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“Let me show you around.” Josh handed the bars off to me, taking Mars by the shoulder and leading him towards the garage where they kept the fire engines. I turned the other direction and headed to the kitchen.
Rounding the corner at a quick pace, I ran smack into Quinn with the metal tray.
“Oh! Sorry!”
“We’ve gotta stop meeting like this,” Quinn said, rubbing his arm. “I’m not sure my body can take much more abuse.”
His hair was damp, and he smelled like he was fresh out of the shower. I shoved the image of a naked Quinn standing in a steamy shower quickly out of my mind.
“Sorry about that,” I said, blushing. “I was just taking these to the kitchen.” I gestured at the bars.
“Great. I was hoping you’d bring them while I was still here.”
Quinn’s eyes swept over my body and a flash of heat rushed through me.
“Well, here they are, signed, sealed, and delivered, as promised.”
He shot me a smile, complete with dimple. Sexy. Not that I was interested. We locked eyes for a moment before I broke contact, looking away.
“Here, let me take those.” Quinn lifted the heavy tray and my arms sighed with relief.
“Thanks.”
I followed him to the kitchen. Dinnertime was over, so the room was empty. Quinn set the tray on the long farmhouse table.
“Thanks for bringing those by. The guys will really appreciate it.” Leaning back against the counter, he crossed one foot over the other, folded his muscular arms casually across his broad chest.
“Sure, no problem. I brought a bunch of cards too, just in case anyone has an upcoming special event and needs baked goods.” I rummaged through my leather satchel, fishing for the cards. “Here they are.”
Quinn stared at me with those stony grey eyes, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. Our fingers brushed as I handed the cards to him, and a shiver tingled all the way down my arm.
“There you are, Lanie!”
I jumped, startled, breaking our electric connection.
“Hey!” I waved at Mars and my brother, my cheeks flaming. Quinn stood stoic, not moving a muscle.
“Alright then, we better get going. We have an event to get ready for.” Hooking Mars by the elbow, I waved good-bye to my brother and Quinn.
“See you guys tomorrow at the opening, I hope!” I called over my shoulder.
Mars grinned as we headed out to the parking lot. I shook my head, hissing, “I know this is all part of your evil plan, Mars, but it’s not going to work.”
He threw his head back and laughed maniacally. “We’ll see, Lanie. I don’t know how you’ll be able to resist that gorgeous firefighter. But if you do manage, it will definitely be worth my fifty bucks.”
* * *
Idrifted in and out of sleep all night, finally abandoning the cause altogether at five A.M. I was too amped to sleep. The grand opening was today, and I had a mile-long checklist to tackle.
After a hot shower, I made myself a strong espresso, then headed down to the kitchen, ready to get to work. My first order of business was cookies. Dozens and dozens of them. Chocolate chip, sugar, peanut butter—you name it, it was on the menu. Mars and I had already prepared the dough, but the baking still needed to be done.
Cranking all the ovens to 350 degrees, I dropped balls of dough on cookie sheets, popping them into the heat as fast as I could. Timers beeped, I transferred cookies, dropped more dough. The scent of vanilla filled the air and I zoned out, lost in a cookie daze.
“Morning, sunshine!” Mars snuck up behind me, gave me a quick hug.
“Hey! I didn’t hear you come in.”
“You’re in a cookie trance, I think,” he joked. “Here, I got you a latte.”
