The girl had to start wearing a bra. That was the only solution.

Evan watched as Cori stretched to reach into the cupboard for a plate, her short T-shirt pulling away from the black cotton pants that hugged her hips and ass, and found himself leaning slightly to the side on the stool. No way was that shirt going up above her breasts—the shape of which he now had permanently imprinted on his palm—no matter how high she reached, but damn, the idea of it almost put him on his ass on the floor beside the breakfast bar. That would have been hard to explain.

“It smells amazing in here,” he said, trying to distract himself from the hard, little points that were poking against the bright pink words That’s a horrible idea. What time? on the front of her shirt.

But if a girl wore something that bright, she had to expect people to look, right?

She glanced over her shoulder with a smile. “Thanks.”

“You cooked?”

“Chicken piccata,” she said as she turned to scoop a piece of chocolate pie onto the plate. “And s’mores pie.”

She set it in front of him, but before he could reach for it, she picked up a blowtorch. It was a kitchen-sized blowtorch, but a torch all the same. She lit the end and touched it to the marshmallows on top, toasting them quickly. Then she set a fork on the edge and pushed the plate toward him.

Evan couldn’t help it. He laughed and shook his head. “Even dessert has a little something extra with you,” he said.

Cori shrugged. “I love toppings.”

He picked up his fork, trying to ignore the way his body stirred. After their mini-make-out session on the porch, he wasn’t sure there was anything she could do that wouldn’t stir his body. And maybe even his emotions.

“Toppings?” he asked.

“Oh, yeah,” she said.

Then she tried, again, to kill him by leaning onto her elbows just across the bar from where he was sitting. The neckline of her shirt gaped, and the smooth, tanned skin drew his eyes. The breast and nipple he’d only gotten the briefest feel of were right there. And he noticed the shimmer. Holy shit, she was wearing shimmery body powder. That had to be it. Her skin glowed and yes, actually, sparkled in the warm light of the kitchen.

“Toppings can make or break a dish,” she said. “I mean, without those marshmallows, that’s pretty much just chocolate pie. I could have drizzled caramel over it instead and it would have totally changed it. And toppings and sauce can change a chicken breast from piccata to teriyaki like that.” She snapped her fingers. “I’m all about the embellishments.”

For some reason, that seemed like one of the most honest things he’d ever heard. Cori Carmichael was an embellishment. She seemed to make everything bigger and better. And yes, changed things. He couldn’t put a finger directly on what it was, but since the triplets had come to town, Bliss had seemed more fun. Nothing major had changed. The outside of the pie shop looked exactly the same, and they hadn’t opened to business again, so the interior changes weren’t obvious. The girls weren’t really out and about in town—much to the chagrin of all of the busybodies and gossips. Of course, the old men who stopped in for coffee every morning at the pie shop delighted in being some of the few people to actually have any amount of time with the Carmichael girls. And yet, there was something in the air, Evan could swear it. Something had changed slightly…and had gotten better when they’d come to town.

“Try it,” Cori urged, gesturing at his plate.

Right. Pie. He was sitting here eating pie with Cori while he waited for Ava. So he could ask her out on a date. That wasn’t weird at all. He took a bite of the pie.

And holy shit. If he hadn’t been a little crazy about her already, that would have done it. He swallowed and looked up at her. “Damn, Cori, this is amazing.”

Her face lit up, and for a second, Evan stopped chewing and just looked at her. The shimmery body powder had nothing on that sparkle in her eyes.

“You think so?”

He swallowed the bite. “Of course. How would anyone not think so?”

She shrugged and straightened, wiping at something on the counter with her finger and not meeting his eyes. “Brynn and Ava didn’t seem impressed.”

“Well, they’re probably used to you coming up with amazing things.” He took another big bite.

“Yeah, something like that.”

That sounded completely sarcastic and he watched her as he chewed and swallowed again. “This is going on the menu?” he asked.

She looked up. “I want it to.” Again, she lit up a little. “I have a bunch of ideas for new items.”

