The Hotter You Burn Read Online Free PDF Page A

flirting.” He prowled his way around the counter.
    She stepped back, once, twice, and would have again but the stove stopped her retreat. A sense of triumph overtook him as he placed his hands at her sides, caging her. He leaned in and brushed the tip of his nose against hers, the heady scent of strawberries and pecans teasing him. “If every guy you’ve ever met hasn’t looked at your lips with animal hunger,” he said, his voice low and husky with need he couldn’t hide, “I’d be shocked.”
    She traced her fingertips over the lips in question, the action so inherently sensual, so damned innocent, he would have given anything to corrupt... To steal a taste.
    Tit for tat, one dessert for another.
    â€œPrepare to be shocked,” she whispered.
    â€œFoolish men.” Up close, he could see little details the pictures had missed. The curl in her midnight lashes. The smattering of freckles on her nose. The rose-colored flush under her cheeks. “But let’s get to the heart of the matter, honey. You owe me, and not just for the food. For the mental anguish I’ve suffered.”
    â€œMental anguish,” she echoed.
    â€œThat’s right.” He leaned forward the barest inch, drawn by a force he could not control, and his chest brushed against hers.
    She inhaled sharply, exhaled fast and shallow, an instinctive action born of awareness, and just like that, he was as rigid as steel.
    â€œA part of me died with that pie,” he said, caressing the side of his nose against hers.
    â€œDied.” Another echo.
    â€œMmm.” His lips hovered just short of kissing hers, their breaths intermingling, and damn. How was
not
touching this woman more carnal than getting another naked? “I asked what you are because I need to know how I can devise a sufficient payment. Do you know how painful it is to crave something with every fiber of your being? To want it more than you want water to drink?”
    â€œI do.” She melted into him, all her softness fusing to his aching hardness. “I really, really do.”
    How close was she to surrender?
    He cut back a curse. The answer didn’t matter. It couldn’t matter. She wasn’t here for sex, and what she’d said before was true. Another woman waited in his bedroom. While he had the morals of an alley cat, he refused to make out with one female while another waited in his bed. It was a line he never wanted to cross.
    Back on track.
“That’s how badly I want...the pie.”
    Horrified realization dawned, and she pushed him away. A puny action, but he willingly stepped back.
    â€œThanks for the taste of your flirting,” she said with a sneer, “but as you can see, it left a foul taste in my mouth.”
    No. She’d gotten lost in the moment. Hell,
he’d
gotten lost in the moment.
    She opened her mouth, closed it. “Look. I’m sorry I stole your pie. Okay? I guess... Well, I was resentful. You’re living in my house, where I’m supposed to be, and I just... I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.”
    â€œI accept your apology.”
    â€œGreat. I guess I’ll be going now.” She attempted to circle him, but he stretched out an arm, stopping her.
    â€œYou’ll find all the ingredients in the fridge and pantry, and the dishes in the cabinets beside the sink.”
    She sputtered for a moment. “Forgiveness shouldn’t come with strings.”
    â€œI’m giving you a chance to put words into action, to prove you mean what you say and help ease the pain of my loss.”
    â€œFine.” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “I’ll bake for you.”
    Sexiest. Phrase. Ever. “You can start with a pie and finish with a cake, a dozen cookies and cupcakes.”
    â€œWow, that’s quite a bit of interest.”
    â€œDid I mention I’m feeling quite a bit of pain?”
    She glared daggers at him. “I hope