She nodded, pulling her purse off the back of the leather office chair in the conference room. “I will. You enjoy your weekend.”
She waved at him before hurrying to the elevator. On the ride down, she shed her blazer and the scarf she had knotted around her shoulders. She traded her business pumps for some strappy-heeled sandals, tucking everything into her gym bag.
Bianca sat in her red Jeep, her sparkling sunglasses winking in the evening sun. “Hey girlie, climb in.”
“TGIF,” Cady announced, pulling herself up and into the Jeep. “Tell me, does cake tasting come with adult beverages?”
Bianca laughed. “We have five stops. And then Zach and I will take you and Patton out for dinner.”
Patton. Of course. Adult beverages would definitely be in order. She tried for enthusiasm as she said, “Great.”
“I heard that.” Bianca pulled away from the curb and into traffic. “What’s up between you two? And don’t tell me nothing, because there’s definitely...something.”
Cady sighed. This was one time she wasn’t going to fill Bianca in on all the details. And it wasn’t just because Patton was Zach’s brother. “Bibi, please.”
Bianca looked at her. “Zach thinks there’s something going on.”
She forced a little laugh then swallowed, looking out the window at the buildings and shops. “What made you think he was my type? That’s the part I don’t get. He’s—”
“He might not be your normal beefcake pick but come on, there’s something about him. I’ll admit, I hadn’t met him. If I had, maybe I wouldn’t have pushed so hard for the blind date. I don’t know. Zach had this picture of him and his brothers, they were all smiling and so cute. When he told me Patton was single, I thought, why not. You can’t fault me for wanting you to end up with Zach’s brother.” She shrugged. “So Patton’s intense and brooding—but I thought you sort of liked that in a man.” She glanced at Cady. “And very handsome.”
“He is not handsome,” Cady argued. Handsome wasn’t enough. Patton was hot. “But feel free to add insufferable and egotistical.”
Bianca laughed. “Whatever. Think you can behave? Just until the wedding is over? Please?” Bianca asked.
“I’ll try,” she offered.
But the sight of Patton, plaid shirt sleeves rolled up over muscular forearms and old jeans that hugged thickly carved thighs and a perfect ass, made her warm in all the right places. She didn’t want to behave. She felt it the minute his eyes found her.
“You might not be into him, but he definitely wants to jump you.” Bianca giggled as she slid out of the driver’s seat.
Cady drew in a deep breath. Her door opened and Patton held out his hand. “Hey.”
She glanced at his hand. It was a perfectly normal thing to do—lend a girl a hand. But staring at his hand made her insides quiver. She took it, ignoring the lick of heat as his fingers brushed across her wrist.
“Thank you,” she murmured.
Bianca and Zach were wrapped up in an enthusiastic make-out greeting.
“How about we get those two thinking cake and not...” Cady pointed at them, giggling.
Patton’s low chuckle caught her off guard. She glanced at him, the crinkles at the corner of his eyes only adding to his masculine appeal. As if he needs to be more appealing. She nodded, heading toward the door of Angela’s Cakes. She stepped forward, away from him, looking for space. But his hand rested on the small of her back, guiding her to the door and playing havoc on her nerves. What would he do if she turned into him? What would Bianca and Zach do?
A portly middle-aged woman glanced up as they entered. Her badge announced she was in fact Angela. “Come in, come in.” Angela waved Bianca and Zach forward. “It’s so nice to meet you. I have everything ready, so let’s get started, shall we?” Angela led them to a small table. “After we spoke on the phone, I decided classic was the way to go. I have samples of our classic champagne cake with raspberry-crème filling.” She pointed as she spoke, leaving Cady dazed by the variety of cake, fillings and frostings.
“Who knew?” she murmured to Patton.
“Cake is cake, right?” he agreed.
Cady popped the sample square into her mouth, the vibrant flavors of crème and fruit causing her to groan softly. “Mmm.” She pointed at the plate, nodding. “Perfectly sweet and delicious.”
Patton’s gaze blazed into hers, capturing her undivided attention. She shivered as he brushed a dollop of frosting from her lower lip with his thumb. She could hardly breathe when he sucked the fluffy sweetness off. Cady stared, speechless, her heart thundering.
“You’re sweeter,” his whisper sent a jolt of arousal straight to her throbbing core.
“This is my favorite. What do you think, Cady?” Bianca waved her over.
An hour and a half later, Cady was feeling a nervous energy from too much sugar and too many of Patton’s not-so-innocent touches. Holding doors open and pulling out chairs for her was one thing. Accidentally brushing against her, trailing a finger down her knee under the table or just staring at her in that I-want-you-now way of his was something else. By the time they sat down to eat dinner, she decided turnabout was fair play.