It was one thing to be wound up after the kiss at the front door. And having the feel of her breast in his hand. The smell of chocolate and sugar that filled the air around him, the braless breasts with the look-at-me tips teasing him, the fact that even her T-shirt was sassy all made his I-want-that reaction make some kind of sense. But that excited, eager look on her face? Why did that turn him on? But he heard himself asking, “Like what?”

She leaned in again, the skin on her throat and chest again shimmering in the light and drawing his eyes. Yeah, it was the sparkles. It had nothing to do with the cleavage. Or the memory of how she felt in his arms. Or the way her mouth touching his made everything in his body tight and hard.

“Along with the Classics menu that would be the cherry, apple, and peach, we could do a whole kids themed menu too. Peanut butter and jelly pie, mac and cheese pie, corndog pie,” she said. “And we could do a soda fountain theme. Root beer float pie and orange creamsicle pie and I think I could even figure out a way to do a cherry cola pie.”

Evan knew he was staring. But… “Root beer float pie?” Evan asked. “Peanut butter and jelly? Seriously?”

For a second he saw a flicker of uncertainty cross her face and that made something else in him go tight. His chest. Or his heart.

“Well, it’s just an idea,” she said, carefully. “I just like the idea of some unique promotions. Like the sweetie pie idea.” She looked down at the counter again. “But it’s a little much, probably.”

He cleared his throat. It was a little much. But it was also creative and unique and clearly something she was excited about and totally and completely Cori. Which meant, he loved it. Fuck. “Can Ava pull all of that off?” he asked.

Her gaze came up. And she looked disappointed. “Um…maybe. None of them are super hard. But—”

“But?”

“She doesn’t want to tackle anything new right now.”

“Ah.” He could tell she was waiting for him to tell her that she could go ahead with those things. But Rudy had been very specific about why he’d chosen the job for each girl. And Evan was dedicated to making sure everything went the way Rudy had wanted them to. No matter how tempted he was to say fuck it. Actually, he should be more dedicated because he was tempted to say fuck it.

“I guess the new stuff will have to wait.” Dammit, he hated that he had to pull Cori back here. But Ava had a lot to learn about products and customers, up close and personal. And Evan was beginning to suspect that Rudy had known how much Ava would struggle. And that it would be good for her. But what about Cori? What about staying out of the baking was good for her? Clearly, she had a passion, and talent, in the kitchen. This might all be good for Ava, but suddenly Evan was having a hard time caring about the woman who was supposed to be his girlfriend.

And wasn’t that just typical? Something bright and shiny and fun came along and he forgot what he should be doing.

“Yeah. But I’m hoping she’ll at least be open to adding blueberry to the classics,” Cori said, her enthusiasm definitely muted.

Evan gritted his teeth against the urge to say you’re amazing, do whatever you want, fuck anyone who tries to hold you back.

“Maybe that’s what your dad was going for,” he said. “To see if you could stick with it even if it’s not fun and new and exciting. Accounting definitely isn’t. But maybe that was his point—for you to care enough to do this thing anyway. Even the boring parts.”

And if he thought a lot of that applied to him as well, he wasn’t going to go there.

Cori took a breath, then nodded. “Maybe. I guess that makes sense.”

He focused on the pie. The thing they were supposed to be talking about. Blueberry pie. Now there was the way to a man’s heart.

“Tell me you’re adding pecan pie to the menu too and I’ll probably do anything you want me to do,” he said, shoveling in the last bite of s’mores pie.

She didn’t say anything to that and he looked up. She was watching him. Well, she was watching his mouth. He pressed his lips together and swallowed.

“You like pecan?” she asked.

“Love it.”

“Have you ever had chocolate toffee pecan?”

He stared at her. “No. Is that real?”

“It can be.”

“Marry me.”

There was a beat of silence after his teasing comment. Yeah, teasing. That’s what that was.

Then she smiled. “That might be complicated since you’re dating my sister.”

He nodded and forced a smile too. “True. Then I guess I need to hang on to that relationship ’til Thanksgiving so I’m invited over for family dinner.”

