Spring Fever

by Deborah Cooke

  His aunt and uncle were great, but Kade was ready to have a little bit of privacy again.

  Maybe that was a sign of progress.

  Rather than ogling Reyna, Kade recalled all the work she was said to have done to the house. He made a point of turning in the shop to look at the plaster on the ceiling and the paint job. Everything was pink and white, and decorated beyond belief. He felt like he’d stepped into a cupcake.

  Reyna tied on a white apron with a frilled hem before starting to make the coffee and he couldn’t deny himself the chance to watch her pull the ties tight. She really did have an hourglass figure. Was she wearing a corset, too? Kade had a weakness for lingerie, and there was something about Reyna that made his fantasies multiply out of control.

  Maybe he’d just been alone too long.

  “You don’t have to make a fresh pot,” he protested, even though he was glad to linger for the extra time required to do so.

  “Of course, I do.” She smiled at him. Her eyes were a clear green, warm and filled with an invitation he didn’t dare accept right here and now. Her hair was a hundred shades of gold and he wondered if it got lighter in the summer. Her brows and lashes were fair, as well, so it was her natural color. “I drank the first pot myself. Besides, if you’ve been going without, only my best will do.” Her smile turned wicked, as if she wasn’t talking about coffee, and her gaze swept over him with open appreciation.

  While he didn’t have a problem with a woman being direct—he liked it, actually—this wasn’t the time or the place. He was pretty certain half a dozen people knew where he was and were keeping track of the time. He’d have a coffee this morning, and not one thing more.

  Reyna measured beans into a grinder and he could smell how oily and dark they were. Kade was already looking forward to a good strong cup of brew. It was funny that the one thing he missed from the city was the fancy coffee shops he hadn’t frequented often.

  Maybe their presence made everyone else lift their game. He couldn’t even remember muffler shops having coffee as bad as the stuff Fran poured at Wright’s Diner on the corner. He’d already learned the art of making it last so Fran didn’t fill up the cup again.

  While Reyna worked, he surveyed her shop. The floor was tiled in a black and white checkerboard, and polished to a gleam. There were two refrigerated display cases beside each other with a selection of cupcakes, the cases forming a counter. Behind that, Reyna made coffee. Above and behind her was a sign with the name of the shop, the type swirled like icing. Through a doorway in that far wall, he could see the gleaming stainless steel of a commercial kitchen. There were framed posters on the walls of various kinds of cupcakes, as well as a framed newspaper article with a picture of Reyna offering a cupcake with a smile.

  “That’s from the bridal show,” she said, obviously having followed his gaze. “It was in March and I had a booth. They did a piece on the show in the Portland paper and used the picture of me.”

  Kade moved closer to read the article. In the photo, Reyna was wearing black and pink, her lipstick in the same hue of bright pink, her dress in a similar retro style. “That must have been good publicity.”

  She nodded. “Excellent publicity. I already have three wedding orders for next month.”

  “Cupcakes at a wedding?”

  She smiled and left the coffee to brew, then pulled out a scrapbook. There were several small white metal tables with chairs by the window. They looked like vintage patio furniture with glass tops on the tables, and the chairs had floral cushions that matched the paint. She put the book on one table and opened it to show photographs of her work. Kade could smell her perfume and the scent of her skin, and was tempted to put his hand on the back of her waist. He didn’t, though. He just looked over her shoulder.

  “This one was a big hit,” she said. The wedding cake was tiered, with white icing on each layer, the kind of smooth icing that made it look like the cake had been dipped. There was a peacock standing on the top of the cake, probably also made of cake or at least sugar, its tail made of icing in blue and green and purple. The tail fanned down the side of the cake and out onto the display. It changed then to a collection of cupcakes, each one iced and decorated with what looked like an eye of a peacock tail feather. There was a lot of gold detail as well, but what intrigued Kade was that the tail looked like one piece when it was really so many cupcakes.

  “That must take a while to prepare.”

