Crushing on Kate

by Theresa Paolo

  After all, Terry did give her an extra pork chop. It was only right to share since he did share his pancakes with her not too long ago.

  The bell sounded above her as she entered the shop. She wondered if she was the last person he expected to see, if he would be happy to see her or act as if she was bothering him.

  She didn’t have to wait long to find out. He emerged from his office and came to an abrupt stop when his eyes met hers. He looked good—almost too good—in a pair of navy blue shorts and a white polo. His hair was a little messy as if he ran his hand through it one too many times, probably from dealing with Terry. She wanted to ask him about it—about how he’s been and if he’d made any new sales, but the words wouldn’t come to her.

  Instead she stood there, staring into those dark brown eyes that made her knees weak. He stared back, the intensity in his gaze growing with each second that passed.

  Finally, Kate found the strength to break away from the magnetic pull Caleb had on her. She looked down at the to-go bag then held it up. “Hungry?”

  “I could eat,” he replied.

  Kate nodded, and he turned toward his office without another word, but waited for her to follow. She got to the doorway, and her eyes focused on the desk, memories of what they did there, flooding her mind.

  Her skin heated as visions from that morning flashed into her head. She swallowed down the rising desires and focused on the anger she had felt when he’d left her naked and alone. She didn’t want to stay mad, but it was easier to control the yearning within her that was desperate to taste his lips, to feel his heated skin beneath her fingertips and his large hands digging into her hips while he plunged deep inside her.

  She sat down in the chair across from him on the other side of the desk and placed the to-go bag on top, trying her hardest not to look into his eyes. One glance of that smoldering gaze and she’d melt like glass against a flame.

  He clapped his hands together as he peered over the bag. “What do we have?”

  It was only four little words, but Kate was relieved that they were tension free. He might’ve been the one who walked away, but that didn’t negate the fact that she knew what they did was fueled purely by frustration and a weird sexual chemistry that sparked to life every time they came in contact with each other. What they allowed to happen between them was both of their faults, he just happened to be strong enough to realize it first.

  Hopeful that they could put it all behind them, especially now that it was out of their systems, she smiled up at him and reached into the bag. “Sweet potato and apple stuffed pork chops with a balsamic and orange glaze.”

  He grabbed his chest and fell back into his chair. Kate laughed, surprised to see a fun, softer side to Caleb. Her grandmother’s words echoed in her head. Maybe there was more to Caleb than met the eye. Maybe he was hiding a big heart beneath the tough exterior.

  She looked up, catching that smoldering gaze, and despite everything, she wanted to peel away the layers. She wanted to know all the sides of Caleb James—the good, the bad, and the ugly.

  “That sounds amazing,” he said.

  “It is.” She opened the to-go container and licked a bit of the glaze off of her finger. “It’s my favorite.”

  Caleb’s eyes lingered on her finger in her mouth, and she quickly removed it, busying herself with finding the plastic utensils at the bottom of the bag. Just because she was willing to try and figure out who Caleb was beneath the surface didn’t mean she was ready to shed her inhibitions again, even if her body throbbed for his touch.

  She wasn’t surprised to find two forks and two knives and wondered how long Terry had this whole thing planned.

  Caleb cleared his throat and shifted forward in his chair. “I thought the apple pancakes were your favorite?”

  Kate handed him one of the sets of utensils and sat down. “My favorites consist of a top ten and at least five runner-ups.”

  “That sounds like a pretty extensive list.”

  “What can I say? I love good food.” She picked up one of Terry’s homemade dinner rolls and held it out to him. “Dip this in the glaze.”

  He took the roll and looked down at the glaze pooling around the pork chops. She was starving and didn’t wait for him as she drenched her bread.

  “Trust me,” she said before biting into balsamic and orange heaven. She closed her eyes savoring every delicious bite and when she finally opened them, Caleb still hadn’t dipped or eaten his bread. He was staring at her with a hot intensity that she felt right down to her core.

  ***

  The faces she made while eating something she enjoyed were so close to the faces she made when she climaxed that Caleb had a hard time concentrating on anything but the fluttering of her eyes as they completely closed, the slight curve of pleasure tugging at her lips, and that sensual moan that instantly made him hard.

  Kate stared at him now, but he couldn’t move. Something about her made all common sense fly out the window. Visions of what they did on this very desk flashed in and out of his mind. He tried to ignore the dip in her shirt that he knew covered perk pink nipples—the same pale shade as the morning sky before the sun rose.

  She shook her head, strawberry blonde strands falling free from behind her ear. He fought the desire to reach across his desk and tuck them back in place.

  “Aren’t you going to eat?” she asked, taking another bite of her roll.

  He loved how carefree she was. She bit into her food with no reservations, didn’t second guess what he might think of her. He’d always dated girls who ate like rabbits picking at salads that contained nothing more than lettuce, because do you know how many calories are in those dressings you love so much? And croutons were basically the devil of the food world. Carbs were bad and should be treated as if eating them would give you the plague.

  Not Kate, though. She ate carbs like they were going extinct, and she’d never see them again.

