Free Sweet on You (The Wilde Sisters #1) by Marianne Rice

alert! She could either cave in to his sweet caress, accidentally lean into him, and bump her lips against his, or she could pull away and act pissed that he would not make good on his bet.
    The latter won out.
    “You suffered through six Zumba classes but you can’t pay up ten dollars? Geesh. Never took you for a cheapskate. I’ll have to tell Brian about this one,” she teased.
    “You are pure evil. I thought my good looks and charm would get me out of it.” Trent scooted up in his seat and reached into his back pocket for his wallet. As he rifled through, counting out his bills, she peered over his arm and saw the ominous ring of a condom.
    Of course he carried protection with him. Trent had women falling at his feet wherever he went. He oozed testosterone and sex. But not with her. No, he made it blatantly obvious he liked her as a friend. Apparently he liked the model-thin trampy types like Katrina. Well, if that was his taste, pooh to him!
    “All I have are twenties. Do you want to owe me or want me to owe you?”
    “Here’s a deal. I need a cake for my parents’ anniversary next week. I was planning on picking one up at the grocery store—”
    Trent’s dramatic gasp startled her. “I don’t ever want to hear you talk like that again.” He shook his head in disgust. “Do you know they order their frosting in bulk in cans? Who knows what chemicals they put into those things? Come to Sweet Spot. I’ll hook you up with a cake. How big? What flavors? We can do a decadent chocolate ganache or a lighter lemon curd or—”
    “Whoa. Down boy. We’re talking about my parents, Mr. and Mrs. Granola. They’d be fine with goat’s milk on a bed of lettuce, but it’s their fortieth. I thought a cake would be nice. Nothing big and fancy. It’ll just be my sisters and Suzie and Neil. Nothing spectacular. They’d rather spend it without anyone around anyway, so it’s going to be a short and sweet dinner. Well, maybe not so sweet. Sage will have a temper tantrum and be grumbling about something and Thyme will be late, if she remembers at all.”
    “And to think I felt left out not being invited.”
    Well that was an idea. Rayne had been known to bring men to their sporadic family dinners. She’d always wanted a big table full of friends and family to talk and laugh with over a meal. Make memories. Start traditions. If Neil, Suzie, Sage, and Thyme had their way, the Wildes would never see each other, so Rayne made it her mission to bring the family together when her parents were actually around. This year it coincided with her parents’ anniversary.
    Having a man with her distracted the family, gave them something to talk about, and took the pressure off Sage’s stress and anxiety and Thyme’s unwillingness to commit to…anything. Neil had a man to talk to and Rayne would talk to Suzie about herbs and new garden trends.
    Maybe Trent would fit right in. He could talk recipes with her parents. They weren’t big on sweets either—only organically fresh food for them—but she bet they could swap a few recipes.
    “Actually, if you’re not doing anything next Saturday night, you’re more than welcome to come. Sage and Thyme will do most of the cooking at my folks’ place in Parish Hill. Feel like an adventure? You can scratch it off your bucket list.”
    “It’s not that bad, is it?”
    “Oh, just you wait and see.”

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Five
     
     
    Rayne
     
    The cake wasn’t ready when she stopped by Sweet Spot to pick it up. Instead, the nice woman behind the counter introduced herself as Marie, Brian’s mother, and told her to go on back. Reluctantly Rayne pushed through the swinging doors and called out to Trent.
    “Just in time.” He wiped his hands on a towel and handed her a white apron. “Tie this on. You don’t want to get your clothes messy.”
    Rayne looked down at her denim shorts and squinted. “Not really concerned about the wardrobe, Trent. I’m just picking