“Snack time!” the volunteer cook shouted above the ruckus.
One by one the kids got up and toddled or ran to the dining room. Colin stood, his hair disheveled, his tee shirt a little twisted in the mid-section, and started picking up toys. Jilly watched, unable to move or speak. She didn’t think she’d ever been more attracted to a man in her life, and it had very little to do with how he looked. Though if she was being honest, he looked pretty damn fine.
Suddenly he turned, his gaze locking on hers, shock crossing his features. “Hi.”
“Hi.” She moved toward him, her body filling with flutters, intensifying with every step.
“What are you doing here?”
“I…um.” Why wouldn’t her mouth work properly? “I brought pastries.”
“Oh. That’s great.”
She took another step, then another, as he moved toward her, too.
“Listen…about the other day. I—”
Jilly pressed her hands to his chest, her lips to his, shocked at her boldness, and fully aware that she had surprised him as well. Her mouth was certainly working properly now and it only took a second for the tenseness in his muscles to relax beneath her fingertips, for his lips to respond to hers, his arms to wrap around her tight, pulling her to him. Hers wound around his neck, needing him closer. She opened to him, his tongue sliding between her teeth, and then she devoured him.
Colin moved one of his hands to the nape of her neck, tangling in her hair. A sigh escaped her throat and he gripped her tighter, deepening his kiss, which she didn’t think was possible. Her head spun, her knees weakened.
Jilly pulled away, gasping for breath, and rested her forehead against his chest. He was breathing heavy, too. “I’m sorry about that,” she said.
Colin tugged at her chin, forcing her gaze upward. “Don’t ever be sorry for kissing me.”
She stared into his eyes, neither of them saying anything, but then that gorgeous perfect smile spread across his face and relief filled her core. He put his hands on either side of her face, tilting her neck, and bent to her once again. A gentle kiss, his soft lips caressed hers. Damn, that man knew what he was doing.
He nuzzled her nose with his then pressed his forehead to hers. “That was…really nice.”
A giggle bubbled up, like some giddy teenager, her smile so wide it hurt her cheeks. “It was.” Jilly put her hands on his wrists. “But I really should go.”
He straightened. “Why?”
“I have to meet my friend at the salon.”
“The salon? Are you sure you’re not just trying to get away from me?”
Another schoolgirl giggle. “For once, no.”
“Can I call you later?”
“Yes.”
Jilly stepped back, away from his touch, and a shiver raced through her body. She turned to head back where she came from, but Colin grabbed her hand before she could get far. He tugged her against his body, those wonderful lips back on hers, strong arms around her body tight. She laughed against his mouth then relaxed into his kiss.
The text alert on her phone dinged in her pocket and she pulled back. “I’m sorry. I really have to go.”
“I understand. You don’t mess with a girl and her salon appointment.” That damn dimple again. It was so tough to resist.
“Trust me, I’m only going for moral support.”
He slid his hands down her back and took her hands in each of his. “We’ll talk later.”
“Okay.” She knew she should leave, but her feet were glued to the floor, her eyes locked on his in some kind of goofy trance.
And then her phone dinged again. Damn you, Charlene!
Jilly stepped away backwards and ran into a table, almost knocking over a vase of flowers. She giggled and her cheeks warmed to a thousand degrees. What the hell is wrong with you? A few toe-curling kisses and she turned into a freaking lovesick idiot! Colin chuckled at her sudden clumsiness, and wow. Even his laugh was sexy as hell.
I am in so much trouble.
Jilly turned and picked up her pace or she’d be back in his arms ignoring all of Charlene’s texts.
“I thought you didn’t like him,” Nicole said as Jilly breezed past her office door.
Jilly stopped and slowly backed up, giving Nicole a side-eye glance. “You saw that?”
“Yep.”
“Apparently I lied.”
“To me or yourself?”
“Both.”
Nicole just shook her head and laughed. “See ya next week.”
Jilly jogged to her car and got in, another text. “Geez, Charlene!” She pulled her phone out, preparing to reply and tell her she was on her way, but the newest text wasn’t from Charlene.
You’re beautiful.
She looked toward the back door of the shelter and Colin was there, leaning against the doorframe, phone in hand, that sexy-as-sin smile.
* * *
“Where the hell were you? Charlene asked the second Jilly walked into the salon. “They were almost gonna give your spa chair away.”
“Sorry.” She yanked her boots and socks off and climbed into the leather chair next to Charlene, sinking her feet into the mini foot Jacuzzi. “I was at the shelter.”
“How long does it take to drop off some cookies?”
“Well…” Jilly was too giddy to keep it inside. “Colin was there.”
“And did you tell him to stay away from you?”
“Not quite.”
Charlene’s head spun toward Jilly, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. “What did you do?”
Jilly hid her face with her hands. “I kissed him.”
“What?” The outburst made the entire salon glance in their direction.
“Shhh!”
“You better start talking.”
Jilly relayed every second of the encounter with Colin, then showed her the text he’d sent.
