Sweet Spot

An Ellora’s Cave Romantica Publication

www.ellorascave.com

Sweet Spot ISBN 9781419922084 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Sweet Spot Copyright © 2009 Jenna Reynolds Edited by Briana St. James Cover art by Syneca Electronic book Publication July 2009 The terms Romantica® and Quickies® are registered trademarks of Ellora’s Cave Publishing. With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502. Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/). Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted material. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated. This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.

SWEET SPOT

Jenna Reynolds

Dedication Dedicated to my family, who always supported me in my desire to write, and to Joely Sue Burkhart, who is a generous lady with a big heart and talent to match.

Acknowledgements I would like to acknowledge the support of the wonderful members of the Madison Chapter of the Wisconsin Romance Writers of America. Thanks, ladies and gents!

Trademarks Acknowledgement The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction: Chateau Mouton Rothschild: Baron Philippe De Rothschild S.A. Corporation Fortune 500: Time Inc. GQ: Advance Magazine Publishers Inc. Harry Potter: Warner Bros Entertainment, Inc. Willy Wonka: Warner Bros Entertainment, Inc.

Sweet Spot

Chapter One Alice Parker smiled with relief as the women in the living room squealed when she opened the box containing her latest confectionary creations. “You made them! Oh I was hoping you would.” Laurel Westcott, the bachelorette party’s guest of honor, clapped her hands with glee. Then, reaching over, she lifted one of the penis-shaped chocolates out of the box. “Yum! Chocolate dildoes.” She peered into the box. “And there’s one for each of us!” The women all laughed. “I don’t think they’d make very good sex toys,” Alice said as she also laughed. “I’m sure if you tried to use one that way it would quickly melt. So you wouldn’t get much pleasure from it.” Laurel grinned, her bright blue eyes glittering. “Speak for yourself, Alice.” She turned to the other women as she lovingly caressed the long, dick-shaped candy, bits of the melting chocolate already dotting her fingertips. “Push this up inside you while it’s still nice and hard. And then,” she smiled wickedly, “when it’s all hot and melted and gooey, spread your legs, crook your finger at your honey-bunny and say, come on, baby, dive right in. Dessert is served.” The women, most of them Laurel’s friends from the community college she attended, all clapped, whooped and hollered. As the other women quickly grabbed their own penis-shaped chocolates, Alice made a mental note to add erotic candy to the stock at her store. She’d been afraid of the reactions to her new kind of candy but judging from the women’s responses, most of them already licking or earnestly sucking the cock-shaped chocolates, it could prove quite popular.

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“And there’s more,” Alice announced. She passed around a plastic bag inside of which were penis-shaped lollipops. “Whoo-hoo,” Laurel cried. “These are great! Did you make these too, Alice?” Alice nodded and smiled. “Cool! I just gotta show these to Mom.” Laurel jumped up from the floor and ran into the kitchen where her mother was. Just as she did, the doorbell rang. “I’ll get it,” Alice cried. She left the rest of the women still playing with the chocolate cocks and penis pops, one of which she had unwrapped and stuck in her mouth. It was strawberry, her favorite flavor, so she sucked it lustily, imagining it was some man’s hot, thick cock. She opened the door. A tall, handsome, dark-haired man stood outside. Alice smiled. Millie, Laurel’s mother, had said she was going to hire a male stripper for the party. He was supposed to arrive around 7:30. It was just a few minutes shy. “Great. You’re just in time,” Alice said, stepping back to let him in. The man stared at her. She stared back not only because he was gorgeous with his thick, dark hair and chiseled features but he also had the most amazing eyes. Green, with the longest, thickest lashes Alice had ever seen on a man. He frowned. “In time?” She sucked on her penis pop as she looked him up and down. Yes, quite gorgeous and very hot. She let herself imagine what his body looked like under his fashionably tailored jacket and pants. Wide shoulders. Slim hips. Flat abs. Cute butt. Although, she had to admit, his attire was not the kind of costume she would have expected a male stripper to wear. Cop. Cowboy. Biker. Those she would have expected. He looked more like an executive for a Fortune 500 company.

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She mentally shrugged. Maybe it was his specialty. Dressing like a model out of the pages of GQ. And it really didn’t matter what he was wearing. He wasn’t going to be in those clothes for long. “Come in. And trust me, they’re all hot and ready for you.” She took him by the arm as she continued to suck on her penis pop. “Ready for me?” he said as she steered him down the hall toward the living room. “Look, I’m afraid I don’t understand what—” But Alice was unable to hear the rest of what he said for as soon as she appeared at the entrance to the living room with him, a woman started shouting. “The stripper’s here! And he’s hot. Yeah, baby! Take it off!” That woman’s cry was quickly taken up by the others, who all began chanting. “Take it off! Take it off! Take it off!” It was all Alice could do to keep them from tearing the poor man’s clothes off. “Will you let him do his show first?” She laughed as she batted the women’s covetous hands away from him. He was saying something but Alice couldn’t hear him over the women’s loud, lusty chants. As she leaned closer to him, she caught not only the scent of what smelled like very expensive cologne but she also was deliciously aware of the warmth of his body. And, unexpectedly but not surprisingly, it caused a steamy, lush feeling to flower deep in her pussy. “What’s that you said?” She tried to shout over the noise. He lowered his head close to hers, his lips brushing her ear, which caused another sweet quivering deep inside. “I said that I’m not—” “Uncle Edward. What are you doing here?” Alice turned to where Laurel stood in front of the door to the kitchen. She was holding a tray of cheese and crackers, her blue eyes wide. 7

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At Laurel’s words, the women stopped their wild chanting and the silence, as a result, was deafening. Millie, Laurel’s mother, who had been in the kitchen, moved past her daughter and into the living room. “Edward.” She frowned. “You’re early. You weren’t supposed to get here until Thursday.” The man Alice now knew as Edward went over to Millie. The women watched them silently, their eyes flicking back and forth between the two. “Millicent,” he said. “It’s good to see you.” Millie’s frown deepened. “What are you doing here, Edward?” “I’m here because I wanted to speak to you and Laurel.” He glanced around the living room at the other women, some of whom had chocolate smeared on their lips as a result of their having already eaten their chocolate cocks. A few of them were sucking on their penis pops. Edward’s eyes narrowed. He turned back to Millie. “I wanted to speak to you about the…wedding.” “Everyone,” Millie said. “This is my brother. Edward Larkin.” The way Millie’s voice bore down on her brother’s name, there was no mistaking the displeasure in her voice. The women murmured either hi or hello, their enthusiasm dampened by the obvious tension between Millie and her brother. Edward inclined his head but said nothing in response. Well, that at least explained why he was dressed the way he was, Alice thought. She doubted Millie would have hired her own brother to strip at her daughter’s bachelorette party. “And you’ve met Alice,” Millie went on. Edward looked at her. “Yes,” he said, his voice clipped. “We’ve met.” 8

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“Sorry about the misunderstanding.” Alice smiled. “I thought you were the stripper.” She shrugged. “An honest mistake.” Edward cocked a dark eyebrow at her. “Hardly.” Alice’s cheeks burned. “And what’s that supposed to mean?” “Do I look like a stripper?” he asked, his eyes cold. “Yes,” she snapped. “As a matter of fact you do.” Some of the women giggled but they stopped when Edward flashed a look of annoyance at them. “No reason to get your boxers or briefs in a bunch.” She smiled again, hoping to warm that frosty exterior of his. “Personally, I think you should be flattered to know all these women wanted you to take your clothes off for them.” “Well, I’m not,” he replied coolly. “Uncle Edward’s a dentist,” Laurel said. From the look in Laurel’s eyes as she gazed at him it was clear to Alice that she adored her uncle. “Actually,” Edward said, “I’m an orthodontist.” “I’m still waiting to hear why you’re here, Edward,” Millie said. “Last I checked today is Saturday. Not Thursday.” “I told you. I arrived early in order to speak with you and Laurel. About this…this wedding.” “You are coming, aren’t you, Uncle Edward?” Fear shadowed Laurel’s bright blue eyes. Edward cleared his throat. “Yes, well, that’s what I wanted to talk to you and your mother about. You see, Laurel, I think it’s rather—” Millie quickly grabbed the tray Laurel was holding and set it on the coffee table. “Eat up, ladies.”

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Then she turned back to Edward. She took him by the arm and steered him into the kitchen. Laurel was about to follow her mother but Millie told her to stay with her guests. While the women eagerly dived into the cheese and crackers and chatted among themselves—probably about Edward, Alice suspected—she went to where Laurel stood, her gaze fixed on the door through which her mother and uncle had gone. “So that’s your uncle,” Alice said. “I didn’t even know you had one.” Laurel turned and looked at her. “Yeah. He’s Mom’s younger brother.” She sighed. “But they don’t get along.” “Really? Why?” “Mom says he’s a stuck-up, self-righteous, holier-than-thou asshole.” “But you don’t think he is. An asshole, I mean,” Alice said. Laurel shrugged. “He’s just Uncle Edward. When he does visit, he and Mom avoid each other like the plague. Put the two of them in a room and you’ve got World War III.” She glanced anxiously at the door that led to the kitchen. “Sorry to hear that,” Alice said. Laurel shrugged again. “It’s no biggie. I just think it’s silly the way the two of them act. I mean, geez, they’re not kids anymore.” Alice went over to where the bag of penis pops lay on the couch. She took one out, unwrapped it and began sucking on it. “Is he married?” She hoped the question sounded like she didn’t really care if he was or not. “He was. But Mom said his wife quickly saw the light. That she realized that stick up his ass was a permanent feature of his anatomy. Mom’s words. Not mine. He was only married for about a year.” “How long ago was that?” “About five years ago.” “Is he really that bad?” Alice asked. 10

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“Well, he is kinda old school.” “Old school?” “That’s what Mom calls him. She says he acts like he’s older than her when he’s actually younger.” Laurel sucked hard on her penis pop. “I don’t have a problem with him being the way he is but Mom sure does. Makes me glad she didn’t have any other kids.” Alice frowned. “Why?” “Because I wouldn’t want to be arguing all the time with my brother or sister.” “Not all brothers and sisters argue, Laurel.” Laurel gave Alice a skeptical look. Then her expression changed to one of distress as raised voices began to sift from behind the kitchen door. “She’s not your daughter, Edward!” “But she is my niece and I can’t believe you’re going to go through with this charade of a wedding. Stoney Cheeks! For Pete’s sake, Millicent! What kind of a name is Stoney Cheeks?” “It’s a name. Like anyone else’s,” Millie shouted. Laurel’s face reddened. Stoney Cheeks was her fiancé’s name. The doorbell rang again. Alice grabbed Laurel’s hand, which, she noticed, was moist. She pulled the younger woman with her toward the front door. “I bet that’s the real stripper,” Alice said. Laurel, who kept glancing back toward the kitchen, only nodded. Alice opened the door. A blond man dressed like a cop stood on the step. “This the Westcott residence?” he asked. “Yes it is,” Alice said. She grabbed his arm, pulled him inside and closed the door behind him. She noticed he had a CD player in one hand.

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Laurel gave the stripper a long, appreciative look. Alice also inspected him. He wasn’t bad. A bit short for her taste and she wasn’t into blonds. But his cop costume fit his lean, muscular body like a second skin. He even had a pair of handcuffs hanging from the belt around his waist. “And what’s your name?” Laurel asked coyly. He winked. “Troy. What’s yours, sweet thing?” She gave him a slow, seductive smile. “Laurel.” Alice relaxed. One thing about Laurel was that once an attractive man crossed her radar, she pretty much forgot everything. Even, apparently, her mother and uncle’s quarrel. “It’s that way,” Alice said, pointing down the hall The stripper went down the hall, Laurel in tow. Once the two reached the living room, the whooping and hollering started up again. Alice heard the pulse of a rap song and the women once again began chanting. “Take it off! Take it off!” Laurel’s voice was the loudest. Now that Laurel was suitably diverted, Alice went down another hall that led past the guest bathroom and into the kitchen. Edward and Millie were standing on opposite sides of the room, both with their arms crossed, both glaring at the other. “The stripper’s here,” Alice announced. Millie and Edward turned to look at her. “Is that what all that racket is?” Edward asked. He looked back at Millie. “I can’t believe you hired a stripper to perform in front of your own daughter.” “She’s not nine, Edward,” Millie shot back. “She’s nineteen!” “And too young to be getting married. And to a comic-book artist.” Alice took a step forward. “Graphic novel.” 12

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Edward shot her a dark look. “What?” “He’s an artist for graphic novels. Not comic books.” Edward stared at her as if she had grown another head. “Look, maybe this isn’t the best time for this discussion,” Alice said, recalling the stricken look on Laurel’s face as she had listened to her mother and uncle argue. “It is, after all, Laurel’s bachelorette party.” “And maybe this isn’t any of your affair,” Edward said. “It’s family business.” Alice saw that Millie was about to fire a verbal salvo at her brother. Alice didn’t give her the chance. She could fight her own battles, thank you very much. She walked over until she was standing just in front of Edward. “Millie and Laurel are my friends. Now maybe that doesn’t mean much in your book. But in my book it makes them practically my blood.” Edward stared down at her for a long moment. So long, in fact, that if it weren’t for the obvious annoyance in his eyes, she would think he was…well, checking her out, for lack of a better phrase. He finally looked away from her and over at his sister. “Perhaps you’re right. Maybe this isn’t the right time.” “Perhaps I’m right?” Millie retorted, her voice dripping with derision. Edward frowned at her. “I’m staying at the Hilton.” Millie lifted an eyebrow as if to say, so what. Edward cleared his throat. “You can contact me there when you feel like talking. Or call me on my cell phone.” “You’ll be waiting a long time then,” Millie replied. “Laurel invited you to the wedding against my better judgment. However, if you’re just here to make trouble, I suggest you head back to Chicago.” He shook his head. “I’m not going anywhere. Not until this is resolved. Not until I’ve stopped you and Laurel from making a big mistake.” 13

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He glanced at Alice. Then he left the kitchen, using the hallway that avoided the living room, where the women were screaming, the music was blasting and the stripper was stripping. Millie let out a long, theatrical sigh. “Great. Just great.” “Anything I can do?” Alice asked as she leaned against the counter. Millie looked at her. “You can kill my brother.” “You don’t mean that.” Millie sighed again. “No, I don’t. But oh! He drives me crazy sometimes. No, that’s not true. He drives me crazy all the time.” “I didn’t even know you had a brother.” Millie picked up a glass of wine. She drank it then set it down. “I try to forget I do.” “Laurel said he was younger than you.” Millie nodded. “Seven years younger. The prick.” “He can’t be that bad.” “Trust me. He is.” She gave Alice a speculative look. “You think he’s hot, don’t you?” Alice shrugged. “Yeah. Kinda.” “Don’t feel guilty. He is good-looking. He’s always been good-looking. Even when he was a snot-nosed baby.” Millie took another sip of her wine. “But he’s also a firstclass, prime-rate, dyed in the wool asshole. It’s my parents’ fault. My mother—God rest her soul—spoiled him rotten. And as for my father—” Millie shook her head. “The less said about him the better.” She narrowed her eyes. “Edward arrived early for one reason and one reason only.” “And that is?” “To stop Laurel’s wedding to Stoney.” “But why would he do that?”

