drips all over your birthday cupcake?” Kate chuckled.
Morgan decided denying her infatuation with Joe would be futile. Kate had been her best friend since grade school. The lucky bitch had referred the hunky craftsman and his crew of skilled friends in the peak of the summer heat—after she’d scored the crew’s foreman for herself.
No way could Kate miss Morgan’s similar craving.
The crew had taken on odd jobs, fixing up the crummy space in the strip mall that housed Morgan’s boutique in exchange for loads of the decadent goodies she whipped up. Damn, those guys could eat. She wondered if manual labor accounted for all of the voracious appetite they possessed. It had to take more than swinging a hammer to burn off those calories. Lord knew they found some way to stay fit and trim.
She’d baked Joe’s favorite today—a caramel apple tart. He deserved that and more for his considerate gesture. Two customers had already stopped in to say the colorful sign had caught their eye. Thanks to him, she’d sold out of brownies and cheesecake long before the after-work rush. Too bad she couldn’t generate the nerve to offer him something a little more sinful than her luscious dessert as a reward.
She’d considered it once or twice before, but she couldn’t stop drooling long enough to try. Always quick to flash his toned abs and rock solid biceps, Joe kept her off balance and lost in a haze of unvented desire. He’d become her favorite treat weeks ago. An instant addiction. Thoughts of him left her craving a taste—or more—of him in the dead of night.
She bit her lip when he reached for something along the roofline. From his perch on the ladder, his body rippled with strength.
“Damn, Kate. I don’t think the birthday fairy would sanction what I have in mind.” Morgan grimaced at the dopey grin on her friend’s face. Three months of blissful dating and wild nights with her boyfriend, Mike, had turned the woman into a ridiculous ball of giggles with a perma-smile. Worse were the googly eyes that emerged when the love of her life entered the room. Kate and Mike’s soul-deep bond was hell to be around.
Jealousy didn’t exactly flatter a girl.
“The big 3-0’s not until the weekend anyway.” Morgan pried her stare from Joe.
“I know but Mike and I will be out of town then, so it counts today. Besides, you’ll never know if you don’t try.” Kate squeezed Morgan’s hand. “Sometimes dreams come true. Believe me.”
Yep. There went that grin again. “Your face is going to stick like that if you’re not careful.”
Kate kept right on beaming.
Morgan swallowed hard then scrunched her eyes closed. She was tired of hoping Joe would ask her out. So she tried a new tactic instead.
I wish I had the courage to ask him on a date. It’s time to move on. Time to try again. I wish I could take a risk—be wild for once in my life.
When she blinked into the amber autumn light streaming through the window, Joe had vanished. A cosmic sign? Or had he needed some extra tool off his pickup?
“So… Was Joe the only guy involved in that wish or did some of the other hot construction workers we know feature in it too?”
Morgan’s mouth gaped open. More than Joe?
She never would have confessed to greed that titanic on her own, but Kate knew her better than anyone. Morgan had thought about it. A lot. The way the guys worked seamlessly together on projects made their bond impossible to ignore. When they’d crowded upstairs—in her tiny apartment over the bakery—for beer and cookies, they’d overflowed the cramped space with testosterone and something a bit more elusive.
7
Their camaraderie transcended their partnership. At least she thought it did. But she could have imagined the inside jokes, meaningful looks and secret smiles more common between lovers than friends.
The men’s intimacy could have been a figment of her overactive imagination but there was no mistaking their
Morgan decided denying her infatuation with Joe would be futile. Kate had been her best friend since grade school. The lucky bitch had referred the hunky craftsman and his crew of skilled friends in the peak of the summer heat—after she’d scored the crew’s foreman for herself.
No way could Kate miss Morgan’s similar craving.
The crew had taken on odd jobs, fixing up the crummy space in the strip mall that housed Morgan’s boutique in exchange for loads of the decadent goodies she whipped up. Damn, those guys could eat. She wondered if manual labor accounted for all of the voracious appetite they possessed. It had to take more than swinging a hammer to burn off those calories. Lord knew they found some way to stay fit and trim.
She’d baked Joe’s favorite today—a caramel apple tart. He deserved that and more for his considerate gesture. Two customers had already stopped in to say the colorful sign had caught their eye. Thanks to him, she’d sold out of brownies and cheesecake long before the after-work rush. Too bad she couldn’t generate the nerve to offer him something a little more sinful than her luscious dessert as a reward.
She’d considered it once or twice before, but she couldn’t stop drooling long enough to try. Always quick to flash his toned abs and rock solid biceps, Joe kept her off balance and lost in a haze of unvented desire. He’d become her favorite treat weeks ago. An instant addiction. Thoughts of him left her craving a taste—or more—of him in the dead of night.
She bit her lip when he reached for something along the roofline. From his perch on the ladder, his body rippled with strength.
“Damn, Kate. I don’t think the birthday fairy would sanction what I have in mind.” Morgan grimaced at the dopey grin on her friend’s face. Three months of blissful dating and wild nights with her boyfriend, Mike, had turned the woman into a ridiculous ball of giggles with a perma-smile. Worse were the googly eyes that emerged when the love of her life entered the room. Kate and Mike’s soul-deep bond was hell to be around.
Jealousy didn’t exactly flatter a girl.
“The big 3-0’s not until the weekend anyway.” Morgan pried her stare from Joe.
“I know but Mike and I will be out of town then, so it counts today. Besides, you’ll never know if you don’t try.” Kate squeezed Morgan’s hand. “Sometimes dreams come true. Believe me.”
Yep. There went that grin again. “Your face is going to stick like that if you’re not careful.”
Kate kept right on beaming.
Morgan swallowed hard then scrunched her eyes closed. She was tired of hoping Joe would ask her out. So she tried a new tactic instead.
I wish I had the courage to ask him on a date. It’s time to move on. Time to try again. I wish I could take a risk—be wild for once in my life.
When she blinked into the amber autumn light streaming through the window, Joe had vanished. A cosmic sign? Or had he needed some extra tool off his pickup?
“So… Was Joe the only guy involved in that wish or did some of the other hot construction workers we know feature in it too?”
Morgan’s mouth gaped open. More than Joe?
She never would have confessed to greed that titanic on her own, but Kate knew her better than anyone. Morgan had thought about it. A lot. The way the guys worked seamlessly together on projects made their bond impossible to ignore. When they’d crowded upstairs—in her tiny apartment over the bakery—for beer and cookies, they’d overflowed the cramped space with testosterone and something a bit more elusive.
7
Their camaraderie transcended their partnership. At least she thought it did. But she could have imagined the inside jokes, meaningful looks and secret smiles more common between lovers than friends.
The men’s intimacy could have been a figment of her overactive imagination but there was no mistaking their
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