It had been a sleepless night. The kind that made Sophia regret every decision from the past two days forward and backward. Had she led Liam on? Was she misleading herself? Was there even a chance she wanted him?

His words were hot. So hot she almost panted out loud.

She stared at the clock. After tossing for three hours, she gave up and walked down to the kitchen. The least she could do was get an early start on the baking. Sundays had an easiness to them she always liked.

She turned on the radio and sang as she rolled out the dough for a batch of fresh biscuits. It was the only day during the week she made ham and cheese biscuits. They were usually sold out before ten.

The problem was that she couldn’t sort through her feelings while Liam was near. She knew that was what he wanted. He wanted to seduce her with his charm—with his insanely good looks. Only a few more minutes with him last night, and he would have had her begging him to take her.

She rolled out the dough, making the center even, then focusing on the corners. She had been close. Close enough that she pictured what he would look like naked. What he would feel like filling her. What he would sound like growling her name. What it would feel like when he bit her, claiming her for his own.

She reached for her neck, remembering the spot Noah had bitten. There was only a faint scar now.

Then she thought about what Liam did. He had left. Every time she refused him, he listened. He never pushed her. He never forced her. She narrowed her eyes. He was getting in her head.

She placed the rolling pin on the counter and flipped the dough over to give a pass to the other side.

Would it be terrible if she went on one date? Just one date with a hot guy who promised her a good time. Could she do that?

She chewed on her lip, pressing the dough into the counter. It was almost too thin. She had to pound it back into a ball and start over.

If she let Liam into her life, she knew it wouldn’t be as simple as a date. He wouldn’t stop with that. He wasn’t going to stop until he claimed her. The clan was putting pressure on him. She sighed, reaching for the biscuit cutter. There was no easy answer.

She lined the biscuits into six rows and slid the baking sheet into the oven. In a few minutes, the entire kitchen would smell like warm bread. She smiled, knowing there were still some things she could count on.

She set the timer and began filling the top of the coffee pot.

* * *

She wasn’t surprised when Liam arrived before the first customer.

“Good morning.” He smiled.

She hadn’t figured out what to do about him, but when she saw him her body instantly betrayed her. She grinned wider than she thought possible. “Good morning.”

He noticed.

“Can I get a cup of coffee?” he asked.

“I guess so,” she joked. This time, she walked to the coffee pot and poured a cup for him.

“It smells amazing in here.” He looked around the kitchen.

The biscuits had been assembled and were in the front cabinet. She held up one she had saved for him. “Fresh biscuit?”

“Hell yeah.” He took it, biting into it with a hungry look. “Damn. You can bake.”

She giggled. She loved making people happy with her cakes or muffins, but there was something extra rewarding about making a man happy like that. The satisfaction on his lips made her heart swell. She almost toppled over with the feeling. She hadn’t felt it since…

“Soph, you okay?” Liam asked.

“Uh… yeah.” She supported herself with the counter.

One second, she was letting the emotions whirl through her like she deserved to feel happiness. As if it were okay to enjoy being in another man’s company. Then an instant later, she was reminded why she needed to be alone. If she felt the slightest resemblance to what she felt with Noah, the pain sliced through her. There was no way around the agony. She had to keep it locked away.

The happiness reminded her it had all been ripped away in an instant. Love only turned into pain.

“I could eat ten of these.” Liam finished the biscuit and looked around for another.

“Well you can’t.” She put her hands on her hips, finding her voice again. “They’re for my Sunday customers.”

“I was just complimenting them. That’s all.”

She threw her hands in the air. She needed space to breathe. She needed space to think. She walked into the shop, but Liam was behind her. He started turning the chairs on their legs.

“Stop. You don’t have to do that,” she protested.

He moved around the café until the last one was upright. “I like helping you.”

“It isn’t necessary.”

“I didn’t say it was necessary. I said I liked it.” He walked toward her and she tried to put space between them using the cash register as a shield.

“Sundays are really busy. I need to set up the till and…”

Liam took her face in his hands and leaned toward her, brushing a kiss over her lips.

“I’ll see you later.” He walked out of the kitchen, leaving her lips on fire and her heart hurting.

She crumpled to the floor, letting the tears spill onto her apron.

No, there was no way through the pain.