contact.
"You can't," she told him. "We're—"
"Abby?" Rachel had pushed open the kitchen door. "Who is— Oh, Ethan. Hi!"
Ethan chuckled. "At least someone here is glad to see me," he told Abby in a quiet voice meant for her alone. "Hello, Rachel."
Rachel hurried toward them. She was wiping her hands on a dish towel she had flung over her shoulder. "What are you doing here?"
"I hope I'm getting to eat whatever that incredible smell is. What are you making in there?"
Rachel slid between Abby and the doorframe. "Cookies."
He remembered. "The Baldovino competition."
"Yeah. Making the cookies counts toward the apprentice hours I have to complete to qualify."
"Rachel." Abby put a hand on her sister's arm.
"Come on in," Rachel told Ethan. "I'll show you."
He grinned at Abby. "I can't remember when I've had a better offer." He trailed after Rachel.
Abby muttered something that sounded distinctly unladylike and slammed the door. Rachel was explaining her baking project in extensive detail. They entered the kitchen with Abby trudging behind. "This is LuAnne," Rachel announced. "LuAnne, this is Ethan Maddux."
Ethan didn't miss the looks that passed between the blue-haired woman and Abby. They'd discussed him, and probably discussed his last conversation with Abby as well. He couldn't suppress a knowing smile.
"Nice to meet you," LuAnne said.
"He's not staying," Abby declared.
"Are you kidding?" he said smoothly. He glanced around the kitchen to see piles of baking ingredients filling every open space. "Why would I leave?"
Rachel beamed at him. Abby looked like she wanted to kick his shins. "If you want to stay," Rachel said, "you have to help."
"No one samples unless they help," LuAnne told him. "I gave up trying to get away with it years ago."
Ethan unbuttoned the cuffs of his denim shirt and started rolling back the sleeves. "Fair enough." He looked at Rachel. "What do I do?"
Rachel pointed to a stack of egg cartons. "Separate eggs and yolks."
His expression turned blank. LuAnne shot Abby another look and said smoothly, "Abby'll show you how."
They spent the next two hours elbow-deep in baking ingredients. Ethan couldn't remember the last time he'd enjoyed himself more. Until he'd tried it with Abby, he had no idea baking could be so erotic. She'd glowered at LuAnne, but had shown him the trick of separating eggs. He'd taken the opportunity to put his hands over hers where she held the eggshells. She'd given him a slightly chastising glance that reminded him of his third-grade teacher. "I asked you for a favor," she said in a low whisper, "not to invade my life."
"I'm a corporate raider. Invading is what I do best."
She'd rolled her eyes, but he didn't think he'd imagined the way her fingers trembled beneath his.
As the night progressed, he took every opportunity to touch her. He came up behind her while she was layering a sheet of filo dough with butter. He placed one hand on her shoulder and leaned forward in seemingly innocent curiosity. "What is that?" he asked, moving his thumb to her nape.
Abby tensed but didn't move away. "It's filo dough," Rachel told him from across the room. "Abby is buttering it so we can use it for pastry puffs."
He pressed his lips close to Abby's ear. "What do you have to do with it to make it into a pastry puff?"
"You slice it with a very sharp knife into extremely tiny pieces."
He swept his thumb over the bare skin beneath her ponytail. "Is it sweet enough to eat?"
Her color heightened to a delightful shade of deep pink. "Not until it's stuffed."
He touched the shell of her ear. "I'm getting tired of waiting."
LuAnne coughed and pushed him slightly aside. "Er, sorry, I need the eggs."
"No problem." Ethan lowered his hand and rested against the counter.
LuAnne retrieved the mixing bowl full of egg yolks and gave Abby her attention. "You holding up all right, Ab? You look a little flushed."
Abby slapped another slab of butter on the dough. "I'm fine."
Rachel checked
"You can't," she told him. "We're—"
"Abby?" Rachel had pushed open the kitchen door. "Who is— Oh, Ethan. Hi!"
Ethan chuckled. "At least someone here is glad to see me," he told Abby in a quiet voice meant for her alone. "Hello, Rachel."
Rachel hurried toward them. She was wiping her hands on a dish towel she had flung over her shoulder. "What are you doing here?"
"I hope I'm getting to eat whatever that incredible smell is. What are you making in there?"
Rachel slid between Abby and the doorframe. "Cookies."
He remembered. "The Baldovino competition."
"Yeah. Making the cookies counts toward the apprentice hours I have to complete to qualify."
"Rachel." Abby put a hand on her sister's arm.
"Come on in," Rachel told Ethan. "I'll show you."
He grinned at Abby. "I can't remember when I've had a better offer." He trailed after Rachel.
Abby muttered something that sounded distinctly unladylike and slammed the door. Rachel was explaining her baking project in extensive detail. They entered the kitchen with Abby trudging behind. "This is LuAnne," Rachel announced. "LuAnne, this is Ethan Maddux."
Ethan didn't miss the looks that passed between the blue-haired woman and Abby. They'd discussed him, and probably discussed his last conversation with Abby as well. He couldn't suppress a knowing smile.
"Nice to meet you," LuAnne said.
"He's not staying," Abby declared.
"Are you kidding?" he said smoothly. He glanced around the kitchen to see piles of baking ingredients filling every open space. "Why would I leave?"
Rachel beamed at him. Abby looked like she wanted to kick his shins. "If you want to stay," Rachel said, "you have to help."
"No one samples unless they help," LuAnne told him. "I gave up trying to get away with it years ago."
Ethan unbuttoned the cuffs of his denim shirt and started rolling back the sleeves. "Fair enough." He looked at Rachel. "What do I do?"
Rachel pointed to a stack of egg cartons. "Separate eggs and yolks."
His expression turned blank. LuAnne shot Abby another look and said smoothly, "Abby'll show you how."
They spent the next two hours elbow-deep in baking ingredients. Ethan couldn't remember the last time he'd enjoyed himself more. Until he'd tried it with Abby, he had no idea baking could be so erotic. She'd glowered at LuAnne, but had shown him the trick of separating eggs. He'd taken the opportunity to put his hands over hers where she held the eggshells. She'd given him a slightly chastising glance that reminded him of his third-grade teacher. "I asked you for a favor," she said in a low whisper, "not to invade my life."
"I'm a corporate raider. Invading is what I do best."
She'd rolled her eyes, but he didn't think he'd imagined the way her fingers trembled beneath his.
As the night progressed, he took every opportunity to touch her. He came up behind her while she was layering a sheet of filo dough with butter. He placed one hand on her shoulder and leaned forward in seemingly innocent curiosity. "What is that?" he asked, moving his thumb to her nape.
Abby tensed but didn't move away. "It's filo dough," Rachel told him from across the room. "Abby is buttering it so we can use it for pastry puffs."
He pressed his lips close to Abby's ear. "What do you have to do with it to make it into a pastry puff?"
"You slice it with a very sharp knife into extremely tiny pieces."
He swept his thumb over the bare skin beneath her ponytail. "Is it sweet enough to eat?"
Her color heightened to a delightful shade of deep pink. "Not until it's stuffed."
He touched the shell of her ear. "I'm getting tired of waiting."
LuAnne coughed and pushed him slightly aside. "Er, sorry, I need the eggs."
"No problem." Ethan lowered his hand and rested against the counter.
LuAnne retrieved the mixing bowl full of egg yolks and gave Abby her attention. "You holding up all right, Ab? You look a little flushed."
Abby slapped another slab of butter on the dough. "I'm fine."
Rachel checked
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