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“Because he thinks I’m a poor excuse for a mother. He’s never approved of the way I reared Laurel.” “Laurel’s a great kid. And you’re a wonderful mother.” “Not according to Saint Edward. He should have kids of his own. Leave me to mine. You want to know why he doesn’t have any kids of his own? Why he isn’t married?” “Alice did say something about a wife—” “Because he’s a jerk, that’s why,” Millie angrily interrupted. “Oh yeah, he’s goodlooking and, yes, he’s well-off. He’s a damn orthodontist and all his patients are wealthy enough that he has no qualms about charging them an arm and a leg for their perfect, white teeth.” She snorted. “Trust me, though. When a woman finally gets to know him, she finds out soon enough.” Millie gestured with one hand at her butt. “Biggest stick up the ass you could ever imagine. That’s what happened with his wife. That’s why she left him.” Alice laughed. “Come on, Millie. You’re exaggerating. He can’t be that bad.” Millie sighed as she sipped her drink. “No, he’s not. Every year he and a bunch of other doctors travel to a foreign country to offer their services for free. In addition to making rich people’s teeth perfect, Edward also specializes in treating children with cleft lips or palates. If it weren’t for him, a lot of poor kids would have grown up with no chance of ever having a normal mouth.” That was interesting, Alice thought. And unexpected. Her assessment of Mr. Larkin went up a notch. “And, well…” Mille stopped. “Well what?” Millie sighed. “His ex-wife told tell me before their divorce that there was one thing about Edward she was going to miss.” “What was that?”

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“She said he was the best lover she’d ever had.” Alice’s eyes widened. “Really?” Millie nodded. “Said it was the only thing she regretted about the divorce. How good Edward was in bed.” She shrugged. “But you can’t spend an entire marriage in bed. No matter how great the sex is.” “Good in what way?” Millie rolled her eyes. “I don’t know. He’s my brother, for Pete’s sake. Do you think I asked her for all the gory details?” Then she gave Alice a sharp look. “You wanna fuck him? Don’t you?” Alice looked away. Millie’s keen-eyed stare made her uneasy. Yes, she did want to fuck Edward, though only the good Lord knew why. Maybe she saw him as a challenge. And if there was one thing Alice loved, it was a challenge. Especially when it came to pretentious men. And if, as Mille said, he was supposed to be great in the sack, well, that was an added incentive. Millie shrugged. “You’re both grown. What happens between you is your business.” She shook a finger at Alice. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you about him. And there’s no way I’m going to let him ruin this wedding. No way in hell.” Alice patted Millie’s arm. “Hey, I’m with you. We both know Laurel and Stoney love each other.” Millie nodded, but her eyes were still hot. “Come on,” Alice said, taking her friend by the arm and pulling her toward the living room. “The stripper should be down to his thong by now.” Millie stared at Alice then flashed a big smile. “You’re right. Let’s forget about my asshole of a brother and have some fun.” “That’s the spirit,” Alice replied, returning Millie’s smile. However, as she and Millie went into the living room, where, just as she had predicted, the blond stripper was down to his bright blue thong, his tightly muscled ass

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cheeks jiggling as he shook his hips, Alice knew she had no intention of forgetting about Edward Larkin anytime soon.

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Chapter Two Edward eased his rented Lexus through the snarled downtown traffic. Sitting next to him in the passenger’s seat, Laurel paged through a magazine she’d picked up at the mall. He was dismayed to see it was one of those thick, glossy bridal magazines. “Look, Uncle Edward,” she said brightly as she showed him a photo in the magazine. “Isn’t it simply heavenly?” Edward glanced at the picture. All he saw was something that looked vaguely like an exploding swan. White, feathery and huge. In the midst of that downy explosion, a woman’s face serenely floated, a bland expression on her pale face. He looked back at traffic. “Umm, yes, that’s…um…nice,” he muttered. Laurel had called him early that morning. Her car was in the shop, Mom was at work so she had wondered if he wouldn’t mind driving her to mall. She wanted to return a pair of shoes she had purchased for the wedding. Edward had nothing scheduled for the day. Millicent, by refusing to return his calls, had thwarted his plan to corner her and talk some sense into her about the wedding. So in spite of the fact that he didn’t want to do anything to encourage what he considered his niece’s ill-advised nuptials, he drove to his sister’s house and picked Laurel up. When he asked Laurel where her fiancé was, she told him Stoney was up north with his brother and their buddies at their family cabin, celebrating his last days as a free man. Edward had no idea what that entailed, but he imagined a group of half-naked men, smeared with the blood of some animal they’d shot, dancing drunkenly around a huge fire while they beat their chests.

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“Uncle Edward?” “Yes.” He made a left turn, narrowly avoiding a car that had been a little too eager to beat the light. “Would you do me a favor?” Edward looked at Laurel. She was gazing at him with those big, blue eyes of hers. Granted, he knew she was nineteen and certainly no child and yet he couldn’t help seeing his four-year old niece with her gap-toothed grin and round, impish face. “Sure, hon. What is it?” Laurel’s face brightened. “Would you give me away at the wedding?” “What?” At the shocked look on his face her smile faded. “Dad isn’t going to be able to make it. He’s in China.” Laurel’s father was one of a half-dozen vice presidents for some company that manufactured some sort of thingamabob. Turbines? Rivets? Microchips? Edward couldn’t remember. Millicent had divorced her husband a year after Laurel was born, claiming he cared more about—in her words—his stupid-ass job than he did his wife and baby daughter. Edward couldn’t even remember the last time he’d seen Laurel’s father. Millicent had shared joint custody with him. But by the time Laurel had turned three he’d given sole custody to Millicent and rarely, if ever, saw his daughter. “Well, Laurel, I’d be more than happy to do it but—” Laurel leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Thanks, Uncle Edward. Mom was going to ask this guy she’s been dating to do it. Craig is nice and all. Even if he’s got that weird mustache. But he’s not family. You know?” Edward cleared his throat. Laurel had more than likely heard him and Millicent arguing last night. But apparently she was assuming that since he had agreed to take her shopping for the wedding, everything was now all right.

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But it wasn’t. And he was too much of a coward, he realized, to confront her directly regarding his misgivings about the wedding. His hope was that he could first convince his sister how wrong the marriage was and then have her talk Laurel out of it. Laurel slipped her arm around his and leaned against him. “And who better to give me away than my own Uncle Edward. My favorite uncle in all the world.” A smile curled Edward’s lips. “Munchkin, I’m your only uncle.” Laurel dimpled at him. “I know.” Her smile deepened. “You called me Munchkin. I thought you had forgot.” Edward had started calling Laurel Munchkin when she turned six. At her birthday party that year, all the kids had watched The Wizard of Oz and for weeks afterward Laurel had sang the Munchkin song every chance she got. He returned her smile. “Nope, I haven’t forgotten. I swear, I can still hear that silly song in my head.” A mischievous look appeared in Laurel’s eyes. Then she burst into a rousing chorus of the song the Munchkins from the Lollipop Guild had sung. When she was done, Edward made a face as if he had just tasted something awful. Laurel laughed and punched him in the shoulder. “You know you liked it. Hey, that reminds me of something.” “What’s that?” “Make a right here, Uncle Edward,” Laurel cried. She pointed frantically out the window. “Quick.” “What? Here?” Edward looked toward the right. “Why?” “Hurry! You’re going to miss it.” Edward quickly executed a sharp right turn. Someone blared their car horn. Once he was on the street Laurel had been pointing wildly at, he looked at her. “Okay, would you mind telling me what’s so important I risked getting us both killed?”

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“I need to stop at The Sweet Spot. I want to order candy trays for the wedding.” “Candy trays? What are candy trays?” Laurel gave him a dry look. “They’re kinda self-explanatory, Uncle Edward. My friend, Tiara, when she got married had a whole table full of candy trays at her reception! They were so yummy.” Edward did not like the sound of that. Laurel was a candy addict. She had been one from the time she’d been weaned from the bottle. When he had still lived here, before moving to Chicago, he had warned Millicent about the dangers of letting Laurel eat so much candy but his sister had blithely ignored him. As always. “And what’s The Sweet Spot?” “Alice’s store,” Laurel replied. “Alice?” “You met her last night. At my bachelorette party.” Edward frowned. The woman who had mistaken him for a male stripper. The woman who had, apparently, made that inappropriate candy and the woman who, for some reason, he’d had a rather erotic dream about last night. “Turn here!” Laurel shouted. Edward executed another sharp right. He entered the parking lot of one those retail-condo complexes that were becoming the rage of twenty-first century urban planning. “Keep going,” she instructed him. “It’s just there. At the end.” Edward followed Laurel’s directions. He stopped the car in front of a shop that had the words The Sweet Spot emblazoned in gold lettering on the huge plate-glass window. He was about to tell Laurel that a candy tray wasn’t, in his opinion, a good idea but she had already unbuckled her seatbelt, opened the door and was making a beeline for the store’s entrance. He sighed and followed her into the store. 21

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Upon entering, because it was such a bright, sunny day, he had to wait a moment for his eyesight to adjust. Once he was able to see clearly, he saw Laurel near the back of the store hugging Alice. As he made his way toward them, he noted every aisle and every shelf space were filled with jars, trays and boxes full of candy. Edward was not much of a candy eater. Actually, he pretty much avoided any kind of sweets. He would not have been surprised to learn that just about every kind of candy imaginable was inside the store. Bright posters bursting with primary school colors lined the walls. Banners twirling on strings that hung from the ceiling heralded the latest confectionary offerings. Edward couldn’t help thinking of that Gene Wilder movie about the candy factory or that candy store in the Harry Potter movie, which Harry and his friends liked to visit. Such movies were not his usual fare. In truth, he preferred documentaries. But he had, against his better judgment, given Laurel a copy of the Willy Wonka movie for her thirteenth birthday. And he had dutifully sat with her as she happily watched it. As for Harry Potter, he’d once dated a woman who was a fan of the books. She had pleaded with him to go to one of the movie versions. Soon after, she had broken up with him. Edward supposed it had something to do with the fact that, as they were leaving the theater, when she had suggested he read the book, he’d said something to the effect that he’d rather watch fungus grow. Soon after she had called him and told him it was over. “Hey, there.” Edward looked over and saw Alice, who was staring at him with a wide smile on her face. Laurel stood next to Alice, her bright blue eyes darting between them. “Hello,” he replied as he went over to them. She wore a butter-yellow halter-top that complimented her honey-colored skin and accentuated her round, firm breasts. She had pulled her light-brown hair back into a ponytail. An apron, stained with what looked like chocolate and food coloring, was tied around her slim waist. She wore a pair of faded blue jeans under the apron. 22

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“Laurel says you’re going to give her away at the wedding.” “Yes, I did but…” Edward cleared his throat and the guilt he had felt at agreeing to Laurel’s request washed over him again. “That’s very sweet of you,” Alice said warmly. “Laurel was so worried Craig would wind up doing it.” “Craig,” Edward said. “Millicent’s boyfriend.” Alice nodded. “He’s a nice guy except for the—” “Weird mustache,” Edward finished. Alice laughed. “Yes, except for that.” She looked at Laurel. “Honey, why don’t you go on over to the counter? Sara can show you the brochure we have for the candy buffet.” Laurel hesitated for a moment. Then a knowing look appeared on her face. She giggled, nudged Alice in the side and then, with a backward glance at Edward, went over to the counter. “What was that all about?” he asked. Alice grinned. “I think she thinks I’m trying to get into your pants.” Edward felt a sudden tightening in his groin. “And are you?” Alice tilted her head. “That depends.” “On what?” She glanced at his crotch, stared for a moment then slowly drew her eyes up to his face. “Whether they’re worth getting into.” Edward wasn’t sure how to respond to that. She probably expected him to say something flirtatious in response. Perhaps even brag about his sexual prowess. Wriggle his eyebrow up and down in a provocative manner and grin invitingly at her. Well, if that was what she was hoping, she was barking up the wrong tree. He had no intention on getting romantically, sexually or casually involved with anyone. He was here to stop this foolish wedding and that was all. 23

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Although, even as he thought that, he couldn’t help noticing how Alice’s breasts filled out her halter-top, how he could see the smooth roundness of them swelling up and how her nipples were jutting firmly against the fabric. He quickly drew his eyes away from those luscious-looking nipples and saw, much to his chagrin, that she had been watching him staring at her breasts. He swallowed thickly and gestured at her apron. “What were you doing? Cooking?” “I got a kitchen out back. Wanna see?” Edward glanced at the counter. Laurel’s blonde head was bent over what looked like a three-ring binder. She was quickly turning plastic-covered pages and on every one she eagerly pointed at something. As she did, the woman helping her, who looked to be in her early fifties, nodded and then scratched something onto the notepad next to her. “You don’t approve, do you?” Edward turned his attention back to Alice. “Excuse me?” “Of Alice having a candy buffet at her wedding. I’m not surprised. Your being a dentist and all.” “Orthodontist,” he said before he could stop himself. He hoped he hadn’t sounded pretentious. Alice gave him an amused look.” Well if it’s not considered traitorous to be seen in the presence of the enemy, why don’t you join me in the kitchen.” She pushed open a set of swinging doors. Edward followed her. “I hardly think of you as the enemy.” “I make and sell candy,” she said with a mischievous glint in her hazel eyes. “I would imagine that would at the very least put me on some kind of dentistry’s Most Wanted List.” “It’s not just candy that leads to tooth decay,” Edward said.

