Chapter 10
TEN
HOLLY
My fist hits the dough with far more aggression than needed, but I can’t deny that it’s helping work out my frustrations.
Lifting it with both hands, I slam it back down onto the workstation, kneading it with vigour.
I’m aware that I probably look like a crazy person.
All of my staff are keeping away from me, and Ashley is watching me as though I’ve lost my mind.
Huffing out what sounds suspiciously like a growl, I shake my head, trying to rid the image of Elliot from my mind.
I’ve not seen him since our encounter the other day when I was delivering to the Institute.
At least, I’ve not seen him in the flesh since then, but he’s occupied a frustrating amount of space in my thoughts.
“It was just his smug face that annoyed me the most,” I attest, my whole body practically vibrating with built-up frustration. “But I’m fine,” I insist for the fifth time since Ashley first asked me. “I’m not going to let him get to me.”
“Yeah, I can see that…”
The sarcasm in her voice causes me to glance up, shooting her a glare that would cause most people to shy away.
Of course, it doesn’t affect her in the slightest. Instead, she just looks down at the mess in my hands with a raised brow.
“And the dough you’re beating, that has nothing to do with the annoying hot guy that’s moving in next door? ”
Releasing the dough from my hands, I wipe my hands on my apron and cross my arms over my chest to glare at her. “You’re supposed to be on my side here.”
Rolling her eyes, she throws her arms up into the air dramatically.
“I am on your side!” Closing the distance between us, she leans on the counter and stares up at me sincerely.
“Look, if you want me to go and beat him up, then let’s go!
However, he’s clearly gotten under your skin and I don’t think it’s because he’s opening a health-food bar. ”
Ashley seems poised, ready to go next door and live up to her promise; all I need to do is say the word.
This is exactly why I love her. She would burn down the world for me, always having my back no matter the situation and if I’m in the wrong or not.
I would do the same for her, making her relationship to me closer than most of my family.
However, she seems a little too enthusiastic for my liking, despite the fact that she already knows I’m not going to choose the violent option.
Her comment does make me bristle though. Is she implying that this feud has a deeper reason? Images of Elliot flash in my mind, his handsome smile and the way his T-shirt hugged his muscular chest– Realising where my mind is going, I shoot her a pointed look. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Her expression says it all. She sees right through me and knows exactly where my thoughts wondered just then. However, before she can reply, the bell over the door dings, letting us know that a customer has just entered the bakery.
Saved by the bell. Thank the pastry gods.
Giving Ashley a very pointed look to wind her neck in, I turn and rid my expression of any sighs of annoyance. My eyes lock on the figure in the doorway and travel up to his face. He’s the last person I ever expected to see in here, and his surprised expression tells me the feeling is mutual.
“Bear,” I exclaim with surprised delight. My lips automatically pull into a smile at his handsome, friendly face. Just as attractive as I remembered, I try not to let my gaze drop lower, his T-shirt so tight I can see the outline of his abs…
Pull yourself together, Holly. You’re going to start drooling.
He might be built like a bear, but his happy, friendly demeanour softens the effect. Without knowing him, some might find him intimidating until he smiles at them and that quickly disappears.
“Holly,” his face lights up. He looks a little confused but pleased all the same. “You work here?” He glances around at my employees, noticing their uniform and my much more casual attire. His brows shoot up. “You own the bakery?”
I chuckle quietly at his slow realisation, my smile wide. Nodding, I glance to the printed logo on the window that clearly displays my name. “Yes, my sister and I.”
His half-smile widens, flashing off his pearly white teeth as he laughs. “I probably should’ve guessed from the name of the shop. If you’re Holly, I’m assuming your sister is Ivy.”
“You would be right.” I can’t help but smile back at him widely, my frustrations forgotten as I speak with the bear of a man.
“Is this Ivy?” His gestures towards Ashley with a slight incline of his head, yet his eyes never stray from me for long.
