Vivian had never felt so much.
The kiss might have lasted a minute. It might have lasted forever. All she knew was that she didn’t want it to end.
But apparently Zane didn’t hear that silent plea, because he pulled away. Slowly, he eased back. One last press of his lips against hers and he lifted his head.
Feeling as if her lashes weighed a ton, Vivian had to force her eyelids open. It took longer to swallow the knot blocking her airway and breathe.
Zane’s expression was intense. He stared for a long moment, first into her eyes, making her want to squirm. Then his gaze shifted to her mouth. His eyes darkened; his head shifted just a little. Vivian held her breath, wondering if he’d kiss her again. Then his eyes met hers again.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said, his hand releasing her neck, leaving her feeling cold without the pressure. He stepped back, watching.
Waiting.
For what? she wondered. Until he realized he was being a gentleman. He was waiting for her to go wherever she was going, to make sure she was safe.
She couldn’t go upstairs to her apartment. Mike might have mentioned that his little sister lived above the bakery. Besides, knowing he realized where she lived might be too much temptation. What if he walked her to her door? There was no way she’d be able to resist yanking him inside with her.
So she dug her keys out of her pocket and unlocked the bakery door. Nothing to resist here, since no amount of sizzle could inspire her to do him in the same place that Mrs. Enid indulged in her daily cruller. A girl had to have some standards, after all.
As she pushed the door open, Vivian looked over her shoulder. Zane stood at the edge of the sidewalk, both hands in his pockets as he rocked back on the heels of his motorcycle boots. He wore a hint of a smile on his face and his eyes were hot with appreciation as he stared at her butt. Finally, his grin widening, he met her eyes.
“Tomorrow,” he said again, giving her a jaunty salute by tapping two fingers to his brow.
“Tomorrow,” she echoed, hesitating before she stepped through the door. He waited, she noticed, until she’d turned the lock behind her before he headed for the alley. He must be staying with Lenny, Vivian realized with a groan. She had to force herself not to chase after him.
As soon as he was out of sight, she dropped into one of the padded ice cream chairs, letting her box of ruined chocolates fall onto the table with a thunk—quickly followed by her head.
What had she done?
She’d had a chance to have hot, wild, rock-the-walls-and-make-the-roof-shake sex with Zane Bennett.
Something she’d been dreaming about since she was seventeen. She’d heard plenty of stories. Oh, not like Mike came home boasting about the Bennett brothers’ sexual exploits. But there’d been plenty of things she’d overheard him and his little circle of friends say, usually in tones of awe. And the women in town were more than vocal in singing their odes of delight to the wonder that was Zane’s sexual talents. They probably sang about Xander, too, but Vivian’s focus had always been on Zane.
So she knew that he was a man who loved a challenge. One who thrived on a dare. Which gave her an easy option if he balked at getting naked. The only downside to the dare option was as soon as he stepped up to the challenge, he was done.
She’d seen it plenty of times.
Guys loved the chase. But the minute they scored, they were off to the next challenge.
But Vivian wasn’t sure she wanted to settle for only one single round with Zane. Oh, she wasn’t thinking she wanted forever—who could make that kind of decision before sex and a playlist comparison? But she knew she wanted more than one time.
And the only way she’d get more than one was to keep Zane interested.
Intrigued.
Challenged.
Vivian gave the box of chocolates a little shake as she headed for the kitchen.
Oh, yeah. This was going to be fun.
ZANE ROLLED OUT of bed—or in this case, off Lenny’s couch—with one thing in mind.
The same thing that’d been on his mind all night.
The sexy blonde with the mile-long legs and chocolate lingerie.
Delicious.
He wouldn’t mind tasting more.
More than just that nibble of her finger, and definitely more of that chocolate. She’d sparked a hunger in him that he didn’t remember feeling before. One he had to explore. If only to see if that combination of laughter and lust had been a fluke. Laughter, lust and a gorgeous blonde? A perfect combination.
Who said chivalry was dead?
Zane knew it was alive because he’d used up his share for a lifetime. He’d used it walking away from the sexy blonde instead of talking his way into her bed.
Oh, he’d had the lines all—well, lined up. A little charm, another taste of that chocolate and a suggestion that they head to her place, where he might get to peek under that silky blouse of hers to see if the lingerie she wore was as sexy as the kind she made.
But first, he should find out her name.
How else was he going to call it out when he came?
A quick check of his watch assured him that he had an hour and a half before he had to meet the family for breakfast, then later to hit the high school to register for the reunion. Plenty of time to do a little recon on the blonde, take a pass at Quinn and hit the florist for a bouquet to take his mother.
Given all the women he had to charm, Zane took the time to cram himself into Lenny’s minuscule excuse for a shower. Damned thing was almost as small as the ones on the subs he’d served on. Not nearly as clean, though.
He was halfway down the outside stairs when he realized that, hey, he wasn’t bored anymore.
Which was probably why his grin was so wide when he strode through the wide glass doors of the bakery. It smelled amazing. Yeasty breads, sugary treats and hot fruit wafted through the air in tempting invitation.
He noted that, like the new blue-and-white-striped awning, the interior decor had been upgraded. There were a half-dozen small round tables, apparently for people who couldn’t wait to get out the door to dive into their baked goods.
“Can I help you?” The offer came from the pretty woman behind the counter, blond curls waving around a Kewpie doll face.
“I’m looking for...” Shit. Zane frowned. He really did need her name. “The baker.”
“Oh? Did you want to place a special order?”
“Sure.”
She gave him a narrow-eyed look, one that said she obviously knew who he was. But after a long moment, she stepped away from the counter to call through a set of swinging doors.
“Customer to see you.”
And there it was.
The sexy siren’s voice called out from the kitchen. He couldn’t make out her words, but that husky timbre was enough to ease a tension in his gut he hadn’t even realized he was holding.
Lips pursed, the Kewpie doll returned to the counter and