Lusting After Layla

by Theresa Paolo

A few short months later, she opened Sweet Dreams Bakery and was an instant success, selling everyone on her upbeat personality and her now famous maple bacon cupcake—a cupcake that won top billing at the annual Town Festival, beating out Terry, of the Happy Apple, and her famous apple tart.

  He’d avoided the tiny section of Main Street as best he could. He had nothing left to say to Shay Michaels. There’d been occasions when they bumped into each other—small town and all, it was kind of impossible not to, especially when she was good friends with his sister.

  With all those years between them, he was surprised she even remembered him. The boy from Red Maple Falls she made believe was her future before she stomped on his heart and turned him bitter.

  It didn’t matter she was the last person he wanted to see. She was a citizen of the town now, and her business was a part of the community. He had no choice but to push aside their past and make sure everything was all right.

  He took a deep breath, clearing his head and getting back into the right mind set.

  “Did you call Shay?” Matt asked a moment later. When building alarms went off in Red Maple Falls, nine times out of ten it was an accident and nothing to be concerned about.

  “I did. It wasn’t her.”

  While break-ins were rare, it did happen on occasion, which meant he needed to approach this as if it were a viable situation, just in case.

  “She’s on her way there now.”

  Matt’s heart kicked into overdrive, his hands tightening on the steering wheel. “What do you mean she’s on her way?”

  “I told her I’d send you over, but she said it’s her shop and if someone had the… the um… balls to break into her shop, she was going to make them sorry.”

  The girl might only stand at an inch or two over five feet, but she packed a lot of punch in that tiny, tight body of hers. He’d almost feel bad for the intruder if she got there before he did.

  Wait. What if it was an intruder? A trained criminal who would take no prisoners, and she’s storming in there like Joan of Arc ready to fight a war? A rush of panic shot through him, causing his hands to tighten even more on the steering wheel.

  “Son of a bitch,” Matt mumbled under his breath as he slammed his foot on the gas and headed toward Sweet Dreams Bakery.

  In Red Maple Falls time, Main Street was only five minutes away, but in real time it was a good twelve minutes from where he was. Shay lived roughly ten minutes away and already had a head start.

  Matt flipped his lights on and flew down the road, kicking up dirt and rocks in his wake. It was a quarter to ten and most businesses on Main closed at seven. If Shay got to the bakery before him, there’d be no one to help her if she needed it.

  Violating too many traffic laws, he made it to the bakery in nine minutes. The street was empty except for Shay’s bright red Mini Cooper, and he pulled his cruiser right beside it.

  He flung his door open and, with his hand on his gun ready to hurt anyone if they hurt Shay, he ran to the front entrance. The door was unlocked so he let himself in, immediately wishing he wore sunglasses for the sensory overload caused by the pink and white everything.

  Unable to focus, he squinted against the brightness, taking in the flipped chair to his right. He retrieved his gun and moved quietly toward the register. The shelves were covered in flour, chocolate chips scattered across the counter, and pans knocked from their perch lay haphazardly across the floor.

  A slight sniffle caught his attention, and he rounded the counter to the kitchen to find Shay sitting in a mess of flour and a path of destroyed cupcakes, her head hanging in defeat.

  “Shay, are you okay?” he asked, squatting down to her level, but on alert in case the culprit was still lurking. “You aren’t hurt, are you?” He rested his hand on her, but she stayed quiet. “Dammit, Shay, answer me.”

  She blinked up, tears glistening in those beautiful hazel eyes, and suddenly, all those years between them didn’t exist. God, he wanted to take her in his arms and protect her, and find a way to make the tears his own so he could bear the pain for her.

  Her hands fell limply to her sides as she let out a loud puff of peppermint breath.

  “It’s ruined.”

  A tear escaped her lid and slid down her cheek. This time he couldn’t help himself. He reached out, swiping a finger across the wet streak. “Don’t cry.”

  She inhaled deeply and straightened her shoulders. “I’m good,” she said, getting to her feet as if she flipped a switch. She wiped her hands against her thighs, leaving white streaks of flour across black leggings. The material was practically molded to her skin, highlighting every perfect curve.

  He shook his head, reminding himself he had a job to do, and that job was not checking out Shay Michaels.

  “Did you see the person who did this?” he asked.

  She shook her head then glanced around to the disaster that was her kitchen. “No. I checked the register. They didn’t take any money.”

  Did they take anything?”

  “No.”

  “They just destroyed the place and left?”

  “Appears that way.”

  “Do you have surveillance cameras?”

  She cocked her eyebrow and her hip. “What do you think?”

