She released a yawn and rubbed her tired eyes with the back of her hand. A pillow and some sleep were in the near future. ‘A few roses to make then I’m out of …’ The words froze on her tongue. Shuffling footsteps sounded outside the back door. The handle turned.
Heather had gone to a movie with Angelo. Travis was at Liam’s wedding. Who else would enter through the back exit?
She quietly stepped to the side of the door, reaching for a rolling pin on her way. Jessie held a breath. The lock clicked and the door opened. She raised her weapon, preparing to strike.
‘What the heck?’ Travis grabbed the rolling pin and placed it on the counter. ‘It’s just me.’
Jessie blew out the breath she’d been clutching in her chest. ‘Geesh, you scared me.’ She walked to her work area, slamming a ball of red fondant on the table. Anger replaced the diminishing fear of an intruder. ‘Aren’t you supposed to be at a wedding?’
‘I thought I’d check in.’
‘A call would have been sufficient.’ The anger faded. Butterflies cartwheeled in her belly at the sight of Travis in a tux. She focused on the flattening of the fondant. ‘A beautiful day for a wedding. Is it over already?’
‘The party is in full gear with a blissful bride and groom.’ He pulled out a stool and sat at the counter. ‘Why are you still working? The bakery closed hours ago.’
Picking up a knife, she cut several teardrop shapes. ‘I wanted to get a head-start on a few orders. An hour before closing, we received last-minute cake requests.’ She rambled on about the details in an attempt to take no notice of the handsome man sitting across the table. ‘One lady requested a life-size rabbit. I have the body in the fridge.’
Travis raised one brow high. ‘What exactly is in the fridge? I hope it’s not their family pet.’
Scowling, Jessie shook her head. ‘What?’ Then, recalling her words, she understood his jab. ‘No.’ She tossed a dishcloth, just missing the side of his head. ‘Heather taught me how to make crispy treats. I carved most of the parts and saved the body for last.’ She stopped. His stare hadn’t flickered from her face. ‘Do I have food colouring on my cheeks or buttercream in my hair again?’
‘You’re amazing.’ He lifted his elbows on the counter. ‘I don’t know what I’d do without you.’
Jessie placed the ball tool and an edible petal on the cutting board. She walked to the other side of the counter, sniffing the air in front of Travis. ‘Have you been drinking?’
‘I had one drink but didn’t finish it.’ He grabbed the waist of her apron and pulled her close. ‘Did you know I don’t like champagne?’
The warmth of his thighs seeped through the thin cotton of her skirt. She swallowed hard. ‘Umm, no.’
‘I also don’t like seafood and leafy vegetables. I sing off-key in the shower, and I like two soft pillows under my head when I sleep.’
Squinting, she pressed a hand to his forehead. No fever. Why on earth was he acting so weird? ‘Did you hit your head?’
‘Nope.’ Travis nuzzled his nose to her neck. ‘These are a few things my girlfriend should know.’
Pulse racing, she stepped backward, meeting his blue-eyed gaze. ‘Girlfriend?’
‘I apologize for my behaviour. I thought you’d deceived me, which you hadn’t. I overreacted.’ He leaned against his chair. ‘The truth is … I was afraid you’d leave me as easily as Liam. So, I ran.’
She gripped the counter, fearing her wobbly knees would give out. ‘I’m familiar with the concept.’
‘I’m head-over-heels in love with a woman who couldn’t bake, yet applied for a job in a bakery. You captured my heart with your green eyes and feisty personality.’ Travis reached for her arms and drew her to his chest. ‘You won over my mother, which is an impossible wall to break.’ He held Jessie’s chin in the palm of his hand. ‘I’m yours, Jessie Robinson.’
Travis lowered his lips to hers and met her kiss with a fervent intensity. Their tongues welcomed the connection and danced a tango. Jessie placed her hands on his solid biceps, enjoying the tingle and warmth springing her tired fingertips to life.
‘I don’t need more time to realize what my heart is telling me.’ He kissed the side of her cheek. ‘I want us to be partners in business and in life.’
She kissed him until she couldn’t breathe. Jessie raised her hand and feathered her fingers through his hair. His musky scent teased her nostrils. Heart beating wildly, she trembled with desire. ‘I didn’t believe in love, but I sure do now.’ She leaned at an arm’s length, his gaze telling her he understood. ‘No more running.’
‘I’m not going anywhere but into your arms.’ He slipped off the chair and gathered her to his chest. ‘Can we go? We have a whole week of kissing and cuddling to catch up on.’
‘Which will have to wait another hour.’ Jessie kissed his cheek then returned to her workspace. ‘Don’t look at me with a gloomy face. My boss is a stickler about leaving a mess.’ Winking, she brushed a sugar-paste-water mix onto a modelling chocolate cone and wrapped a petal around it. ‘You could help, but I wouldn’t want to get your fancy tux dirty.’
He slipped his arms free of his jacket and rolled his sleeves. ‘Four hands are better than two.’ Travis stepped behind her and pushed her ponytail aside to kiss the back of her neck.
Jessie shivered in delight. Pulling his arms forward to both sides of her waist, she shoved a leaf cutter in his hand. ‘Four leaves, mister.’
‘Yes, boss.’
Getting any work done with Travis’ breath caressing her neck would be difficult, but that struggle she welcomed. She leaned against his strong body. ‘I love you, Travis.’ The words came easy because in Travis’ arms, Jessie had nothing to lose.
Thanks for reading NOTHING TO LOSE. I hope you enjoyed it.
If you’d like to know more about me, my books, or to connect with me online, you can visit my webpage findingthewritewords, follow me on twitter @DarleneLF, or like my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/DarleneLF.
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If you liked this book, here is my other book: ONE SWEET CHRISTMAS.
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ISBN: 9781489221070
Title: Nothing to Lose
Copyright © 2016 by Darlene Fredette
All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises (Australia) Limited, Level 13/201 Elizabeth Street, Sydney, NSW, Australia, 2000.
All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
® and ™ are trademarks of Harlequin Enterprises Limited and are used under license to the Publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in Australia, New Zealand, the United States Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries.
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Nothing to Lose Page 9