Free One Sweet Taste by N.J. Young

ONE
SWEET TASTE
     
    Love With a Price, 2
     
    N.J. Young
     
    Copyright © 2016
     
     
     
    Chapter One
     
    Walking
down Main Street from her apartment, Linzee Felton took in the Christmas
decorations. Garland and red bows lined the quirky little shops, and the lampposts
along the street were adorned with large decorative snowflakes.
    She
was thrilled to have scored the job of head chef at Price Bar & Grill, the much-anticipated
new Ethan Price restaurant, but she’d been a little wary about moving from
Chicago to the small town of Oakville.
    Stopping
for a moment despite the cold, Linzee gazed through the window of a shoe store
as she absently ran her finger along the sturdy brick building. The shopping
possibilities were just one reason Linzee was pleasantly surprised to find she
loved the quaint little town.
    Before
moving to Oakville, she’d had no idea it was a haven for artists. The eclectic
culture of the little town made moving a few hours away from her daughter a
little more bearable. Not that her daughter Georgia needed her mom now that she
was a sophomore at Northwestern.
    The
wind picked up a bit, bringing Linzee’s attention to the chill in the air. She
wrapped her coat a little tighter around herself with her free hand and
clutched her heavy coffee mug with the other. Since she lived so close to work,
carrying her giant coffee mug down the street had seemed reasonable. Well, it
had in her early-morning, pre-caffeinated brain fog.
    A
middle-aged woman passed her, and offered a large smile as she said good
morning. Linzee smiled back. Everyone was so friendly here. She was enjoying
being able to take a breath since she didn’t have to worry about running into
her douchebag ex-husband every time she turned a corner in Oakville.
    A
light flurry of snow swirled around her as she started back down the street. Cupping
both hands around her mug for warmth, she stopped to gaze at the beautiful
pictures in the front window of a photography studio. Christmas was in less
than two weeks, and the studio featured a display of holiday photographs
including one of the Kansas City Plaza Lights, as well as a photo of a little
girl hanging an ornament on a small tree.
    That
was the photo that struck her. The photographer captured the child’s beauty,
innocence, and wonder. The name in the corner said F. Price . Price, hmm. Was the photographer related to her new boss?
    “Ahem.”
The deep voice startled Linzee, causing her to spin around so fast that she
stumbled backwards. Strong arms reached out to steady her. The feel of hard
muscle and the scent of woodsy aftershave combined with virile man gave Linzee
an immediate warm feeling. She looked up ... and up ... into sparkling blue
eyes.
    The
warm feeling immediately gave way to a swarm of butterflies as she took in the
man in front of her. Dark hair peeked out beneath a blue knit cap, and a five o’clock
shadow adorned his strong jaw even though it was only nine in the morning. When
he smiled, revealing perfect white teeth, Linzee felt as if she were looking
into the sun. My God, it should be illegal for a man to be that freaking
gorgeous. He left her breathless.
    “Are
you okay, sugar?”
    His
sexy rumble of a voice was like a cherry on top of six feet of perfection.
Reluctantly, Linzee pushed away from the stranger, feeling every day of her
forty years. This man was obviously much younger than she was. And the last
thing she wanted was to be known as the new town cougar ogling hot young guys.
    “I’m
fine. You just startled me is all.” Crap, did she really sound that breathless?
She tucked a red curl behind her ear and really wished she’d done a better job
that morning of taming her frizz.
    “You
sure? You sound a little ... out of breath.” His eyes lit with amusement, and
Linzee felt her teeth grit. He was laughing at her. If it’s one thing she
couldn’t handle, it was a man making fun of her. She’d had to deal with that
enough when she was