Sexual Shift (3 page)

He saw the fury in Hilly’s eyes before she gritted out the words. “I’m sorry.”

Kneeling in front of her, he took her hand, cupping it between his two, and felt the tension in her body. “No problem. After all, everyone makes mistakes.”

A strong sensation swept through him as though the touch of her hand had made every nerve inside him come alive. His pulse raced, and his heart thudded in his chest. Taken aback, he stared into her blue eyes and saw that she’d felt something, too. Outwardly, she was a young girl with the innocence of a child. But within? Something else hid beneath the surface. Something or someone much older.

Child, my ass.
He’d been right from the moment he’d seen her. Hilly was no child, no matter what she looked like. But then what was she? A demon in disguise? An angel sent by his father to check on him? Or something else? Maybe a shape-shifter? He studied her again. Yeah, he’d bet his father’s wings Hilly was a shape-shifter.

Hilly yanked her hand away from him and scooted to Allie’s side. “Mommy, I want to go home.”

“Good idea. Um, goodbye, Mr. Cage. It was nice meeting you.” Allie spun on her heel, gathering both girls to her, then pushed through the green barrier to the playground.

He called after her. “I hope we see each other again. Except next time, let’s not meet behind the bushes.” They were gone before he finished speaking.

Tanner laughed loudly, sending the nearby birds into flight. “Damn, but that was fun. More fun than I’ve had in years.” Peeking through the foliage, he watched the trio hurry out of the park.

I’ll find Hilly again, and next time I’ll make sure she’s in her real body.

“He’s a player.” Hilly placed three broken cookies into a Sweet Nothings Bakery box, then swept the crumbs off the counter. A little boy wailed from the corner of the bakery until his mother offered him a taste of her cupcake. “For the record, Allie Halloran, I did not appreciate being bossed around. Even if I was in the body of a child at the time.”

“Sorry, but I was just playing my part. Besides, I enjoyed being the boss of you for once.” Allie skirted away as Hilly pivoted toward her. “Tanner might be a player, but he’s one heck of a handsome player. Don’t try to say you didn’t notice, either. I saw the way you looked at him.”

“Mmm. Really?” Meg, the middle Tristan sister, moved the box of cookies to the back counter, then waved her hand over the box. A pale blue mist settled over the broken pieces and they began to move together to form complete, unbroken cookies.

“Don’t get started again, Allie. Plus, for your information, Meg, a player is still a player, no matter how handsome he is. That just makes him an egotistical player.”

“Ooh, so you do think he’s hot.” Meg grinned, cookie crumbs stuck to the corners of her mouth.

“I didn’t say that. Stop putting words in my mouth and cookies in yours. Chance will have to send you to a fat farm if you don’t watch out.”

“Ouch. Damn, big sister, you don’t have to get mean. I’m only playing with you.” Meg sported a phony pout that fooled no one, much less her older sister.

“Don’t you two have better things to do? Like going through the inventory? I think we’re running out of napkins.”

“No, we’re not. I checked them— Ow! Why’d you hit me, Allie?” Meg rubbed her arm where her younger sister had slapped her.

“She knows we have plenty of napkins, silly. Can’t you see we’re taking the joke too far and she’s trying to get rid of us?” Allie scooted her grumbling sister away from Hilly and toward the storage room at the rear of the building. “We’ll be back in a minute. You know, after you’ve had time to fantasize about the man in the bushes.”

“You two better get out of my sight, or I’ll—” But her sisters were gone before Hilly could finish the threat. She mumbled a choice word under her breath, then counted to ten to keep from screaming. If only they’d stop teasing her. Or better yet, if only his wicked grin and incredible eyes would stop invading her dreams!

Hilly moved toward the window to gaze out at Main Street. Traffic moved briskly while friends and neighbors strolled by enjoying the warm summer day. But her mind wouldn’t stay on the pretty scene. Instead, she did as Allie had prompted her to do. She sighed and thought about Tanner.