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He looked around. The kitchen was as big as the store’s front area and it was, he saw with approval, clean and neatly organized. He followed her to a counter. Then he stopped and stared. A number of silver tins were scattered across the countertop. Most of were shaped like male and female genitalia, although some were shaped like breasts, complete with nipples. “I see you’re making more of your specialty items.” Alice grinned as she picked up a bowl and poured chocolate into a pan shaped like a man’s cock. “They were very popular at the party last night. I’ve decided to add them to my inventory. And yes, I do get a lot of kids in here, so no, they won’t be displayed on the shelves.” Edward was glad to hear that. Then, seeing that sexually explicit candy once again reminded him of the debauchery Millicent had staged at her house last night. And the reason for it. Laurel’s upcoming wedding. “How long have you known my sister?” he asked. Laurel poured more chocolate into another tin. This one was shaped like labia. “About a year. I met her when I supplied some candy for the kid television show she produces.” “The two of you are close?” Laurel shrugged. “As close as good friends can get, I guess.” She looked at him. “As I told you last night, she and Laurel are like my blood.” Her hazel eyes narrowed “And, no, I’m not going to help you stop Laurel’s marriage to Stoney.” Edward’s eyebrow shot up in surprise. “I wasn’t—” “I heard you last night. Remember?” She put down the bowl and wiped her hands on her apron. “Laurel and Stoney love each other. You do know that, don’t you?”

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“I don’t know anything,” Edward said, frustration making his voice hard. “I didn’t even know about this wedding until last week. Millicent hadn’t wanted to tell me about it. Probably because she knew I’d disapprove. Laurel was the one who called and invited me. As for this Stoney person—” “Stoney Cheeks.” “Whatever,” Edward snapped. “I don’t know him from Adam.” “Does that matter?” Alice’s voice, he noticed, was now as tight as his. “Does what matter?” “If you don’t know him from Adam.” “Of course it matters. I’m her uncle.” “Uncle. Not father.” Edward’s upper lip curled. “Considering her father hasn’t seen her in the last decade or so I’m as close to a father as she’s going to get.” “Fair enough,” Alice said, surprising him. “But she’s not a child anymore. She’s a grown woman.” “She’s only nineteen.” Alice stared at him for a moment. She crossed her arms in front of her chest, which caused, Edward noticed with that maddening tightening in his groin, her ripe breasts to push even higher out of her halter-top. “And because she’s only nineteen, you, of course, being far older and wiser, are here to stop the wedding.” “I’m not going to stop anything. I’m here to talk some sense into Millicent and then she can stop the wedding.” Alice shook her head and laughed. “Orthodontist? Right?” He nodded, frowning. “You should have been a politician. You seem to prefer having someone else do your dirty work.” 26

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“Now wait just a moment—” Alice turned away from him and then, whirling back around, thrust a piece of candy toward him. “Taste this.” He firmly shook his head. “I don’t eat candy.” Alice pushed the candy against his closed mouth. Fearing he looked like a baby refusing to eat his green beans, he parted his lips. She shoved the candy into his mouth. When it hit his tongue, the most incredible sensation shot through him. He had never tasted anything so…delicious. So sweet. So luscious. “What was that?” he asked, unable to keep the wonder out of his voice. Alice shrugged. “Just a specialty of mine.” She gave him a sidelong look. “What did it taste like?” “I can’t describe it. I’ve never tasted anything like it.” He didn’t want to say that, for a moment, while the candy was melting deliciously on his tongue a sudden image had flared in his mind. Alice, naked and spread-eagled on a bed, her slim thighs parted, her bare breasts rising and falling with her quick breaths. And him, his head between her legs as his tongue slowly licked and his mouth softly sucked her sweet, moist folds. “Surprising? Isn’t it?” she said, breaking into his heated fantasy. Edward quickly finished eating the candy, already longing for another piece but determined not to ask Alice for another. “What is?” “Trying new things.” He frowned. “Look, if you’re trying to draw some kind of analogy between that candy you just gave me and my accepting Laurel’s wedding, you can forget it. Laurel is too young to know what she’s doing. Marrying a comic-book artist.” “Graphic novels.” Edward blinked at her. “What?” 27

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“Stoney illustrates graphic novels. Not comic books.” “It doesn’t matter. He’s an artist. Which means he’s probably a struggling, starving artist. How is he going to support Laurel?” “I don’t know. The way anybody does. One day at a time. And Laurel will contribute too. In case you’ve forgotten, it’s not the 1950s. Women do work. And not all of us can be orthodontists.” “I’m not criticizing his choice of career. I’m just worried that it could be years before he’s able to make a decent living at it. Laurel deserves better than that.” “Of course she does. I’m not disagreeing with you about that. She’s a sweet kid. I just don’t think you—” Alice stopped and bit her lower lip. As she did, Edward found himself imagining what it would be like to suck on her soft lower lip. Perhaps like eating that candy she’d given him. “Okay. Fine. You were right. It’s none of my business,” she finally said. “I’m not family. I have no right to butt in.” “You’re not butting in. I can see that you care for Millicent and Laurel.” “I do. They’re good people.” Edward nodded. His sister was good people. Even if she didn’t live her life exactly the way he and their parents had thought she should. But that still didn’t change the fact that this wedding was a bad idea. Laurel was too young to get married. And this Stoney Cheeks person needed to become more established as a comic-book—graphicnovel—whatever kind of artist he was. “What are you doing tonight?” Edward started, surprised by the abrupt change in conversation. “Tonight?” Alice smiled up at him. “Yeah, tonight.” He had planned on stopping by Millicent’s. He sensed, however, that he’d have better luck breaking into a bank than getting his sister to let him into her house. He would let her cool down first before he tried again.

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“Nothing.” “How about dinner?” “Dinner?” he repeated. “Yeah, you know. Eating. Drinking. That sort of thing.” He shrugged. “Sure. Where?” “My place.” Alice waved her hand around her kitchen. “I don’t just make candy, you know. I also cook real food.” Edward arched an eyebrow. “Really? Well you should know that I’m not a meat and potatoes kind of guy.” “Oh a connoisseur.” Alice tilted her head, the tip of her index finger pressed against her chin. “I bet you’re the kind of guy who watches those reality TV cooking shows and disses everyone on them.” Edward snorted. “Hardly. I’d rather watch fungus—” He stopped and cleared his throat. “Let’s just say, I do have a rather discerning palate.” Alice grinned. “I just bet you do.” Turning, she reached up to a shelf above the counter. Doing so gave Edward a lovely view of her backside, which he saw was round and tight and filled her jeans deliciously. She turned back to him, handing him a piece of paper. “My address and what time to show up. You like swordfish?” He nodded. “If it’s properly prepared, of course.” Alice arched an eyebrow. “Is that so? Well you haven’t tasted swordfish until you’ve tasted mine.” “Uncle Edward?” Laurel’s voice drifted toward them from the front of the store. Alice gestured for him to precede her out of the kitchen. “There you two are!” Laurel glanced between the two of them, a mischievous smile on her lips. 29

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“Did you pick out the candies for your buffet?” Alice asked. “Sure did,’ Laurel replied. “But there were so many, I didn’t know which to choose. Sara helped me though.” She darted a smile over to the older woman where she stood behind the counter. Sara smiled back “That’s great,” Alice said. “And don’t worry. We’ll have them ready in time for the wedding.” Laurel smiled and thanked Alice. As for Edward, he shot Alice a dark look. It hadn’t escaped his notice that she’d put heavy emphasis on the word wedding. “Are you ready to go, Uncle Edward?” Laurel asked, that knowing look back in her eyes. “Or do you and Alice have some unfinished business to take care of?” “No, I’m ready.” He took Laurel by the elbow and guided her toward the store’s entrance. “I’ll see you at eight,” Alice called from behind him. Edward didn’t break his stride or look back. He merely gave a short, curt nod. “What did she mean by that, Uncle Edward?” Laurel asked as they stepped out of the shop and into the bright sunshine. “Nothing.” He opened the passenger door for her. Once she was inside, Edward walked around to his door and got inside the car. He placed his hands around the steering wheel. He was no fool. More than likely Alice Parker hoped to seduce him tonight. He started the car. Well, two could play at that game. He had his own seduction strategy planned. Not for sex, per se. His plan was to bring Alice over to his side and get her assistance in stopping this wedding. A corner of Edward’s mouth quirked as he slipped into traffic. And, well, if that happened to involve something more than dining on swordfish, so be it.

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Chapter Three The doorbell rang. Alice, who was in the kitchen, looked up at the clock on the wall. Damn. He was early. Figures. She quickly wiped her hands with a towel. She was about to run to the door when she realized she was still wearing her apron. Underneath it, she wore a rather sexy dress she had picked out for the evening. As she debated whether to take the apron off, the doorbell rang again. “I’m coming, I’m coming,” she muttered as she went to the door. She left the apron on. She opened the door. “Good evening,” Edward said. “You’re early,” Alice replied. She wasn’t crazy about people who were late, but people who were early tended to throw her off rhythm. Really, was it so difficult in a world that ran on clocks to just be on time? “Is my being early a problem?” Edward asked. Alice opened the door wider and gestured for him to enter. “No, but dinner isn’t ready yet.” “I can wait, “Edward said as he entered her home. He was dressed very nicely, she noted. But she imagined anything would look nice on that tall, well-built body. He held up a bag. “I brought some wine.” “You didn’t have to.” “I thought I’d better.” 31

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Alice narrowed her eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean?” “Nothing. I’m just particular about my wines.” She arched an eyebrow. “Is that so?” He took the bottle out of the bag and showed it to her. She glanced at the label. “Chardonnay. An appropriate choice for swordfish. I have some of my own, actually.” “I’m sure you do. You did notice the label, didn’t you?” Alice knew a little something about wine, but she wasn’t exactly a gourmand when it came to them. She just knew which wines were best served with which foods and, well, as to labels, she usually bought whatever her budget could afford. “Yes,” she said, drawing the word out slowly. “I did notice the label.” She assumed it was probably some hoity-toity brand of wine. Edward stared at her for moment. “How much longer will dinner be?” “Why? Are you starving?” “No, but this,” and he held up the wine, “should be served at exactly forty-two degrees Fahrenheit.” Alice blinked. Good Lord, was he for real? She took the bottle from him. “Dinner won’t be much longer.” She pointed to where she had set the table. “Why don’t you have a seat? Over there.” “Do you need any help with anything?” She was heading to the kitchen but she turned and looked at him over her shoulder. “No, I’ll be fine.” She set the bottle of wine on the counter. Forty-two degrees Fahrenheit. What did he expect her to do? Dig out a thermometer from her bathroom cabinet and take the wine’s temperature?

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As she finished preparing the rest of the meal, she forced herself to ease up on the irritation she felt. Millie had warned her that her brother was a prig. Apparently he was not only a prig but also a first-class snob. Alice didn’t like snobs. As far as she was concerned no one had the right to act as if they were better than anyone else was. As her grandmother used to say, we’re all God’s children and the good Lord don’t have no favorites. However, for a snob he was also a damn sexy one. Even now she couldn’t help thinking about his handsome face and gorgeous body. She wasn’t shallow enough to think that appearances were the only thing that mattered. But since she wasn’t looking for a long-term commitment from Mr. Edward Larkin, or anything remotely resembling romance, she didn’t feel that guilty if all she wanted was to get him between her sheets. Alice placed two soup bowls on a serving tray and carefully ladled the cream of artichoke soup she had prepared into each bowl. Then, remembering the wine, she took two of her best wineglasses out of a cabinet and placed them on the tray, along with the bottle. She grabbed the wine opener out of a drawer and put that on the tray too. She carried the tray out to the dining room table. Edward wasn’t there. She looked around. He was in the living room, standing in front of her bookshelf, his head tilted as he read the titles on the spines. Alice placed the tray on the table. He appeared not to notice her. She put a bowl of soup on each of the place settings, along with the wineglasses, the wine opener and the bottle. Then she loudly cleared her throat. Edward glanced around. “Sorry. I was just looking at your books.” He walked back to the dining room table. He glanced at the soup but she couldn’t tell from his expression what he thought. He picked up the wine opener, opened the wine and poured it into both their glasses.