  She smiled. “I get faster, the more of them I do.” She left him with the book, returning behind the counter to get some cream out of the fridge. He flicked through a couple of pages, then turned his attention back to the room itself.

  Given that he was working on the paint on the porch down the street, he had a new appreciation for painted detail. The walls of Reyna’s shop were striped in multiple colors and the elaborate plaster molding by the ceiling was ornamented too. It was a really high ceiling, maybe twelve or thirteen feet. There was a plaster medallion in the middle of the ceiling, with a sparkling chandelier hung from it. The more he looked, the more he saw. The decor was excessive, but certainly set the mood.

  “How many colors of paint did you use in here?” he asked, genuinely curious.

  “Nine,” Reyna replied as if this was perfectly normal.

  “Nine?”

  She turned and pointed, indicating each color. “Three shades of pink, light, medium and dark. A mauve, a purple, an ivory, a metallic gold, a turquoise, which is only on the darts below the acanthus leaves in the plaster, and the tiniest bit of navy. See it there?”

  Kade looked again and nodded, awed. His uncle’s porch had five colors, which was plenty in his view. “Who would have the patience?”

  “Me.” Her lips set with a resolve that intrigued him. “It had to be right.”

  Kade was surprised, then wondered why. “So you did it yourself?”

  “When you want something done right, do it yourself.”

  “That sounds like a rule.”

  “It is.” She smiled. “I have a whole list of them, built one at a time from experience.”

  Kade wondered what kind of experiences she’d had but she turned away.

  “Painting’s not that hard,” she said. “Sand until you can’t stand it any more. Prime twice, then work up the colors, one at a time, lightest to darkest.” She nodded at the walls as the coffee maker hissed. The smell of the coffee made Kade’s stomach growl. “It’s kind of satisfying, actually.”

  He could see her pride in her accomplishment. “But time-consuming.”

  “Well, I didn’t have a lot of business at the beginning.” Her eyes sparkled with humor. “Time was something I had to spare.”

  Kade approached the counter and put the boxed cupcake down on it. Reyna glanced at the box, then at him. Her eyeliner tipped up at the outer corners of her eyes, making her look feminine and exotic. It made her quick glance seem more portentous. More sexy. To keep himself from thinking about lingerie again, he said the first thing that came to mind. “People say the house was a wreck when you bought it. It looks great now.”

  Again, she cast him that impish smile. “Are you asking around about me, Kade Sullivan?” She pivoted to face him, propped a hand on the back of her waist and looked so coquettish that Kade’s mouth went dry.

  “Not specifically.” He shrugged as if he wasn’t tempted to reach out and touch her. “People talk and I listen.”

  “Do you listen to everything they say?”

  “Sure, but I don’t believe everything they say.”

  Reyna took a step closer, lifting her chin and placing both hands on her hips. Her eyes were dancing and he knew she’d say something audacious. He couldn’t wait.

  “I’ll tell you something you can believe.” She arched a brow, then slid her tongue across those bright red lips. Kade watched its progress, mesmerized. Her voice dropped lower. “There is a desperate lack of attractive and eligible men in town.”

  Kade bit back a smile when she openly sc
anned him. He really was starting to like direct women—particularly this one. He wondered how much more blunt she might be. “I can believe that,” he said easily, then raised his brows. “Maybe you should have moved somewhere other than Honey Hill.”

  She shook her head. “I like it here, other than that.” Again, she met his gaze and her expression was an invitation.

  Kade rubbed his chin, trying to look thoughtful. “Well, maybe you’ll need to convince someone to visit you here.”

  She sighed. “And here I was hoping you’d help.” Her lashes fluttered. “Fill the void.”

  How much more of this could he stand? Kade was only human and Reyna wasn’t the only one who had endured a winter of solitude.

  He looked down at the cupcake box on the counter, trying to contain his response. “Do you have these printed locally?”

  She made a little growl in the back of her throat, then turned back to the coffee pot when he didn’t leap at the chance. Kade guessed that she wasn’t pleased with his response but treated himself to a good look at her legs.

