Making Spirits Bright Read Online Free PDF Page B

realized he’d been standing in her personal space a bit too long. He had both hands out in front of him, fingertips upward, palms splayed up and out, as though he were trying to physically push himself away from her.
    Melanie felt his gaze. She glanced at him before turning back to Stephanie. She could still feel his eyes boring a hole into her back. Without thinking, she whirled around and turned to face him.
    “Is there something else?” The words were out of her mouth before she had a chance to stop them.
    Bryce smiled at her. “Yes, actually there is. I want a piece of that cake you brought. I didn’t know you were a baker. Thought it might be nice to sample the wares.”
    Melanie felt sucker punched, right in the middle of her stomach. Was he implying what she thought he was implying?
    Sample the wares ...
    Apparently he caught his faux pas. He nodded at the row of cake dishes on the countertop. “There are four cakes to choose from. I wanted to try yours first.”
    Before Melanie or Bryce could put their feet into their mouths again, Stephanie removed a saucer from the cabinet and a fork from the drawer and handed them to Bryce. “Try them all.”
    He took the saucer, fork, and a cake knife Stephanie held out for him. He sliced into the black forest cake, hefting a giant slice onto his plate. Digging his fork into the chocolate confection, he crammed his mouth full. Melanie couldn’t take her eyes off his mouth. Why hadn’t she noticed before how sexy his mouth was? A full upper lip, and the lower, slightly thinner. And that one front tooth, it was slightly crooked. Mesmerized, she stared at him while he devoured the cake.
    Stephanie cleared her throat so loudly it startled Melanie. She took a deep breath and started coughing, which then turned into choking. She bent over gasping for air. Taking as deep a breath as her coughing would allow, she inhaled and exhaled a few times before getting her throat to open up again. Drooling like a thirsty dog, Melanie wiped her mouth with the sleeve of her Stella McCartney sweater. Stephanie handed her a glass of water.
    “I must confess, I don’t always have this effect on women,” Bryce said.
    Melanie looked at him over the rim of her glass. Before she could stop herself, she tossed the rest of the water in Bryce’s face.
    “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry! I don’t know—”
    Bryce lifted his clingy black sweater over the top of his head, revealing a most perfect six-pack. He slung the garment over his shoulder, a grin the size of the moon on his handsome face.
    “I’m not going to ask why you did that because I know you’re going to tell me.”
    Mortified, humiliated, and ashamed didn’t begin to describe what she was feeling. “I don’t know what ... I am so sorry ! I have no clue why ...” There wasn’t anything she could say to defend her action. She was as baffled as the next person.
    Stephanie passed Bryce a wad of paper towels. He mopped up the remaining drops of water on his face.
    I should have stayed at home with my book and my teapot, Melanie thought. Appalled by her actions, she tried to come up with an explanation, but couldn’t. Maybe it was just one of those knee-jerk reactions, something in her subconscious. Whatever it was, she’d never been quite as embarrassed as she was now. Shaking her head from side to side, Melanie looked at the floor, then her gaze traveled up a pair of heavily muscled black-clad legs. When her eyes came to rest on his flat abs, she looked up quickly and focused her gaze on Bryce’s sculpted face. “I’m sorry. I have no idea why I did that.” Lame, she knew, but she had no other explanation to offer.
    Bryce tossed the crumpled paper towels in the garbage can, then slipped the black sweater back over his head. Melanie could see the darker spots where the water had soaked the wool. On the positive side, at least no one but Stephanie had witnessed her act of stupidity.
    “Stop apologizing,” Bryce said with a sly