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“Your taste in books is very….eclectic,” he remarked. He handed her a glass. “Is that good or bad?” she asked as she took the wine. She did like to read a wide variety of books but most of those on her shelves were either cookbooks or historical romance novels. Edward shrugged. “I suppose having too wide a taste in books can be just as bad as having too narrow a one. It depends on what you read.” “Do you? Read, I mean.” “Here and there.” He lifted his glass and briefly touched hers with his. Alice took a sip of her wine. Her eyes widened. She wasn’t one for wine-tasting parties and had no idea how to differentiate one wine from the next, except to say it either tasted good or it tasted bad, but this was good. Very good. Edward must have noted her expression. “You like it?” She nodded. “Very much so.” He smiled for the first time since he’d arrived. Then she realized with a start that it was first time she’d seen him smile since she met him the other night at Millie’s. He had a nice smile. He needed to do it more often. “Corton-Charlemagne.” She blinked. “What?” “The wine is from Corton-Charlemagne in France.” “Really?” she said dryly. “France? Who would have thought?” “Actually the white wines only come from two vineyards. En Charlemagne and Le Charlemagne, which are both known as Croton-Charlemagne.” Alice found herself somewhat irritated by Edward’s snobbishness but she was also turned on. Partially because she liked hearing French come out of that sexy mouth of his but largely because—and she had no idea why—his pretentiousness made her wet.

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Maybe it was because she very much wanted to crack that pompous exterior of his and unleash the passionate sex maniac she hoped lay beneath it. She set her glass back on the table. “Why don’t you sit down? You don’t want your soup to get cold.” He did so, pulling a napkin over his lap. He picked up a spoon, dipped it into the soup and tasted it. Alice held her breath. But she also wanted to kick herself. Darn him. She was hoping he liked her soup. “Cream of artichoke.” He nodded. “Excellent.” Alice released her breath. Then, noting he was staring at her, she suppressed the grin that had been about to break out over her face. She didn’t want him to know how much his opinion of her cooking meant to her. For some strange reason she was afraid he might find some way to use it against her. “I’ll bring out the rest,” she said. “Are you sure you don’t need my help?” “No, I’m fine. I asked you here to dinner. When it’s your turn, then you can do all the serving.” Alice bit her lower lip. The words had come out before she could stop them. Where did she get off assuming there would be a next time? He was here only for Laurel’s wedding. The wedding she knew he was hoping to stop. Then he would go back to Chicago. Back to his wealthy patients waiting for him to give them all the perfect smile. Alice quickly picked up the serving tray. She hoped he hadn’t given any thought to what she’d said. She went back into the kitchen She had also prepared steamed mussels with herbs along with the swordfish steak, which she was serving with spinach and a citrus vinaigrette.

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She made up the two dishes, put them on the serving tray and went back into the living room. She placed the bowls of mussels on the table along with the plates. Taking the serving tray back into the kitchen, she then returned to the dining room. “Are you going to sit down now and eat?” Edward asked. She saw that his soup bowl was empty. “Would you like some more?” “What I would like is for you to join me.” “Oh yes, of course.” Realizing she was still wearing her apron, she took it off and put it on a nearby chair. When she turned back, she saw Edward staring appreciatively at her dress. “Lovely,” he finally said. Alice’s cheeks warmed at his compliment. He looked up at her. It might have been her imagination but for a moment she had seen hot, naked desire in his eyes. She sat in her chair. “Oh it’s just some old thing.” Yeah, just some old thing she’d bought that very day. She picked up a spoon and started eating her soup. Goodness, what was wrong with her? Her heart was pounding, her hands were shaking and she suddenly felt hot and cold at the same time. Edward certainly wasn’t the first man she’d invited over for dinner to seduce. So why was she so nervous? She looked up from her bowl and saw that Edward was staring at her. “Your food’s going to get cold,” she said. He glanced down at his plate. “Yes, of course.” He picked up his knife and fork and cut off a bite-sized piece of the swordfish. He put it into his mouth and chewed for a moment. Then he looked at her. “Well?” she asked, a tinge of impatience in her voice. She had the feeling he was deliberately refusing to comment. “Not bad,” he said. 36

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She was about to respond hotly when she saw the teasing look in his eyes. She shook her fork at him. “It’s good and you know it.” He smiled, dimples flashing alongside his firm lips. “Yes, it is. You’ve surprised me.” “I told you I could cook.” “Candy, yes. But I don’t put the ability to make bon-bons on the same level as gourmet cooking.” Alice put her fork and knife down and glared across the table. “Why not?” He stared at her in surprise. “Because it’s not on the same level.” “There’s just as much creativity and skill and….and talent required to make good candy as it is to cook anything else. It’s just that most people don’t take candy-making as seriously as they do the other culinary arts.” “Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—” “And I’ll have you know,” Alice went on, “that not just anyone can whip up a batch of divinity or make pecan brittle or blend ganache just the right way for truffles.” One of Edward’s dark brows arched sharply. “I seem to have hit a nerve.” Alice looked at him. Then she let loose a long, slow breath. “I’m sorry. You just sounded like…” “Like who?” Alice shrugged and went back to eating her soup. “No one. Forget it.” The last thing she wanted was to talk about her parents and how they still disapproved of her having opened a candy store instead of starting a business they had considered more practical. Like selling insurance. That’s not why she had invited him here. He was here so she could get him naked, in her bed and have some hot, sweaty sex. Therapy sessions about family issues were not on the menu.

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She looked at him. He was nearly done with his plate and, she was pleased to note, he had eaten everything. He poured more wine into his glass. Then he gestured with the bottle, inquiring as to whether she wanted more. She nodded. “So what’s all this fuss about candy trays?” he asked. Alice was finishing up the last of her swordfish. She wiped her mouth with her napkin and placed it on the table. “What?” “Those candy trays. For Laurel’s…wedding.” His lips pursed around the word. “Candy buffet,” Alice corrected him. He frowned. “Buffet?” “They’ve become quite popular at wedding receptions. Haven’t you seen them?” “I don’t go to many weddings,” he replied. Why was she not surprised. Then she remembered what Millie had told her about Edward’s wife having left him. Maybe going to weddings was too painful for him. “Well, there’s nothing complicated about them, really,” she told him. “Along with the trays, I usually include half a dozen or so candy jars. I wrap ribbons around them and sometimes, if I can, I match them to the color of the bridesmaid’s dresses. However, since Laurel’s wedding is going to be small and it was all so sudden…” Her voice trailed away when she saw Edward glaring at her. Then she realized it wasn’t her he was upset with. It was her comment about the suddenness of Laurel’s wedding to Stoney. “She’s not pregnant.” “What’s that?” Edward said, his eyes hardening. “They’re not getting married because Laurel’s pregnant. Because she’s not. Pregnant. Not at all.” Edward’s throat worked for a moment. “I didn’t think…well, that’s good to know. So what else is involved with this buffet?” 38

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Alice shrugged. “Not much else.” “What kind of candies do you serve?” “Chocolate-covered cherries, white-chocolate cherries. Lollipops and such for the kids.” She put a finger to her chin. “Hmmm, what else? Passion cranberries. Yogurtcovered pretzels.” She looked at him and smiled. “Those are always popular. The pretzels.” Edward crossed his arms over his chest and stared at her from across the table. She ignored his once-again chilly expression. “Chocolate-covered espresso beans. Mint lentils.” Edward frowned. “Lentils?” “Not the beans. They’re just shaped like lentil beans.” She demonstrated with her fingers. “They’re these small mint chocolate disks with a sugar coating.” “What about those specialty items of yours? Are you going to provide those also?” Alice blinked. Then she realized what candies he was talking about. She laughed. “No, there’s won’t be any penis-shaped candies at the reception. Though I suppose if Laurel wanted to take some on her honeymoon I could arrange that.” Edward threw down his napkin. Then he rose from the table. Alice looked up at him. “What’s wrong?” “I don’t approve of these candy trays.” “Candy buffet.” Edward waved a dismissive hand. “Laurel is addicted to candy. It’s been ruinous to her teeth. The last thing she needs is a candy tray.” “Candy buffet,” Alice said through gritted teeth. “Whatever,” Edward said testily. Alice shook her head. “This isn’t about the candy.” “What do you mean?”

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Alice stared at him. Edward returned her stare. Then he nodded. “You’re right. It’s not just about the candy. This wedding…it must not be allowed to go on.” Alice also rose from her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. “Well, it is being allowed to go on. And there’s nothing you can do about it so you might as well accept it.” “I won’t. It’s unwise. She’s only nineteen.” “And nineteen-year-olds don’t fall in love? Here’s a newsflash for you. They do. And Laurel and Stoney are very much in love.” “I don’t believe that. Infatuation, obsession, lust. Maybe. But definitely not love.” “And you know that for a certainty?” Alice retorted. “You haven’t even met Stoney.” “That’s another thing. Stoney. What kind of a name is Stoney? Who in the hell names his kid Stoney Cheeks?” “His parents, I imagine.” “But why?” Alice threw her hands up. “I don’t know. I just know that Laurel and Stoney love each other.” Edward shook his head. “This is all Millicent’s fault.” “And how is it Millie’s fault?” “Because she’s never been responsible when it came to raising Laurel.” “How can you say that? Millie is a wonderful mother.” “She’s my sister. And I’ve known her far longer than you have,” Edward said. “And I say again, this is all her fault.” “It’s her fault that Laurel and Stoney met and fell in love?” Edward nodded.

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Alice took a step closer to him. “Sorry to disappoint you, Mr. Know-It-All, but you’re wrong.” “What do you mean?” “I’m the one who introduced Laurel and Stoney. So if you want to blame someone, I’m your woman.” “You introduced them?” Alice nodded. “And I could care less if you now want to blame me. I don’t regret what I’ve done. Those two are perfect for each other.” “Perfect? He’s a comic book—” “Graphic novel,” Alice said. “Whatever. He’s an artist. How is he going to support her?” Alice threw up her hands. “I have no idea. But that’s not my business and it’s certainly not yours.” “You’re wrong. Laurel is my niece and if no one else is going to be the grown-up around here and stop this disaster then I guess it’s left up to me.” “So that’s it. None of us are grown-ups but you.” He shrugged. “The evidence speaks for itself. You own a candy store. My sister produces a kid’s show.” A red haze suddenly appeared in front of Alice’s vision. She leaned over the table and began shoving the plates, bowls and glasses into her arms. “Get out,” she said. Edward watched her as she angrily gathered up the knives and forks. “What?” She looked at him. “I’m sure you have better things to do. Like finding other grown-ups to hang out with. Then the lot of you can sit around and talk about your…your investment portfolios or whatever it is grown-ups talk about.” She turned away from him and headed for the kitchen. “Alice, wait.” 41

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She ignored him. She placed the dishes, glasses and utensils on the counter. Then she noticed she’d spilled some food on her brand-new, sexy, fuck-me dress. Great. Just great. She heard Edward walking into the kitchen behind her. “Alice, look, I’m sorry—” She turned around and faced him. “This was a mistake. All I wanted was to fix you a nice meal, have a nice conversation and then, once I’d gotten you nice and drunk… She stopped and waved her hand. “Please. Just go. I’m starting to get a headache.” “What’s that?” he asked. She frowned. “What? A headache?” “No,” he said. “That.” Alice looked over to where he was pointing. Behind her was the chocolate espresso cake she’d made for dessert. She glared at it and wondered how it would look if she picked it up and smashed it into his handsome, arrogant face. “It’s a cake. What do you think it is?” she added testily. She was about to put it in the fridge, but Edward took hold of her arm. He stared down at her. “Did you make it?” Alice suddenly felt dizzy. “Yes, I did.” She licked her lips as she looked up at him. Edward slowly lowered his face toward hers. “What’s in it?” Alice’s throat swelled and her heart felt as if it were going to burst out of her chest, it was beating so hard. It had to be a crime for someone to be so gorgeous and so exasperating at the same time. “Bittersweet chocolate, unsalted butter, dark rum, vanilla extract—” Edward reached over and swiped the tip of his finger over the frosting. He held it in front of her mouth. Alice looked up into those extraordinary eyes of his, her heart racing. She moved her head forward and opened her mouth. Her eyes still on his, she slowly licked the frosting from his finger. She swirled her tongue around it, letting 42

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herself imagine it was his cock she was licking. Then she slowly drew his finger deep into her mouth, sucking ardently on it. Edward drew in a deep, hard breath. She imagined she could feel the deep pulse of his heart in his finger. Slowly, she drew her mouth away from his hand. He pressed himself against her so that her backside was pushed hard against the kitchen counter. “Don’t you want a taste?” she whispered. “I don’t eat sweets. However…” He reached over and swiped up another finger of frosting. This time he smeared it across her lips. Once her lips were completely covered, he lowered his head and kissed her. She tasted chocolate. She tasted chardonnay. She tasted him. When Edward parted his lips, Alice slowly licked his tongue with hers. Their kiss deepened and she felt it all the way down to her wet, soft pussy. And just as she had suspected, and Millie had disclosed, beneath that snooty exterior lurked an expert kisser because Edward’s kiss was long and soft and wet and utterly intoxicating. When he finally broke away, he gazed down at her. “Why did you do that?” she asked, her senses still reeling. “Didn’t you want me to?” “Yes, I did, but…” She shook her head. “I wasn’t joking, Edward. This is a mistake. You and I…we’re too different.” He cupped her face, his thumbs stroking her jaw. “I find that rather exciting. Don’t you?” She slowly nodded. “I guess so.”

