I Only Have Pies for You (Pumpkin Spice Life 1)

“Savory first.”

“Saving the best for last. Good idea.”

“Al?” The hopeful words turned them both around. “That is you.” The slender brunette with bright eyes beamed at them.

Who’s this?

“Hi, Kasey.” His flat tone and her name explained his lackluster response.

“Who’s your friend?” Kasey narrowed her gaze. Rosaleen didn’t miss the frost to her tone.

Oh yeah, she still has it bad.

“Kasey, this is Rosaleen. She’s opening the bakery on the corner of Main street. Rosaleen, this is Kasey, an old friend.”

“The cute one with the heart around the entrance?” Kasey asked, warming up.

“That’s the one.” Rosaleen held out her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Kasey.”

“Nice to meet you, too. I can’t wait to visit your place once it opens. It looks adorable. It’s so like you to show a new neighbor around, Al.”

“What are you doing here? Helping out the family?” Alaric asked, hooking his thumbs through his belt loop.

“You know it. Mom and Dad put me to work at the booth. We own the local butcher shop,” Kasey explained.

“Oh, that’s incredible.”

“We’ve been at it since the 40’s when my great grandfather first opened it,” Kasey said proudly. “Speaking of family, I’d better get back. My mom has a pair of eagle eyes.” She shook her head. “It was nice meeting you, Rosaleen. Hopefully, I’ll see you guys again before you leave.”

“Nice meeting you, too, Kasey,” Rosaleen replied politely.

Watching as the crowd swallowed her, she turned to Alaric. “Yeah, she’s still very into you. If looks could kill, I would have died where I stood when she first saw us together.”

“Sorry about that.”

“It’s not your fault. Besides, she figured out we’re just friends, so I won’t be too worried about her making a voodoo doll.”

“Stop.”

Laughing, she nudged him with her shoulder. “You owe me food, Mr. Bulley.”

“That I do. Come on. There’s some BBQ with our name on it.”

ALARIC

He couldn’t take his eyes off Rosaleen as she savored the fresh cannoli from Salvatore’s. The local Italian eatery had been in business for over twenty-five years and did everything from scratch. Her eyes were closed, and her face was aglow with pleasure. If she responds like this to food, how would she respond to other stimulation? His core temperature crept up, and he looked away, thinking about taxes to keep from embarrassing himself with a hard-on. The woman had an inherent sensuality about her.

She opened her eyes and swallowed. “What?” she asked.

He shook his head. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a person enjoy cannoli more.”

Her forehead creased and her thick, black brows dipped toward the center of her forehead. “Have you had one of this? Cannoli are not easy to nail, and these little bites of mana are the best I’ve ever had the pleasure of partaking in.”

“Oh, we’re on biblical terms now?” He chuckled.

Scowling, she took one of the chocolate chip laden pastries from her container and pressed it to his lips. “I dare you to deny it.”

Opening his mouth, he took a bite. The sweet mascarpone cheese mixture melted on his tongue along with the light crumbly shell. Blending together, they created an ethereal experience in his mouth. He moaned. It’d been too long since he visited Salvatore’s.