Sweetly, Deeply, Absolutely (Sweet Love)

by Kira Archer

  He pulled her close. “Sorry. But the view was too gorgeous to pass up.”

  “Hmm.” She draped the other arm around his neck and pressed closer. “You do know how to flatter a girl, don’t you?”

  He searched her face for any hint of recognition. He saw interest, amusement. Heat. But not a spark that she knew who he was. She kissed his neck, and his arms tightened around her.

  “Just calling it like I see it.”

  She nipped playfully at his bottom lip, and whether or not she remembered him suddenly didn’t matter. For the moment. He crushed his lips to hers, exploring her mouth until she trembled in his arms. She might not realize who he was, though he had a hard time believing that, but he was going to make damn sure she remembered him now.

  Chapter Two

  “Jenny!” someone shouted near her ear.

  She tore her lips away from the sex god in her arms and looked around blindly for a moment until she saw Gretchen standing uncomfortably at her elbow.

  “What is it?” she asked.

  The guy hadn’t stopped dancing. Since her lips were busy talking, he casually moved behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist so they could sway to the beat. And he could take the opportunity to keep them glued together, making her very aware of exactly how happy he was to be there.

  “We gotta go,” Gretchen said.

  Jenny frowned. Okay, Gretchen had said she’d drag her out of there if things were getting out of hand, but it wasn’t that bad. Yet. She was so not ready to walk away.

  His mouth closed over the sensitive skin near her ear, and she moaned, reaching behind her to wrap her arm around his neck and keep him imprisoned there.

  All right, agreed. Things were definitely getting out of hand. But she didn’t care anymore.

  Gretchen tugged on her hand. “Jenny! Seriously. We gotta go.”

  Jenny almost waved her off, until the next words out of Gretchen’s mouth had her blood running cold. “Rick’s here!”

  “Oh shit,” she said, looking around until she spotted her brother. Who looked like he was looking around for someone, as well.

  She turned to the man whose name she’d totally forgotten to get. “I’m sorry, I’ve got to go.”

  “What?” He looked totally dazed and confused. She knew how he felt. With her hormones still surging it was hard to get her brain back into fully functional mode. But with her brother getting closer, her fight-or-flight response kicked in. And flight was definitely winning.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, pulling away from him. “It was great meeting you.”

  “Wait, can I call you? What’s your number?”

  She cast a regretful look back at him but didn’t bother trying to shout over the noise of the club. Maybe it was a good thing, anyway. She wasn’t going to be home for long. The last thing she needed was a one-night stand getting complicated. Well, actually the last thing she needed was another one-night stand. Too bad that’s all she wanted. Because he probably would’ve been all kinds of fun.

  He’d acted like he’d known her, assuming those lines of his were serious and not lame pickup lines. She didn’t know him but she knew for damn sure they’d never slept together. That she would have remembered. She could still feel his kiss against her lips. Her skin still tingled where he’d touched her. A whole night of that, on a grander, more naked scale? Yeah, not something she’d have forgotten. She’d have to give it some thought when she was a little more sober. Trying to figure out if, or when, she’d met him before was going to drive her nuts. Besides, if she could remember, that gave her a better shot of finding him again, because she wasn’t even close to being done with him.

  She and Gretchen made it away before Rick saw them, but Jenny didn’t let out a sigh of relief until they were out of the club and back into the fresh night air.

  “Thanks,” she said to Gretchen.

  “Uh-huh,” her friend said, her voice tinged with amusement. She sighed. “I wish I had your confidence with men. I’d have been all over your brother years ago, and he’d be married to me right now, instead of Gina.”

  “Oh ewwww!” Jenny said, laughing.

  Gretchen laughed along with her. It had been a very poorly guarded secret all through high school that Gretchen had been desperately in love with Rick. In fact, everyone had seemed to know it but Rick. Thankfully, once Rick had settled down with Gina, Gretchen had wised up and found someone who was not only much more suited for her but who actually knew she existed. Which was always a plus.

