“You be good for Aunt Vivi and Uncle Nash, okay?”

It was the day of the launch, and I was up early because I hadn’t slept at all, two maybe three hours total and I was exhausted. But being at the shop was exactly what I needed to get my head on straight before the day got started.

“I’m always good! Good luck today.”

“Thank you, baby. Mama loves you so much.” After a quick peck on his cheek, I left Max and headed to High St. Fashions. Today was a make or break day for me as a designer. I kept wondering if I should have just kept this nothing more than a pipe dream.

But it was too late to turn back now, proof of that was in the ice filled cooler I wheeled into the shop behind me, filled with bottles of wine and champagne courtesy of Vivi. The flyers had been plastered on windshields, storefronts, stuffed in mailboxes and shoved into shopping bags at the supermarket. Vivi had pretty much assured that all the women in town would come into the shop today.

No pressure.

Even as the thought occurred to me, all I could think about was what if today was a flop? What if no one showed up today, or worse, what if they showed up and hated my designs? I knew it was a possibility and as much as anyone could, I tried to prepare myself to handle that. To deal with it, whatever it turned out to be.

I kept telling myself that as I paced the length of the shop, casting surreptitious glances over at the dress display that seemed to be taunting me. I told myself that as I began setting up the refreshments table and placing coupons strategically around the shop for what I hoped would be tons of customers.

Eventually my nerves settled into a low level of constant anxiety, which allowed me to put on a pot of coffee, vacuum the strips of carpet that gave the place a more sophisticated air, rearrange the dresses two or three more times. I finally gave in and poured a big cup. With caffeine coursing through my system I could think a bit clearly even with my twitchy nerves.

By ten o’clock everything was set up. The refreshments table sat near the front window that bore the shop’s name so that people could congregate there and chat without spilling food or drink on any of the designs. Soft music would stream overhead as it always did during shopping hours, only today it would be jazz and big band to go with the 1920’s theme for the dress display. Everything looked exactly how I pictured it for the past few months, which was a more euphemistic way of saying it was as good as it was gonna get.

“I should have tried to sleep a few more hours.”

Mostly because I was starting to talk to myself, but also because I was now just doing busywork to occupy my mind. But there’s only so many times you can check the POS system, price tags and inventory lists.

A knock on the back door drew my attention, but I took my time because I wasn’t in the mood for visitors. With my hand squeezed around the doorknob, I let out a deep breath and pulled it open.

“Zeke. What are you doing here?”

He looked nervous, holding a large bouquet of colorful tulips which he shoved at me. “These are, uh, for you.” I shouldn’t think he looked adorable standing there with flowers in his trembling hands, but he did. Or maybe it was the way the gray denim hugged his long lean thighs, or the way the black Zeke’s Joint t-shirt hugged his muscles.

I smiled, and immediately berated myself mentally for the gesture. “Thanks, Zeke. How did you know?”

“Belle Musique Facebook page. Apparently, it’s the place to get all of your gossip at once, you know, in case you prefer to stay at home and try to avoid nosy neighbors.” With a shake of his head, he stepped inside and smiled down at me, and I swear to the sweet lord above that my knees wobbled at the same time my heart skipped a beat. “Can I see them?”

Wait, what? “You want to see them? As in my dresses?” That’s the behavior I would have expected of the Zeke who wanted sex on a regular basis, but now I just didn’t get it. “Why?”

“Why not? I’m curious what kinds of dresses you would create. My guess is sexy and understated, but I’m prepared to be proven wrong.”

Those words were exactly what I needed to help me remember. He’d promised, last week after he’d kissed me senseless, that he would show me I was wrong about him, and yet here we were a week later, and this was the first time I’d seen him since.

“Sure. Follow me.”

“Gladly.” I didn’t bother to glare at him, because that’s exactly what he wanted, and I wasn’t foolish enough to take his charm as anything more than Zeke being Zeke. I led him to the front of the shop, stopping by the register and waving my hands in the direction of the display. “There they are.”

I watched with my heart in my throat at Zeke walking over to the display, looking uber masculine next to all the frilly things around the shop. He stopped about five feet from the display and grinned.

“You did the display too? I thought all that velvet was some kind of fetish of yours.”

Against my will, I laughed. “You know much more about those things than I do, so I’ll take your word for it.”

Zeke shook his head, but his gaze never left the display. “Wow Maddie, you created these! I don’t know much about fashion, but I do know that I’d happily peel you out of each and every one of these.”

Even though I wanted to ignore the way his words made me feel, I couldn’t deny the liquid heat coursing through my body, or the way my nipples hardened behind the structured bra, keeping my arousal private from his prying eyes.

“Thanks. I think.”

When he turned to me, intent in his eyes, I took a step back. Not out of fear, but self-preservation. He frowned, but his long legged gait never wavered, eating up the space between us until his big black motorcycle boots were toe to toe with my soft yellow ballet flats. Big, warm hands settled on my shoulders. “Congratulations, Maddie. This is pretty incredible.”

I didn’t want him to be proud of me, and I didn’t want to see his happiness for me shining in those beautiful chocolate depths. But he was proud and that pleased me. Dammit. “Thank you, Zeke. That…it means a lot.”

“Good. I’m glad.” He kissed one cheek and then the other, his clean manly scent working its way deep into my brain to ensure I never forgot it. “I can’t stay long, but I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stop by later to show my support, so I figured I’d come in early while you were freaking out all by yourself.”

Another laugh, this one more amused, erupted out of me. “You’re way too late for that. I freaked out much earlier than this.” He laughed and just like that it was like those few good months we had. Laughing over everything and nothing. But this was now, and now we were…nothing.

“Thank you, I really do appreciate it.”

One side of his mouth curved into a lazy grin that I wanted to trace with my tongue, so I took a step back. “Today will be great, Maddie. Congratulations again, and have some champagne. If you add orange juice it’s basically breakfast.”

He was so much more than his charm. Zeke was also funny, with a quick wit that had kept me laughing when he was around. It had been a good few months.

“That should be your new Sunday menu, ‘Basically Breakfast’ with mimosas and Bloody Marys for brunch.”

He frowned. “Brunch? Belle Musique isn’t’ really a brunch kind of town. Is it?”

I shrugged. “Ladies love brunch and men love having sex with ladies. Maybe you need a morning after menu too?”

“You looking for a second, or third job Maddie? Because I like these ideas.”

I shrugged like his words didn’t light me up from the inside out. “Let’s see how today goes, maybe I just need to stick with one job.”

“That’s bullshit, and you know it. Tell you what, if those dresses don’t sell out then I’ll buy every one on of them. If you’ll wear them on our dates.” He grinned when I glared at him, completely unaffected. “If you don’t have any faith in yourself Maddie, that’s too bad. I do. You’ll do great today.” I opened my mouth to tell him that he couldn’t possibly know that, while at the same time secretly hoping he was right, but Zeke was done talking.

He was kissing me. Again. This time it was slow and hot, hungry and addictive as his tongue swept across my lips before they parted, begging for more. It was what a kiss should be, and I wanted more. So much more.

Zeke, apparently, did not. “Knock’em dead today, Maddie.” He winked and took a step back, smacking my ass on his way out the door.

After that kiss how could I not think about him all day?

What’s worse? The day had just gotten started.