Page 4 of Baking with Bryan

My heart kicks up a notch. Snow flurries swirl around in my belly. Bryan’s eyes darken. For a moment, I see want. He presses a kiss to the corner of my lip. Disappointment rushes through me, dousing the flames of lust.Stupid.Clearing my throat, I step back, disoriented and deflated.

I spin to keep the pain from showing. “I’ll get everything together for the cookies. We’ll do dessert before dinner tonight.”

Bryan clears his throat. “Yeah. That sounds good to me.” I could pretend he felt the same sparks flying between us, but I’ve always been a terrible liar. As I move around the kitchen, I ignore the weight of his gaze. I’m not ready to bare my soul, only to be rejected.Another time.Silence falls as I move through the kitchen, pulling out bowls and gathering ingredients while he layers the lasagna.

Knock. Knock.

“Are you expecting someone?” I ask.

“No.” Brow furrowed, he finishes the final layer and pops the glass dish into the oven.

“So you’re just popular tonight, then?”

“I’m with the only person I want to be entertaining.” Wiping his hands off on a tea towel, he walks through the open-concept kitchen to the front door.

“Allison?”

My stomach lurches at the name of his on and off again, bed warmer. Fun seekers, who weren’t interested in anything too serious, the two always came back together like attracting magnets.

“Hey. I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d stop by. Oh. You have company?” She’s stunning in her body-flattering royal purple ski coat. Thick, chocolate-brown waves frame her oval-shaped face and tumble down her back.

Her plump, pale pink lips part in a suggestive smile. An upturned nose, deep-set bright green eyes, and delicate cheekbones create a stunning vision of beauty.

Fresh from closing the bakery, I feel frumpy in worn jeans and the pale pink shirt with the company logo.

“Yeah. Nor and I are having a night in.”

“Oh.” She giggles. “So not real company then.”

Glancing down, I bite my lip as embarrassment settles in. Allison’s words drive home why my feelings are irrelevant. If no one else sees me as a viable partner, why would Bryan?

I set the egg down too hard, and it cracks.

“Crap.”

“You need me, Nor?” Bryan turns to peer at me over his shoulder.

“Just making a mess.” I smile. “Hi, Allison.”

“Hi, Nora.” Allison gives me a small smile that doesn’t reach her green eyes. She trails her finger down his arm. “Why don’t I come back in a few hours, and we’ll catch up?”

Stomach rolling, I busy myself with cleaning up. If this is what Bryan wants, it’s better I know now.

“I’ll pass.” I stifle a gasp.

“What?” Irritation erased the seduction that laced her voice previously.

“We’ve always been open with each other. Our interests no longer align.”

“Are you seeing someone?” She splutters like a car running out of gas.

“No.”

“But you’re planning on it?” The shock in her voice echoes my own emotions.

“I’m open to the possibility.” He clears his throat. “Which means changing the way I operate.”

She laughs. “You’re kidding, right? You want to be in a serious monogamous relationship?”

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