Sweet Heat Rising (Thoroughbred Men Series)

by Sterling, Ginny

  Sarah smiled, bit her lip and nodded. “I am more than okay so far,” she said trailing her finger down his chest and touching his navel. She watched his skin jump under her fingers. She had not been so excited in so very long. She was intensely relieved to know it was the same for him.

  Matt kissed her again, his hands slid up her back again and he unclasped her bra. He grabbed her blouse and hesitated again. “Sarah, maybe we should stop...” he asked questioningly, he wanted her so much and didn't want things to backfire. His brain barely functioned and instinct had taken over. He had a momentary lapse and realized they their location was far from ideal. He wanted her to have no regrets.

  Sarah sighed, frustrated, and reached back to latch her bra again. He kept asking her if it was okay, she took it as a hint that maybe he wanted to wait. Sarah was blushing something fierce from sheer embarrassment. Maybe she was trying too hard and had misread the signs? She stepped away from him and headed to the restroom to compose herself.

  Matt watched her walk away, wondering if he just screwed up his chance with her. He did not want to ruin anything between them. She was a breath of fresh air his life needed. He shut his eyes, his body calmed down as he tried to readjust his clothing.

  Sarah looked in the mirror. Her face was flushed, her lips red and swollen, her blouse was askew. She straightened it and tucked it back in. “Don't do this. Don’t think bad thoughts. Don't think he doesn't like you. Don't do this to yourself” she whispered the litany to her reflection and shut her eyes for a moment. Self-doubt and lack of confidence was nagging at her and she couldn't let it get to her yet. She didn't want Matt to see her insecurities. Comparisons flew through her head, differences between the men and how they looked at her and touched her.

  Sarah exited the bathroom and saw that Matt had buttoned his shirt back haphazardly. All the buttons were off by one. Sarah smiled wryly and said, “Would you like me to fix that?” She thought he looked so sexy to have his clothing askew. Someday, she hoped with a happy sigh. She would eagerly await that day, based on how he made her feel tonight.

  Matt looked down and laughed. “Fix it? I look like I got dressed in the dark, do I not?” he joked. He quickly fixed it and offered to walk her to her car. He saw her nod as she proceeded to wrap up at the shop while he waited patiently and watched her.

  Sara quickly put a few things away, cut a large slice of coffee cake for him and wrapped it in foil carefully. Sarah glanced up at the clock and gasped. “‘Time flies when you are having fun’ is apparently true,” she said. “Can you believe it’s after ten pm already? We’ve been talking,” she heard him cough at her- and she laughed, “and kissing,” she grinned as his coughing/clearing his throat got more pronounced and she spoke over him, “and talking some more for over five hours!”

  Matt grinned mischievously and said, “One of these days, it’s gonna be a lot more than five hours of ‘talking,’ my lady, now let’s get you safely to your chariot,” he said. He saw pink creep over her lovely face and she smiled shyly at him. He hoped it was sooner rather than later. He wanted it to be perfect.

  10

  Sarah walked out the back of the shop, turned and locked the door. Matt stood there and frowned at the dim lights. “What is wrong?” she said looking around quickly. She always seemed to be jumpy and was forever wondering if Josh was around the corner waiting for her. She still felt traumatized from him.

  Matt said, “What is wrong is that it's not lit back here and you don't need to be back here alone in this small lot. You do not leave late at night often, do you?” he said, concerned. This maybe small town Kentucky, however, being in a small town did not save you from dangerous situations. They maybe few and far between, but still occur.”

  Sarah waved him off and walked quickly to her car. “Not really, today is an exception. It's usually only dark when I am arriving to open up. Get in, and I will drop you off around front at your car.” She slid in the seat and locked the doors as he opened the passenger side. She watched as he got in and buckled up. She backed up and drove out of the lot and down the small alley way, turning and circling back towards the front of the building.