  What would he give to see her in just those heels? The prospect did hard and thick things to him, making it impossible to think of anything else.

  Reyna started to pour the coffee into a mug, but Kade spoke up.

  “If you don’t mind, I’d rather take it back to the house.”

  The look she cast over her shoulder was chilly. “What if I do mind?”

  Kade smiled. “I’d still rather take it to go. Thank you.”

  “Lots of pressing jobs this morning?” she asked, plucking a cardboard cup from the pile and filling it with coffee. Her movements were crisp, a sign of her dissatisfaction. It was a large cup, which he appreciated. Did that mean she wasn’t one to hold a grudge? Kade hoped so.

  “I said I’d finish getting a bird’s nest out of the chimney.” He grimaced without meaning to do so. It had been a dirty job so far and wasn’t nearly done.

  She spared him an assessing glance. “Where do you work usually?”

  “Portland.” Kade continued before she could ask about that. “But sometimes a little bit of urban life goes a long way,” he said smoothly. “Wouldn’t you agree?”

  Reyna hesitated, then avoided his question. “Cream? Sugar?”

  “Just cream, thanks.”

  “And no cupcake, because you are sweet enough already,” she said, half under her breath. She stirred the coffee and put a lid on the cup, clearly expecting him to leave immediately. Then she came to him, those heels clicking on the floor. What kind of woman wore red high heels in a cupcake shop in rural Maine?

  The kind of woman Kade wanted to know a whole lot more about.

  “I was offering more than a coffee,” she said when she was standing right in front of him. “Even more than a cupcake. I’ll just say it out loud in case you missed it.”

  “I didn’t,” Kade admitted, amazed again that she was so forthright. He met her gaze steadily. “I’m flattered by the invitation, but I like my privacy.” He watched her gaze flick to the front window.

  Understanding dawned in her eyes, eliminating the annoyance. “You know that Mrs. Foster is watching.”

  “And Aunt Louise is already wondering what’s taken me so long.” Kade sipped his coffee, then closed his eyes in appreciation. “Now, this is a good cup of coffee. Thank you.”

  “Reyna,” she insisted.

  “Reyna,” he murmured, his gaze locking with hers. She looked back at him, confident in a way that he found very attractive. A man would never doubt where he stood with Reyna Tate. Nobody would. “Who sells your cupcakes in Portland?”

  She raised one hand and counted on her fingers as she named restaurants. He knew most of them. They were upmarket places, mostly in the Old Port. He nodded and sipped, knowing he’d never savored a coffee more.

  She eyed him. “If I wanted to find you in Portland, where would I look?”

  “I’d rather look for you.”

  “You might not notice me.”

  He wasn’t surprised that she was evasive. “There isn’t a man alive who wouldn’t notice you, Reyna.”

  She smiled. “Oh, there are a few.”

  “But they wouldn’t make your short list, would they?”

  Her smile broadened and the shop suddenly seemed very hot. She gestured to the box that he’d left on the counter. “I still can’t tempt you to taste one?”

  Kade decided to make his thoughts clear. “If you tempted me, it wouldn’t be over a cupcake.”

  “If?” she echoed, searching his gaze.

  “Maybe I should say when,” he replied, then slowly smiled. He let his interest in her show as he held her gaze and watched her catch her breath. A flush rose in her cheeks as she smiled and a sparkle dawned in her eyes. He took another sip of his coffee without averting his gaze.

  “What would the neighbors think?” she murmured.

  Kade was sure a woman’s lips had never been so enticing. They were so glossy and red, so perfectly curved. He could just lean forward and take a taste, but he knew better.

  “You said you like your privacy,” she said.

  “Very, very much.” He held her gaze, waiting to see what she’d suggest.

  Reyna smiled, her gaze knowing. She was smart. Kade was a goner and he hadn’t even touched her yet.

  “You know, I have a delivery to make on Friday in Portland.” She went back to the counter and checked something that looked like an invitation before pivoting to face him. “I met some women at the bridal show and they invited me to a private party Friday night.” She named a bar in the Old Port that Kade knew well. “Maybe I’ll stay in town after my delivery and have a little taste of city life.”