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He kissed her again. Her breasts swelled beneath her dress. Her nipples tightened and as for her pussy, well, it felt like the inside of her oven. Hot and waiting to be filled with something delicious. He moved his lips away from her mouth and over to her ear. “Where’s your bedroom?” he whispered. She slid her hands up his back as she licked his neck. “Don’t you want dessert first?” He laughed, low and sexy. “I told you. I don’t eat sweets.” He put his arms around her and kissed her throat. Then he moved his hands down her spine and cupped her ass. He kneaded it slowly, pressing his groin against her. Through the fabric of his slacks, his hard, swollen cock pressed against the entrance to her pussy. “Edward,” she gasped. “I’m not going to let you ruin Laurel’s wedding.” He pulled away and looked down at her. “I know. I can see you’re very loyal to my sister and niece. But how about, for the moment, we forget about all that.” “I don’t know,” she said. “I still think it’s a mistake—” He kissed her again and, as he did, he grabbed the hem of her dress. He jerked it up around her waist. Slipping one hand under the edge of her panties, he stroked her ass then the inside of her thighs. Alice trembled when Edward slid his long index finger up inside her cunt. She moaned throatily. Then, when he suddenly and surprisingly zeroed in on the sweet spot deep in her pussy and slowly began stroking it, she was gone. Mistake or not, she was going to fuck this man. “This way,” she murmured. He slid his finger out of her cunt and let her pull him toward her bedroom. Once inside Alice quickly took her clothes off and got into bed. Then she watched, amused, as Edward took off his clothes and meticulously folded them. Once he was 44

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done he placed them on a chair next to her bed. Alice had left hers on the floor where she’d tossed them. “Finished?” she asked when he finally turned toward her. He nodded, giving her a sheepish smile. Alice inspected him. Edward’s body was just as she imagined. Long, lean and muscular. His thick, rigid cock jutted masterfully from the curly, dark bush of his groin. When he climbed on the bed and joined her, she took his cock in her hand and stroked it. “Hmmm, nice,” she said. “I want this inside me. Now.” “I didn’t bring a condom.” Alice scooted over to the side of the bed. She opened the drawer of the table next to it and took out condom packet. Edward raised an eyebrow as she handed it to him. “Don’t look so surprised,” she said. “I’m a healthy, single, twenty-first century woman.” “I’m not surprised.” He gave her a short, intense look. She frowned. “Then what?” He opened the packet and slid the condom onto his cock. “Nothing.” Alice didn’t believe that but since she was unable to decipher the look he had given her she decided to let it be for now. Her cunt was hot and aching to be filled. She lay back on the bed. Edward climbed over her, his weight on his hands. He stared down at her and, for a moment, Alice again wondered if this was a mistake. When it came to sex she was rather impulsive. Fucking first and thinking later. And she felt no small measure of guilt being with him like this. Especially when his sole purpose seemed to be stopping Laurel’s wedding. But there was something about him. Something that both attracted and infuriated her. 45

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He was, in a word, fascinating. Edward lowered his head and kissed her. And like before, his kiss was slow and leisurely and deep. For someone who had proven to be such a snob, he was an incredible kisser. Alice pulled his tongue into her mouth and sucked on as if it were his cock. She stroked his wide shoulders, her nails scraping against his lightly sweating skin. Having sex for the first time with a new lover was, for Alice, like that well-known quote from that Tom Hanks movie. The one in which he said that life was like a box of chocolates and you never knew what you were going to get. It was like that each time Alice had sex with someone new. And, in Edward’s case, she definitely had no idea what she was going to get with him. Edward broke their kiss. He was still supporting himself on his hands, their bodies nearly touching but not quite. Suddenly, he rolled away from her. He lay on his back on her bed. Then he slid a hand under her waist and pulled her toward him. She smiled. “You want me on top?” He nodded but remained silent. Alice obliged him. She wasn’t exactly a devotee of the woman-on-top position. She’d always suspected she possessed latent submissive tendencies. She definitely liked the feel of a man’s body on top of hers. Dominating her, possessing her. Once she was atop Edward, she tried to guide his thick, steely cock into her wet and ready pussy. He stopped her. Placing his hands firmly on her back, he lowered her toward him and began sucking on her breasts. He lightly flicked each nipple with the wet tip of his tongue. Then he slowly drew one deep into his warm, moist mouth, licking, sucking and gently biting.

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An electric current surged from Alice’s breasts down to her tingling cunt. She exhaled, softly, slowly. Edward caressed her thighs and ass as he languidly suckled her dangling breasts. His long, curved tongue swirled around her tight nipples and he licked them the way she’d imagined he’d lick an ice-cream cone. Alice moaned and gripped his shoulders. She loved having her breasts sucked and Edward knew just how to do it. Then he began licking and gently biting the undersides of her breasts, which were especially sensitive. As sensitive as her nipples. “Oh Edward, yes, yes, right there.” He squeezed her ass, his long fingers playing enticingly with the crease. After thoroughly wetting her swollen breasts with his tongue, he went back to sucking on her ripe nipple. He took hold of the other and pinched and squeezed it. Alice threw her head back. “Oh fuck!” Edward, who still had his mouth wrapped around her breast, glared up at her. What? He didn’t like hearing women curse? Well if he kept up what he was doing, he was bound to hear a lot more cursing before the night was done. He lashed his tongue across her nipple and squeezed the other with his long fingers. “Oh sh—” Alice quickly caught herself. She looked down at Edward. He moved his mouth away from her breast. “I’m sorry,” she said before he could speak. “But it is the twenty-first century after all. Women are not confined to the drawing room and neither is their language.” “Does it excite you? Using words like that?” Alice shrugged. “A little.” “Does it excite you hearing someone say such words to you?” She shrugged again. “Yes. I suppose.” 47

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Alice didn’t want to admit that, in fact, she loved having a man talk dirty to her while he fucked her. Describing in detail all the nasty things he was going to do. She had a feeling if Edward knew that about her he wouldn’t approve. She watched as he mulled over her response. Then she felt him pushing his stiff cock along the lips of her cunt. She sighed with relief. Enough of the interrogation. Now to business. She positioned her hips over Edward’s cock, the condom warm from the heat of his flesh. She slowly lowered herself onto it, taking its impressive length deep into her pussy. She licked her lips. Umm, yes. Lovely. Edward’s cock hit all her soft, juicy spots. She placed her hands on his shoulders, his lightly sweating skin warm and smooth beneath her palms. Slowly, she began to ride him, his cock massaging the slippery walls of her pussy. Edward went back to sucking her breasts. But when Alice, her hands clenching his shoulders, began to move faster, Edward stopped. He lowered his head onto her limecolored pillows and gazed up at her. Alice tilted her head. She liked the way he looked against her sheets. His jet-black hair, those alluring green eyes, his olive-colored skin. He looked as if he completely and utterly belonged in her bed. Edward placed his hands around her waist and, as Alice fucked him harder, her breasts swaying, he began to thrust his groin up against hers. Alice’s objective had been to make him come before she did. But when he began to match her rhythm, his hands moving up and down her body, his long fingers grasping her breasts and teasing and twisting the hot, tight nipples, Alice couldn’t contain herself. She whimpered as she felt her orgasm approaching. She tried to force Edward to lie still but, despite the fact she was on top of him, he was both strong and agile enough to continue to ram his cock deep into her pussy. 48

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“Oh god,” she moaned. She didn’t want to come. Not before him. Edward reached down, forcing his hand between their locked bodies, and began stroking her clit. Alice shuddered, her body bathed in sweat. Why wouldn’t he come? He thrust his lean hips up against her pussy, hammering his cock deep inside her, his fingers busy on her clit, his hand squeezing her breasts and pinching her nipples. “Oh no, no,” Alice moaned. She climaxed, a huge orgasmic contraction. Her pussy was as tight as a drum, and it clenched Edward’s cock. She twisted against him, the wild wave of her orgasm threatening to drown her with bliss. But he still hadn’t come. When another orgasm slammed into Alice’s shuddering body, she continued to ride Edward, determined to make him come if was the last thing she did. But even as she thought this, she climaxed again, so hard this time she thought her heart was going to stop. When the last of her orgasms stopped pulsing through her body, Alice conceded defeat. Edward was still hard and erect inside her. She looked down at him, her lungs straining for air, her body shivering with delicious aftershocks. “Are…are…you for real?” she managed to gasp. He smiled up at her, cupping her face and pushing his fingers through her sweatsoaked hair. “I was going to ask the same of you.” “But you haven’t come yet.” He moved his hands down her shoulders and around her breasts. “Does that bother you?” he asked as he squeezed and caressed them. “I admire your stamina, of course,” she admitted. “But I can’t help but wonder if…” 49

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“If what?” “That I don’t excite you.” He slowly pumped his thick cock along the still shuddering walls of her pussy. “Feel that?” Alice nodded. “That should be proof enough that you excite me, Alice. More than any woman has in a long time.” That made her feel good. Sorta. Because she also couldn’t help wondering if the last woman who had excited him so had been his ex-wife. Before she could think further on it, Edward deftly rolled her onto her back, pinning her body beneath his. His thick cock, the condom slick with her juices, was still deep inside her pussy. His balls pressed against her ass as he nestled himself within her hot cunt, his warm breath slithering across her lips. Alice smiled when she saw him straining not to come now that he was on top of her. Noting her smile, Edward quickly grabbed her arms and pushed them up above her head. He firmly held her wrists immobile against the bed. “Edward, what—?” He shook his head. “Lie still. And be silent,” he commanded. A delighted thrill raced through Alice. This was more like it. She was completely at his mercy. Just the way she liked to be fucked. But she didn’t let her pleasure show on her face. She only nodded and waited. Then she wondered if she could get him to talk dirty to her but mentally shook her head. She couldn’t imagine someone like Edward telling her how he was going to fuck her pussy raw and make her scream. Edward slowly began to ride her and it didn’t take long for Alice to realize that he wasn’t just fucking her with his cock. He was fucking her with his whole body.

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He stared down at her, his eyes locked on hers. She’d never had a man look at her so intently while he fucked her. Usually they buried their faces in her neck or against her pillows. But Edward was looking at her as if she were the only thing in his universe. Alice moaned softly. She made him go deeper inside her by meeting each thrust of his cock with an upward shove of her hips. Edward remained silent but she saw the tightening of the muscles along his jaw and neck and his green eyes had darkened until they were the color of rich jade. Suddenly he stopped. “Oh no, don’t. Don’t stop,” Alice begged. He stared down at her. Then slowly, methodically, he pumped his cock in and out of her hot, sodden cunt. Alice frantically caressed the sweat-filmed muscles of his back and his tight, round ass. Her breath was shallow and fast, her heart beating wildly. She was close to coming again. But she wanted him to come with her. She wanted to see him finally lose control. She snapped her hips against his. A low groan escaped Edward’s lips. Alice grinned in triumph. He frowned and once again thrust inside her with slow, strong strokes. Alice blissfully closed her eyes. Oh god, but this man knew how to fuck! With one hand still firmly wrapped around her wrists, Edward reached over and grabbed her leg. He lifted it and placed it on his broad shoulder. He then began fucking her like a jackhammer, his balls slapping noisily against her ass. “Sweet god in heaven!” Alice cried. Edward only stared down at her, his body completely in control of hers. His cock surged in and out of her wet cunt and the walls of her pussy quivered in anticipation of another orgasm.

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Over and over, he thrust his long, thick cock into her body, her leg firmly resting on his shoulder, his hand gripping her wrists, his cock so deep in her pussy she wanted to scream. He moved faster. He was, apparently, possessed of incredible stamina. Any other man should have been exhausted by now. She certainly was. But there was no way she was going to tell him to stop. Not when she was being fucked so thoroughly and so well! Then, finally, after what seemed like hours, Edward slid her leg off his shoulder. Restraining her wrists again with both his hands, he held her completely still beneath him. And then, his whole body shuddering, she felt him pulsing inside her as he came. And because she had waited so long for this moment, and Edward had fucked her so skillfully and so thoroughly, Alice came with him, that rich, dark release flooding her body. Still, Edward made no sound. But as she gazed up at his face, strained and taut as it was, she saw a soft vulnerability in his quivering lips and wide-open eyes. Once Edward stopped coming, he collapsed on top of her, breathing heavily. Sweat and heat made their bodies cling together as they lay exhausted and completed satiated in her bed. Finally, when his breath had slowed and her heart had stopped pounding, he rolled off her and onto the bed next to her. She slowly turned her head and looked at him. His eyes, in the darkness of her bedroom, glowed like a cat’s eyes. “You were…amazing,” she said. He smiled and stroked her cheek. “So were you.” Alice returned his smile. Then, as she always did after the fucking, she started thinking.

