An excerpt from A Wolf’s Protection
Adam stared at the cake Mary set on the counter in the bar’s kitchen. She was usually the first one to arrive for her shift, so that wasn’t unusual. But the cake? That was new. He didn’t often eat sweets, but it looked perfectly delectable. It was a two-tier, like his mom used to make for his and his twin brother’s birthday. The mouth-watering aroma of cream cheese icing and carrot cake swirled over him. His favorite. It reminded him of… before.
“My roommate woke me up early and I decided to make you a cake with my extra time.”
She was a bit paler than normal and had dark smudges under her eyes that suggested she had not gotten much rest. She’d never spoken to him directly about her roommate problems, but he’d heard her discussing a few things with Sasha while they were waiting for him to fill their drink orders. He had never met this Stella person, but he didn’t like her.
Maybe he should renovate those other hotel rooms into more studio apartments. Then she could move out of her current crappy arrangement. The thought of her sleeping under his roof had a certain rightness to it.
He lifted an eyebrow and looked at her. “You made me a cake?”
A faint blush stole over her cheeks. She shrugged. “To thank you for last night.” She cleared her throat. “Not that I needed help. I had it under control… but… you know… thanks.”
He nodded. “I would have done the same for any of my employees.”
“I know.” A slight scowl lined her face, but then it was gone in a flash.
Huh. Maybe she wasn’t so indifferent to him. He eyed her closely. Her irises dilated and her lips parted slightly. Not so indifferent at all. He snagged her gaze with his again. “Thank you, Mary. It smells… delicious.”
He rolled the last word over his tongue slowly. His gaze drifted down to her mouth again. Her tongue ducked out and moistened her bottom lip. He leaned closer. Drawn to her. Wanting to taste her. Finally.
The back door crashed open. They sprang apart, although they hadn’t really needed to. There had still been way too much distance between them. When he winked at her, she looked away.
*****
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