  The building was an old ‘row’ building that had several shops, converted offices, and a small grocery inside of what used to be a bank. The buildings were all extremely old and connected, so she had to literally drive down the block to get back around front. Sarah was so very proud her bakery, BatterUp! had been doing so well on the main road in town. If it was going to prosper, it would have been there. She had an ideal spot with plenty of traffic.

  Matt interrupted her train of thought, “What is your cell number?” and he pulled out his phone. He wanted her to be able to call or text, and for him to be able to call her. He missed her this week and was glad to be able to see her tonight.

  Sarah listed the numbers and grinned as her phone rang. “Hmm, wonder who that is?” she said mockingly. She was secretly thrilled he was so interested in her, especially after the way things got so heated but then stopped suddenly, in the kitchen not long ago. That really did a number on her confidence.

  Matt smiled sideways at her across the bench seats, “I don't know! Maybe it's a guy who wants to see you again,” he teased and then in all seriousness “I’m serious. Call or text me anytime. I would like to see you again, if you have free time.” He saw Sarah nod, as she pulled up in front of her shop behind his parked car. He leaned over, lightly kissed her and opened the door. “Text me when you get home and get inside, okay? Goodnight, princess,” and slid out of the car, waved to her and jumped in his car, starting it up.

  Sarah watched as Matt pulled out away from the curb, she followed along and turned at the intersection to head home. She drove a little ways, pulled in front of the condo and turned off the car. She gathered her things, headed inside and locked the door behind her. She leaned against the door, shut her eyes and sighed.

  He was so very nice but she was a bit confused as to why he wanted to stop kissing her. She really enjoyed it and had never felt like that before. She had not even felt that way with Josh. She texted him: “I am home, thank you for a lovely evening.”

  Matt’s phone beeped and he read her text. “I am glad, see you soon?” he replied. He was glad they had exchanged numbers. He planned on making sure they communicated daily. He liked making her blush and laugh. He had truly missed her smile and talking with her this last week.

  “Yes,” Sarah replied and quickly got undressed and headed to bed. It would be time to open the shop in no time flat and she had to be ready to work. Sarah’s phone beeped again. Sarah opened the screen and smiled. Matt had texted “goodnight princess” to her phone. She adored the endearment and it made her feel special.

  Sarah texted back “Goodnight, sweet dreams” she hesitated because she didn’t want to sound corny and then sent it anyway. She laid her head down and thought of his smiling face, his warm hands on her and his lips touching hers... and drifted off to sleep.

  11

  Four thirty in the morning, her alarm went off and Sarah jumped out of bed and into the shower. She hummed as she shampooed her hair, rinsed it out and turned off the water. She toweled it dry, threw on a polo and some slacks, pulled her hair back and French braided it wet. She pulled up to the bakery, circled the building, at five AM just like usual and opened the door.

  Sarah pulled an apron over her head and flipped on the fryer. She poured out the risen dough and started to knead, separate, and pull the bread into form. The dough was a bit tacky and wet this morning, so she kneaded in a bit of flour and worked it in carefully. She plaited, braided, and twirled the dough with joy.

  Tyler walked in, not long after Sarah and saw her humming as she cut the donuts and quickly moved about the kitchen. “Well, someone is in a good mood this morning,” he said sourly. “You want coffee or have you already had some?”

  Sarah replied “Oh, coffee sounds fantastic. Thank you! No, I haven’t had any coffee yet,” and she went on with cutting the d
ough preparing for the day. She grabbed another loaf as he stood there for a moment watching her. She took a brush and glided an egg wash over the braided dough to give it a golden color as it baked.

  Tyler watched her for a few moments. He wanted to be the one to put a smile on her face and resented the fact that he knew it was someone else. He muttered, “I’ll just bet you haven’t” under his breath, sarcastically referring to her remark about not having any coffee. He assumed she had “gotten some” and felt childish even uttering it.

  Sarah stopped shocked. “What did you say?” she said amazed. Surely he could not be implying what she thought he was! She was mortified that he would have muttered something like that, maybe she was mistaken? “Tyler, what did you say? I’m sorry I didn’t catch that?” she repeated.

