Page 20 of The Marriage Bid
She tapped on her computer screen. “Would that be all?”
“And a cappuccino. On the go.” I had planned on eating here, but I was no longer staying longer than necessary. I took out my card and handed it to her, and just as she swiped my card, my worst fear came true. Coming out of a door marked ‘staff only,’ Tyler came into the bakery. I might have avoided him if he hadn’t immediately turned in my direction and met my gaze with his.
Chapter 11
Saffron
The minute Tyler Hawthorne saw me, he marched over to where I was standing, grabbed my hand, and practically dragged me to a table in the back corner of the bakery, to the surprise of his sister. “What are you doing here?” Even though he sat on a chair opposite me, he still locked his vice grip around my hand. If a passerby didn’t see him manhandle me here, a slight glance might have them assume we were lovers, the way our hands clasped across the table.
I wriggled my arm to futile results. “Let go of me.”
“Are you stalking me now? Is that it?”
I fought the urge to roll my eyes. “Let go of me!” I pulled my hand at the same time he released it, making me jerk back.
“How did you find me?”
“People are allowed to walk into bakeries and buy things. Last I checked, this is a public place.” I crossed my arms. “Trust me, you’re not the center of my world.” And if I had known your sister owned this place, I wouldn’t have come here.
He scoffed. “Yeah, right.”
“Believe whatever you want to believe.”
Tyler glared at me. It was obvious he thought the reason I was here was because of him. Which was rich considering Iwanted nothing to do with him. “Is that why you came so late?” he continued. “Or were you here the entire time?”
“You’ve taken crazy pills. All I did was walk into a bakery and order food!”
He glared at me. His jaw was ticking, assessing me as though he was deciding what to do with me. I glanced at the door. It was farther away than where we were. I could dash for the exit and leave this insane man alone. But I had a feeling he would follow me and make an even more embarrassing scene if he blocked my exit. Before I could decide on my next course of action, Ivy came carrying a tray with my order.
“A croiclair and a cappuccino to go.” She placed the tray on the table, startling Tyler, who had not seen his sister coming.
“Thanks,” I mumbled, expecting her to leave, but she remained standing, her glimmering expectant gaze on her brother.
Tyler seemed to have a delayed reaction to her presence, and after a while, he said, “What do you want?” Like a brother irritated by a little sister.
His caustic attitude did not bother her. In fact, she smiled brightly and said, “I’ve never seen one of your girlfriends before.”
Tyler rolled his eyes. “She’s not my girlfriend; she’s a business partner.”
“Oh. I thought—oh. Well? Are you going to introduce me?”
Tyler gave her a tight smile. “Ivy, this is Saffron Channing, our interior decorator. Saffron, this is Ivy, my sister.” The words sounded as though they were being pulled from his teeth.
Ivy got the hint that he didn’t want her around and said her goodbyes. After she left, I said, “Business partner? Does anyone in your family know we’re married?”
“No,” he said curtly. “You’re a dirty little secret, and I intend to keep it that way.”
“Fine. Will you let me go? I don’t think you want your sister to suspect something going on between us. Who knows, I might go over to her and tell her we’re married.”
“Try that, and you can say goodbye to our business deal.”
He was serious. That was obvious. I raised my hands in surrender. The rich and earthy smell of coffee wafted into my nostrils, inviting me to taste it. The croiclair in the little windowed box looked delicious as well. I picked up the coffee and took a sip. The hot drink went down my throat smooth and creamy. Holy fuck. It’s going to suck not having to come here anymore. I opened the croiclair box and pulled apart the pastry, flakes and cream dropping into the box. The pastry broke down smoothly in my mouth; notes of custard, fresh cream, and croissant pastry danced on my palate. Gosh, this was good. No wonder this place was full. My eyes closed as I devoured the rest of the croiclair, and when I opened my eyes, Tyler’s gaze was on my mouth, his eyes cloudy with… desire?
No way. Obviously, I was misconstruing his emotions. If there was any desire in his eyes, it was a desire to kill me. It was unnerving still and made me feel exposed. I closed the box, grabbed the coffee, and stood up. Tyler got up as well.
“See you tomorrow, champ,” I said.
I thought he was going to follow me, drop a threat in my ear before I got out of the door, but he didn’t. Although I felt his gaze on me until I left the patisserie.