It was supposed to be light and joking, but it didn’t sound like it. And there was a quick flash of something across Cori’s face. Something like jealousy?

“I can make that pie in September too,” she said.

September. When the six-month pretend relationship with Ava would be up. Cori knew it exactly without thinking. Had she added up when that would be over prior to this?

“Yeah?”

She looked at his mouth again and nodded. “Yeah.”

Okay, this was suddenly very…not joking. There was a tension in the air that he didn’t understand completely. But he didn’t hate it. It felt like anticipation. And temptation. And like September was very far away.

Finally, Cori cleared her throat and straightened, propping her hip against the counter. “Can I try to teach this stuff to Ava? Or is that against the terms of the trust?”

Yeah, it was better to stop talking about tempting things he couldn’t, or shouldn’t, have. Like chocolate toffee pecan pie. And his fake girlfriend’s sister. Or chocolate toffee pecan pie on his fake girlfriend’s sister.

He nodded. “I think you can. If you’re just instructing. As long as Ava’s there and actually doing it.”

He couldn’t see how that was an exact violation. Just like Cori kissing him at the front door wasn’t a direct violation of anything. He was still going to make sure Ava got away from work and had a good time and Cori wasn’t dating him. She was just making him want to date her more than he’d ever wanted to date anyone.

Hell, he’d never really wanted to date anyone at all. It was just kind of what happened when you lived in a small town and had known the women you slept with since birth. Fucking around in Bliss turned into shooting pool at the bar, going to movies, and the occasional backyard barbecue with their families—who he’d also known since birth—for the few weeks that the fucking around was occurring. Even when everyone, even their families, knew that it was nothing serious, there was still an underlying expectation of making it seem like it was more than casual sex. And hell, he liked movies and barbecues. No harm, no foul.

But he couldn’t help but wonder how going to the movies with Cori would be. It would be…different. Somehow. It would be more. Of something. It would be better.

He was so fucked.

“But I should definitely start with blueberry. And maybe pecan. Those are traditional pies. Things people would expect when they came into a pie shop, right?”

Evan felt his brows pull together. “Yes. But that doesn’t mean you can’t do some of the other ideas.”

“Really?”

“Definitely.”

She tipped her head, chewing her bottom lip for a moment. “Are you a good judge of when things are over-the-top?”

He almost laughed. Because that was a really good question. “Maybe not,” he said honestly.

She sighed and nodded. “Yeah. Me either.” She paused a moment, then said, “When I was fifteen, my dad invited me and my sisters to his birthday party for the first time.”

Evan didn’t know where this was going, but he felt a sudden need to hear this story. They’d already established the fact that the Rudy he’d known was not the father Cori had known. And he wanted to know more. About both Rudy and Cori in the past. He pushed his plate back and folded his arms on top of the breakfast bar, giving her his full attention.

“My dad threw these really big, fancy parties for his birthday and invited all of his big rich friends. It was always in some posh place with tons of food and drink and music—a huge gala.”

Evan just nodded.

“But we were never invited. We were just little girls and he didn’t want to have us underfoot. Which was fine. I didn’t even know about them until I was about thirteen or so. Well, by the time we were fifteen, Ava was working part-time for the company on the weekends, and she’d impressed Dad and he wanted to show her off. Well, he couldn’t take just her. Everyone knew we were triplets and Mom never let him get away with spending time with one of us more than the others. So he invited us all.”

Evan simply couldn’t picture Rudy at a big fancy New York party. The man he knew wore blue jeans and T-shirts with a flannel shirt over the top in the cold months, and work boots. He loved cheeseburgers and onion rings and drove an old Cadillac that ran about three-fourths of the time.

“Well, I didn’t want to go in the first place,” Cori said. “And then he gave Mom a dress code and all of these ‘be sure the girls know’ things and I was just done. He wanted us there to make him look good and didn’t trust us to do that being ourselves.” She was frowning now and had her arms crossed. “I went along because Ava really wanted to go and Brynn, of course, was just going with the flow. I sucked it up and put on the stupid dress and showed up. Dad introduced us to everyone and then forgot about us. That’s when I decided to be sure that he never wanted me at one of his parties again.”

