Remember, stay focused. Good grief, is it warm in here?
She grabbed a cardboard price tag off the table and fanned herself. Was the candy melting as fast as she? The handsome stranger’s close proximity made her very aware of how extremely turned-on she was by him. She could almost hear the rhythm of her heart speeding.
“Well, I’m an artist. So, naturally, I put a lot of detail into every piece I design, whether it’s candy or a sculpture. I get my inspiration from magazines, books and movies.” X-rated ones, but she decided not to mention that minor detail.
“I see.”
She wasn’t sure that he did.
“Where I get ideas for my carnal creations isn’t as important as the flavor. I blend cocoa from a variety of countries for a unique taste. Eating one of my candies is a sensual delight. I can guarantee that you’ve never tasted anything like this before.”
A half smile curled his lips. “Truly? You must be quite a connoisseur of chocolate. I’m impressed.”
Perhaps it was the look in his eyes or the deep timbre of his voice that caused Dana’s heart to flutter at his compliment, but whatever the reason, time seemed to move in slow motion. Dana licked her suddenly dry lips. He moved closer to her and she backed into the table, toppling the display of candy penises like dominoes.
“Oh goodness!” She turned and fumbled with the boxes, trying to set them straight with shaky hands.
“Here, let me help you.” He reached around her, his hard length pressing against her back. When his arm brushed against the side of her right breast, electric excitement flowed through her veins. Her breath came in short bursts and she suddenly felt weak-kneed.
He quickly put the display back in order and she turned to face him, looking into eyes of liquid chocolate.
“Are you all right? You seem a little flustered.” His pupils were large and his lips slightly parted.
The jingle of bells announced that another customer had entered the store at the very moment his hand reached to touch her face. Her eyes widened and she took a step back.
“I’m fine. Excuse me. I need to help that customer,” she said breathlessly as she left him. Blood thrummed in her ears as she greeted the older woman with a plastered-on smile.
“Damn,” she heard him swear under his breath as she walked away.
The lady went directly to the front display cases. If she noted Dana’s blush still clinging to her cheeks, she made no comment. Thankfully, she seemed to know exactly what she wanted. She ordered a box of milk and white chocolate hugs and peppermint kisses. Within moments, she was gone.
Dana took a deep breath after the woman left. The few minutes’ reprieve from her hunky stranger’s presence helped put the situation into perspective. What the heck is wrong with me? Has he cast some spell over me? Perhaps her reaction was due to the long time that had passed since she had been in close proximity to such a handsome man. If he had pursued it, she might have kissed him.
This was neither the place nor the time for that. She decided to stay behind the counter where it was safe so she could complete his transaction.
She squared her shoulders and looked around the room for the man who caused her heart to race and her blood to boil. Was he still there or did he leave while she rang up the last order? Her breath caught in her throat as he appeared from behind a tall stack of neatly arranged gold and red heart-shaped boxes. He walked slowly toward her, a heated look in his eyes. Whereas she had been able to shake off the momentary arousal, it appeared he hadn’t.
“Now where were we?” His gaze was locked firmly on her lips and there was no mistaking what he wanted.
“I’d be happy to ring up your order at the register. Please choose what you’d like.”
Instead of picking up something, he walked directly toward her.
“What I’d like is your number.”
Dana swallowed hard. From the intense look in his eyes, he was serious. It was difficult to concentrate on business when he made it so apparent that he wanted her.
“I…I don’t even know your name.”
“It’s Trevor.”
“Trevor. Oh that’s easy to remember. I’ll just think of Trevor’s Treasures, the other candy store in town,” she said cheerfully.
He quirked an eyebrow emphatically at her mention of the other store. “Precisely.”
An uncomfortable sensation settled in the pit of her stomach at the realization of who he was.
“You’re my competition?” She swallowed hard. The blood drained from her complexion and her legs became wobbly as gelatin. She propped her hands on the counter to steady herself.
The walls seemed to close in around her. All of a sudden, his questions and intense scrutiny of her products made sense. He gave her the impression he was interested in her, but now she understood his true purpose for spending so much time in the store. He wanted to know everything about her operation. Who knew what he would do with that information?
“I am. Do you have a problem with that?” He was so close she could smell the delicious aroma of coffee on his suit.
“I’m sorry, I do.” She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him.
Trust. It was a big issue. It didn’t matter how gorgeous or sexy he was, she wasn’t going to take a chance on getting too friendly with the enemy. Opening Decadent Delights had been her dream. It was the greatest accomplishment of her life and no man was going to take it away from her.
“Dana, this is a small town. My family business has been here for twenty years. I’ve personally owned the candy shop for the past three years. People know that Trevor’s Treasures is the place to go when they need to appease their sweet tooth. For now, you’ve got a great gimmick, but will that sustain you in the future? If I was interested in starting some serious competition with you, it wouldn’t be fair.”
Dana clenched her fists behind the counter where he couldn’t see them. If he wanted to challenge her, let him bring it on, because she was determined not to back down. She raised her chin proudly and stubbornly stuck out her chest. Though his gaze did not travel lower than her mouth, she knew he still had memories of brushing against her double Ds.
