Page 13 of A Taste of Trouble

She picked an assortment of cupcakes from the showcase—red ones, chocolate ones, white ones. He'd eaten more than his share of sweets as a child and now, in his adult years, he steered clear. But he had to admit they looked irresistible.

While Nancy filled the tray, Jake wiggled his fingers in anticipation. He was here for information; instead he was purchasing cupcakes. He was completely chickening out on the Liv front. “Nancy…” He had no idea why he was so nervous, but his stomach was about to take flight. “Is—”

The bang of the swinging white doors caught his attention and his stomach leapt at the sight of the woman sliding through. “Nancy, can I see the invoice for the Sullivan or—”

When their eyes locked, her jaw dropped. She straightened and snapped her mouth closed. She smoothed her hands down her apron then through her hair, even made a swipe to her chin as if knowing she'd be wearing ingredients.

There was something different about her. She was…radiant.

Liv's hair was messy and pulled onto the top of her head with a plastic clip. A small smudge of what looked like flour caressed the creamy skin along her jaw line. And her face—her face was just as familiar as the intoxicating scent. He could never forget those black eyes—eyes that hypnotized him, pulling him under her spell, drowning him in a haze of desire.

Nancy barely noticed the interaction, and kept filling the trays with cupcakes.

“Remember me?” he asked.

Liv cocked her hip and her lips curled up in a smile. Hell, yeah. She remembered him, all right. Her eyes gave that away.

“Olivia? Do you two know each other?” Nancy peered over the top of the showcase.

Olivia? Of course it made sense that her full name would be Olivia, but he'd never thought about her beyond his own fantasies. He failed to think about the little things that made her the woman standing before him. But seeing her, wide-eyed and warm, he wanted to know everything about her.

When Liv finally noticed Nancy waiting for an answer, she said, “This is Jake…” Her eyes darted back to him, looking for help.

“Miller.”

“Jake Miller.” Liv widened her smile. He noticed her eyes take in the entire length of his body.

“Hello, Olivia.” He loved to say her full name.

After a few beats of awkward silence, Nancy placed the filled containers on the counter and closed them up, affixing a sticker to the top of the plastic. “You're all set, Jake.”

“Great.” He pulled out his debit card and Nancy entered his order.

While Nancy keyed in his information, Liv said, “I guess you were in the mood for something sweet.”

“I've been craving something sweet since last night. Thought you'd be the perfect person to help me.”

A blush spread across her face and she pulled her bottom lip into her mouth with her teeth. Had she been thinking about him as much as he'd been thinking about her? As in… All. Night. Long?

Nancy cleared her throat then said, “If you're all done, Olivia, why don't you walk your friend out?”

Liv nodded then slipped through the swinging door and returned with her coat and purse. She whispered something to the smiling young girl who followed her out. Liv kept motioning for her to keep quiet, but the girl was too hard to control. Eventually Liv pressed her hand against her mouth to keep her from talking and spat out what sounded like, “fine.”

Liv pulled the girl closer to the counter. “Jake, this is Corey. Corey, this is Jake.”

“So nice to meet you, Jake. I've heard—”

“We're going now.” Liv pulled the girl away before she had the chance to extend her hand.

Jake winked. “Nice to meet you, ladies.”

They were walking out together. This could be considered a pre-date.

This was exactly what he needed to make his move. Exactly what he needed to find out what made this woman tick. Information he could use to get close to her. Information he could use to keep her close. But she was more than just cupcakes. And even if he didn't have a mission, he'd want to learn all about this woman…for himself.

Jake grabbed his bag and followed Liv out the door, ecstatic that he'd showed up at the perfect time.

Chapter Four

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