  His eyes lingered on the soft curves of her lips long after she stopped speaking. He had a lot of thoughts running through his head, like how they were the softest lips he’d ever kissed. How she was the single most beautiful woman he had ever seen. How he still couldn’t believe after all those years of not seeing her, knowing where she was in the world, she was right there in front of him that very second.

  All the animosity he felt toward what they once had vanished as he looked into her sad eyes. He cleared his throat, bringing him back to reality and warning himself to keep it professional. “I can see if they left any fingerprints on the door.”

  “What’s the point? They didn’t steal anything. Just made a mess and ruined all the cupcakes I made for Tommy Kramer’s sixth birthday party tomorrow.”

  The point? Nobody destroyed a bakery for no reason, especially if they didn’t steal anything. In his line of work, he learned that there was motive behind everything. Somebody broke into Shay’s shop tonight, and the question was, not only who, but why?

  Retaliation was at the top of his guesses. Someone who felt Shay had wronged them and wanted to hurt her in the best way they knew how. The little bakery on Main was Shay’s life, according to his sister, and if someone wanted to find a way to unnerve her this place was an easy target. “Do you have any enemies?”

  Her eyes widened. “I get along with everybody here. Why would you even ask that?”

  “If they didn’t steal anything then it would appear that whoever did this was trying to send a message. Maybe you don’t have any enemies here, but what about in New York?”

  ~End of Excerpt~

  Mad About Matt is FREE on all major e-retailers.

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  Other Books by Theresa

  Mad About Matt

  Crushing on Kate

  Moments with Mason

  Catching Cooper

  Hung Up on Hadley

  A Bride for Sam

  Dreaming of Daisy

  Charmed by Chase (Book 1 of the Marshall Family)

  Blindsided by Brooke

  Lusting After Layla

  Jaded Until Jax (Coming 2019)

  Willow Cove

  Her Forbidden Love Match

  His Not-So Small Town Girl

  His Complete Polar Opposite (Coming 2019)

  His Childhood Dream Girl (Coming 2019)

  The Again Series

  (Never) Again

  (Once) Again

  Written with Cassie Mae under the pen name Tessa Marie

  Broken Records

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  Acknowledgements

  First and foremost, I want to thank my readers. It’s because of you that I get to continue to write about the people of Red Maple Falls. Every book you show up, and I can’t thank you enough for that. You have helped make my dreams come true, and I will be forever grateful.

  Cassie, what can I say that I haven’t said before? I feel like I have used so many words to try and convey how much I appreciate you yet it never feels like enough. You rooted for me every step of the way with this book and every book before this one. You continue to be my rock in this crazy writing world, and it’s true when I say I couldn’t do this without you. Also, I’m so sorry for my lack of commas!

  Mom, the fact that you read each and every book I write and help me get them from point A to point B is something I’ll never be able to properly thank you for. Thank you for pointing out my plot holes, being honest when something isn’t working, and having the faith in me to get it right. Reading every draft I send you and staying up past your bedtime to send me notes. I never would have finished this book without you. I never would finish any book without you, so thank you for always showing up for me.

  Eric, thank you for loving me even when I’m in a deadline frantic haze. For when I put your clothes in the washer but forget to put them in the dryer, or when I forget to cook dinner even though I had every intention to. Thank you for getting out of the house so I can work and not caring when I spend every weekend in front of my computer. Thank you for being you.

  My Beta Girls, I love each and every one of you. Thank you for being my sound board, for your continued support, and most of all your friendship. I couldn’t ask for a better group of friends.

  Josh Cook, thank you for helping me with all the cop lingo. If you didn’t get the Reeses yet, they’re in the mail! ;)

  Amanda, thank you for another awesome cover! And for working with me until it was exactly what I hoped it would be. I can’t wait to see what you come up with next.

  Grandma, thank you for being my grandma and for caring so deeply about my books. You have inspired me in ways that you may never know, and you deserve to be acknowledged for that, and I’ll continue to do so every chance I get.

  Dad, thank you for your random dad jokes that give me a good chuckle when I feel like I’m about to rip my hair out. The jokes as well as you are much appreciated!

  Thank you extra toasty Cheez It’s, Coffee Nut M&M’s, Beauty and the Beast, pink highlighters, and heating pads. You were all lifesavers this time around.

  About the Author

  Theresa Paolo lives on Long Island, NY with her fiancé and their fish. She is the author of NA and Adult contemporary romances. Her debut novel (NEVER) AGAIN, released in Fall 2013 with Berkley (Penguin) and the companion novel (ONCE) AGAIN released Summer 2014. Mad About Matt, the first book in her new Red Maple Falls series, released March 2017.

  She loves to write heartfelt romances with a dash of fun and a side of spice. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, brewery hopping, daydreaming, wasting time on Pinterest, or can be found chatting away on Twitter and Facebook. She writes YA romance under Tessa Marie.

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