Zoning in on the men passing by her, she noted how many she knew. Tanner had to be a businessman traveling through Cottageville. Would he stay? Doubtful. A man like him wouldn’t settle down in a small town. Not that the town couldn’t already boast a few handsome men. Her brothers-in-law, Tom Halloran and Dr. Chance Dannigan, for instance. But Tanner seemed worldlier than the others. Worldly and… What was the word she searched for? Immoral? She frowned, not liking her description of him.

He’d realized she wasn’t Emma Grace’s twin. In fact, he’d known she wasn’t a child at all. She recalled his stark appraisal and once again relived the tingle of electricity that had surrounded him. Then why hadn’t he come straight out and accused her? Besides, how had he known? She’d matched her niece perfectly from the curled eyelashes down to the slight outward turn of her feet.

Sensing a customer entering behind her, Hilly spun around and forced a smile to her face. “Welcome to Sweet Nothings. May I help you?”

How she’d managed to say the entire greeting she’d never know. From the second she’d pivoted to face him, she’d lost her train of thought. Her mouth must’ve switched over to autopilot.

“Hi to you, too, Hilly Tristan.”

Hilly swallowed, afraid her mouth would lose functioning power, too. “Oh!” The “it’s you” that almost followed her exclamation managed to stay silent.

“I’m glad you remember me.” Tanner Cage reached out to take her hand and lead her to the counter. He scoured the length of her, pausing to linger on her breasts before moving to her lips, then on to her eyes.

Hilly sucked in a breath, fighting against the conflicting urges to either run or kiss him. She went on guard, working to control the tension tightening her neck.

“I don’t know what you mean.” Besides, how did he know she was Hilly and not Meg? “You surprised me, is all.”

Stiffly, she sidestepped him, seeking the safety behind the counter. Should she acknowledge that they’d met before? But how without giving up her secret? She wasn’t positive he knew the truth, so why admit it? She told herself to take charge of her nerves and change the subject.

“May I help you? Would you like to try our new melt-in-your-mouth apple cinnamon muffins? Or maybe a warm and gooey chocolate éclair? Tell me. What do you crave?” She froze, aware how the normal questions to her customers suddenly sounded sensual.

His silver-blue eyes colored to a smoky gray. “I don’t want anything you’ve baked. What I want, what I crave…is you.”

Hilly’s legs went weak, and she had to grip the edge of the counter to stay upright. “I’m sorry. What did you say?”

His smile filled with warmth as well as a hint of danger. “You weren’t difficult to find, you know. Your bakery, your sisters…and especially you…are well-known in town. Although I never expected to find someone like you. I guess dreams do come true.” Turning away from her, he gave her the time she needed to regroup.

His hair, pulled back in a ponytail, glistened with blue-black highlights under the fluorescent lights. Dressed in a black silk shirt and slacks as he’d been dressed in the park, he looked as though he was ready for the grand opening of a nightclub rather than the bright daylight of a modest bakery. His silk shirt clung like a second skin in all the right places, highlighting the broad shoulders, then caressing his body down to the slim waist, drawing her attention even lower.

Think, Hilly. Say something.
“We’ve been in business a long time. Besides, everyone knows everyone else in a small town.” Someone must’ve pointed her out to him.

She took a couple of deep breaths. So far he hadn’t mentioned Hilly the child, so maybe he hadn’t suspected after all. More than likely, her imagination had gone off kilter. She breathed easier, determined to treat him like any other customer.

“Are you new in town? Or just passing through?” She cringed and hoped she didn’t sound interested.

“Neither one.”

What did he mean by that? She was about to ask when he turned to face the opposite wall and studied the photographs of her sisters and her deceased parents.

“They died when you were still a child. Then you were a child raising children.”

She gasped. “How do you know they aren’t alive? How do you know about my life?”

When he faced her, she could see the pity and understanding in his expression. He shrugged, but she didn’t believe the nonchalance in the movement. “I guess someone must’ve mentioned it.”