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“Edward?” He gently rubbed one of her nipples. “Hmmm?” Alice forced herself to ignore what he was doing, even as tendrils of sweetness started to worm down from her breast to her thoroughly fucked but always eager for more pussy. “You’re not going to change your mind about Laurel’s wedding? Are you?” He stopped caressing her breast and frowned. “No, I’m not. Why do you ask? Because of this?” He gestured at their naked bodies where they lay entwined on the bed. “No, not because of this.” Then a terrible thought occurred to Alice. “Wait. Are you thinking I fucked you in order to make you change your mind about Laurel’s wedding? Or is that why you…” She sat up, her bare breasts bobbing. “Is that why you fucked me? To enlist my help in getting Laurel to call off the wedding?” “No, of course not.” But Alice had seen the guilty look in his eyes. “You did, didn’t you?” “Alice, I swear I didn’t. But I’d be lying if I didn’t say that, yes, I do want your help to stop—” “Why can’t you just leave it be?” He also sat up. “Because I can’t. I won’t. Laurel needs someone to look at this situation rationally. Millicent has never looked at anything realistically. She could have done so much with her life. Been CEO of her own company. But instead she’s producing a children’s show.” “Like me? Is that it?” Edward stared at her. “What?” Alice got up from the bed. Edward sounded just like her parents. “Alice, what’s wrong?” 53

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She took a robe out of her closet and put it on. “I’m tired. I want to get some sleep.” “I’d like to sleep with you,” he said and offered her what she assumed was a conciliatory smile. And a damn sexy one at that. But Alice would not allow herself to be tempted. “I meant alone.” He stared at her for a long moment, his face now flinty, his expression closed. Then he nodded as if confirming something. “May I use your bathroom?” Alice pointed to where it was on the other side of the bedroom. Edward picked up his carefully folded clothes, went inside it and firmly closed the door. Alice sat heavily on the edge of the bed. She’d done it again. Fucked first. Thought later. But good lord, what fucking! All that passion and all that feeling bottled up inside him. She wondered how long it had been since he’d last had sex. Edward came out of the bathroom fully dressed. He looked over at her. “Thank you for dinner.” “You’re welcome.” She bit her lip, glanced at him then looked away. He released a long, heavy breath. “Believe me, Alice. It’s for the best.” Then he left. Once he was gone, Alice mused over what he had said. For the best? What was for the best? Stopping Laurel’s wedding? Or had he meant something else? She frowned. What did it matter? It wasn’t as if she was planning on ever sleeping with him again after all.

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Chapter Four The door to The Sweet Spot swung open, the bell over it chiming merrily. Alice, who was near the front of the store stocking a shelf, turned at the sound. Millie walked in and over to her. “Millie. What are you doing here?” Alice glanced at the clock on the wall. It read 9:35. “Shouldn’t you be at work?” “Yes, but I…what’s that?” Millie was staring at the boxes Alice was putting on the shelf. “This? Cherry cordials.” “Cherry cordials?” Alice nodded. “The cherries are hand-dipped in chocolate and inside they’re surrounded with a luscious, creamy fondant.” Alice grinned and smacked her lips. “Doesn’t that sound enticing?” “Yeah, very.” Alice gave Millie a sharp look. The tone of her friend’s voice didn’t match her words. “I just got them in. I was thinking of asking Laurel if she wanted me to add some to her candy buffet.” Millie rubbed the side of her face. “I’m sure she will. You know how much that girl loves candy. As a matter of fact, that’s why I’m here.” Alice finished stocking the shelf and turned to face Millie. “Really?” “Laurel wants to change one of her orders for the candy buffet. I know it’s last minute—” Alice shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. We still have a few days until the wedding.” 55

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Millie wrung her hands, her eyes anxious. “Yes, that’s true. She wanted to add lollipops. Some of Stoney’s brothers are bringing their kids to the reception.” Alice shrugged. “No problem. But you didn’t have to drive all the way over here. You or Laurel could have just called the order in.” Millie began pacing along the aisle. “Yes, I know that but—” “But what?” Alice frowned. “Millie, is everything all right? Is something wrong? Is it Edward?” Millie gave her a sharp look. “No. I mean, not directly. Why do you ask?” Alice suddenly felt uncomfortable. She didn’t want Millie to know that she had slept with Edward last night. Millie had warned her about him. And she just didn’t feel like hearing I told you so right now. If Edward happened to mention it to Millie, there was nothing Alice could do about that. However, she had a feeling that Edward probably didn’t talk about such things with his sister. Since Millie was still staring at her, Alice quickly answered. “No reason. I just thought he was trying some new tactic to stop Laurel’s wedding.” Millie nodded, a sick look on her face. “He might be. My father wants me and Laurel to have dinner with him tonight. I have a feeling he’s going to try and talk Laurel out of marrying Stoney.” “Is Edward going to be there?” Mille sighed dramatically. “Yes. My father made it sound like it’s only going to be an informal family get-together, but I doubt it.” Millie looked at her, her eyes pleading. “I want you to go with us.” Alice, who had been chewing her lower lip as she tried not to think about Edward’s mouth on her breasts, his tongue slipping and sliding over her tender nipples, started when she realized what Millie had just said. “What?”

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“I know it’s a lot to ask. Edward is such an asshole and my father…” Millie stopped and shook her head. “Let’s just say the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. I don’t trust either of them. I know my father is going to try and talk Laurel out of the wedding. And with Edward there…” Millie didn’t finish the rest of the sentence but she didn’t have to. With Edward there, Laurel, who adored her uncle, would more than likely give in to the pressure to call off her marriage to Stoney. “But why do you want me there?” Alice asked. “I’m not family.” “Laurel likes you. And, most importantly, she respects you. And at least then it will be even.” Alice frowned. “Even?” “Two against the marriage. Two for it.” “You make it sound like some kind of jury trail.” Millie wrung her hands. “I just don’t want my father to do to Laurel what he did to me.” “What do you mean?” “When I was Laurel’s age I fell in love. He wasn’t an artist like Stoney. He was a musician. Struggling like anyone early in their career. But my father thought he wasn’t good enough. And he convinced me not to marry him. So I married Laurel’s father instead. And you know how that turned out.” A sad smile quirked Millie’s mouth. “And you know what? That musician? He wound up with a platinum album.” “I still don’t see what good I can do. I’m not family,” Alice repeated. “I could use the moral support. And so could Laurel.” “Why don’t you just turn down the invitation? It’s only a few more days until the wedding.” “It’s Laurel. She adores her grandfather. It’s amazing. That child can see no wrong in anyone.”

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Alice released a heavy breath. “All right. I’ll come. But I don’t think this is a good idea.” Especially, she thought, if Edward was going to be there. Millie hugged her. “Thanks, hon. I’ll pick you up at seven o’clock. And dress fancy. This is one of those the men-must-wear-ties-or-not-be-seated kinda places.” Alice made a sour face. “Great.” Millie laughed and left the store. Alice anxiously chewed her lower lip. This was going to be a disaster. Of that she had no doubt.

***** Millie had been right. It was one of those restaurants where men did have to wear ties. Alice wasn’t even sure if the dress she wore was fancy enough but it was the only one she had that wasn’t at the cleaners. It showed a little more cleavage and leg than was probably appropriate but there was nothing to be done about it now. They were here. She climbed out of the passenger side of Millie’s car. Laurel had already exited the back seat. Her face was bright with excitement. She turned to Alice. “Isn’t this place suave?” she asked. “Yeah, it sure is,” Alice said as she eyed the rather elaborate-looking entrance. “It reminds me of Uncle Edward.” “Really? Why?” Laurel shrugged and smiled. However, before she could answer, Millie, who had handed her keys to the parking attendant, joined them. “Because, like Edward,” Millie remarked, “it’s toffee-nosed and pretentious.” Laurel laughed. “Mom, you don’t mean that.” She looked at Alice. “Mom always says things like that about Uncle Edward but I know she doesn’t really mean them.”

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Alice knew that wasn’t true but it certainly wasn’t her place to burst Laurel’s bubble regarding her mother and her uncle’s contentious relationship.. Millie only made a rude sound. She took Laurel by the arm and led her to the entrance of the restaurant, Alice in tow. Once inside Millie went to where the maître d’ stood in front of a podium. He was talking to a well-dressed couple. He waved them through. As the three of them approached, Alice could have sworn that his eyes narrowed as if were looking at something unpleasant and his nostrils flared as if he smelled something equally disagreeable. “Yes?” he said, his voice high and nasally. “Ronald Larkin,” Millie said. “He’s expecting us.” The maître d’ peered down his long nose at the computer display embedded in the podium. Then he looked back at Millie. “It says here party of four.” Millie eyes narrowed. “So? What of it?” The maître d’ looked from Millie to Laurel and finally at Alice. His eyes lingered on her cleavage. “There are three of you,” he finally said. “And, again,” Millie said. “What of it?” “Both Mr. Larkins are already here. That’s two. Three makes five.” “Wow,” Millie said. “And you figured that out all by yourself?” Laurel giggled. The maître d’ shot her a dark glance. “Look, you,” Millie said, drawing his attention back to her. “There’s five of us instead of four. Big deal. I’m sure a restaurant of your caliber can handle that.” “Of course, we can handle that. But since the meal is being paid for by Mr. Larkin, I’m sure he—”

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“Don’t worry about it,” Millie said. “If there’s one thing my father likes to do is play the big spender. The added expense won’t bother him.” “You are Mr. Larkin’s daughter?” he asked. “Yes,” Mille said heatedly. The maître d’ snapped his fingers. A waiter hurried over. “Escort these…ladies,” the maître d’ said disdainfully eyeing them, “to Mr. Larkin’s table.” The waiter gestured. “If you’ll follow me.” Alice followed Millie and Laurel, who were following the waiter. The restaurant was full and Alice noted that most of the patrons were looking at them without appearing to be looking at them. The waiter led them to a table on the far side of the restaurant. Edward sat talking with a man with thick, white hair. The man looked faintly familiar. At the sight of Edward, Alice’s heart started to trip madly. He was dressed, as he’d been since she first met him, impeccably It had to be a sin for a man to look that mouth-watering. The white-haired man looked away from Edward and at them. “I see you finally made it,” he said. “Yes, Father we did,” Millie said, her voice curt. “How’s it going, Gramps,” Laurel said, her voice as bright as her eyes. She leaned down to kiss the white-haired man’s cheek. “Good evening, Laurel,” her grandfather replied meticulously. “Hey, Uncle Edward,” Laurel said. “How’s it hanging?” Edward shook his head at Laurel’s impetuous greeting then smiled. That warm, engaging, dimpled smile that Alice had seen for the first time last night. Seeing it again immediately made her pussy wet. Yes, definitely a sin. 60

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“Hey, Munchkin,” Edward said. Laurel giggled and sat down next to him. Ronald Larkin frowned. “Munchkin?” Millie, who had not yet taken a seat, looked at her father. “You remember, Father. Edward used to call Laurel that when she was little.” “No, Millicent. I don’t remember.” He looked at Alice and frowned. “Who are you?” Alice’s face burned. Ronald Larkin had asked the question as if he were grilling a witness in a courtroom Then she remembered. Millie had mentioned once that her father was a judge. Millie told her he was known as the iron fist of the law because he was merciless when it came to handing out stiff sentences. “Father, this is Alice Parker,” Millie said. “She’s a friend of the family.” One of Ronald Larkin’s bristly eyebrows arched up. “Really? I don’t ever recall meeting her.” Alice didn’t much care for the way she was being discussed as if she wasn’t there. She glanced at Edward. He was staring at her and his gaze, she saw with surprise, seemed to devour her. When he saw she was looking at him, the hot desire left his eyes and they became cool and distant. “She’s a friend of my family,” Millie said, an edge to her voice. Ronald Larkin stared at Alice as if he were not only examining her but preparing to pass sentence. Twenty to life, judging from the chilly look in his eyes. Alice returned his stare. She didn’t care who he was. Nobody was going to make her feel bad about herself. She was just as good as anyone. “Well, sit down then,” Mr. Larkin said, as if he were granting an audience. Since Larkin was sitting at the head of the table, Millie and Alice had to sit across from Edward and Laurel. Which meant Alice was facing Edward. Once she had settled herself in her chair, she looked at him.

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Last night’s passionate lovemaking came flooding into her mind. She wondered if he was thinking the same thing. She couldn’t tell by his expression but she saw that he kept glancing at her cleavage. And she couldn’t help but hope that he was recalling how his warm, soft mouth had hotly sucked her breasts, and his rough, moist tongue had eagerly licked her nipples. Ronald Larkin loudly cleared his throat. Edward tore his gaze away from Alice and looked at his father, who gestured with his chin at the waiter standing behind Edward. “He asked if you’d like to see the wine list.” “Sorry.” Edward took the list from the waiter. He read over it then handed it back to the waiter. “We’ll have the 1986 Chateau Mouton Rothschild Pauillac. And put it on my card.” “Very good, sir.” The waiter said. Mr. Larkin nodded his approval of his son’s choice. Mille rolled her eyes and muttered what sounded to Alice like show-off under her breath. “So, what do you do?” Mr. Larkin asked, looking over at Alice. “For a living, I mean,” adding the last as if he weren’t sure Alice would understand what he meant. “I own my own business,” she said, struggling to keep the dislike she was starting to feel toward the judge out of her voice. “Really? What sort of business?” Alice glanced at Edward. It looked to her as if he were trying to warn her with his eyes not to tell his father about her store. She ignored him. “I own a candy store. It’s called The Sweet Spot.” Mr. Larkin’s eyebrows rose even higher. “A candy store?” “Yes,” Laurel piped in. “And it’s a really cool place, Gramps. Alice sells the best candy around.” Ronald Larkin said nothing to that but his expression was clearly one of disapproval.