Evan felt his brows rise. “Oh, boy. What did you do?”

“That year? I got into the liquor. Got puking drunk and sang karaoke.”

“Your dad had karaoke at his big New York party?”

She actually smiled at that. “Nope.”

“Ah.” Evan grinned too. “So no more invites?”

“Oh, no, that would have been too easy. The next year I had to step up my game. I got caught making out in his office with one of his biggest client’s sons.” She frowned. “I had no idea that he was thirty and engaged. And he had no idea I was only sixteen.”

Evan actually choked. “Holy shit, Cori.”

“I know. But we really were just kissing and he got about halfway to second base. And I’d hit on him. And I’d dragged him into the office, so consent wasn’t an issue. And no way was Dad going to make a big deal about it. Nothing really came of it. Well, except for a broken engagement.”

Evan couldn’t stop staring at her.

She shook her head. “I know. But they got back together. And that one worked, because the next year, Ava asked me not to go to the party.”

There was a flash of emotion in her eyes, and Evan could have sworn it looked like regret. “That’s what you wanted right?”

She shrugged. “Yeah. I thought so. But, stupidly, hearing that they didn’t think I should go hurt a little.” She gave a light, humorless laugh. “Maybe it was hearing it from Ava that stung. I wouldn’t have cared if Dad had said it. That’s what I wanted, I guess. His attention. An emotion from him, even if it was disappointment. That’s what Karen says anyway. That I wanted attention from him that was about me, not about him. I wanted approval, but I wanted approval based on something I did, not on something he wanted me to do. And it seemed that whenever I didn’t do things his way, he just ignored me. Any emotion would have been better than that.”

Evan took a breath. He couldn’t hug her. That wouldn’t be appropriate. Would it? It seemed like a bad idea, but he couldn’t pinpoint why. He wasn’t actually dating her sister.

But in the next second, he knew the reason. Because if he hugged her, it would start a domino effect of feelings and actions and reactions that could definitely screw with their plans. Plans like dating Ava. And Cori not getting involved with anyone.

Yep, he was totally fucked.

“Who’s Karen?” he finally asked.

She gave him a small smile. “My shrink.”

“Ah.” Yep, that all sounded like shrink talk. As if he would know. He didn’t know any shrinks. Not that people in Bliss didn’t need psychological help. They just had to drive about thirty minutes to get it. “No more birthday parties then?”

“I didn’t go that year,” she said. “But then, surprisingly, the next year, when we were eighteen, he invited us again and he personally asked me to come.”

“That was…nice.” Evan hoped it was nice. He had no idea at this point. This man sounded nothing like the one he knew. The one who had, without question, loved his daughters. And regretted a lot of his decisions regarding those daughters.

“It was. I was actually, stupidly, touched by it. Decided that if he was going to trust me again, I’d do better. No shenanigans.” A sheepish look crossed her face.

“What happened?” Somehow he knew something had happened.

She sighed. “Okay, once, when I was ten, Dad and I were together for the afternoon. It was rare that any of us had one-on-one time with him. I mean, I guess that’s normal when you have three kids and especially when those kids are triplets. Plus, I don’t think he really ever knew what to do with us, so it was easier when we were all together because we kept each other company and entertained one another.”

Evan nodded. He was completely enthralled here.

“Anyway, it was just the two of us because Ava and Brynn had been selected for this Quiz Bowl thing at school and were doing that. I, of course, wasn’t so I was free.” She flashed a smile that was part amused and part chagrined. “We were walking along and almost got knocked over by this huge St. Bernard. And my dad actually laughed, squatted down by this dog, let it lick his face, petted it, got hair all over his suit and…I about died. I had never seen him like that.”

And that was the Rudy Evan knew. For some reason, it felt good to know that there had at least been hints of that man even back then. That she’d seen at least a tiny bit of it. He smiled. “He liked dogs.”