  Tyler smiled at her and decided it was maybe best to play it off. He felt good lashing out, he could not help it. “It is okay, Sarah, I said I bet you haven’t had any coffee yet because the pot is turned off. I am going to make us some coffee and I will pour us both a big cup so we can get the day started,” he said.

  Tyler then turned on her and said, “Is everything okay this morning? What did you think I said? You are acting very odd.” He was curious if she would reveal what was making her so very chipper so early. He knew she loved the bakery, but it never made her glow. There was something else to her happiness and wished it was because she was with him this morning.

  Sarah stood there, surprised. She was positive he had made the snide remark and she was shocked at the difference in his tone and attitude now. “No, everything is fine. Thank you for asking.”

  Tyler smiled again but it had a very syrupy look to it, “No problem, ma’am. I will take over on the donuts. Why don't you fix up the coffee cakes and danishes?” He proceeded to start cutting the dough for her.

  Sarah moved away from him, started humming again as she whipped the batter for the coffee cakes and added the blueberries. She jumped as she heard a loud crash behind her. Sarah whirled around and exclaimed “Oh no!” and looked at Tyler and her profits on the floor among the shattered ceramic.

  Tyler frowned, “Sorry, I must have accidentally knocked it off when I turned around to drop the donuts into the fryer” - a massive stoneware bowl had fallen and broken into several pieces putting shards into the dough as it rolled out onto the kitchen floor.

  The bowl was over ten years old and perfect for dough. It warmed, stayed warm, and allowed it to rise evenly. It was her favorite bowl and was a gift from a friend when she opened the shop. In the ten years, it had been used thousands of times and dropped at least a dozen times without breaking-but this time must have been the final straw for the bowl.

  Sarah was frustrated at the loss of the gift from her friend, who had moved away and was busy raising her family, and the loss of the dough. That effectively wiped out the donut production this morning. She could make another batch, but the yeast in the mixture would be nowhere near ready for cooking until closer to eleven, if she started it rising now.

  “Tyler, it's ok. Accidents happen. Grab the big metal bowl and let’s get another batch started for later this morning. I will just double the coffee cakes and make muffins instead,” she said, moving quickly to try to recoup some of the loss for the bakery. If she did not desperately need the help, she would have fired him. First the comments and then the loss of her bowl. With increased workload now, she needed him and it rankled her.

  Sarah whipped the batter, poured, baked, measured out more ingredients, whipped, poured and baked again. The large stainless work table was covered in muffins, small loaves and danishes. She quickly glazed each muffin with butter and the loaves were sprinkled with the coffee cake mix she had crumbled together. Sarah updated the chalkboard over the counter “Today’s special - muffins 4 for $5” and put them neatly in display boxes with ribbon tied neatly around the box for that special touch.

  Sarah was not going to let that loss get her down, and was still reeling from how this morning was starting out. This was just not normal. Tyler’s hostile comment, the loss of the dough was a hit on profits for the day already, the loss of her favorite stoneware bowl. Today just seemed to be starting out wrong… and just after yesterday finished out so right. It really was a turn for the worse.

  Tyler watched her expression carefully. He knew she was upset and decided to play the hero. “Coffee?” Tyler said gently, handing her a cup and tried to comfort her. “I will find you another bowl like that one. I know it was your favorite. Maybe if I find one you really like, you can use it daily just like that one.”

  Sarah took a sip and thanked him. She smiled gratefully at the gesture. “It is okay” she said, “I will see if I can get another one ordered in a few minutes. I just got a coupon from the cooking site after ordering all those pans. Thank goodness I did too! They turned out handy this morning. I will see if they have something similar for me to use. I appreciate the offer though” …plus it gives me another excuse to see Matt, she thought.

  Sarah watched as Tyler turned off the fryer. It would not be used this morning at all. Sarah sighed again and took another sip of the coffee. She moved to count down the drawer and do the deposit, and flinched as it slid open. “Tyler, didn't we sell out yesterday morning?” She shut the drawer, opened it again and stared. Where was all the money?