  “Come on,” Gretchen said, linking her arm with Jenny’s. “Let’s get you home and in bed. You’ve got a brand-new job starting on Monday. You need your beauty sleep.”

  Jenny laughed. “That I do.”

  She was sure sleep would be hard to come by with visions of naked hipster men dancing in her head. Of course, there were worse thoughts to fall asleep to. And maybe she’d get lucky and meet up with him again.

  …

  Jared watched Jenny slip through the crowd and out the door as if she had the cops on her heels. He hadn’t even caught her number. Knowing where to find her didn’t help. Somehow he didn’t think showing up on Rick’s doorstep and asking to see his sister would go over real well. Of course, if she was staying with her parents he might have better luck. Parents loved him. Maybe he could get some info out of Gina, without making it sound like he was too interested.

  And speaking of the cops…Rick pushed through the crowd and nodded to him once he got close enough to speak.

  “Jared.”

  “Rick.”

  That was about as chummy as they got. Jared liked Rick well enough, but the man was a cop. And Jared…well, he liked to play around a little too much for a straitlaced cop to appreciate. But Rick’s wife, Gina, and Eric’s wife, Nat, were best friends, which meant Rick and Eric spent a lot of time together. As Eric and Jared were best friends, the three of them ended up hanging out together more often than not, out of default.

  “So, what brings you here all dressed to kill?” Jared asked, eyeing Rick’s uniform and the gun strapped to his hip.

  “ABC inspection.”

  Jared frowned. “You’re checking to see who knows their alphabet? Is that a new sobriety test or something? Heads up, you’re in a club. Pretty sure most of us are going to fail.”

  Rick snorted. “Alcoholic Beverage Control inspection.”

  “Ahh, okay. That makes more sense.”

  Rick tried to keep his stern face on, but his lips were twitching. “You still meeting us all for dinner tomorrow?”

  Jared nodded. “Any clue why Eric wanted to talk to everyone?”

  “No. Something to do with the bakery, maybe.” He clapped Jared on the shoulder. “I better get this inspection finished up. Looks like your fan club is waiting for you.” He gestured at the group of his friends and random partiers he’d been showing off for before he’d seen Jenny.

  At the thought of her, and what he’d been doing to her right before Rick had walked in, he took a step away from the other man. Not that the guy could read his mind or anything. But…just in case.

  Rick nodded at him. “See you tomorrow night,” he said before heading toward the bar.

  Jared wandered over to his friends, but he didn’t stay long. He couldn’t get those turquoise eyes out of his head. Which was a huge problem. One that, despite the rational part of his brain screaming otherwise, he was definitely looking forward to solving.

  …

  Jared sauntered into the restaurant and looked around until he spotted Rick nursing a beer at a table in the back.

  “I see my party,” he said, pointing to Rick. The hostess grabbed a menu and led him back to the table.

  She handed him the menu and he took it with a wink. “Thanks.”

  She blushed and gave him a pretty smile as he slid into a chair a few down from Rick at the round table. She hovered for a moment. She was interested. Of course. But he…wasn’t. She finally walked away with a little shrug. He almost ca
lled her back and asked for her number on principle alone. But when it came down to it, there was only one girl in his head at the moment. And she absolutely shouldn’t be there.

  “Where’s Gina?” Jared asked, grabbing his water glass and trying like hell to erase Jenny from his mind.

  “Bathroom,” Rick answered with an eye roll. Jared laughed. Nowadays, Gina seemed to spend most of her time in the bathroom.

  “And Nat, of course, is with her,” Eric said, walking up to them from the direction of the bar. He handed Jared a beer as a way of greeting and Jared smiled his thanks. There was more than one reason Eric was his best friend.

  “So what gives?” Eric asked him.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, that hostess was clearly interested in you and you let her walk away without a word. You feeling okay?”

  Jared snorted. “Maybe my tastes have become a little more refined.”

  He ignored the good-natured laughter from his friends. Better than telling them the truth.

  “What’s her name?” Eric asked.

  Jared nearly choked on his beer. “What?”

