Not Just Friends. Kate Hoffmann

really good.”

      “I have my own business. I own a pastry shop.”

      “I guess I’m in real trouble then,” he said, staring at her in disbelief. “You’re beautiful and you can cook.”

      “Bake,” she corrected, feeling a blush warm her cheeks. “I’m really not much of a cook.”

      She shouldn’t let herself fall for his charm. Julia knew it was all part of the package with Adam. With him, every woman was a conquest, every seduction a battle to be won. She crossed the room and sat down on the edge of the bed. “The coffee will be ready in a few minutes.”

      He watched her shrewdly as he licked frosting off his fingers. “You’ve never liked me much, have you, Jules?”

      His blunt statement took her off guard. Well, at least she’d managed to hide her feelings well. “No. I—I mean, I don’t not like you.” She drew a ragged breath. “Why would you say that?”

      “I just always had the sense that you didn’t think much of me. We just never … you know … connected.”

      Julia fixed her gaze on her fingers, clutched in her lap. “I guess I didn’t really like standing in line,” she murmured.

      “Ouch.” He laughed softly. “I suppose I deserved that one. You were right, though. A girl like you shouldn’t have to compete.”

      “A girl like me?”

      “A good girl,” he said. “I—I don’t mean good in a bad way. I mean … good. Worthwhile. Hey, I always thought you were pretty cool. I always wished we had gotten to know each other a little better. As friends.”

      “I guess we’ll have time for that this week,” she said.

      “Yeah, I know I’m going to be sticking pretty close to the woman who makes these cinnamon buns.”

      Julia giggled, another blush warming her cheeks. He was smooth with the compliments, all right. Still, why not enjoy the attention. What harm could it possibly do now? If she wanted to spend her week flirting with Adam, then she would. And if it went a bit further than that, well, that was fine, too. Why not finally act on her crush? It could be a fantasy come true.

      A shiver skittered down her spine. Just the thought of allowing him to seduce her, of falling into his arms and into his bed, made her heart beat faster and her breath come in shallow gasps. She pressed her hand to her chest, feeling her heart pound beneath her fingertips.

      “Are you all right?” he asked.

      “Coffee,” she said, jumping to her feet. She busied herself with the coffee press, filling the bottom with ground beans, then pouring the hot water on top. She found her favorite mug in the box and set it on the floor.

      “It feels good to be back here,” Adam said, glancing around the cabin. “On the drive up, I felt like I was a kid again. I recognized all the landmarks. And then there’s the smell in the air.”

      “It smells green,” she said. “I love that smell.”

      She poured a cup of coffee for each of them, then crossed the room to the bed. Adam moved down to rest his back against the footboard of the old wooden bed and Julia took the opposite end, tucking her feet beneath her.

      The atmosphere felt so intimate, just the two of them, together, the night silent around them. She’d dreamed about a moment like this, wondered what it would be like to have him all to herself. And here he was, the answer to all her teenage fantasies—and most of her adult ones as well.

      They stretched out on the big bed, facing each other, the conversation easy between them. Every now and then, his thigh would bump against hers and Julia would feel her heart flutter. She fought the urge to throw aside caution, crawl on top of him and kiss him.

      Adam wasn’t the kind of guy who’d refuse such an advance. She had no doubt about that. In fact, she could picture in her mind, every moment of every second—the strength of his long, lean body, the warmth of his mouth, the feel of his hands on her. Julia sighed softly, her breath coming out in a tiny moan.

      “I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m keeping you up.”

      “No! No, it’s fine. Now that I’ve had my morning coffee, I’m up. There’s no going back.”

      “Funny. I was exhausted when I got here and now I feel like I could run a marathon.”

      “It’s the coffee,” she said.

      He sent her a crooked smile. “Maybe. Or maybe it’s the company?”

      Julia gave him a playful kick. He grabbed her bare foot and held it between his hands gently massaging it. The contact sent a flood of warmth racing through her veins, setting every nerve on fire.

      “Yeah, I know. Those cheesy lines don’t work on you,” he teased. “But you can’t blame a guy for trying, can you?”

      “No,” she said. “I guess I can’t.”

      Their gazes locked for a long moment and Julia’s heart skipped a beat. There was an attraction there, in the way he looked her, in the way he smiled. And she wasn’t imagining it. Had it always been there? Could she have been so wrapped up in her own infatuation that she’d never noticed?

      She smiled and glanced down at her coffee. After that one attempt—the letter that had gone horribly astray—she’d never tried again. But what if she had?

      There were many things to regret about her ten-year crush on Adam Sutherland. But she was through with regrets. From now on, she was going to take chances and damn the consequences. And if she made a complete fool of herself, she’d just run off to France and hide for the next two years.