Donovan Enterprises was an even more imposing building than Ellie could have imagined. She shook her head at the enormous steel and mirrored glass skyscraper. The ostentatious structure served as fuel to the flames of her indignation over his showy display of wealth. Seeing the mammoth, phallic reminder of his economic status spurred her on in her quest to set him straight about his attempts to buy her affection.

The car she had refused to accept still sat in her driveway as if he believed seeing it again would tempt her into taking it. When her trusty Bug had stuttered before starting, she wondered if she should drive the Benz to his office to return it in person. In the end, she had decided not to take it for fear that the purr of the luxurious car’s engine would tempt her into accepting his generous offer.

She would never be able to live with herself if she let him buy her a car. She wasn’t even sure why it would cross his mind to offer it to her. Was he concerned that his body had left a dent in her Beetle? She smiled at the thought as she circled the revolving door into his building. The grin faded when she realized the joke about him denting her car was the kind of funny thing that Trey would say.

Would have said, she reminded herself. On the drive into the city, she had convinced herself that the Trey she had glimpsed in her tiny, bustling town could not be the same man who ran this billion-dollar conglomerate. He had even admitted to her that he was generally much more serious than the fun-loving jokester she had gotten to know.

He must have been taking a quick reprieve from his usual high-pressure, all-business persona during his brief stay in her town. Now that he was back in his natural habitat, she wondered if she would see even a glimpse of the man she had been feeling definite sparks of attraction––plus something more––for. She felt certain that interacting with ‘Trey the Billionaire’ would obliterate her blossoming feelings for ‘Trey the small-town hospital patient.’

As the elevator rose at a nosebleed-inducing rate of speed to deliver her to the top floor, she convinced herself that he might not even take the time to see her––despite his promise otherwise. He was a powerful and important man. He couldn’t be expected to drop everything just because she stopped by his office.

By the time the doors slid open to reveal the opulent reception area on the top level, she was certain that she would immediately be turned away with a polite, but firm, “He’s busy, but you can make an appointment to see him.” That response would give her the perfect excuse to leave and never give the man another thought. Yeah, right. She almost chuckled at her own optimism.

The gorgeous surroundings that greeted her when she stepped out of the elevator distracted her from her thoughts. The three-story wall of water that rained down behind the front desk was nothing short of breathtaking. The office’s color palette––a mixture of bright tropical blues and classic muted grays––was stunning.

Ellie was only mildly surprised when the woman on the phone at the enormous gleaming mahogany desk turned to smile up at her. Of course Trey’s assistant, Millie, had beat her in getting there, but somehow the other woman looked polished and pristine, despite the traffic-filled, stressful drive into the city.

While Millie professionally wrapped up her phone call, Ellie wondered if Trey had provided his assistant with a limousine. Suddenly, Ellie wished that she had taken the time to change her clothes, or at least stop by a restroom to fix her make-up. She wondered if she had flour from the frantic morning’s baking on her face, but it was too late to check now. Feeling frumpy when she gazed down at her own jeans and striped tee-shirt before her eyes travelled to Millie’s sleek, tailored business suit, she wondered––not for the first time––what she was doing there.

Hanging up the phone and interrupting Ellie’s bout of self-doubt, Millie gave her a welcoming smile. “Miss Thorne, it’s so lovely to see you again.”

The statement should have felt false, especially since they had just seen each other––and Ellie hadn’t been kind––but it oozed with sincere-sounding warmth. Feeling cynical, Ellie decided that the woman was obviously very good at her job.

Expecting to be told that she could make an appointment if she wanted to see Trey, Ellie was surprised when the other woman ushered her directly into his office. “Mr. Donovan is in a meeting, but I’ll let him know you’re here,” Millie smiled at Ellie. “What would you like to drink while you wait?”

“Oh, umm. Water?” Her answer came out like a question, and she chastised herself about it, while Millie went to retrieve her beverage.

In an impossibly short amount of time, Millie returned to the office with a chilled, fancy-looking bottle of water and a plate of warm chocolate chip cookies. “They’re probably not nearly as good as what you bake,” Millie told her kindly as she set down the silver tray.

Ellie shook her head as she looked at the gooey chocolate and marveled at the fact that the other woman had somehow had time to heat up the cookies. She really must be some kind of magical miracle worker.

“Mr. Donovan will be with you momentarily,” Millie informed her before efficiently swishing towards the door.

“Oh, don’t interrupt him,” Ellie called out to her back. “I can wait,” she offered lamely.

“He’s already on his way,” Millie smiled at her before closing the door behind her.

“She called her boss too?” Ellie mumbled in disbelief to the empty office. As she paced back and forth in the massive space, Ellie’s nerves kicked into high gear. She had felt so self-righteous on her drive here. How dare he buy her a car and send his assistant to purchase her bakery? Did he think his money could buy him anything?

Now that she was here, though, the reality of confronting a powerful business mogul on his own turf was setting in. She was fairly certain that the sweet, light-hearted Trey she knew would become a heartless, cutthroat businessman version of Trey in this environment.

Summoning her courage, she paced and fumed. “Who does HE think he is? Does he think he can buy me? How dare he try to buy my business? That bakery is my baby. Did he think he could wave some dollar bills in front of me, and I would sell it??”

Turning on her heel after this indignant question, she realized that Trey had opened the door and was standing in the entryway to his office. Had he heard her?

“Hi!” he greeted her enthusiastically, seeming like the small-town version of Trey that she knew and loved. Wait. Not loved. Liked immensely. She silently corrected her own thought.

Refusing to be distracted by his charming smile or his disarming innate sexiness, she used the momentum from her angry pacing to fuel her self-righteous rant. Without preamble, she started in. “Just because you’re used to getting your way doesn’t mean you can come in and throw your money around to buy my bakery.” She actually shook her finger at him. The upturned curve of his lips as she blustered only served to make her angrier. “It might be small potatoes to you, but I have put my blood, sweat, and tears into that place, and I’m not about to sell it to anyone…especially not you.”

The shift in his gaze was subtle, but she saw it. For one brief moment before he covered it, she glimpsed the shrewd and ruthless businessman that she knew he could be.

Narrowing his dark gaze at her, he shocked her by responding with a challenging, “Oh, you’re going to sell it to me.”