Page 15 of Love Bites

“It looks like we’re going to rent Hilda for an hour,” I sighed, tossed the cash to the smirking teen, and then made my way to the dock. Haider was grinning at me. “You’re enjoying this situation far too much. Get in.”

“Yeah, I really am getting a kick out of this,” he giggled as he clambered into the paddle boat then removed his poncho. My eyes nearly rolled out of my head into the lake at the sight of long, toned arms bared to the shoulders. The tank top was yellow as the sun. His neck and shoulders were exposed now, soft supple skin pale as snow. My sight lingered on the divots by his clavicle then roamed up his throat to his kissable mouth. “You plan on untying that rope or are we just going to sit here?”

His taunt got me moving. With a flick of the wrist I freed us from the dock then climbed in while using a pink ear as a handhold. Haider, the little shit, was smirking at me as I wobbled about while the boat began to drift from the dock. I sat with a thud that made my pedal boat companion smile even wider. If he wasn’t so damned adorable and sexy I might have… No, I wouldn’t have said a thing. He was a potential cog in the whole Brauning Boutique plan.

“You almost fell in,” he teased as we began pedaling slowly. The boat was cumbersome and slow. People sitting along the shores of the lake laughed and pointed as we began our first lap.

“Almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades as they say,” I countered as the sun warmed the top of my head. “You’re showing a lot of skin that has never seen the sun before. Did you use sunscreen? It would be shameful to see such porcelain skin burn and peel.”

Those shiny bright eyes flicked my way, his smile fading a bit. “Are you flirting with me?”

“Yes.”

“Do you think that getting me into your bed will get my signature on the deed?”

“No, I think that getting you into my bed would be a night that neither of us would ever forget.” His cell began to chirrup. His eyes were big and round. “You should get that. It could be your grandmother calling.”

“I know it could be,” he snarled, unsettled now, his hands fumbling as he dug his phone from a hidden pocket inside his poncho balled up behind him. “Like I need him to tell me to check my damn phone calls. Pushy.”

I let a smile play on my lips. I loved how mercurial he was. Sunny and giggly one moment then sassy little spitfire the next. A man would never be bored with Haider.

“Oh! It’s Cooper and Sons. Maybe they’re coming out earlier to fix the enrober.” I said nothing just continued pedaling while steering the obnoxious flamingo-pink hippo to avoid a young man in a kayak. “Hello. Yes, this is he. I’m so…oh, wait, what? But we can’t wait another two weeks. No, I understand. Everyone is understaffed but—”

I nudged his knee with mine. His gaze flew to me. I held out my hand. His eyebrows knotted. We shook. His brows grew even tighter but, with a huff, he slapped the cell into my palm

“Steer,” I told him before placing the phone to my ear. He mumbled “Pushy” under his breath but did take the rickety tiller. “Hello, to whom am I speaking?” A reedy-voiced punk replied in my ear. “Timothy. Good. Timothy, I’d like to speak to your supervising manager.” He gave me some song and dance. “No, that is unacceptable. Please tell your supervisor that Phillip Brauning of Brauning Chocolates is on the line and wishes to speak to him. About what? About the fact that an enrobing machine in one of my future acquisitions is not functioning and that is wholly unsatisfactory.” I could feelHaider’s glower poking me in the side like tiny daggers. “Why? Well, Timothy, it is unsatisfactory to leave one of the largest suppliers of chocolate in Europe, and their subsidiaries, lacking basic mechanical repairs on one of your units.” The tone on the other end began to change. “Yes, Phillip. Two L’s. Correct. Brauning Chocolates. I’m sure if you pull up our accounts you will see…yes, that’s right.ThatBrauning Chocolates. The same Brauning Chocolates that currently has over two hundred of your enrobing machines in four different factories in Germany alone. What a shame it would be to lose any future purchases for our shops in the States because of a simple request for speedy customer service.” Some clearing of throat and sputtering from young Timothy poured through the phone. “Yes, of course, well hello and who is this I am speaking with? Ah, Gregory, head of industrial repairs. Oh, lovely yes. This afternoon. How accommodating. You’ll come out personally. All the way from Ohio. That is quite nice. Yes, such wonderful service. Please feel free to arrive tomorrow morning so that you can rest from such a lengthy drive. You’re most welcome. Have a good day.”

I tapped the red end call button and passed the phone back to a wide-eyed Haider. “Gregory will be at the shop at eight a.m. tomorrow to fix the enrober.”

“Oh my God that was…I mean it was super snobby and highhanded obviously but I could kiss you for that!” He was a joy to see. Happiness suited him. He reminded me of a small bird that had found a feeder filled with bright seeds and lush berries. Making Haider happy warmed my breast in a way I’d not felt in years.

“Obviously incredibly highhanded and, perhaps, even a bit arrogant with an extra dash of rich-man superiority,” I teased as I placed my hand over his atop the tiller. His hands were fine-boned. His merry gaze darted to where my palm sat over hisand then flew back to my face. “As for that kiss I’d be more than willing to take it as a sign of reconciliation.”

All pedaling ceased as I waited to see if he would kiss me or shove me into the damn lake. It could go either way.

“SO, WHAT DIDyou do?”

Ryan sat across from me at my office desk after I’d spent a long day of coating candy in dark chocolate. Gregory had been waiting for me when I arrived at five in the morning haggard but eager. The enrober was fixed by eight. No bill or invoice left, just a yawning man who was stupidly happy to have made Phillip Brauning happy. Name-dropping worked wonders if you had enough clout. And Phillip had that in spades. As well as refinement, good looks, great taste in clothes, and a swagger that brought all the boys to his yard. To hell with milkshakes. Give me a confident older man who was—

“Hey, buddy, you with me here?” Ryan snapped his fingers in front of my face.

“Sorry, long busy day. What did you ask?” I smiled at him then looked down at his books splayed in front of me. I’d been too busy to break away during lunch, and now I was too filthy and too exhausted. There wasn’t one bit of me that wasn’t speckled with dark chocolate.

“You paused mid-story bro. Did you kiss the enemy?” Ryan asked then popped a malted milk ball into his mouth. There were perks of working from the shop instead of the bar, and free candy was one of them.

“No,” I replied as I picked up a receipt for wood stain then placed it into one of several piles. I sat staring at the slips of paper scattered over my desktop. This was a job I generally enjoyed. I did all of our books for the shop. Numbers and I had always played well together. Tonight though I was having trouble focusing.

“Okay. Good. I was worried you might have.”

I glanced up. Maybe it was exhaustion that made me say what was on my mind. Or maybe I simply needed someone to share this gnawing problem with.

“I wanted to though,” I whispered.

Ryan’s eyes went round then narrowed. “Iknewit. I could tell he was getting to you!”

“He’s not getting to me,” I argued but yeah, he really was. That stupid paddleboat ride around Harmony Lake had shown me a side to the millionaire candy man I would have never assumed existed. Ryan snorted then lobbed a malted milk ball at me. It hit me in the forehead then fell onto the invoice for sanding belts on the desk. “What? He’s not.”

“Haider, you just said you wanted to kiss him.”

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