“You have no idea how wrong you are. My store is more than a novelty that will wear off. In fact, I will soon be doing dessert party catering, which I believe will be a huge success. If I were a betting woman, I’d say the reason you’re here is because you’re scared that I’m going to take away your business. If you want to wager a bet on that, Trevor of Trevor’s Treasures, let’s do it! Otherwise, if you’re not interested in purchasing any of my products, our business is concluded.”
His hopeful expression fell and he took a deep breath. She realized that he probably thought their playful banter indicated her interest, so he never expected her to reject his offer.
“I see. Well, I’ll be going. It was very nice to meet you.” He sighed and shrugged. Without further comment, he left the store. Dana crossed her arms over her chest and stared at the door. Why did she suddenly feel so bereft?
She went to the back room, tears burning her eyes. Leaning against the shiny steel worktable, she looked around her kitchen area at the bags of sugar, cocoa, flour and containers of every kind of dried fruit, nuts and sundry ingredients she owned. With the back of her hand, she sniffed back her disappointment.
The memory of his body pressed against hers was still fresh. Damn! Too bad he had turned out to be one sweet temptation she couldn’t indulge in. It would have been so wonderful to know what he looked like naked and even better to have sex with that fabulous body of his. If his seductive voice and mesmerizing eyes were any indication of his prowess in bed, he would have made one hell of a lover.
The tinkle of bells made her heart skip a beat. Had he come back? She wiped her eyes and walked back to the sales floor. A young lady stood at the counter waiting to pay for a chocolate male sculpture she held in her hand. Dana sighed.
I can do this. Dana smiled and rang up the order. As the cust
omer departed, Dana recalled the mail she left on the counter behind the display case. She lifted the magazine and looked at the cover.
Oh my God. It’s him! No wonder he looked so familiar.
Chapter Two
Trevor cursed under his breath as he left the little store on the corner. He held the door open for another visitor to the grand opening of Decadent Delights. With only two weeks until Valentine’s Day—the second most profitable day of the year following Christmas—the sight of so many customers flocking to the new confectionary shop was quite alarming. This place was sure to give him some serious competition.
He had come to satisfy his curiosity about the new store and was shocked at what he discovered. Trevor never imagined that he would feel such an instant attraction to his young competitor. For some reason, when he heard that she was single, he figured she would be somewhat plain, not a beautiful blonde—his weakness—with big, blue eyes and a smile that dazzled him. She was petite perfection with curves in all the right places and luscious large breasts—his wildest fantasy.
Their conversation was certainly arousing and he could tell by the way her nipples puckered the material of her blouse that she was quite taken by him.
Dana didn’t know his reputation. Her attraction was real, not phony like the groupies who used to follow him and his brother. He never trusted those women because he could never be sure whether they were interested in him or his status and money.
Trevor was faced with a dilemma. He wanted to get to know her better, but she turned him down. Now that she knew he was her competitor, it was going to be even harder to convince her to say yes. There had to be a way to get her to change her mind.
The intense competition with his brother three years ago had strained their sibling relationship and left a bad taste in his mouth for any type of confrontation. It was one of the reasons he left a lucrative career as a model to become a candy store owner. He swore he would never get involved in a situation like that again.
He liked the fact that she enjoyed the same line of work as he. Running one’s own business took a lot of time and effort. The unusual array of goods she produced showed a lot of creativity too. She knew how to draw the customers in, and when she started the catering business, she would blow his operation away. The woman was one heck of an entrepreneur and he would rather be on her side than attempt to beat her at her own game.
* * * * *
He drove by Decadent Delights on his way home later that night. Though it was past ten p.m., the lights were still on in the back of the store. A lone car was parked in the lot. Just as he suspected, Dana was working late. He saw her bustling around the store restocking shelves and taking down the front window display.
Trevor gave her credit for her fortitude. She faced an uphill battle during her first year in business. Operating costs were high and profits would be low until she had established a solid customer base. But she was determined to survive, and he admired her for that.
Now that he had an opportunity to consider what had transpired earlier, he realized he definitely sent her mixed signals. No wonder she was confused and angry. He hadn’t anticipated staying in the store so long. But he wanted to get her alone so he could talk to her, and that meant waiting an hour for the crowd to leave.
An apology was definitely in order. He’d let her cool down first. There would be plenty of time tomorrow to put his plan into action.
* * * * *
The first bunch of flowers arrived at ten o’clock the next morning. Twenty-four white roses came with a miniature teddy bear wearing a sad expression and a card that said, I’m sorry for getting you upset.
Next, a bouquet of yellow daisies arrived at noon with an invite to dinner at Destin Chops, a premier steakhouse in town. Dana heard that their food was outrageously delicious. It took weeks to get a reservation there, yet she had the impression that if she said yes, Trevor would get them a table that very night.
By five p.m., her store looked more like a florist than a confectionary shop. Dana shook her head at the obscene display of apology. There were at least two hundred flowers crowded into the small space. Boy, he was trying real hard to break down her defenses! How in the world was she going to remain angry at the man if he continued to butter her up like this? She researched his store’s phone number and called him.
