Free Chasing Temptation by Payton Lane Page A

leaving Nate alone in a kitchen. “Matter of fact, I'll reimburse you. Bring me the receipt tomorrow.”
    The dreamy quality disappeared. “What have you done?”
    She walked over to him, snatched the sweater out of his hand, and pushed him toward the door. “Nothing.”
    “This may sound chauvinistic, but whenever a woman says nothing, it's something. Spill, or I'm not leaving.”
    He crossed his arms and the good-evil idea finally took root.
    Lynne sighed. “I did something bad, but it's for the good of all mankind.”
    “Good for Lynne more likely.”
    He was right, but she wouldn't admit it, because in the next five minutes Nate would be storming in. “Seriously, go, so I can close up shop.”
    He still didn't budge. She crossed her heart. “I promise. This will be the last time I go over to the dark side.”
    The bell above the door dinged and Jeremy grinned. “I doubt it, but I'm leaving.”
    Lynne felt the cold draft and knew Nate stood at the door. “I'm so not paying for dinner now.”
    Jeremy laughed and left them alone. Nate had a smile on his face, much like the first day he came into the store. Her goose was cooked.
    “Sorry, but the store is closing,” she said.
    “Eight dozen cookies?” Each step he took, she took one backward, until her butt hit the counter. “Nice try, but all I'm going to do is call a bakery.”
    “The town closes at five o'clock on Friday.” He stepped into her personal space and his very masculine scent hit her. She gripped the counter. “I'm trying to help you get accepted into the community,” she squeaked out.
    “Really? I'm liable to kill anyone who eats those cookies.”
    “I'm sure you won't. You'll do fine.” He took another step. “You shouldn't be wasting time. It's for a good cause. Are you not going to do it?”
    Nate placed his palms on the counter, one hand situated on each side of her. She tilted her head back and took in his full wrath. Because she was a sick, sick individual, her blood heated, and every inch his body touched zinged.
    “The plan's ingenious in an insidious way,” he said. “If I don't provide the cookies, I'm the bad guy. If I do, I spend countless hours baking, and I'm not plotting out my next point to bring you down. That's really smart, but if a war is really what you want, I'm up to play.”
    With him pressed against her, Lynne wanted to play, but a completely different game with less talking and much less clothes. “You've got cookies to bake, Nate.”
    The bluff had to be plain on her face. She bit her lip and watched his attention shift. That split second gave her the boost she needed. She placed her hands on the lapels of his suit.
    “Don't.” He closed his eyes as if willing himself to reject the temptation.
    She opened her mouth to ask why are we fighting this? But the words caught in her throat when Nate opened his eyes. The idea of being devoured had never appealed to her until the heat of his stare made her wonder why her clothes didn't turn to ash and fall off.
    She cleared her throat and chucked the why-she-shouldn't list rolling around in her head. “Will you let me kiss you?”
    This time she didn't want it to be a spur-of-the-moment thing. She didn't want him to come back with the lame excuse he'd been drunk. She half-hoped it wouldn't make her toes curl and could finally write off the first kiss as a fluke.
    His lids lowered and his entire frame felt stretched tight, then next in the next moment he melded against her.
    “Yes,” Nate said as though he was conceding to a number of unspeakable sins.
    She balanced on the tips of her toes and met his mouth. It should have been a crime for a man to have lips that soft and impossible for the brush of someone else's lips against hers to send her heartbeat into overdrive. His tongue flicked at the corner of her mouth, and her toes wanted to curl. Instead she settled back on her heels, leaning against the counter. She couldn't quite catch her breath and she needed a