  “There’s only one reason a dedicated ladies’ man such as yourself suddenly stops collecting the number of every female he sees. You’ve met someone.”

  Jared tried like hell to keep his face neutral. “You wish. You’re just trying to spread your monogamy all over the happy single people. Keep that shit to yourself.”

  Eric laughed and was about to say something else when his attention shifted. Jared turned and watched the trio of women making their way toward the table. Gina squeezed her belly around the other diners and slumped into her seat with a grateful sigh, while Nat slipped a little more gracefully into hers. Jared turned to the third woman and froze.

  “Jared, you remember my sister Jenny? She’s home from Paris for a month and staying with me and Gina.”

  Jared stood, nearly biting his cheek to keep from grinning at the abject shock on Jenny’s face. He took her hand and kissed it. “Enchanté.”

  “Don’t mind him,” Gina said. “He’s a notorious flirt.”

  Rick’s expression darkened. “Yeah. Who better watch himself with my little sister.”

  Gina rolled her eyes and slapped at her husband’s arm. Everyone else laughed. Jared barely heard them. His attention was riveted on Jenny, who was still standing and staring at him, her hand in his.

  He pulled out the chair beside him and she finally blinked. “You’re Jared,” she whispered as she dropped into the chair.

  He sat back down and smiled at her. Oh, this was going to be fun. “You seem surprised.”

  She leaned over so only he could hear her. “You knew who I was last night?”

  “It took me a minute, but yes. I’m guessing you, on the other hand, had no idea who I was. I think that hurts my feelings.”

  She frowned at him, obviously exasperated. Whether it was at him, herself, or the situation, he didn’t know. But he found it amusing as hell.

  “I barely met you and that was years ago and you didn’t have”—she waved her hand around in the direction of his face, alluding to his beard, he assumed—“all that going on.”

  He feigned shock. “But still, I was the one who officiated at your brother’s wedding.”

  She frowned at his exaggerated attitude. Then she shrugged. “You must not have been all that memorable.”

  “Ooo, ouch.”

  Before she could respond, Rick asked, “So, what are we celebrating?”

  “Well.” Eric draped his arm around Nat. “You and Gina aren’t going to be the only new parents at the table.”

  “Ah, that’s wonderful news!” Rick said, clapping Eric on the shoulder. Gina sat with a thrilled but smug smile, suggesting she’d already known. And of course she had. Nat was her best friend.

  “That’s great, man, congrats,” Jared said, raising his bottle and tipping it toward them.

  “A toast!” Rick said. They all raised their drinks. “To impending parenthood. May we do as well as the best of our parents, and better than the worst. And may our beautiful wives still love us after the delivery.”

  Everyone laughed and toasted the happy couples. Jared smiled and laughed and was genuinely, truly happy for his friends. And thanking his lucky stars he wasn’t similarly tied down.

  Jenny raised her glass, all smiles and congratulations, but leaned over to whisper, “Better her than me.”

  Jared almost snorted his beer. His sentiments exactly. Oh, it was great for them. They were obviously thrilled about it. But him…he was barely thirty. He had more than enough time to do the whole wife-and-kid thing. If he ever did it. A family sort of put a damper on the lifestyle he enjoyed living. But he could be happy for his friends, even if he secretly pitied them and their soon-to-be-restricted lives.

  “And!” Eric said, leaning forward, “my parents are so thrilled at the prospect of being grandparents that they gave me and Nat an all-expenses-paid three-week trip to a tropical island paradise.”

  “I bet that shocked the shit out of you,” Gina said.

  Nat snorted. “What really surprised me was when she hugged me.”

  “What?” Gina’s jaw dropped. “How long did it take them to revive you?”

  Nat laughed. “I seriously did almost pass out. I think that is the first time his mom has voluntarily touched me.”

  “So where are you going?” Gina asked.

  “Barbados!”

  Nat and Gina squealed like high school girls for a second while the men looked on with a mixture of amusement and confusion.