  “Look for eligible men where you’re more likely to find them,” Kade said with a nod. “That sounds like a sensible plan.”

  “It can’t just be any eligible man. I’m very particular, you see,” Reyna murmured, leaning closer so he could smell her perfume.

  “I would imagine so.” Kade’s voice was husky. He glanced down her cleavage, because she seemed to be inviting him to do so, and there was ink as far as he could see. It looked particularly exotic against the pale skin of her breasts, though he couldn’t make out the image.

  Friday night seemed like an eternity away.

  “I like tall men,” she confessed, then her gaze swept over him before returning to meet his. “Long and lean. Fit. Good butt. Broad shoulders. Dark hair. Brown eyes.”

  “That is very particular,” Kade said, knowing she was describing him.

  “And there’s more. I don’t want a man who’s just sexy,” Reyna said, shaking a red-tipped finger at him. “No, no, no. He has to be principled.”

  “Principled?”

  “No tan line from a wedding ring that’s just been removed, for example,” she said, indicating his left hand, which had never been graced with a ring. “Concerned with doing the right thing and treating a lady well. One who helps his aunt and uncle with house repairs. A decent, honorable man.” Her gaze rose to his.

  “Is that your usual type?”

  “No.” Her smile flashed. “I’ve always liked bad boys, but I think it’s time to mix it up.”

  “Maybe you don’t have to choose.”

  She tilted her head to study him, her eyes narrowing slightly. “Don’t I?”

  “What time are you meeting your friends?”

  “Nine o’clock.”

  “Room for one more?”

  Her voice dropped to a whisper and her eyes shone. “Definitely.”

  Their gazes clung for an electric moment and Kade knew Friday couldn’t come soon enough.

  He saluted her with his coffee and took a step back, guessing that if he lingered any longer, he might not leave.

  Ever.

  “I’d better get back to that chimney. Thanks again for the coffee.” He felt the weight of her gaze as he walked to the door and suspected that she was checking out his butt. He kept his expression neutral as he stepped
back into the street, though, guessing that he was observed. He had the can of paint that his uncle had asked him to get in his other hand. Kade’s suspicions were confirmed when the curtain opposite flicked back into place.

  “Feel free to stop by if you want another,” Reyna called after him.

  “Thank you. This is the best coffee I’ve had since coming to town.” He nodded, then continued to his aunt and uncle’s house.

  He’d been inside six minutes, maybe seven. There was no lipstick anywhere on his person and he was carrying a fresh coffee. Even Mrs. Foster wouldn’t have any story to tell.

  His aunt would want a full description of the shop, which he could give her.

  He’d be counting the minutes until Friday night.

  He’d been messing with her.

  Reyna didn’t know whether to be outraged or thrilled. She was good at reading people but Kade had been like a brick wall. She’d been sure that he wasn’t interested in her at all, and then, he’d let her see otherwise.

  Meeting his gaze had been like looking into a blazing fire. The way his eyes had glowed made her panties wet. The way he looked at her, appreciation oozing from every pore, was thrilling. That little dangerous smile that made her heart skip a beat.

  He wasn’t just interested. He was on fire.

  And so was she.

  He was going to eat her alive on Friday night. It would be awesome.

  This seduction called for preparations. Black lingerie. Her highest heels. She had to set the mood at the studio and iron fresh sheets.

  Reyna didn’t know how she’d get through the week.

  Chapter Two

  Standing on the sidewalk in front of the bar on Friday night, Reyna wondered if she’d gone too far. It was a bit late for last minute doubts, as it was two minutes to nine, but she had them all the same.

  And jitters.

  What had she been thinking to invite Kade to a burlesque show? The women she’d met at the bridal show had been fun and she’d expressed interest that they danced burlesque as a hobby. They also taught classes, which was why they’d been at the show. Apparently, there was a market in brides wanting to learn some new moves. They’d arrived in costume and had also been selling feather fans, boas, pasties and books.