“He did. But I never knew that. He said that he’d always wanted a dog. He’d grown up in a penthouse in Manhattan, so obviously he couldn’t have a dog, but that had always been something he’d wished for.” Cori had a look of faint amazement on her face even now, remembering.

Evan felt himself smiling. And being grateful that Rudy and Cori had had that moment together.

“Anyway,” she went on, “when he invited me back to his birthday party, I remembered that. And had the sudden desire to do something special for him and to show him I remembered that afternoon.”

Evan shook his head. “What did you do?”

“I got him a puppy.”

Evan let that sink in. Then laughed. “Oh my God.”

She nodded, a mischievous smile teasing her lips. “And I brought it to the party.”

Evan groaned. “Don’t tell me it was a St. Bernard.”

Her smile grew. She nodded. “Of course it was.”

“You got your dad a St. Bernard puppy and brought it to his fancy birthday party?”

“I did. But it was with every good intention,” she said quickly. “I wasn’t trying to cause trouble. I really wanted to give him a meaningful gift that he’d never expect and that he’d never get for himself.”

“Did he even have room for a huge dog in his home?” Evan asked.

“Oh sure. He had the entire upper floor of his building. More square footage than most homes. And he could have afforded to hire someone to take care of it, walk it and stuff.”

Evan nodded. “I guess. Was he touched by it?” He almost hated asking, somehow knowing the answer.

“Well, he was surprised by it. But he didn’t really have a chance to let the…gesture…sink in,” she said. She winced slightly, but she was also clearly fighting a smile.

“What happened?”

“The dog was very excited about the party,” she said, her lips twitching. “He went barreling in, knocked over some lady on really high heels, stopped and peed in the middle of the dance floor, and then headed straight for the buffet table.” She paused, clearly remembering the scene. “There was this horrendous crash, the total silence, then the sound of my father bellowing ‘Corrine Michelle Carmichael!’ louder than I’d ever heard him yell.”

Evan grimaced. He couldn’t imagine Rudy yelling. He really couldn’t. He could, however, imagine Rudy loving a St. Bernard puppy. “And then?”

“He grabbed the dog by the collar, me by the arm, marched us both to the elevator, took us down to the car, shoved us inside, and told his driver to take us straight to the Humane Society and then home.”

“Oh. Wow.” Shit.

“Well, we didn’t go to the Humane Society,” she said. “I took the dog back to where I got it and then went home. And didn’t speak to my father for six months. Which was fine, because he wasn’t talking to me either.”

“Damn, Cori.”

“I know.” She sighed. “But you see what I mean? I have this way of making things…too much. I go overboard. I get an idea and then it just keeps growing. I could have gotten him a watch. Or a tie. But no, I had to get him a puppy.”

Evan paused, not sure he should say what he was about to. Then he went ahead. Because he wasn’t huge on thinking through consequences either. “I don’t think you could have.”

Her head came up. “What?”

“I don’t think you could have just gotten him a watch. That didn’t even occur to you, did it?”

She didn’t react right away. But finally she shook her head slowly. “Not until afterward.”

He nodded. “Exactly. You can’t just make pecan pie. I mean, you can, of course. But why, when you can make chocolate toffee pecan pie? When you can make it more and better?”

She stared at him for a long moment. “Damn,” she said softly. “I really want to make you that pie.”

And he really wanted her to. And “that pie” was suddenly symbolic of a lot more.

“I guarantee that he never forgot that birthday party. Because of you. Was he embarrassed at the moment? Maybe. Irritated? Maybe. But I promise you that the other parties he had all blurred together, but he always remembered the parties you were at.”

She laughed. “Well, there’s that.”

“And I’ll bet the parties after the ones you went to seemed boring and quiet.”

Her grin softened into a smile and she gave him a look that stirred him. Physically. For sure. But it was more than the braless thing going on, and he felt the stirring somewhere else. Somewhere deeper.

“Thanks, Evan.” Her voice was soft and husky and that stirring intensified. Everywhere.

“My pleasure.”

“Oh, hi, Evan.”