  “I mean if you’re not hungry.” She went to grab the container that housed the food, and he grabbed her hand, not expecting the wave of hot electric current to spread through his arm and right to his groin.

  He was hungry all right, but not necessarily for the food. “I’m hungry,” he said, the words gruffer than he anticipated.

  She blinked up, her bluish green eyes searing through his. “Then you better eat. Growing up with five siblings, everything is fair game until it’s in your mouth.”

  “You wouldn’t,” he challenged.

  “Is that a dare? Because I never back down from a dare.”

  “Really? I pictured you more of a truth kind of girl.”

  “I like to live dangerously every once in a while.”

  Caleb attempted to swallow down the building desire to show her just how dangerous they could be together and dipped the roll in the glaze before taking a bite.

  “Smart man,” Kate said with a sexy smirk.

  She wasn’t kidding. “Wow, this is amazing.”

  “Told you. You have to try her turkey with apple and pecan stuffing. It’s like an orgasm on a plate.”

  Caleb choked on the pork he’d just put in his mouth, and Kate laughed before handing him a napkin.

  “After everything that happened on this desk, I wouldn’t have taken you as a prude,” she said matter-of-factly.

  He was surprised she was bringing it up. From the way she had dismissed him when he had gone to apologize, he’d assumed she wanted to pretend it never happened. Now she brought it up like one would the weather.

  At every corner this girl was full of surprises. It was an intriguing yet dangerous combination. Still, guilt tugged aggressively at his gut for walking away and leaving her half naked and alone.

  “About that,” he said and ran a hand over the short hair on his face.

  “No.” She shook her head. “No apologies.”

  “How do you know I’m going to apologize?”

  “I can see it in your eyes.”

  “And what exactly ar
e you seeing?”

  “Remorse and guilt, but you shouldn’t feel either of those things. It’s not like you took advantage of me.”

  “I would never.”

  “I know. It’s just something that happened, and it was pretty damn great actually, so I don’t want to look back on it knowing you regretted it… because that would hurt worse than you walking away.”

  She was amazing. This beautiful woman who looked at the world with honesty and a boldness that he admired. He didn’t walk away because of regret. He walked away because she scared him. Because when he looked at her he didn’t just feel it in his pants, he felt it in his heart. If she could affect him so deeply in such a short time there was no knowing what she could do to him in the long run.

  “I don’t regret it,” he finally admitted. If she could speak bravely then he at least owed it to her to try.

  Her eyes widened, her soft lips parting. “You don’t?”

  He shook his head. “The only thing I regret is walking away. You didn’t deserve that, and for that and that alone, I am sorry.”

  A smile tilted at the edge of her lips. “In that case, for that and that alone, I accept your apology.” She was quiet for a moment then met his gaze. “Just don’t ever do that again.” The hurt he heard in that simple statement was enough to have him agreeing even though he should’ve been making it clear that none of it would ever happen again. But even he knew that would be a lie, because no matter how hard he resisted her, she would find a way to break his resolve.

  Chapter 9

  Ever since Kate brought the peace offering in the form of pork, things had been good. Neither of them spent their days avoiding each other, and they finally came to an agreement on the parking lot. She might have been blocking his storefront, but it’s not like he was all that visible from the street anyway. The dope finally realized that Kate’s demonstrations weren’t hurting his business, but helping him by drawing more people to an area they may have never discovered.

  Though, if she were honest with herself, she did miss their heated arguments. She liked playing nice, but when it came to Caleb, she preferred to be naughty. There was something about the way his eyes darkened and his lip curled when they argued that turned her on. She missed it, and what she missed even more was the feel of his mouth on hers. He hadn’t kissed her since that morning a couple weeks ago, and she felt like an addict in need of a fix.

  She ignored the temptation to wander over to his shop and continued on her way to Sweet Dreams Bakery. She had a lunch date with Shay that she wasn’t about to cancel. Since Shay and Matt got married she’d been harder and harder to pin down. Not that Kate could blame her. If she was a newlywed, she’d probably spend all her free time with her husband, too.

  The bakery was only a short walk down Main Street, and Kate took her time, breathing in the late July air. It was a little more humid than she liked, but one thought of the long white winters they had up in the White Mountains and she welcomed the hot, sticky heat with open arms.

  Kate walked into the bakery decorated in shades of pink and white and closed her eyes to take in all the mouth-watering scents. She was set on getting her favorite Death by Chocolate cupcake with a decadent chocolate cake and a chocolate fudge ganache, but the delicious scent of coconut and pineapple lingered in the air, changing Kate’s mind.

  Shay’s back was to the counter as Kate approached, hands resting on the stainless-steel surface. It looked as if she was taking deep breaths.

  “You okay?” Kate asked and Shay spun around, her long brown braid moving with her.

  “Hey. I didn’t even hear you come in.”

  Shay always had a big smile on her face, but today it was lacking its usual luster. Her hazel eyes were dull, and her face that usually had a healthy glow was an ugly shade of gray.

  “What’s the matter?”

  Shay waved her hand. “Your brother insisted on eating at the new restaurant in Berlin, and it’s just not sitting right.”

  “Oh no, that’s not cool. You want me to go get you something from the pharmacy?”

