Page 33 of Between Love and Loathing

“Oh well, then, that ship has sailed.” My heart didn’t even feel that bad about it.

“No. You just need a few double dates with them to make him see you. His relationship with Rita is casual. It won’t go anywhere.”

“Why are you telling me all this?”

“Because I’ll be your date on that double date.” Then, his gaze flicked to the desserts I’d made a couple of nights before through the kitchen window. “You have anything to go with this coffee?”

The man had just dropped a ridiculous bomb in the bakery and expected me to go grab him a freaking cupcake?

“Wh–what? Did you just say we date? Are you still drunk from last night, Dominic?”

He chuckled as he stepped close before he whispered, “I was never drunk, baby. I remember every damn thing about last night, including you stripping down in front of me and begging to get your pussy fucked.”

Dominic Hardy with a filthy mouth in my bakery had my heart beating faster than Valentino probably ever could. I didn’t know if I was mad or turned-on.

“I asked you not to bring up last night.”

“And I won’t once you go on a few dates with me.”

“Why would I ever do that?”

“Other than to show your dream boy you’re the perfect girlfriend to me and could be the same to him?” He brushed a hand through my hair to push back some of the curls from my shoulder. Suddenly, my skin was extremely sensitive there and I shivered. I knew he caught the movement because he smiled at it. The man loved knowing he could affect my body in some way.

I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest. “Let’s just say that plan actually works—which it probably won’t. What’s in it for you?”

“I need an appearance or two with a woman. I have an annoying ex on my hands.”

“What does that have to do with me?” I wanted to ask more than one question. Was the annoying ex Natya? Most people knew of her, and she’d been linked to him and his family. And when I’d worked with the Hardy brothers, I’d read an article or two. Did he care about her?

“She’ll back off if she thinks I’ve moved on.”

“Have you?” I blurted out the question and saw how his whole body locked up, his barriers flew sky high, and he wasn’t letting anyone see past his mask as he played with the dress strap on my shoulder. “Does it matter if I haven’t?”

I wanted to scream that it did matter.

But it couldn’t. I didn’t have feelings for him, just maybe wanted to know a bit more about his past, that’s all. And I’d probably go into unhealthy stalking on my laptop later, trying to find news articles about them.

I cleared my throat as I also tried to clear away the thought of him with her. “I don’t think your whole date idea will work with Valentino.” And I didn’t need the complication in my life, not when I was trying to find my own footing here in a new city. “So, the answer is no.”

“You’re turning down a date with me then?”

“Yep.”

He stepped back and let his hand fall away from my shoulder. Immediately, I missed the electricity of his touch, a perfect indication that this was for the best. He wasn't the one I should be missing. Ever.

“So, any cupcakes left for my coffee?”

I chewed on my cheek before spinning on a heel and going to grab a few different sweets. I’d infused different flavors over the week, and they were still in the refrigerator. I’d also mastered adding chocolate flowers to the crème brûlée.

“Are those”—he narrowed his eyes at me when I came back around the corner—“orange and red poppies on that crème brûlée?”

I couldn’t help but wiggle a little with a squeal. “Yes. California poppies are the orange ones. Red ones because, well, they’ll match the pink accents. I’m going to try to make them my signature as long as they're good enough. I’ll try other flowers too. But supposedly the fields here with them are gorgeous and—”

He sighed in disappointment. “We’re minimizing color throughout the resort.”

See, that’s when all the electricity between Dominic and I died. We were back to colleagues trying to make my bakery in his resort work and not seeing eye to eye on a damn thing. “Yes, but in my bakery …” I shrugged and set down the tray. He glared at all of them.

Next to the red velvet cupcakes were truffles that were coated in white chocolate that I’d infused with a strawberry syrup. The outcome was a light pink that I then topped with a single red heart. He wrinkled his nose at those too.