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The waiter returned and handed out the menus. Edward looked at Alice but she quickly looked down at her menu. Good Lord, she thought. People actually paid for food at these outrageous prices. Once everyone had ordered—and Alice had made certain to order the most expensive item on the menu—there was no more pretending to be engrossed in selecting their meals. It was either talk or have to endure an uncomfortable silence around the table. “Millicent,” Mr. Larkin said. “Yes, Father,” Millie replied, her voice dangerously flat. “Joseph Neville called me yesterday. He said that, apparently, you haven’t gotten back to him about that senior management position in his company.” “There’s a reason for that, Father. I don’t want that senior management position in his company.” “I don’t see why not. It’s an excellent opportunity.” Alice stole a glance at Millie. She could see it was all her friend could do not to roll her eyes. “I like my job, Father. As I’ve told you more times than I can count.” “I find that hard to believe. And I can’t imagine you seriously want to spend the rest of your life producing a television show for infants.” Alice looked at Edward. So he and his father shared the same views about Millie’s choice of career. She wondered if he was a daddy’s boy. God, she hoped not. Then she frowned. What if he was? It wasn’t like she was planning on seeing him again. “It’s a show for children, Father, and I think,” Millie said firmly, “that how I spend the rest of my life is my business. Not yours.” An awkward silence followed. Alice found herself looking at Edward. It was then that she noticed the close resemblance between him and his father. The same Romanesque nose, high cheekbones and startling sea-green eyes. Judge Larkin’s hair

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was just as thick as Edward’s but, unlike Edward’s midnight-black hair, his father’s was snowy white. “What made you decide to open a candy store?” Mr. Larkin suddenly asked Alice. Startled by the abruptness of the question, she was stumped for a moment. “I don’t know.” Mr. Larkin frowned. “I mean, it wasn’t something I grew up wanting to be,” she added with a laugh. “I like candy. People like candy.” She shrugged. “It makes me happy giving people something they like.” Laurel smiled and nodded in agreement. Millie, however, was busy glaring at her father and Edward was busy staring at Alice. As for Mr. Larkin, his stony expression didn’t alter. Since he apparently wasn’t going to give any response to her reasons for wanting to own a candy store, Alice went on “I’d taken a couple of non-credit cooking courses while I was getting my associate’s degree.” “You don’t have a university degree?” Mr. Larkin asked. Alice’s jaw tightened. “If by a university degree you mean a bachelor’s, no, I don’t. I have an associate’s in business administration. After I finished school, I inherited some money from my grandmother and I used it to open my store.” “And it’s a great store,” Laurel said, her eyes sparkling. “Alice sells just about every kind of candy you can imagine. And she makes a lot of what she sells. She made this really neat candy for my bachelorette party and the lollipops were shaped like…ow! Mom!” Millie must have either kicked or stomped her daughter’s foot. When Alice happened to glance over at Edward, she was surprised to see a small smile crimping his firm lips.

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“Alice is preparing a candy buffet for Laurel’s wedding reception,” Millie told her father. Mr. Larkin’s frown, which had not left his face, deepened. “A candy buffet?” Millie nodded and gestured for Alice to explain what it was. She did, all the while conscious of waves of disapproval emanating from Mr. Larkin. Once she was done, he looked away from her and over at his granddaughter. “I think you should reconsider.” Laurel, who had been smiling, suddenly frowned. “Reconsider? But I want the candy buffet.” Mr. Larkin shook his head. “Not that. The wedding.” Alice felt Millie stiffen next to her. A confused and hurt expression fell across Laurel’s face. “But why?” “Because this wedding is ill advised. You’re too young, this person you’re marrying is not established and, therefore, incapable of providing for you and, finally, you can’t possibly have any idea what it is you’re getting yourself into.” “Father, you have no right to—” Mr. Larkin turned his laser-green eyes on Millie. “I have every right, Millicent. Laurel is my granddaughter. Someone has to be the adult here and say what needs to be said. You, apparently, are not up to the task.” “But I love Stoney,” Laurel cried. “And he loves me.” “Love,” Mr. Larkin scoffed. “Love is nothing more than a chemical imbalance in the brain. A mechanism nature uses to trick us into procreating.” He looked over at Alice. “From what I understand, eating a box of chocolate gives one the same sort of experience as being in love. Which should tell you that it has nothing to do with what’s important.” Tears welled in Laurel’s eyes. “Father, that’s enough!” Millie cried. 65

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Judge Larkin turned his frosty gaze on his daughter. “I wasn’t going to say anything about this wedding because I’d hoped you would come to your senses and do what was best for Laurel. But when Edward told me he’d tried to talk to you and you rebuffed him, I knew something had to be done.” Millie shot a dark look at Edward. “Millicent, you know Dad’s right,” he said. “I don’t know anything,” she spat, “except that the two of you won’t be happy until Laurel is as miserable as I was.” Edward leaned across the table. “That’s not true.” “It’s not?” She pointed at Laurel, whose cheeks were now streaked with tears. “Look at her.” Laurel quickly wiped her face with the back of her hand. Edward turned to her, his expression one, Alice saw, of pain. “Munchkin. I’m sorry, but your grandfather and I are only doing—” Millie leaned across the table. “Don’t you call her that! Don’t you ever call her that again.” Laurel suddenly shot up from her chair. “Stop it. Both of you! Just stop it!” She turned and ran from the table. With an accusing look at her brother and father, Millie quickly followed her daughter. Mr. Larkin looked over at Alice. “Well, don’t you have something to say?” Alice, who was still trying to digest what had just happened, looked over at him. “What do you mean?” “That is why Millicent brought you along to what was supposed to be a family-only dinner? As moral support?” Alice’s hands balled into fists under the table. “Millie is my friend and when my friends need me, I’m there for them.”

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“Then I would suggest,” Mr. Larkin said archly, “that from now on you be more judicious as to whom you offer such support.” “Hold on, Dad,” Edward began, “Alice was only—” Alice quickly rose from the table and glared at Edward. “I don’t need you or anyone else to speak for me.” She turned to the senior Mr. Larkin. “I would thank you for the lovely evening, Mr. Larkin, but since it’s proven to be anything but, I see no need to do so.” Alice left the table, her eyes fixed on the door that led out of the restaurant. Once she was outside, she let go of the breath she’d been holding. No wonder Edward was such an arrogant jerk. He couldn’t help it. It was in his DNA. “Alice.” At the sound of his voice behind her, Alice’s first instinct was to run. But as the anger grew inside her, she knew she had a chance to give him a piece of her mind and she wasn’t going to miss it. She whirled around to face him. “Happy now?” He tried to take hold of her arm, but she backed away from him. “Laurel’s somewhere crying her eyes out because you and your father apparently can’t stand to see her happy.” “It’s for Laurel’s own good.” “Her own good? What gives you the right to decide what’s for her own good?” “I’m her uncle. The last thing I want is for her to get hurt.” “Great job on that. Seeing as she’s hurting right now.” Alice took a step toward Edward. “The niece you claim to care so much about would rather break her foot than step on an ant but you and your father appear not to have the same kind of compassion.” “That’s not fair, Alice. Once Laurel gets over her initial disappointment she’ll see that all this was for her own good.” 67

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Alice’s voice rose in surprise. “Disappointment? That’s what you think she’s feeling? My god, you are so clueless.” Alice moved away from Edward. She was about to go back inside to look for Millie and Laurel. But the two of them were already walking out the door of the restaurant. Edward turned to go over to them, but Millie, who had her arm around Laurel’s shoulders, quickly steered the both of them away from him. “No, Edward. You’ve done enough tonight.” Laurel’s face was buried in her mother’s shoulder. She was still crying. Edward reached out a hand to her. “Munchkin, I’m so sorry but—” “I told you,” Millie cried. “Don’t call her that. Come on, Alice.” The three of them waited at the curb while the parking attendant brought Millie’s car to them. Alice looked around. Edward was still standing in front of the restaurant. They got inside the car. Since Millie was too angry to drive and was busy comforting Laurel, Alice took the wheel. As she pulled away, she saw Edward in the rearview mirror. He continued to stand outside the restaurant, watching them as they drove away.

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Chapter Five Alice angrily stirred the chocolate. The edges of the spoon scraped against the inside of the bowl. The chocolate swelled, humping against the silver sides of the mixing bowl like tsunami waves. And the more Alice stirred, the angrier she got. Not at the chocolate. Heavens, no. What had chocolate ever done to her? No, the source of Alice’s ire, which she was, unfortunately, taking out on the chocolate, was a certain, six-foot two, black-haired, green-eyed scoundrel by the name of Edward Larkin. From behind the door of the kitchen at her store, Alice heard the tinkling of the bell as customers exited and entered the shop. Every now and then she heard the murmur of voices as Sara took care of them. It made her even angrier when she found herself hoping that one of those voices would be low, sexy and warm. That Edward would ask for her, take her in his arms and apologize for having been such an arrogant jerk and, yes, of course, Laurel could marry whomever she wanted. And by the way, darling, he would say as he softly kissed her, speaking of marriage… Alice stopped stirring and slammed the mixing bowl on the counter. What was she thinking? Marriage? With Edward? She shook her head. Her anger was making her crazy. She wouldn’t marry that man if he were the last man on earth! Yes, he had made her come the night before. Several times. And, yes, he was the most passionate, skilled lover she’d ever been with. His fingers were magical, his cock was incredible and what he could do with his tongue bordered on the supernatural.

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And, yes, yes, yes, she still suspected there was more to him than met the eye. But once the fucking was over—and, have mercy, it was the best fucking she’d ever had—he had turned into Mr. Hyde. No, scratch that. He’d turned back into Dr. Jekyll. In bed, he was Hyde. All raw lust and animal passion. But out of bed, he was Dr. Jekyll, the ultimate prig. His behavior with his father last night had proven that. Alice finished stirring her chocolate. But this time with not as much force. She was trying a new recipe she’d come up with while half asleep. And she didn’t want to ruin it by passing on any bad vibes. She’d already finished one batch and was working on the second. If the recipe turned out okay, she was thinking about adding it to Laurel’s candy buffet. She heard the phone ring in the front. She wasn’t worried. Sara would answer it. Then she heard Sara’s voice. “Alice, it’s for you,” she called. Alice put down the bowl and walked over to where the phone hung on the kitchen wall. For a moment, she let herself hope it might be Edward. She firmly shook her head and brought herself back to her senses. “Hello?” she said. “Well, they won.” “Millie? Is that you?” “Laurel called off the wedding.” “What?” “As soon as Stoney returns from up north, she’s going to tell him.” Alice clenched her teeth. “The dinner last night.” “Yep. Bastard Senior and Junior got to her. Just as I feared they would” “Millie, I’m so sorry.” “Don’t feel sorry for me. Feel sorry for Laurel. For Stoney.” 70

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“Did you try and talk her out of it?” “Of course I tried. But she won’t listen to me. If her Gramps and, most especially, her beloved Uncle Edward believe that marrying Stoney is a bad idea, then it must be.” “Do you want me to talk to her?” “Won’t do any good. Laurel loves Edward so much. Sometimes I think she loves him more than she does me.” “You know that’s not true.” Millie sighed through the phone. “I know. But it just makes me so mad. Anyway, I’m down at the station and I’ve got to get back to work. I just needed someone to vent about this to.” “That’s okay. You know you can always vent to me.” Millie laughed, although weakly. “Yeah, I know. I’ll call you later. And sorry about the candy buffet order. I guess you can go ahead and cancel it.” Millie hung up. Alice held on to the phone, her hand tightening around it. Then she saw Edward’s handsome face in her mind. Remembered how his moist, warm lips had felt as they gently kissed hers. She slammed the phone back into its cradle. Damn him! He was most likely getting ready to return to Chicago now that he had accomplished his mission. Well if he thought he was going to get away that easily, he had another thought coming. A part of her wondered if she had any right to interfere in what was obviously a family situation. But in her heart she knew that not only was it terribly wrong what Edward what had done but he was going to regret it someday. Alice quickly took off her apron. She picked up a box containing the first batch of the new candy she’d made and went into the front area of the store. “Sara, I’m leaving for a bit.” “No problem, boss,” Sara said brightly. “I can handle everything.” “Thanks, Sara. See you later.” 71

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Alice left the store, got into her car and drove over to Edward’s hotel.

***** Edward wrapped a towel around his waist as he walked out of bathroom of his hotel suite, his bare feet sinking into the plush beige carpet. On his bed, his suitcase lay open. His flight back to Chicago wasn’t leaving until later that afternoon but he had decided to pack and then check out early. On his way to the airport he would, against his better judgment, try one more time to phone Millicent and Laurel. Millicent had left a voicemail on his cell phone late last night informing him that Laurel had called off the wedding. And that she hoped he was happy. He had tried to call his sister as soon as he heard the voicemail. But she probably had caller ID because she had not picked up the phone. And neither had Laurel. That had hurt him most of all. He sat on the edge of the king-sized bed and stared at the phone on the bedside table. There was no point in his calling or stopping by. Millicent was probably now at work and Laurel, once she saw it was him, would not want to speak to him. He couldn’t blame her for that. But, as he told himself for the hundredth time since he had awoken from a rather troubled sleep with time, Laurel would see the wisdom of her decision not to marry that boy. And she would someday thank him from having saved her from making a terrible mistake. At least he hoped she would. As for Millicent, he doubted his sister would ever forgive him. Then he thought of Alice. She would never forgive him either. She and Millie were too much alike. Edward rose from the bed and began to pack his clothes. So be it. He was right. They were wrong. He placed his toiletries into a plastic bag and zipped it up. 72

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Well then, he wondered, if he was so certain he was right why in the hell did he feel so guilty? And why couldn’t he stop thinking about that intoxicatingly wild and passionate sex he’d had with Alice the other night? And the amazing way it felt when he climaxed inside her soft, warm body. And the sweet, whimpering sounds she had made when she came. His cock hardened. Damn it! She both attracted and infuriated him. She was, in a word, fascinating. And he wanted very much to be with her. But he knew she would never want to see him again. And he certainly couldn’t blame her for that. He seemed to have quite the knack for pissing off the women he cared for. Suddenly there was a loud knocking at the door to his suite.