“Trevor’s Treasures.” She recognized that deep voice immediately and her body responded the same way it did the first time she heard him speak. Her nipples peaked.
“This is Dana. Is this your way of trying to make me give in?”
“Certainly not!” he said, sounding hurt. “Why, is it working?”
Dana strolled around the store, sniffing the flowers as she passed.
“I’m not sure. I can hardly walk through my store because it’s crowded with vases of flowers that were delivered today. It’s embarrassing when customers ask if my boyfriend sent them. Since I don’t have a boyfriend, I lied. I told them that you did it as a ‘welcome to the neighborhood’ gift.”
She heard him chuckle and it sounded sincere. “Great comeback. I must confess, though, I was tempted to send black roses.”
Dana scowled at his remark. She could picture her store laden with black flowers and was grateful that he didn’t follow his initial impulse.
“You’re lucky you didn’t do that, because I’m thinking of accepting your dinner offer.” Hearing his voice again made her knees wobbly. She couldn’t get him off her mind last night and even dreamed of him. Despite her initial concern that they could end up enemies if a competitive war broke out between them, she wanted to see him again.
“Under those circumstances, I’m happy I sent them. It’s nice to know your weakness.”
Boy, am I glad you don’t know my real weakness is handsome men like you. Her heart did a flip-flop at the thought. It was her turn to laugh. “You’re not even close, so please stop.”
“Well, I’d normally send candy. Under the circumstances, it didn’t seem appropriate.”
Dana smiled at his sense of humor.
“Wouldn’t you feel terrible if I had an allergic reaction to flowers and was rushed to the hospital? Surely you would have regretted causing me distress.”
“Oh, that would have been a disaster. You aren’t allergic, are you?”
“No. Thank God.”
“Phew! I wouldn’t want to be accused of unfair tactics. All right! So when are you free to indulge your palate? Did you know that Destin Chops has the best surf and turf in this entire town, bar none?”
“That’s what I’ve heard. I haven’t had a chance to get there yet. I do love surf and turf.”
“Well, here’s your chance. What do you say? Could you stand to see me again if a free meal was included in the offer?”
Dana smiled. The man tempted her in so many delicious ways. “I guess I could put up with you under those circumstances. You’ve got to promise not to talk business, however.”
“Scout’s honor,” he said, and she visualized him holding up his fingers to swear to her. “So when are you free?”
“Actually, tomorrow night would be perfect. How’s your schedule?”
She heard him flipping pages in the background. “I can move an appointment. Would you like me to pick you up?”
Dana contemplated his offer. Though he seemed to be a very nice man, she knew from experience that people aren’t always what they appear to be. She recalled a few first dates that had turned out to be total disasters. Having her car nearby had been a godsend for making a quick escape. No. It was better to be safe than sorry. She could always accept a ride for future dates.
“No, thank you. I’ll meet you at the restaurant. What time is good for you?”
She heard him sigh deeply. “You’re not going to make this easy for me, are you?”
Dana laughed. “What? The apology or the date?”
“Both, I suppose.”
“Nope. Not for a moment. But don’t give up trying.”
“Don’t worry. I’m known for my persistence. So, does eight o’clock give you enough time to get there?”
“That’s perfect. I won’t have to rush.”
“Good. I’m looking forward to spending more time with you.”
She hung up the phone and pondered his last statement—looking forward to spending more time with you. A smile crossed her lips. Yes, it would be nice to go on a date with a man who could make her laugh. She couldn’t remember the last time she truly enjoyed a man’s company. Jesse had left bittersweet memories and an ache in her heart to want to experience love again.
It wasn’t Jesse’s fault that she had to leave Arkansas and move to Florida to be near her parents. But when he refused to move with her and insisted she make a choice—him or her parents—she realized they had no future. Although he had told her once that he loved her, she knew it wasn’t the deep, abiding love she desired, so she told him goodbye. As their only child, she really had no choice. Her parents had Alzheimer’s and they needed her close by.
She expected Jesse to be more understanding and supportive, but instead he focused only on his needs. Dana knew she wouldn’t be able to trust him to be there when she really needed him, and that lack of trust was their undoing. She left Arkansas with a broken heart and a better understanding of what she needed in a relationship.
* * * * *
Trevor met her as the valet opened her car door. He took her hand and ushered her into the restaurant. His palm resting against the small of her back radiated heat and a momentary flashback to their first brush against one another made her shiver. He still had a devastating effect on her senses.
The ambiance at Destin Chops took Dana’s breath away. The restaurant was located on the second floor of the Destin Yacht Club. Rich mahogany and polished brass combined with palms and flowering plants to create a lush old-world setting. Their hostess escorted them to secluded seats at the far end of the restaurant next to floor-to-ceiling windows facing the harbor. A long pier stretched toward a covered gazebo and yachts bobbed up and down on gentle swells. Sunset streaked the sky with pale pinks and blues, which were reflected in the mirrored surface of the water.
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