The Billionaire's Bridal Bid by Emily McKay

until her hips bumped against his, trapping her between him and the counter. Pulling back, he kept one hand planted on her hip so she was firmly anchored to him. Then he reached into the bowl and withdrew one of the biscuits. The flaky crust yielded to the pressure of his teeth. His eyes drifted closed. A little salty, with the hint of butter, so light it nearly dissolved on his tongue. Perfect. Almost as perfect as she was.
    “I suddenly understand why men used to keep women chained in the kitchen.”
    She gave a shove to his shoulder. “Sexist pig!” But her tone was playful. That wariness was gone.
    He chuckled, not releasing his hold on her hip. “You may be right, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a turn-on that you’re as good in the kitchen as you are in bed.” It was a heady combination, having the woman he’d just slept with make him breakfast. As he chewed, another wave of bliss swept over him. “Most of the women I’ve dated wouldn’t lift a baking pan unless it was filled with diamonds.”
    She pulled back from him slightly, a frown marring her face. “Then you and Suzy…” The question hung between them for a second before she finally wiggled free and held up her hands. “Never mind. I don’t want to know.”
    Turning her back on him, she headed back for the sink, but he snagged her arm and reeled her back in. Her mouth formed an O in surprise and he popped a bit of biscuit in.
    “No. Suzy and I never…” He paused, mimicking herunasked question. “Never dated. Never anything.” He added just to be clear. “She’s just a friend.”
    “Oh.”
    “Is that so hard to believe?”
    “It’s…” She seemed to mulling over her word choice. “Unexpected.”
    That he could believe. “What would you like to do today? I did happen to date the assistant director of the Monterey Aquarium. I can give her a call and—”
    “I have to go back Palo Verde today.” She pulled away from him again and this time he let her go. She grabbed a biscuit and retreated to the stretch of counter near the sink. “I was planning to leave just after breakfast.”
    He glanced at the clock on the oven. “It’s barely seven. And it’s Sunday. Take the day off.”
    She just shook her head. “I own a restaurant. There are no days off. Olga agreed to open for me this morning, but they’ll need me there soon. Before lunch if I can make it.”
    Her determination was written clearly on her face, from the set of her jaw to the tension around her mouth. This wasn’t a battle he’d win.
    He tossed the last bite of biscuit in his mouth and dusted his hands off on his jeans. “Okay. I’ll call Melissa and have her get the plane ready. We can be at the airstrip in an hour. Which will put us back in Palo Verde well before noon.”
    “Us?”
    He didn’t like that edge of suspicion in her voice, so he spoke firmly. “Yes. Us.”
    She gave her head a little shake as she set her biscuit aside, largely uneaten. “You don’t need to fly back with me.”
    “Yes, I do. Think of it as walking you to the door.”
    “That’s not—”
    “What’s this really about?” Was she somehow embarrassed by what had happened between them? She hadn’t seemed to feel that way last night, but who knew what was going on in her mind now.
    For a long moment she was silent. She broke off a bite of biscuit, but instead of eating it, she squashed it between her fingers. “Last night was great. But I think we’ll both be better off if we acknowledge it for what it was.”
    “And what was it?” That was the crux of the matter, wasn’t it? Women and that pesky urge they had to define relationships.
    As far as he was concerned, last night had been great. And he wasn’t willing to give her up just yet.
    She continued rolling the bit of biscuit between her fingers like a worry bead. “To be honest, I don’t know what last night was. An aberration. A mistake, maybe.” Her lips curved into a slight smile, but it was one she didn’t share