He was in front of her in the blink of an eye and leaning over the counter, his face intoxicatingly close to hers. Startled, Hilly lurched away, pressing her back against the other counter. “I think you know a lot about me. More than any townsperson would tell you.”

His smile lingered before he finally spoke. “Yes, I do, Hilly Tristan.”

She didn’t know if it was his cocky attitude or the alarm twisting her gut, but she suddenly found herself ready to stand her ground. “I’m not sure I like that.”

Again, he moved faster than any human could and came behind the counter. Hilly’s heart thundered in her chest. Was he a warlock? Yet she didn’t sense a magical presence like the one Meg possessed.

He inched closer, putting his face next to hers, his breath tickling the lobe of her ear. “I can tell you what you’d like.” He skimmed his hand along her arm, making every nerve ending come alive. “Would you like to know what that is?”

Hilly eased away from him, afraid to let him touch her a moment longer. If she did, she’d lose her ability to break free. At the very least, she’d lose control of her body. His touch sent shivers of excitement racing through her. Unable to move any faster, she edged to the other end of the counter and offered a weak smile to the mother leaving with her child.

“I’d like you to go.” She let out a breath she hadn’t known she’d held.

“Aw, come on, Hilly. I realize you’re not very experienced in these things, but I’m sure I could teach you.” His dark eyes held her as he whispered, his voice husky with desire. “The things I could teach you would blow your mind.”

Confusion mixed with anger to flare inside her and wipe away her timidity. “You want to teach me?” She snorted, knowing how the rude noise sounded but not caring. “You couldn’t teach me a thing. At least nothing I’d want to learn.”

He gritted his teeth, making a muscle in his jaw twitch. “You really don’t think so?”

“No. I really don’t think so.” The look he gave her burned through her, and she had to avert her eyes from his.

“Wanna bet?”

She had to leave, had to get away before she lost a wager she didn’t want to make. “No. Please be gone by the time I come back.” Pushing away from him, she hurried down the hallway leading to the rear of the store and the safety of her sisters.

She gasped to find him blocking her way. “How do you do that?”

“Do what?”

She fisted her hands on her hips. “You know damn well what I mean. How do you—”

He pressed his mouth against hers, cutting off her sentence. The kiss was sensual, more seductive than any kiss she’d ever experienced. He sought her lips, at first tender, then tempting her to take the kiss further. With his tongue, he traced a path along the seam of her lips, as though asking permission to enter. But he didn’t wait for permission and thrust his tongue into her mouth. She moaned, enjoying the intoxicating, spicy taste.

Snaking his arms around her waist, he pulled her closer, flattening her breasts against his solid chest until she could feel the buttons of his shirt through the material of her blouse. She inhaled, taking in the hot scent that singed the insides of her nostrils. Unclenching her hands, she slid her arms over the wide shoulders to the muscles that would yield to nothing and locked her fingers behind his neck.

He slipped a hand lower to cup her butt cheek. Her heart leapt to her throat. She was both surprised and stunned at his move. Yet she surprised herself more with her quick acceptance of his intimate caress.

She wished she’d worn a skirt. Anything besides the loose khakis she found comfortable for working in the shop. Her frustration filled her moan and he increased his fervor. Heat boiled in the vee between her legs, and she lifted one leg to wrap it around his. Now it was his turn to moan as he took her weight in his hands and lifted her to ram her against the wall. Her breath puffed out of her, and she clutched him tighter, afraid he’d mistake the sound for pain.

Hilly had recognized his power before, had known he possessed an unusual strength. Yet she hadn’t expected to feel as light as a feather in his grip. Using the wall to brace herself, she wrapped both her legs around him and pushed against the oh-so-thick bulge in his slacks.

She arched against him, urging him to take her right there in the hallway of her bakery where her customers could hear them. She closed her eyes, no longer caring what anyone might think, no longer needing to set an example for her sisters. Hilly smiled, a wickedly sexy smile no one would see.

He fondled her and sought entry through the thick material into the crevice between her cheeks. She vowed never to wear slacks again. But that mistake wouldn’t stop her.