He jerked his attention away from Cori and focused on the woman who had just come into the room. The woman who was supposed to be his girlfriend. “Hi, Ava.”

It was stupid to feel guilty, like he’d been caught doing something he shouldn’t have been doing. Maybe he shouldn’t have been imagining Cori spread out on the kitchen countertop with chocolate pie spread all over those teasing nipples. But he hadn't really been doing anything wrong. He wasn’t cheating on Ava. And he hadn’t actually licked one inch of Cori Carmichael.

Yet.

He made himself concentrate on Ava instead. “How was the conference call?”

“Fine.” She opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. She opened it and took a drink. “Just so you know, Jack Mitchell is making everything twice as hard as it needs to be.”

Jack Mitchell was the acting CEO of Carmichael Enterprises while Ava was in Bliss. Evan shrugged. “Sorry.”

“You’re not.”

“There’s nothing I can do, Ava. The trust is clear. I’m just the messenger.”

She sighed. “Yeah. I know. It’s ridiculous, but I know.”

“Which reminds me,” Evan said, determined to fulfill his part of this deal. Even if it killed him. “We need to go out to dinner tomorrow night.”

Ava took another drink, just watching him. “You and me?”

“Yep.”

“Something romantic, I assume?”

“Probably. Mostly just something public, but yeah, probably more than a beer and a game of pool.” Though seeing Ava shooting pool might be interesting.

“What do you have in mind?”

“There’s a nice place over in Morris,” he said, naming the little town about fifteen minutes from Bliss. “They do steak and pasta and some seafood.”

Ava sighed, but nodded. “Okay.”

He couldn’t help but grin. “Your enthusiasm is overwhelming.”

Ava gave him a little smile. “Sorry. I really am. It’s nothing personal.”

Evan nodded and couldn’t resist glancing at Cori. Yeah, it was nothing personal. Because there was nothing between him and Ava. But personal felt like it described him and Cori well. Too well. “I get it,” he told Ava. “But we need to be seen in public together. And,” he added, thinking about the other reason they were “dating”, the main reason, “you need to get away from work. We’ll go to dinner and then maybe do something fun after.”

“Something like what?”

He regarded the straight-laced triplet. He didn’t have to know her well to know a few things about her. “Just leave it to me.”

Predictably, her eyebrow arched. “Oh?”

Yeah, Ava Carmichael didn’t let other people take the reins very often. Or ever. And he was pretty sure she didn’t like surprises. Again, he couldn’t help but glance at Cori. Cori loved surprises. Somehow he just knew.

He looked at Ava again and nodded. “Yep. I’ll surprise you with something fun.”

She didn’t look any more enthusiastic now. “Fine.”

Yeah, a reluctant “fine” with a touch of skepticism was exactly what a guy wanted when asking a woman out. But he still smiled. “Fine.”

“Okay, I’m going to head to bed,” Ava said. “Text me to let me know the time and details for tomorrow?” she asked.

Evan lifted a shoulder. “I’ll pick you up here at six. Wear a dress. But nothing too fancy. And I wouldn’t go too high on the heels.”

Ava again looked less than thrilled, but she nodded. “Dress. No heels. Six o’clock. Got it.”

And just because he knew it would be funny he said, “Be sure to put some vanilla on.”

She frowned. “Vanilla? On?”

“Vanilla extract. It’s a great bug repellent without the chemicals.”

That was true.

“I’m going to need bug repellent?” Ava asked.

He’d been right, that was funny. “Don’t worry. I’ll be happy to check you for ticks after.”

He heard a little choking sound from Cori. But Ava just stared at him. “I don’t know what that means.”

Checking someone for ticks meant looking them over very carefully, head to toe, for any of the little buggers that liked to hide where it was hard to find them. In personal places. But even though ticks were a possibility when you spent time outside in the grass in the country, getting checked for ticks was actually code for getting a girl naked.

“I’ll explain everything. Tomorrow,” he said with a little wink.

“Um, okay.”

Yeah, he wasn’t going to check Ava Carmichael for ticks. But it was fun to tease her. And he just needed to get her smiling. And away from work.

