There is absolutely nothing for you to be worried about.”
Claire shook her head, her laugh strained. “Oh, you have no idea.”
There was a pregnant pause as he—and Lily as well, if he was reading her wide-eyed expression right—waited for Claire to elaborate, but she didn’t. Instead she seemed to gather herself, squaring her shoulders, and stood. “At any rate, I have desserts that need to be eaten, so how about it?”
JD gave her what was hopefully an encouraging look. “I can’t wait.” After Claire left the room, he glanced at Lily. “I apologize for taking her off guard.”
“Don’t,” Lily said. “I have no idea what that was all about, but…” She shrugged. “Claire tends to get on edge when she feels she might be judged. She might love baking, but she’s never had a true insight into how good she is. But I do,” she assured him, “and you’re gonna love this.”
Chapter Nine
JD’s cologne was a mix of citrus and what Lily thought for a moment was sweet tobacco, similar to the scent she remembered surrounding her grandfather when she was a young girl and he still smoked a pipe. But JD didn’t remind her of her grandfather, not even in the slightest. He was too sexy, too warm, too firm where he pressed against her on one side of the tiny bistro table in Claire’s office. Lily held still, held her breath, willing herself to ignore the unignorable. All that succeeded in doing was making her more aware of every move he made.
The silence between them pulsed with something she couldn’t quite name, but whatever it was, it had her squeezing her thighs together hard. JD glanced down at the move, and she heard his sharp inhale just as Claire returned from the kitchen.
