Free Hot For You by Jessie Evans Page A

the energy pulsing between them, filling the truck cab with enough electricity to set off sparks.
    “Yeah?” His fingers curled, pressing into her skin as thoughts of Faith’s legs wrapped around his waist danced through his mind, and his jeans began to get decidedly uncomfortable.
    “I’m—”
    Before she could finish, Mick’s phone honked and his butt began to vibrate.
    “Is that your ring tone?” Faith laughed as Mick dug into his back pocket. “What is that? A goose?”
    “Yeah, it’s Maddie’s ring tone,” Mick said, pulling out the phone. “It’s an old family joke, tell you in a sec.” He answered the call. “Hey, Maddie, what’s—”
    “Where are you?” Maddie asked, her anxiety clear in her pinched tone. “I got to the bakery five minutes ago and the door to your apartment was wide open, and your truck was out front, but I couldn’t find you anywhere. I thought you’d been kidnapped!”
    “I haven’t been kidnapped,” Mick said, rolling his eyes. “I probably forgot to lock the door when I ran up to grab my toothbrush and stuff. It won’t stay closed unless you lock it with the key.”
    “Then you should fix it,” Maddie said, her voice still thin and half an octave higher than usual. “You’re a handyman for God’s sakes. You almost gave me a heart attack thinking something horrible had happened.”
    “I’m sorry. Thanks for calling to make sure I’m still alive.” Mick knew better than to tell Maddie not to worry about him. Worrying was part of Maddie’s genetic code. “I’ll fix it as soon as I get home.”
    “And when will that be?” Maddie asked. “And why do you sound so wide awake at four in the morning?”
    Mick filled her in on the situation as Faith took the exit to stay on the I-10 West leading down to New Orleans.
    “What’s the plan after you get there?” Maddie asked, the clanking of pots and pans in the background signaling that she was starting a batch of something while they talked.
    Maddie opened the bakery four out of six days a week, arriving at four in the morning and staying until Naomi relieved her sometime between ten and noon. In four hours she somehow managed to make enough bread, cookies, and cakes to replenish Icing’s shelves for an entire day. Maddie said it was simply a matter of being organized, but Mick suspected there was black magic involved. He couldn’t make a single batch of edible cookies in four hours, let alone a few dozen.
    “We’re going to pick up Faith’s mom, and head back home,” Mick said, meeting Faith’s eyes, and mirroring her shrug. They hadn’t discussed the plan in depth, but obviously they were both on the same page.
    “Oh, no, you’re not,” Maddie said. “You can’t drive that many hours all in a row. You’re going to have to get some sleep first.”
    “Maddie, it’s fine,” Mick said. “We’ll figure it out. Maybe her mom can help drive while we sleep or—”
    “No way,” Maddie cut in as Faith gave an exaggerated shake of her head that made it clear having her mom drive would be taking their life into their own hands. “I’m going to book you a hotel room.”
    Mick sighed. “Maddie, please, we don’t want to spend a day sleeping off a road trip in New Orleans.”
    “Especially not with my mom in the same room,” Faith whispered, with a shudder. “She’ll drive us both insane by supper time.”
    “And Faith isn’t up for quality time with her mom right now,” Mick added, hurrying on when Maddie tried to argue. “Faith and I are both responsible adults. Remember, we had this discussion. So trust me. We’ll pull over and rest if we need to. It’s going to be fine.”
    Maddie sighed. “I’m calling Naomi.”
    “Don’t call Naomi,” Mick said, rolling his eyes. “She’s still asleep and—”
    “I’ll call you right back,” Maddie said, ignoring him.
    The line went dead.
    “Great,” Mick muttered, tossing the phone into the cup holder.
    “So she’s calling Naomi.”