“Aww!” Charlene cooed. “See! There are good guys out there. Sometimes they just seem like assholes at first.”
“I don’t know.”
“What’s there not to know?”
“Everything. I barely know him.”
“And that’s why he’s going to call you. So you can talk and get to know each other.”
Jilly let her head flop back. “This is crazy. I feel like I’m in high school with a crush on the captain of the football team. And he actually gave me the time of day.”
“I know! It’s so exciting!”
“Not really. I was never into the popular guys.”
“Good thing this is real life and not high school.”
Charlene had a point. “I don’t even know what to say to him. This seriously feels like high school.”
“Let’s make a list of questions.” Charlene pulled out her cellphone and tapped the note app.
“You better be careful with that so it doesn’t fall into the foot spa, like last time.”
Charlene stuck her tongue out. “Question number one. What do you do for a living?”
“He’s a Rutherford. They probably just count their money all day.”
“But didn’t you say he came to the café from work and was all dirty. That doesn’t sound very Rutherford-like. Sounds like there’s a story there. Next question.” She typed away. “What do you do in your free time?”
“Eat Lemon Dream cookies and annoy innocent pastry chefs.”
“And most importantly,” Charlene continued. “Question three. When will you lay another one of those amazing kisses on me?”
Jilly’s cheeks heated up, and so much faster than her ancient oven at the café. “Not gonna lie. It was pretty amazing.”
“I’ve never seen you like this. You’re finally acting like a girl!”
Jilly gave her an are-you-kidding-me look. “I come to this salon with you like once a month and spend way too much money every time. I watch all kinds of chick flicks with you. And I have purple hair. How much more girly do I need to be?”
She shrugged. “I like giddy-in-
love Jilly.”
“I’m not in love.”
“You might be.”
Jilly knew not to argue. She wouldn’t convince her friend otherwise. They finished their pedicures and moved on to nails. As time ticked away, Jilly looked at the clock. Soon it would be dinnertime. Would Colin call her tonight? He’d said “later”. She refused to be one of those girls who sat around waiting for a boy to call, but it was damn hard not to. It had been a long time since she actually cared about getting a call from a boy. In the meantime, she could daydream and relive his kisses.
Damn. She really was acting extra girly today.
Chapter 6
After Jilly left the shelter, Colin stayed for a while and helped clean up. He played board games with the older kids while the young ones took naps. He’d been volunteering at the shelter for a while now. Rutherford enterprises had started it close to twenty-five years ago. His grandmother’s idea. When she died, Colin’s mother took over, until she got bored and moved on to a different charity.
On his way home he grabbed Thai takeout, another meal eaten alone at his kitchen island with the latest issue of Car and Driver magazine. He’d never minded before. Tonight, all he could think about was Jilly.
That kiss. She had the plumpest lips and she smelled like sugar. Tasted sweet, too. Blueberries, maybe? He wondered what she’d baked that day.
But the way she came up to him, kissed him like that. No warning. She sure surprised the hell out of him. Especially since he thought she hated him. He didn’t know what he had done to change her mind, but whatever it was, he hoped he’d keep doing it. He definitely wanted a lot more kisses like that.
He tossed his takeout containers, grabbed a beer from the fridge, and plopped down on the couch. He pulled out his phone and looked up her website online. There were a bunch of photos of desserts and a few of her, too. My God, she was stunning.
He was calling her. Now. He didn’t care about the stupid rules.
“Hi. It’s Colin.”
“I know.” He could hear the smile on her face.
“How was your salon date?”
“Good. I have purple fingernails and toenails to match my hair.”
“Can’t wait to see them.”
A giggle and then silence. He should have thought this out a little more before dialing her number. He didn’t know what to say next.
“So, how long have you been volunteering at the shelter?” she asked.
“A few years. How about you?”
“I just bring food. I don’t really volunteer, though I should. My mom and I actually lived there for a while when I was little.”
“Oh. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. My dad took off and left us with nothing, so we did what we had to do.”
Man. Colin didn’t have the greatest people for parents, but at least they’d taken care of him. Or hired people to. “That had to be rough.”
“It was, at times.” She paused. “But I’m sure you don’t want to hear about my childhood.”
“I do, actually. I want to know everything about you.”
“There isn’t much to know. My mom eventually married a guy and things weren’t much better. He wasn’t a nice man, but he put a nice roof over our heads. Actually, he’s the reason I need to apologize to you.”
“Apologize? For what?”
“My stepfather was wealthy and I judged you based on what a horrible human being he was. He was a controlling, manipulative, abusive man who didn’t love my mother. It was wrong of me to compare you to him and I now know you’re nothing like him.”
“I’m sorry that happened to you. It all makes sense, and I don’t blame you for judging me. I’ve seen men like him, associates and friends of my father. It’s really sad.”
“I hate that I still let him affect me like that.”
Colin hated the sadness in her voice. “He sounds like a real asshole, so let’s not waste another second talking about him. Tell me how you became a baker.”