  “I’ll be fine. It comes in waves.”

  “You sure?”

  “I am. Now what do you want today? Your usual?” Shay straightened and plastered a smile on her face. She still looked unwell, but something like a little upset stomach wouldn’t stop Shay.

  Kate smiled back, pointing at the glass case that held an assortment of specialty cupcakes. “I did until I walked in here and the pina colada cupcake started to call my name.”

  “Good choice. Louise actually made these, and I have to say they’re almost as good as mine.”

  “I heard that,” Louise, Shay’s assistant said from the back where the kitchen was. She poked her head through the doorway, her dark hair pulled back in a high ponytail. “Hi, Kate.”

  “Hey,” Kate said with a wave.

  “Would you mind keeping an eye out here so I can—” Shay started, but Louise held her hand up.

  “Go sit down. I got this.”

  Shay laughed, but it wasn’t as vibrant as she made her way around the counter with Kate’s pina colada cupcake. Kate took the treat from her friend and let her lead the way. They usually sat outside on a beautiful day like today, but Kate wasn’t so sure the heat would be good for Shay.

  Shay ignored the door and walked to the table in the far left corner that sat beneath a wooden sign that said, Be a beautiful cupcake in a world full of muffins, and took a seat.

  Kate followed and took a bite of her cupcake, savoring each new burst of flavor as she settled into the chair.

  “How’s married life?” Kate asked.

  Shay’s face lit up, a sparkle glimmering in her eyes and washing away the dullness. “It’s pretty amazing.”

  “Have you figured out what you’re going to do with your grandparents’ house?” Shay’s grandparents had bought a house in Florida with the intention of staying only for the winters, but as the years passed they came home less frequently. Shay had been living in the house up until she made the move into Matt’s log cabin.

  “They don’t want to sell it, and I don’t want them to either. That house has so many memories, and I can’t imagine selling it, so we’re going to rent it. It’s paid off so any money that comes in will help my grandparents pay off their condo. Do you know of anyone looking for a place?”

  Kate thought about it for a moment. She knew just about everyone in Red Maple Falls, but she couldn’t think of anyone who was in need of a house. “Not off the top of my head, but I’ll spread the word around. Maybe put it up on Craigslist.”

  “I mentioned that to your brother, but he went all Sheriff on me saying how ads like that are just asking for trouble.”

  Kate’s gaze flicked upward. She loved Matt to death, but there were times when his protective nature made him completely unreasonable. “He’s an idiot,” Kate said and Shay laughed.

  “You said it not me.”

  “I can talk to him if you want. I’ve had thirty plus years of arguing with him. I’ve gotten pretty good at it.”

  “I appreciate it, but I can handle him.” A mischievous smirk played at the edges of Shay’s mouth.

  “You’re going to post the ad anyway, aren’t you?”

  “You’re damn right I am.”

  Kate raised her hand to Shay over the table, and Shay slapped it five. “My brother has met his match with you and I love it.”

  “So… What’s going on with you?”

  “Nothing,” Kate blurted out a little too hastily.

  “Want to try that again?”

  Kate shoved the rest of the cupcake in her mouth. Anything to avoid talking about the pretty boy who was haunting her dreams and making her tremble with memories every time she saw him.

  “Nice try, but you’ll have to swallow eventually.”

  Kate sighed and continued to chew the cupcake until she had nothing left. “Really there’s nothing going.”

  Shay tilted her head, her eyebrow rising to
new heights. “I’ve known you since you were twelve, you can’t lie to me. Besides, I see the way you look at Caleb.”

  “And what way is that exactly?”

  “Like a dog in heat.”

  “I do not!”

  “Mmm hmm.”

  “I don’t,” Kate reiterated, but her tone lacked the assurance it needed to make a convincing argument.

  “One minute you hate him, the next minute you’re sharing food with him at my wedding. Just curious how you feel about him today.”

  “I’d feel a lot better if he stopped treating me like his friend and kissed me again.”

  “Again?” Shay exclaimed.

  “Oh, I didn’t tell you about that?”

  “No!”

  “Guess with the craziness of the wedding and Cooper and Daze being home I forgot.”

  “Stop stalling and give me details.”

  Kate didn’t know how much she wanted to share, but in the end, she realized that she needed to share it with someone. Get an outside opinion of the whole situation because she was going crazy analyzing every little thing.

  Shay crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back in her chair as Kate finished telling her about that morning in Caleb’s office.

  “He just walked out?” Shay asked.

  Kate nodded. “He later told me he regretted it. Not the… you know… but the walking away part.”

  “Wow.”

  She studied Shay’s face, which was usually so easy for her to read, but right now she hadn’t a clue what was going on in Shay’s head. “I’m having a hard time deciphering that ‘wow.’ Care to elaborate?”

  “I had no idea things escalated the way it had between you two. I’m a little surprised and trying to let it all sink in.”

  “That makes two of us,” Kate mumbled, swiping her finger across the cupcake paper to get the last of the frosting.

  “Do you like him?”

  “Sometimes.”

  Shay’s eyebrow arched.

  “Most of the time.”

  “Then go for it. What do you have to lose?”

  “My mind.”