  Jared leaned over to Jenny. “Why do you girls always do that? It’s like it is impossible for you to celebrate without making sounds only dogs could hear.”

  “Oh, shut up,” Jenny hissed. “Why didn’t you tell me you knew who I was?”

  “And spoil the fun?”

  She glared at him and he chuckled. “Honestly, I thought you were pretending not to know me. I mean, come on, who could forget me?”

  “God, you’ve got such an ego.”

  He shrugged. “It’s served me well.”

  She snorted. “I’ll bet.”

  “Seriously though, how did you not remember me?”

  “I don’t know. It’s not like we hung out all the time. You officiated at my brother’s wedding. I’d had a lot of champagne and was busy going after groomsmen. I don’t think we even spoke.”

  “Yeah, well, that was your brother’s fault. Believe me, I wanted to.”

  She leaned a fraction closer. “Oh, you did, huh?”

  He let his gaze roam over her. “Oh, hell yeah.”

  He could hear her suck her breath in, and the sound set his blood pounding through his veins on a direct route south. This was so the wrong place to be flirting with her, but he couldn’t help himself.

  “Jared, you still with us?”

  Jared blinked and looked over at Eric, who was watching him with amusement.

  “Yeah, sorry. Did I miss something?”

  Eric laughed. “Yes. What are you two whispering about over there?”

  Jared risked a glance at Rick, who was thankfully busy helping Gina get her napkin off the floor.

  “Nothing. Just talking about Rick and Gina’s wedding.”

  Eric’s eyebrow rose but Jared kept grinning. He had no intention of elaborating. “My apologies. Continue.”

  “Nat and I are going to take our trip now. We are leaving in a couple days. So we were wondering if you could help out at the shop. Gina can run things and we’ll be back before she has the baby, and Jenny is going to help with the baking, if Gina needs a hand, but if you could come in…”

  “Of course,” he said, inwardly cringing at how eager he sounded. But guaranteed time with Jenny? He wasn’t going to pass that up. “I’ve got a project I need to finish up, so I might not be able to come in this week, but after that, I’m all yours.”

  “Lucky me,” Gina said. But she said it with a smile. She loved him
. She just didn’t like to admit it.

  He kept his attention on the group but leaned over to Jenny and murmured, “I look forward to working under you.”

  “You wish,” she murmured back.

  “What was that?” Rick asked.

  Jenny smiled angelically at her brother. “Oh, I was telling him if I got put in charge I’d try not to ride him too hard.”

  Jared choked on his beer. The liquid burned its way through his sinus cavities, making his eyes water. Before Rick had a chance to respond to Jenny’s little comment, Jared raised his bottle again, his eyes still streaming. “To the baby daddies and their mamas,” he said.

  Better you than me, he added silently.

  Chapter Three

  Jenny Boyd tied on her new blue apron embellished with a little pink cupcake and did a little twirl.

  “How do I look?” she asked Gina.

  “Gorgeous. As always,” Gina said with a smile. “But remember, that apron is only for when you’re helping out front. When you are in the back, you wear that.” She jerked her thumb at the white chef’s coat hanging on the coat rack near the back door. “You’ve earned it.”

  Jenny took a deep breath and blew it out, trying to calm the excitement rushing through her. Working at the Street Treats bakery was the perfect temporary internship. Familiar enough that she wasn’t totally freaking out, but enough responsibility that it was definitely a challenge for a freshly trained pastry chef.

  “All right, so, what do you need me to do?” she asked.

  “Well, Nat’s been driving the truck lately, but since she’s gone we’ve decided to cut those days down to two or three days a week. You and Jared should take it out a few times, so you can get the hang of it, in case we need you to fill in there. Jared will probably take care of running it most of the time but it’ll be good to have a backup. And when you aren’t on truck duty, you can help out in the bakery.”

  Gina walked her through the store, showed her where everything was, how things were run, and most importantly for Jenny, the menu of items that would need to be baked throughout the day. Once the tour was over, Gina eased herself into a chair and leaned back, crossing her hands over her enormous baby bump.