Free His Desire by Mary Eason Page B

wanted to scream it, but she was remembering the last scene that had taken place at her apartment this morning and the thought of being there alone with Aaron was just too much of a temptation.
    “No…that is, why don’t you pick me up here. I’m working late. We can go some place trendy instead.” She hoped that Aaron didn’t pick up on that lie or the reasons behind her nervousness.
    She listened to the silence between them stretch on before he answered a little disappointed. She recognized that tone from the past. Which meant she’d disappointed Aaron a lot in the past. Another thing for her to feel sorry about.
    “Okay, seven at the shop. I’ll see you then.” Kylie hung up the phone and glanced at her hands. They were actually shaking. What was wrong with her? Aaron was her friend.
    “Was that him?” Sarah peeked through to the kitchen door and smiled that familiar ‘I told you so’ smile of hers.
    Kylie shook her head, thankful that Sarah had three customers waiting otherwise there would be no end to the questions.
    Kylie started the decorations for a wedding cake according to the bride’s specific albeit odd directions when it hit her that she’d just accepted a dinner invitation from the most dangerous man in Austin.
    She glanced down at her jeans and tee shirt and closed her eyes. Not exactly going to turn any heads. That was perfect she reminded herself, because Aaron was just her friend. And she was a jeans kind of gal. Aaron wouldn’t be expecting anything else.

    “So, where are you two going?” Sarah asked when the last of her customers were gone. She stepped over to the cake, frowned and shuddered at the black icing and explicit decorations of a handcuffed groom and leather-wearing bride. “I still don’t get it.” Sarah threw up her hands and picked up where she’d left off on another birthday cake.
    “What makes you think that was Aaron? And who says we’re going out?”
    Kylie asked her, her fingers shaking so much that the handcuffs actually went up the groom’s arms.
    “Please, you’re as nervous as a cat. Of course, that was Aaron. Where’s he taking you?”
    “I don’t know,” Kylie said, giving up trying to hide the truth or her reaction to it from Sarah. “Someplace casual. He’s picking me up here.”
    “You can’t be serious? You can’t go out with the man of your dreams in jeans and a tee shirt.”
    Kylie closed her eyes and counted to ten before tossing the screwed up groom in the trash. “Aaron is a friend and only a friend, Sarah, and I like jeans. I’m not dressing up for him.”
    “Oh yes you are. I have something that will do the trick.”
    The very thought of something Sarah might suggest made her shudder. “Uh, no thank you. I don’t want to give Aaron any ideas. I’ve seen you dress, remember?”
    Sarah didn’t take offense. She actually enjoyed dressing provocative. “Not to worry. It’s tame by my standards. Just a simple skirt and top. It will be perfect. Not too dressy.”
    Kylie didn’t answer. She was busy trying to figure out how to refuse Sarah’s offer without hurting her friend, while wondering who brought a full wardrobe to work with them?
    With any luck, Sarah would be out of the shop making deliveries by the time Aaron arrived.
    “Oh, no you don’t. Kylie, you have a lot of competition out there. You have to dress nice for Aaron. Trust me, you’ll like this outfit.”

    Hours later, standing in front of the tiny bathroom mirror, looking at the woman who wore a slim fitted knit black top that stopped just above her waist with a matching skirt that barely met the top, Kylie wasn’t so sure.
    Why had she gone along with Sarah’s crazy idea in the first place? She looked…sexy. That was not how she wanted to look for Aaron. She wanted there to be no misconceptions, didn’t she? So why had she let Sarah talk her into wearing the dress and the matching shoes as well as more makeup than she was accustomed to wearing if she only