He glanced at Cori and found her frowning at her sister. She must have felt him watching her because she looked over. Her frown didn’t ease.

And something in Evan’s chest warmed. He grinned. Her frown deepened. Cori was jealous of the idea of him and Ava together. He liked that. And that was a really bad idea.

“Okay, then. I’m going to head back upstairs,” Ava said. She looked back and forth between Cori and Evan. “Everything okay in here?”

“Completely,” Evan assured her. It was much more than okay. And so much worse.

“Yep,” Cori agreed. Though she was still frowning.

Ava nodded. “Okay. ’Night.” She turned on her heel, heading for the staircase.

When she’d disappeared up the steps, Evan slid off the stool. He needed to get going. He’d done what he’d come over to do. And if he didn’t leave now, Cori might end up on the kitchen counter after all.

“I’m going to head home,” he said.

Cori chewed on her bottom lip. Then she pushed away from the countertop. “I’ll walk you out.”

He’d been hoping she’d say something like that. Or stay. Or my bedroom’s the one on the right at the top of the stairs. Yeah, he needed to go.

He waited for her to round the breakfast bar and they walked to the front door together. She pulled the door open and he stepped onto the porch, but he turned back.

She propped her shoulder against the door, reminding him of the way they’d stood the first night in New York.

“Thanks for the pie,” he said, instead of all of the other things he wanted to say.

“I’m glad you stopped by.”

There was something in her voice, and her eyes, that made him step closer.

“You realize I could have called Ava and asked her out,” Evan said. Because he suddenly had to.

“I didn’t really think about that,” Cori said. “But yeah, I suppose you could have.”

“And she basically has to say yes to that kind of stuff, right?”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“But I wanted to come over in person.”

Cori didn’t say anything for a moment. Then she took a step closer. “Why?”

“Do you think I should say it out loud? That makes it more official,” he said.

“I know.”

They were definitely on the same page. Something was happening between them and acknowledging it was going to make it harder to ignore.

Then she nodded. “But yeah, I think you should say it out loud.”

Okay then. Not going to ignore it. “I wanted to see you.”

She nodded. “And I really don’t want you to check my sister for ticks.”

“And I really don’t want to check your sister for ticks.”

Cori blew out a breath. “Thank God.”

“You didn’t really think I did, did you?”

“I keep thinking there’s no chemistry but then I think that maybe it’s because I don’t want there to be.”

He finally lifted his hand to her face. “There’s no chemistry between me and Ava.”

She covered his hand with hers. “You’re not attracted to her?”

“No.”

“She looks just like me.”

That was true. And yet…she didn’t. “Doesn’t matter.” He leaned in as Cori went on her tiptoes.

“You’re not attracted to me?” she asked.

Evan knew she already knew the answer to that question. “No,” he said sincerely.

“No?” But she didn’t move back.

“I don’t think attracted is the right word for it. Too tame.”

Her lips were nearly against his but they weren’t kissing. Yet. “What’s the right word for it then?” she asked softly.

Just her warm breath against his mouth made his lower body harden and heat. Several words tripped through his mind at her question. Words like lust and need and obsessed and desire. But none of that was accurate either. Because there was more. He liked her.

He loved just talking to her. He wanted to check her for ticks. With his tongue. But he also wanted to make her laugh and hear all of her stories and take her to a town picnic and to a movie and to a million other seemingly boring, usual things—because he knew that she would make them fun and new—and he wanted to watch her make a pie.

“Captivated,” he finally said. He slid his hand up her arm to the back of her neck and pulled her against his lips. “Completely fucking captivated.”

She sighed—a sweet, happy sound—and he felt her smile against his lips. “No one has ever used that word for me before,” she said softly.

“Good.” He wanted her to feel appreciated and liked and cared for, but he, by God, wanted to be the one doing it. He wanted to be something new and different for her too. But, instead of saying anything else that might complicate things even further, he kissed her.