  Tyler said, “I was not here, but yes. It looks like you sold everything except for a few loaves, they are in the basket. What's wrong?” he questioned. Sarah had the oddest look on her face. He watched her shake her head a few times and just stare at the register.

  Sarah looked at the drawer and the hand written receipts on the peg. There were several receipts present, but the drawer did not reflect it. Sarah shook her head, started adding them together and frowned. $223 was in the drawer. The till always had one hundred total in it to start the day, there was no way she had sold everything and there was only $123 in profit for the day. Sarah wracked her mind: did I give away something for free to a mad customer? Yes, one loaf of bread. Did I forget to collect payment for something? Did I pay a vendor? Did I forget to write something down? Did the bakery get robbed?

  Sarah stopped dead in her tracks. She looked at the front door for any indication of break in, turned and looked at the back door. It was locked this morning. Sarah looked at Tyler questioningly, “Did you come by the shop yesterday or finish out Saturday with less than $100 in the till?”

  Tyler looked at her again oddly. “No, what is wrong? Sarah you are scaring me. What is wrong?” he repeated. He moved closer to her and gently laid a hand on her back in support. He was more than pleased when she didn't shy away from him. He felt encouraged.

  Sarah replied in a shaken voice, “The till is almost empty, I think something happened.” Sarah felt dumbfounded and sick to her stomach. What was in the drawer would barely be enough to cover supplies, and would not cover pay for the day.

  Tyler took her hands in his. He said calmly trying to reassure her “Sarah, think! Did you leave the register open at any point?” He marveled at how smooth her hands were and how lovely her face was now that he was fairly close to her. He watched her soft mouth and wondered what it would taste like. Tyler shook her hands gently “Think, Sarah, did you leave the bakery for any reason? Did you leave anyone in here alone at any time?”

  Sarah started to deny it, shook her head and stopped. She had left to run to the grocery and get the steaks, but she had locked the door. She was certain of it. “I would never leave anyone alone in the bakery,” she protested. She would not, unless it was Tyler. Sarah hesitated. She left Matt alone in the kitchen while she collected herself in the restroom and tried to regroup her thoughts. Could he have taken the money?

  Surely Matt would not have robbed her! She had such a good time talking with him and he seemed so genuine. There is no way! She knew deep down that he could never do that to her. Absolutely, no way it was Matt. Maybe she should check the doors again for intrusion?

  Tyler attempted to pu
ll her close to him into a hug, and felt her pull back away from him. He watched her face change as she pulled her hands out of his. “What are you doing?” he replied bitterly “I am trying to comfort you because you obviously know what happened and you seem hurt.” He wanted to hold her and feel her against him.

  Sarah got upset then. She was hurt, she was mad and she was reeling at the theft and the implications. There was no way Matt could have unless he took it when she was in the restroom composing herself? Surely not! No one else had a key to the bakery except herself and Tyler. She had a hard time believing it could be either of the men. Both she had opened up to and trusted. Sarah could feel the frustration building in her.

  Tyler kept talking and talking, however, he felt she was not hearing a word he was saying. He watched Sarah as she opened the drawer again, counted it, and shut it firmly when he finally said, “Maybe someone is working you over and pulling a fast one?” He hated to voice the words, but he felt it was time to call a spade what it was: a spade.

  Silence.

  Sarah took a shaky, deep breath. “Tyler, I think you should go home for the day and let me handle this. I am calling the police and reporting a theft,” Sarah said quietly, as she felt tears threaten to spill. How could this happen? Sara was devastated.

  Tyler took off his smock, wadded it up and tossed it on the counter. “Let me know if you need anything. I am always here for you, even if you do not want me to be,” he said angrily and left the building through the back door. He felt good when he heard it slam shut behind him.

  Sarah flinched at the loud noise it caused and locked the back door behind him. She picked up the phone and dialed 911. She had no idea what had happened nor who to trust. She was scared for herself, for her shop, and she didn't want to be alone if someone had broken in.