Page 265 of The Maxwell Brothers

Oh my God!The contact completely melted me. I felt his caress throughout my body as he touched my neck.

"Declan," I whispered.

"I’ll keep in mind what you said about the kiss." He stroked his thumb across my lips, and my insides completely melted. "I don't want to cook for anyone else. Only you."

Wait, what was that?The sound of my hormones going haywire, of my panties spontaneously combusting, of my desire? All three combined? I couldn't tell.

"Go to work, Liz. I'll find a way for us to get together. And for me to use the bedroom voice. Because you’re the only woman I’m interested in, and you’ll see that soon enough."

CHAPTER 10

LIZ

I wasin a great mood as I strolled into work.

As the newest employee of Richard’s Catering, I was a jack of all trades, though I mostly worked a lot with food preparation, like cutting vegetables. I didn’t do as much baking as I hoped, but that was okay. I'd probably get enough of it once I had my bakery, though I loved baking so much that I didn’t think I’d ever tire of it.

My phone buzzed while I put on my chef attire in the changing room. It was a picture my sister sent of Amy, her daughter. My heart sighed.

The two of us always dreamed about having kids at the same time. It seemed feasible considering the one-year difference in our ages, but life had other plans for us. Guess who ended up the winner? My cute niece, who got all my love. All. Of. It.

I still had about five minutes before my shift started, so I typed back quickly. My colleagues had stepped outside to smoke, so I had a bit of time.

Liz: I've got an update about the hot landlord. We kissed.

Rose: Oh my God. When? Why didn't you tell me?

Liz: It happened yesterday, and it was even hotter than I had imagined.

I put the phone down, pulling my hair on top of my head so I could put the chef bonnet over it. My phone chimed again.

Rose: So you HAVE imagined kissing him. You've been holding out on me.

Happy with my hair, I grabbed the phone again.

Liz: Just a little. I've got to go now, sorry.

Rose typed back right away.

Rose: No, you can't leave me like that.

I chuckled.

Liz: We’ll talk in the afternoon. Promise.

I put the phone in the back pocket of my pants and strolled into the kitchen. I started chopping carrots, onions, and bell peppers. My colleagues Lola, Martha, Suzie, and Jeff came in a few minutes later. A part of me was going to miss this job once I had my bakery, but only a bit. It was low-key and very fulfilling. As a bonus, I could daydream about my bakery while working. Win-win, right? I had it all in my mind—I could visualize every corner of my store and how I’d manage things, decorate it, and the way I’d greet customers. I wanted to make them feel like they had stepped into heaven. Baking had always been my happy place, and I wanted to share some of that happiness with everyone.

At my lunch break, I went out to stretch my legs, walking at a leisurely pace up the North Branch Canal. In the distance, I could see high-rise buildings glittering against the gray sky. I was a small-town girl at heart, but I couldn’t deny that there was something fascinating about giant buildings.

While I ate my chicken sandwich, I checked my phone again. I had a new message. I was sure it was from Rose again, but tomy astonishment, it was from Declan. He'd sent me a picture of a package half ripped open. There was also a caption.

Declan: I started opening it before realizing it was addressed to you. Want me to leave it in front of your door?

I typed back quickly.

Liz: Yeah, do that. Those are headphones, by the way, wireless ones, so I can listen to music with them while I dance. You've officially killed my buzz.

Instead of replying, he called me. I answered immediately.