“Oh, no, no,” I chuckle awkwardly realising that I’d completely forgotten Ashley is still here, watching our entire interaction with interest. “My sister is more of a silent partner. I run the bakery. This is Ashley, my best friend.”
She steps forward so she’s by my side and appraises him slowly. “Best friend, agony aunt, soulmate. I go by many names,” She smiles, but there is a shrewdness to it that puts me on alert. Ash is looking at him like he’s a cold drink on a hot day, yet I know she’s not assessing him for herself.
There’s no way that he hasn’t noticed what she’s doing, as she’s not subtle in the slightest. However, he’s kind enough not to mention it.
“Ah, yes.” He nods, his attention briefly turning to my best friend as he replies, “We met before, in the park.”
His smile is different when he looks at her. It’s still wide and friendly, yet it dims to politeness. I’m probably just imagining it – his gorgeous eyes return to look at me and there’s a glow in his eyes that makes my stomach flip with something that almost feels like excitement.
Before Ash can chime in with something that I know is going to embarrass me, I quickly change the subject.
“Anyway, how can I help you? Are you here for some bread?”
What a stupid question to ask. Look at him, Holly.
To have a body like that, this guy probably hasn’t eaten a single piece of bread in his entire life.
Carbs are pretty much the enemy of body builders, and I just offered him a whole loaf of them.
Still, he smiles, his eyes crinkling at the side.
He has such a warm, welcoming face despite how muscular and intimidating his body could appear.
“I’m actually here for a different reason.” His body language shifts ever so slightly, and had I not been watching him I would have missed it. “My brothers and I have bought the shop next door. I hear that you have already met Elliot.”
Brothers? Bear and Elliot are certainly not full blood brothers, but perhaps they have a different parent, or they’re related by law? He’s also implying that there is more than just himself and Elliot. Just how many of these guys are they shipping into our small town?
“You own it?” My smile dims, and I attempt to keep myself bright and cheery, but there’s no hiding my dejection at this news.
Why do I even feel so disappointed to discover he is one of the owners? Bear and I just met – we had one conversation and I really don’t know anything about him – so why does him moving in next door make me feel this way?
People move and businesses come and go, so I’m not against them being here.
What I object to is the business that will be in competition with me, and how it might affect the rest of the town.
That’s why my ire is focused on the owners.
In my head I had built them up to be these cold business tycoons swooping in and changing everything.
Elliot wasn’t what I expected, but Bear doesn’t fit the profile in the slightest.
“I know you have some concerns,” he says calmly, clearly picking up on the change in my body language.
“I would like you to visit so I can introduce you to the others and we can talk through your concerns.” He places his hand on the counter between us.
My eyes drop to his large, calloused hand, so close to mine.
All I would have to do is slide it forward and our fingers would be touching.
“We really don’t want to step on your toes and I think you’ll see that if you come over,” he continues explaining, his voice soft, and when I look back up at him, the rest of the bakery falls away.
Deep hazel eyes stare back at me and although I’ve interacted with him for less than an hour, I trust him.
I jerk back from the counter as though I’ve been shocked by electricity. How can I think that I trust him when we only just met? There are very few people that I trust in this world. I must be sex-starved, throwing my trust at good-looking men because they are gorgeous.
My instant reaction is to say no to his offer.
But this is happening whether I want it to or not, so I might as well attempt to play nice and find out their plans.
Keep your enemies close, that’s what my dad always used to tell me.
His voice rings in my mind as I remove my apron and hang it up on the hooks at the side of the kitchen.
“Fine, let’s go.” I call out and quickly shift my attention to my assistant manager who is currently taking stock.
“Annie, could you finish up this dough for me please?” I call out, and she nods in agreement, a movement I barely catch as I look at my best friend.
“Ashley, I’ll see you later.” I know that she’ll be annoyed at me for cutting out on her here, but she’ll soon forgive me.
