Chapter Ten

Weeks had passed since their first lunch meeting, and Lila had met Drake a couple more times to hammer down a menu. Things were progressing well, and she was at last ready to tackle one of the most delicate elements of the reception, the wedding cake.

Alex had narrowed it down to four cakes, saying that his fiancée had been little help in the selection. "She just wants to make sure it's pretty. I don't think she gives a shit how it tastes."

"Well, I'm sure she'd care if it tasted like shit," had been her retort, and they'd both burst out laughing, making the other people in the upscale downtown eatery shoot haughty glances at their table.

The lunch meetings with Alex had been both pleasure and pain. He'd acted like a gentleman, even if she couldn't exactly say he'd been professional. He was too fond of swearing for that. And as time passed he slipped more and more often into that slow southern drawl that had her panties dripping without even a touch.

They'd talked about the wedding, about the appetizers and entrees, but also about their lives. Lila had opened up about working her way through culinary school and saving up to pursue her dream in the big(ger) city. Alex had not chosen to bore her with stories of his business prowess, perhaps surprisingly, and often shared anecdotes about his childhood. She'd begun to build little pictures in her mind of the people of his small hometown in Tennessee, letting his deep voice lull her into a near trance.

The cast of characters was large. There was Cooter, the old man who taught Alex to handle a bow and had carved one himself for the boy. Jolene ran the general store, and Lila had no problem picturing her bleached-blond finger waves and bright red lipstick. Though her brain did scramble to keep up with the names of his many sisters, and Lila didn't think she'd ever be able to keep them all straight.

He'd told her about learning to sew, and about the first outfit he made for one of his sisters. She'd ordered him to make her a white dress for church, and he'd worked so hard on it, not finishing it until Sunday morning, and then he'd been too tired to attend services. Instead he'd woken up to a giggle and the sight of Darlene, her white dress gray with mud, the lace he'd so carefully sewn at the hem torn and ruined.

"Thank you for my pretty dress," she'd crooned into his shocked face, and his mimicking of his little sister's voice had forced Lila into a fit of giggles.

She found herself having such a good time during their lunches that she forgot to keep her guard up around Tall, Dark, and Dangerous. Instead she relaxed, enjoyed their time together, and slowly but surely she felt emotion creep into her heart.

His conversation was always interesting, betraying not only his intelligence but his integrity. And perhaps surprisingly, his kindness. He'd enjoyed a Sunday brunch they'd shared at the Screen Door, and the server had teased him about smacking his lips after the meal.

"It's a compliment, of course," he'd told her. "The ham gravy reminded me of my mother's recipe. Just needed to be a tad thicker." The server, a sassy older woman with a tattoo of a colorful pinup girl peeking from beneath her cap sleeve, had laughed and told him their gravy had won awards.

"Still needs to be a little thicker." He winked at her, and Lila watched as a blush spread across the woman's face. She couldn't blame her. Alex made her blush near constantly.

Turned out the server agreed, and when she'd made the recipe at home for her own son, hers had been thicker. "And more delicious, I'm sure," Drake said, flashing another heat-inducing smile. Their conversation wandered, and before the server left, Alex had not only left a 1000% tip, but his business card, encouraging the woman to give him a call if her son was interested in an internship when he finished school.

Incidents like these chipped away at the walls around her heart, walls she frantically tried to rebuild when they were apart. But she couldn't seem to build fast enough.

When they'd come together before, she'd felt pure lust, fierce desire. But then she'd barely known him, even if her body swore that they were old friends. Now that she'd actually gotten to know him, since she'd seen what a good man he was, things had moved beyond lust to a stage she hesitated to label.

Friends? Is that what they were? She felt friendship toward Alex, yes, but that didn't explain the heat that suffused her whenever he was nearby. Even the thought of him caused her pulse to race. She didn't want to admit it to herself, but she thought that if Alex wasn't engaged, if he were a free man and she a free woman, she'd probably encourage him, succumb to his advances.

Except he hadn't made any advances. Not since that night before his engagement party. It seemed it was truly over, whatever the fling between them had been. Finished before it started. She didn't want to hurt at that thought, but she did.

Still she felt a thrum of excitement every time she saw him. She felt the unmistakable weight of tension whenever they were in the room together. Maybe it was entirely one-sided. But it felt heavier each time, like storm clouds that keep building and building before a vicious thunderstorm.

And now it was time to make another appointment with him. With them. For the cake tasting. And the most logical place to taste the cakes would be here, in her kitchen. The thought of Alex in her kitchen again gave her goosebumps, and she ran her hands up and down her arms to soothe herself.

Stop it! He'll be bringing Ms. Alana Morgan, and she'll ice out any flare ups you might experience. Lila grinned wryly.

She dialed Drake's office and greeted Helen politely. "I'd like to set up an appointment for the cake tasting."

"Hold the line one moment."

Lila frowned. Helen didn't usually put her on hold. Must be a busy day.

"Alex Drake."

Lila's mouth dropped open, and she swallowed quickly. "Uh, hi. Helen must have transferred me. It's Lila Johnstone."

"I'd recognize your voice anywhere, cupcake."

His southern drawl made her shiver and she bit the inside of her mouth to get a hold on herself. "Mr. Drake, I'd like to set up a time for the cake tasting. If there is an evening this week that works for you and Miss Morgan, we can make it happen."

"Lila," he said, then silence.

"Yes?" she said after a moment.

"I told you to call me Alex." His voice was low. Deep. Panty-moistening.

"And what evening might work for you, Alex?"

Was that a growl? "Tonight."

Lila laughed. It came out low and throaty, and she was instantly ashamed of herself. "I have to bake the cakes, you know."

"Tomorrow night?"

"I appreciate the rush, Mr. Drake--"
"Alex."

"--But I think we have plenty of time to reach a decision on the cakes--"
"So tomorrow night it is?"

Lila couldn't help laughing again. "Yes, tomorrow night is fine. Let Miss Morgan know that she'll be sampling four cakes, as well as a few signature desserts for the dessert table."

"Can do."

"Thank you, Mr. Drake."

"Alex!" That was a growl.

"See you tomorrow."