***** Alice angrily tapped her foot as the elevator took her up to the fourteenth floor. A man who stood on the other side of the elevator glanced over at her. Unable to stop herself, she glared at him. His face flushed, he nervously blinked and then he quickly found something interesting to look at on the floor. Alice immediately felt bad. Why was she mad at him? He wasn’t the one who had ruined a young woman’s chance for happiness. Or maybe he had, for all she knew, but he certainly had not ruined Laurel’s chance for happiness. Oh no, that had been done by Dr. Edward Larkin. The elevator stopped on the fourteenth floor. Alice stepped out, but before the door closed she turned and flashed a wide smile at the man. “Have a nice day,” she said sweetly. Startled, the man, who had been intently gazing at the tips of his shoes, looked up and over at her. 73

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“Uh, you too,” he finally managed to say before the doors closed. Alice went down the hall. The soles of her shoes landed aggressively enough against the thick carpet, although the sound was disappointingly muffled. She stopped in front of Room 1403, drew in a deep breath and, raising her arm, balled her hand into a fist and firmly knocked. Some moments passed. Alice was about to knock again when the door finally opened. Her eyes widened. Edward stood in front of her, a thick, blue towel wrapped around his waist. She’d certainly seen him nude before but something about him standing in front of her like that in a place other than her bedroom made her cheeks warm. “Alice. What are you doing here?” “I brought you some candy.” She showed him the box she held in the crook of her arm. Dark brows lowered over emerald eyes. “Excuse me?” “Can I come in?” “Look, Alice, my flight is leaving—” Although Edward outweighed her and outstripped her by nearly a foot, Alice forced him to move back. She entered the suite and didn’t stop until she was well within the room. Edward looked over at her. Then he finally closed the door. She gave him a tight-lipped smile. “So, now that your dirty deed is done you’re just hightailing it back to Chicago.” “I wouldn’t label it as such.” Edward walked over to the bed. Alice saw that he was in the process of packing. She watched as he placed his meticulously folded shirts, pants and, heaven help her, his just as painstakingly folded underwear and socks into his suitcase.

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“I did,” he said, his voice tight, “what I thought was best.” “Best? How can forcing Laurel to call off her wedding be what’s best?” Edward looked over at her, his eyes flashing green fire. “I did not force her.” Alice took a step toward him. “Laurel adores you, Edward. Your opinion means everything to her. And you made it quite clear from the moment you arrived that you disapproved of her marriage. That you thought it was mistake.” “It is…” he quickly corrected himself. “It was a mistake.” “How do you know that?” Edward turned fully toward her. It was all Alice could do to keep her attention focused on his face and not on the towel around his lean hips. It looked to her as if it was just a hairsbreadth away from unwrapping. “How long has Laurel known him? A couple months?” “Try six months. Remember? It was I who introduced them.” “Whatever. It doesn’t matter. For Laurel to marry him would have been the biggest mistake of her life.” “And you and your father know that for certain? The two of you just came to that conclusion based on what?” Alice took a step toward him. “Or did your father come to that conclusion and you just went along with it? Like a good and dutiful son.” He gave her a sharp look. “This has nothing to do with my father. We just happen to be in agreement regarding this. Laurel will see that she made the right decision.” “Will she, Edward?” Alice said. His eyes narrowed at her softer tone. “What do you mean?” “This isn’t about Laurel, is it?” “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He turned away from her and went back to his packing. “Look, Alice, I appreciate what you’re trying to do. I know that you care for Laurel and Millicent. But I’m their family. And trust me, this is for the best.” “Edward, please. Think about what you’re doing.” 75

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He looked over at her. “I’m sorry. What’s done is done. My flight is leaving this afternoon. I have to finish packing.” Alice stared at him for a moment. Then she opened the box she was carrying. She took out one of the candies. “Taste this.” Edward turned and looked at her. “What? Now? What is it?” “A new recipe.” He shook his head. “I don’t eat candy.” “Good grief, it’s not going to kill you. Please. I just want your opinion of it.” He took the candy from her hand. His fingers brushed against hers sending an electric jolt through her body. He looked at her suspiciously for a moment then popped the candy into his mouth. He slowly chewed it. Then a surprised look fell across his face. “What is it?” he asked. “How did it taste?” He frowned. “Bitter at first but then sweet. Sweeter than anything I’ve ever tasted. What kind of candy is it?” Alice shrugged. “I don’t have a name for it yet. However, in spite of the risk of sounding somewhat clichéd, I’ve decided to call it Life.” Edward raised a skeptical eyebrow. “No, really,” Alice insisted. “Life.” She shrugged again. “Isn’t that what life is, after all? Bitterness and sweetness?” “I know what you’re trying to say, Alice. That even if Laurel’s marriage to Stoney did prove to be a mistake, she probably would have known some happiness. I’m sorry, but your candy notwithstanding, that’s not going to fly with me.” “You said if.” Edward blinked at her. “What?” 76

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“You said if Laurel’s marriage to Stoney proves to be a mistake. If, Edward. Which means you’re not one hundred percent sure it is a mistake.” He turned away from her. “I don’t have to be one hundred percent sure.” Alice reached up and grabbed his chin, forcing him to look back at her. “You try so hard but it’s just not working.” “What’s not working?” “This asshole persona of yours. You care deeply for Laurel. I know you do. And you want her to be happy. But you’re afraid that she won’t. That she’ll be hurt. The way you were hurt.” “You have no idea what you’re talking—” She fiercely shook her head. “No, Edward. I know exactly what I’m talking about.” She let go of his chin, reached into the box, and took out another of her candies. She held it up to him. “I’m going to name this candy Life because that’s what you’re afraid of. Afraid of both the bitterness and, I suspect, the sweetness. You want so much to protect Laurel from the pain of living. Because you love her. I understand that. But you can’t, Edward. No one can. She’s going to have to live life the way we all do. With hope and faith. And love, if she’s lucky.” She pressed the candy against his lips. At first, like a stubborn child, he resisted. Then his lips parted and he took the candy inside his mouth. “She’s going to get hurt, Edward. There’s nothing you can do to prevent that. And don’t you see? She’s hurting now. Because of you.” Edward took hold of her hand. He gently kissed her fingers and, as he did, her heart stuttered. “I didn’t want to hurt her,” he said, his breath soft against her skin. “I only wanted to protect her.”

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Alice placed the box of candy on the bed. She reached up and cupped Edward’s face and gently stroked his cheeks. “I know,” she whispered. He leaned down and kissed her. She tasted her candy on his tongue. She sucked softly on it and heard him moan deep in his chest. She licked and sucked Edward’s tongue until she could no longer taste the candy. Until all she tasted was him. When they broke their kiss, he gazed down at her. “You’re right. I was afraid Laurel would be hurt.” “The way you were hurt. By your ex-wife.” He nodded, his eyes boring into hers. “I loved my wife. But not enough or, at least, not in the way she needed to be loved. I drove her away. But I didn’t mean to.” “Of course you didn’t,” Alice said gently. “After she left,” Edward went on, “I swore I’d never be hurt like that again. But after some time had passed, I became lonely. So I started dating again. But there was always that…that fear.” Alice stroked his face. “We all have that fear, Edward. As much as Laurel loves Stoney, I’m sure she wonders if she’s going to wind up getting hurt. But she’s willing to take that chance. Because her love for him has given her the courage to do so.” She looked up into his eyes. “Just as I’m willing to take that chance.” “What are you saying?” He gave her a teasing look. “That you love me?” She tilted her head and smiled. “Well, I wouldn’t go so far as to say that exactly. I’ve only just met you.” Her expression sobered. “But I could come to love you, Edward. Very much so. And that scares me to death.” He cupped her face and caressed her cheeks with the pads of his thumbs. “I’m scared too,” he said softly. “But I’m willing to face that fear if you’ll face it with me.”

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A warm feeling rushed over Alice at his words. And it was like rich chocolate and warm caramel and all that the luscious creamy filling at the center. Edward brushed his lips over hers, pulling her tight against him. As he did, Alice reached down and quickly undid the towel around his waist. It fell to the floor. Then she pushed him onto the bed. “Alice—” “Hush,” she whispered. He lay back on the bed and smiled up at her. Alice took off her blouse and threw it on the floor. Edward reached up and cupped her breasts, his thumbs raking over her nipples where they pouted beneath her bra. She smiled as she reached around and unclasped her bra. She threw it across the room and leaned over him. Their lips touched. Edward ran the tip of his tongue along the seam of her mouth. Alice parted her lips. Edward slid his tongue quickly into her mouth. She parried and thrust her tongue against his and the duel was sweet and hot. As they continued to kiss, her heart began to pound in her chest and her pussy became warm and wet, that sweet familiar ache pulsing deep inside her. And what had started out as a slow, lingering kiss became feverish and aggressive. Alice broke their kiss and moved down Edward’s body. She reached over to the box of candy where it lay on the bed. She took out one of the chocolate-covered candies. Then, smiling seductively up at him, she rubbed it all along his stiffening cock. Edward groaned, his throat working. “Hmmm, yeah, that feels good.” “It’s going to feel even better in a moment,” she said softly. Once she had thickly smeared Edward’s cock with the chocolate candy, she leaned over and took it deeply within her mouth. She slowly and softly sucked it, reveling in the taste of both the candy and him. Edward moaned as she deftly twisted his cock between her lips, his warm, slick groin sliding underneath her chin.

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As much as Alice wanted him to spend his seed inside her pussy, she also wanted to keep his thick, luscious cock within her mouth. So she sucked him harder, the bulbous head slamming against the back of her throat. Edward grabbed her head in order to guide her mouth around his cock. Alice continued to mercilessly ravish him, her growing sense of dominance fueling her zeal. Then, when his cock pulsed between her lips and his seed slid thickly down her throat, she listened, delightedly, as he deeply groaned. No stoic silence this time. Alice slowly pulled her mouth away from him, the sweet and salty taste of both chocolate and semen thick on her tongue. She looked up at him from where she crouched between his legs. He stroked her moist lips with his fingers. “You’re not just a connoisseur when it comes to candy, are you?” Alice rubbed her breasts against his warm, firm thigh. “I know what I like. And I like to suck cock.” She sat up and took off her jeans and panties. Then she pushed herself up Edward’s long, lean body. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her beneath him on the bed. Then he reached over and took a piece of candy out of the box. “My turn.” Smiling down at her, he slowly rubbed the candy over her nipples until both were thickly coated. He then pushed her breasts together and sucked the chocolate-coated nubs into his mouth. He sucked her nipples and licked her breasts until all the candy was gone. Once he was done there, he moved down her body. He took another candy out of the box and smeared it across her pussy. Alice wriggled delightedly beneath him.

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Edward pushed his face between her thighs and began licking her candy-coated cunt. When her pussy juices had thoroughly mixed with the melting chocolate, he spooned it up and made a great show of sucking it from his fingers. Then he looked up at her. “Hmm. Finger-licking good.” Alice giggled. Edward grinned and went back to licking her pussy. Alice shuddered beneath him, her orgasm rising inside her like an unstoppable wave. Her juices flowed thickly out of her. Edward turned his head from side to side and licked her slick, honeyed thighs. He then went back to feasting on her pussy. Alice grabbed her breasts and pinched her sticky nipples. “Yes, honey. Right there. Lick me faster.” Edward did as she asked and when his busy tongue swept over the swollen bud of her clit, Alice cried out. Hips bucking hard, she quivered violently as her orgasm tore through her. Edward gripped her trembling thighs, his tongue steadily licking at her shuddering pussy. Alice climaxed again. And again. And again. When Edward finally stopped torturing her with his tongue and she finally stopped coming, Alice lay prostrate on the bed as she struggled to catch her breath. Edward moved up her body and took her in his arms. “You’re so beautiful when you come,” he murmured. Alice wasn’t sure about that, not with all her groaning and grimacing, but she wasn’t going to argue with him. “Edward?” He smiled and kissed her neck. “Yes, sweet Alice? Do you want me to eat your pussy again?”

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A luscious thrill raced through Alice at his words. She stroked his flat, muscled stomach. “Hmm, I do so love it when a man talks dirty. Of course I’d like that. But I want to fuck now. And I didn’t bring any condoms. Do you have any?” “My god, you’re insatiable.” He chuckled and kissed her. “But no, sweet, I don’t have any. But we’ll have time for all of that later. Right now, I need to get dressed.” Alice blinked. “Dressed? Why? Where are you going?” His green eyes sparkled. “I have a wedding to get back on track.” Alice grinned. “And I have a candy buffet to finish.” He nodded and smiled. “You most certainly do.” “Wait. What about your father? Won’t he try and stop the wedding?” Edward stroked her cheek. “I’ll handle the judge. Trust me.” A day earlier Alice wouldn’t have been so sure he could handle his father, but now she had no doubt he would take care of everything. “Oh and about that candy buffet.” Edward plucked one of her chocolate-covered Life candies out of the box and popped it into his mouth. “Make sure you have plenty of these.” Alice laughed and hugged him tightly. “I will, darling, I will.”

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About the Author Jenna Reynolds lives in the Midwest, where the winters are cold and the summers are hot. Which is why her favorite seasons are spring and autumn. She enjoys reading and writing erotic futuristics, historicals and paranormals. She also loves reading and writing about strong, powerful Alpha males who are ultimately brought to their knees by the power of love. And by an abundance of hot, raunchy sex.

The author welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.

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Also by Jenna Reynolds Ellora’s Cavemen: Jewels of the Nile I anthology

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