Bear seems surprised at my agreement, or perhaps my apparent readiness, but he says nothing, only stepping back with a smile so I can move from behind the counter. In a gallant move, he takes the lead and holds the door open for me as I step out onto the street. He’s clearly on his best behaviour.
The sun is shining and it’s a lovely warm day, a slight breeze blowing my curls forward.
Reaching up, I brush them back, paying attention to everything around me except the man at my side.
Their shop isn’t directly attached to mine – a small alley separates us – but it only takes a few short steps until we reach it.
I pause outside and glance over it, taking in the differences now that they have begun work on it.
The windows have been changed, large planes of glass now taking up most of the front of the building.
Plastic sheets are hung up inside to stop people from seeing the work being undertaken.
However, the door is open so I peak inside.
It’s been stripped down completely, the partitions knocked out to create a bigger space.
All traces of the previous owners have been wiped away completely.
“Are you okay?” Bear asks quietly, and it’s the concern in his voice that snaps me from my trance.
“Oh, yes, sorry.” I reply with an awkward laugh, rubbing the back of my neck with embarrassment at being caught out. Bear just nods and gestures for me to head inside.
Why am I so nervous about going inside? Or, does the way I’m feeling have nothing to do with the shop itself and everything to do with the guys who own it and are waiting for me?
I step inside and even before I’ve fully entered the building I can hear male voices echoing through the empty room, the sound amplified thanks to the lack of furniture.
Despite this, I’m able to locate the speaker, my eyes immediately locking onto Elliot.
Instantly I purse my lips, irritated simply by looking at him.
What is it about him that winds me up so much?
He cuts off whatever he was saying and lets his eyes do a slow, obvious perusal of my body.
Snorting, I cross my arms over my chest to show I am not impressed.
He may be gorgeous, but that doesn’t mean I have to like him.
By the time he reaches my face, he’s wearing a smug smile.
I don’t know what he has to be smug about, but I would love to find a way to wipe that look from his face.
I feel the heat of Bear’s body as he steps up behind me. I should move, to make space for him but there’s a larger part of me that wants to stay right here, to absorb the comfort that I feel when he’s close.
“You’ve already met Elliot,” he introduces, placing his hand on my lower back and gently steering me further into the building, “but you won’t have met my other brother, Clayton.”
As though drawn out by Bear’s voice, another figure steps out from a room at the back. Instantly, my body freezes.
Clayton.
Blood pounds in my ears to the frantic rhythm of my heart.
I am in a room with three of the hottest guys I’ve ever seen, two of which I have had intense moments with.
Not to mention Elliot, who gets under my skin whether I want to admit it or not.
Palms sweaty, I feel completely overwhelmed.
How have I got myself into this position?
I have way too many thoughts to juggle and I have no idea how to handle the situation, so I’m going to focus on the biggest factor of my turbulent emotions.
Clay. It’s really him, the guy who has been haunting my dreams. He looks exactly as he did when I saw him in the club, the only difference being the dark circles under his eyes.
His tattoos look somehow darker in the light, covering almost every inch of his skin.
He looks dangerous. I should be running in the other direction, but instead I find myself moving forward.
I thought I would never see him again, but here he is.
He’s completely frozen in place, his eyes wide.
Clearly he didn’t think he’d see me here; in fact, he’s staring at me as if he can’t quite believe that this is really happening.
I take several small steps towards him, the rest of the world falling away.
The others are probably watching us with confusion, and I don’t blame them.
To an outsider, the silence between Clay and myself might seem awkward, but really we are communicating in our own way.
Pausing a couple of metres away, I wait to see what he does. Am I making more of this moment than it really is? Should I step back and laugh it off, trying to restart the conversation with Bear?
I’m about to move but Clay beats me to it, closing the distance between us.
“It’s you.” He manages to force out, his voice strangled, staring down at me with an intensity I’ve never before experienced. Staring up into those blue eyes, I have a question on the tip of my lips.
I never get to ask him as he presses his lips to mine in a searing kiss.