It was a slow, leisurely kiss. Where the others had been hot and passionate and surprising, this was fully intentional and all about tasting and exploring. And with every long stroke of his tongue, he wanted more. With every sigh from her, he wanted more. With every flex of her fingers against his chest, he wanted more. She tasted like sugar and chocolate and something he could only call every craving he’d ever had.

It took minutes, long delicious minutes, before Evan even thought about lifting his head. When he did, he let her go slowly and rested his forehead against hers. He breathed in deeply, sucking her scent into his lungs.

“Boy I hope some of the neighbors were watching that,” she said huskily. “That was very convincing.”

He gave a soft laugh. “I should probably go before we convince them of anything more.”

She took a deep breath, then let him go, seemingly reluctantly. “I guess I’ll…see you.”

Yeah, she would see him. He was dating her sister. “It’s a small town.” There was that too. And the fact that there was no way he was going to be able to stay away from her.

“Right.”

Cori took a step back. “Um…thanks for sampling my pie.”

A wave of pleasure shot through him as she almost looked embarrassed for a moment. “It was my pleasure.”

She gave a little laugh, then stepped back and looked up at him. They stared at one another for a long moment.

“Cori!” One of her sisters—maybe Ava (and he should probably figure that out for sure once and for all)—called from inside the house. “Can I borrow your boots tomorrow night?”

Yeah, it was Ava. And she was asking about Cori’s boots. For her date with him. And he was hoping they were the short black ones Cori had worn her first day in Bliss. Because those were hot. On Cori.

Fuck. He ran a hand through his hair and Cori took a deep breath, then blew it out.

“Don’t let her borrow those boots.”

“Why?”

“Those boots make me…they’re your boots and I really want to kiss you, a lot, but I need to be her boyfriend, and…I’m just kind of messed up about what I should be doing and feeling here.”

Cori pressed her lips together as she studied his face. Finally, she nodded. “Okay.”

“And, because of all of that I should probably stop kissing you.” God, he didn’t want to say that. Or do that.

She simply nodded again.

He was rejecting her. That seemed like a harsh word for it, and she really seemed more resigned than devastated, but he felt like an asshole. This was all his fault. “I’m sorry, Cori. I shouldn’t have kissed you in the first place.” Fuck, he hated every word he was saying.

She gave a sigh. “You only kissed me in the first place because you thought I was Ava.”

She was right. They both knew that. But it felt like kissing Cori was exactly what should have happened.

“And I was the one that kissed you first tonight,” she added.

“Because of the neighbors.”

She hesitated, then shook her head. “Not really because of the neighbors.”

Yeah, he knew that. This was really complicated. Fuck. He dug deep. At least that’s what it felt like he was doing. It wasn’t like digging deep for the fortitude to be a better man was something he was all that familiar with. He used his gut, or his heart, more than he used his head. He went with what felt good, what seemed fun at the moment. He simply didn’t think much beyond this will be great very often. And being with Cori Carmichael, in every way, would be great.

“I just...I promised to do this thing with Ava. It’s what’s best for her and Jill and really both you and Brynn too. And I’m supposed to be making sure you don’t have casual flings and that you focus on your sisters and the shop. Kissing you and wanting to do a hell of a lot more than that, isn’t helping with any of those things. I need to think about that. What I should do, instead of what I want to do.”

Cori wet her lips—an action that shot straight to his cock—and nodded.

“You’re right. Being jealous of my sister because she gets to go out with you is not the way to get closer to her. Hoping that you have no fun and no chemistry with her is not the way to be supportive of what Ava needs to do for the trust and everything.”

Damn. He grasped the back of her neck and pulled her close. He rested his forehead against hers and said, “With the taste of you still in my mouth, it’s going to be very difficult to be…convincing…with Ava.”

She took a deep, shaky breath. And then she said, “Yeah. We need to be good. For everyone.”

He squeezed her neck gently, then let her go. “Yeah. Good. I’m working on that.”

She swallowed. “Goodnight, Evan.”

“’Night, Cori.”

She gave him one last lingering look and then turned and headed into the house.

As he watched her go, only one thing went through his mind. Please, God, help her remember not to loan Ava those boots.