Jilly launched into a story about how she used to play at the shelter on the kid-sized stove, baking all kinds of pretend creations. Then one day, a volunteer took her in the kitchen and showed her how to bake for real. He wondered if it was his grandmother. She’d loved to bake. Jilly knew then it was what she wanted to do with her life. She read every book she could and took every class. Her stepfather’s money had allowed her the privilege of attending a special high school with a culinary program. At least he’d been good for something. She went on to culinary school after that, specializing in pastry arts. She worked for a few different restaurants before opening her own place.
Colin loved how excited Jilly was, talking about her passion. He felt the same way about cars. And was quickly feeling the same way about her.
“So, can I ask? The vegan thing? How’d that come about?”
“We couldn’t really afford meat when I was little and I never really liked it all that much anyway. I was a vegetarian through my teens, partly because it was the cool thing to do, and it really pissed off my stepfather. Then when I was in culinary school, we watched a video about how animals are treated and that was it. I went vegan and never went back.”
“I commend you for that. I really do. But I gotta admit, I love a good steak.”
She laughed. “And that’s fine. I don’t look down on people who eat meat. It’s just not for me. But I’ve talked long enough. It’s your turn for the hot seat.”
“Uh oh. What do you want to know?”
“What job do you have that gets you all dirty and stinky every day?”
“I was hoping you didn’t notice. I was so embarrassed that day, but I got busy at work and had to run over before you closed.”
“I kinda liked it.”
“Then maybe I’ll have to come to the café like that more often.”
“Maybe.” She was smiling again. “So what do you do?”
“I own a vintage car restoration company. The truck I was driving that day, my team did that. I found it in an old barn, rotted and covered in rust.”
“That’s pretty cool.”
“It is. I love it. So much so that I decided to focus on the business and not take over when my dad retires.”
“Wow. That’s a big deal. How did he take it?”
Could Colin admit to Jilly that he hadn’t told him yet? He knew what his father was going to say, the disappointment he’d face. He could already hear the spiel about how this corporation was started generations ago by his great-great grandfather, who’d gotten really lucky in a poker game and started a lumber mill with his winnings. The man had put his blood, sweat, and tears into that company and grew it into what it is today: the biggest real estate development company in the country. How the hell could Colin turn his back on his birthright?
“I’ll let you know what he says when I actually tell him. I don’t expect it to go well.”
“Maybe he’ll understand if you tell him how much you love your car stuff.”
“He knows. He thinks I’m just fooling around. But we don’t need to talk about that. I’d much rather hear more about you.”
Conversation flowed well into the night, effortlessly. Hard to believe they were at each other’s throats just a few days ago. He’d known she was something special the second he laid eyes on her. And if that kiss was any indication, she felt it, too.
* * *
Jilly reluctantly pressed the end button on her call with Colin. Three hours can sure fly by when you’re talking with someone who really gets you. They may come from different worlds, but he was probably the first man to ever truly try to understand her. They just clicked and she couldn’t wait to see him again.
And kiss him, too.
Charlene peeked her head into Jilly’s bedroom. “About time you hung up. Now I can finally go to sleep.”
Jilly threw a small pillow at her. “You have no right to complain! Do you know how many nights I laid here praying you and Eddie would stop doing it so I could sleep?”
>
“I’m guessing there will be some payback soon. Should I invest in earplugs?”
Knowing what Colin’s kisses did to her body, Jilly couldn’t even imagine what sex would be like with him. Mind-blowing.
“So when do I get to meet Mr. Moneybags? Does he have any single hot friends he can hook me up with?”
“Are you serious?”
“Absolutely! Who wouldn’t want a rich hottie?”
“I’m hardly even hooked up with him myself. I can’t ask him to hook you up.”
“Fine. I’ll wait a little while. But once you guys are official, it will be your duty to hook a sister up.”
Jilly shook her head. “Sure.”
Charlene went back to her room and Jilly readied herself for bed. But once the lights were off, instead of thinking about what new pastry concoctions she could come up with, as usual, she thought about Colin. Those eyes, that smile…his delectable lips. She could feel his arms around her, his chest beneath her fingertips. Strong and solid. She wasn’t a girl who fantasized about any man, but she sure as hell was fantasizing about this one.
Damn you, Charlene!
Sex hadn’t been on Jilly’s mind, but it was now. She couldn’t stop her brain from envisioning it, so vivid she could almost feel it. Chest to chest, face to face, her legs wrapped around him, one of his hands holding both of hers above her head.
It was going to be a long night.
Chapter 7
Colin woke before his alarm and tried to go about his routine without rushing, but he couldn’t help it. He was out the door and waiting at The Rhubarb by 6:45 a.m. It didn’t open until seven.
Finally Jilly rounded the corner, that gorgeous hair in waves. His groin tightened just thinking about the kiss they were going to have in about sixty seconds.
“Good morning,” he said as she stepped toward him, her sweet scent surrounding him.
“Good morning to you, too.” Her gaze met his, a shy smile.
Melody Anne's Billionaire Universe: Refuse to Settle (Kindle Worlds Novella) Page 4
