Reaching over to the plethora of electronic devices that were at his bedside, Trey grabbed one and announced, “I have an idea!”

Ellie wondered how all of his belongings had arrived there, but decided not to ask. He probably had ‘people’ who took care of such mundane tasks for him. He used the Wi-Fi to download an eBook on his Kindle app, while Ellie tried not to wonder how much the hospital’s Wi-Fi cost per day.

“There.” He handed the tablet to her. “Since you seem to like it so much, you can read Fifty Shades of Grey to me. Just the dirty parts, though.”

“I’m not reading this to you,” she spluttered, shocked by his suggestion.

“Come on,” he tried. “I’ll let you have your way with me. You can be in charge of the billionaire,” he offered, resting back against his pillows and indicating with an open hand that she was free to climb on.

“You are in the hospital recuperating,” she reminded him.

“I’ll be released later,” he promised. “Want to have your way with me then?”

“No,” she lied, hoping that she sounded convincing.

“Can I have a get-well kiss?” he asked, trying to look innocent. She started to say no, but then decided to go for it.

He seemed surprised at first that his wish had been granted when her lips brushed lightly against his. It didn’t take him long to recover and join in the kiss. He kept his lips soft and pliable as they explored each other’s mouths. When she opened her mouth to let a sigh escape, his tongue took the opportunity to delve inside. She felt it all the way to her toes as his tongue danced with hers.

Deciding she had to get out of there before things got out of hand, she pulled back. “I have to get back to work,” she said over her shoulder, already headed for the door.

“Make me something marvelous,” he requested.

She told him she would see what she could do before letting the door close behind her. Leaning back on it, she let out a huff of breath. She would need to keep her guard up to protect her heart when she was around that infuriating, funny, and sexy-as-hell man.

Marcy had held down the fort at the shop for the mid-morning crowd, so Ellie let her go home early. The woman liked nothing more than a surprise afternoon off. Apparently, money wasn’t as important to her as free time. Ellie tried to tell herself that she was giving the woman a reward, not trying to save a few bucks to help her pay the ever-mounting medical bill of the man that wouldn’t leave her mind for more than a moment.

She started whipping up fresh batches of some of her favorite cupcake recipes. She pretended it was for the shop, but she knew it was really in hopes that she would get to see Trey enjoy one of her sweet treats one more time.

The bells on the bakery’s front door jingled just as she was pulling a steaming batch of salted caramel cupcakes out of the oven. “Just a minute,” she yelled to the customer out front.

When she emerged from the kitchen, she was thrilled to see Trey Donovan himself in her shop. He had a slight limp and a few marks on his face, but those injuries were the only evidence that he had been struck by a car. Taking note of his dark denim, perfect-fitting jeans and smart polo shirt, she rubbed a hand nervously down her frumpy apron. He grinned at her like she was a slice of freshly baked, lattice-top cherry pie with a dollop of hand-whipped cream on top.

“You have a little something right there.” He reached out and used the back of his index finger to swipe a stray smear of flour off her cheek. The brush of his skin against hers sent a tingle down her spine––all the way down.

“May I?” he asked, indicating the tray of hot cupcakes she had forgotten she was still holding with potholders.

“They’re hot,” she warned, “and not iced yet.” She let her voice trail off because he had already grabbed one and was bouncing it in his hand trying to keep from getting burned. Grabbing a napkin from the counter, he blew on the piping hot treat and took a tentative bite. “Ohmygah.” He made an appreciative, garbled sound as he took another bigger bite.

Somewhat annoyed at his presumptiveness, she tapped her foot. “Those weren’t ready,” she snapped at him. He seemed totally unperturbed by her snippiness, so she added, “And you’re going to have to pay for it. I’m not running a charity here.”

The look he gave her was priceless. He appeared to be utterly stunned by her abrupt comment. Just when she was wondering if she had gone too far, he tipped his head back and bellowed with laughter. The contagious sound had her smiling, despite her intentions otherwise. “I’ll pay for the whole batch. How does that sound?” he offered.

“That will be fine,” she answered haughtily, not wanting to let him know how tight her money would be because she didn’t want to guilt him into paying for his medical bills. He was probably used to having everyone assume he would always pick up the check for everything. That would get so old.

“Well, if I’m buying them anyway, I’d like to try the icing, please.”

Taking his not-so-subtle hint, she took the tray back to the kitchen. “They’re still too hot to ice,” she informed him as he looked at her expectantly.

“Mmm. Is that toffee icing?” At her nod, he stated his approval, “Nice touch,” even as he dipped his finger into the bowl to taste it.

“Hey!” she reprimanded him.

“This batch is mine, remember?” he reminded her, even as a naughty look sparked in his chocolate eyes. “Any ideas of what we could do while we wait for them to cool?”

Her back was to the stainless steel counter, and he had moved into her space. He was close and she could feel the heat emanating from his front. Dipping his finger back into the icing, he held it up to her lips. “Taste it,” he suggested.

Starting to shake her head, he caught her chin with his icing-free hand. “Taste it, please.”

As if she would have the power to resist him anything, especially when he requested so nicely. Feeling silly, she flicked her tongue out to slide along his finger. The half-lidded desirous gaze he gave her made her feel bold, so she took his finger into her warm, wet mouth and sucked.

That was all it took. Trey pounced. His mouth was on hers as his tongue replaced his finger and his arms snaked around her, caging her against the counter. She could feel his firm manhood pressing urgently into her belly. She felt like warm liquid in his embrace as she untucked his shirt and trailed her fingertips up the hot skin of his back.

She wanted him more than she dared to admit, even to herself, but some still-rational part of her mind knew that this wasn’t the time or place. She refused to be one of his conquests that he seduced and forgot about the very next day. Pulling back, she was breathing heavy, but she forced the words out.

As soon as she told him to stop, he dropped his hands and backed off. “I’m sorry I let things get carried away,” she told him honestly, “but I can’t be one of your one-night stands.”

The look he gave her was more than a little perturbed. She felt relieved that she had put a stop to things, if he was going to be this way about it. The last thing she wanted was to get attached to him, only to find out that she was just another notch in his very expensive belt.

“You think you know me so well,” he said sadly before turning to leave.

As an afterthought, he turned and picked up another cupcake. Dipping it directly in the icing bowl he rationalized the move without looking at her. “Just because I’m mad doesn’t mean I’m crazy.”

Then he left, and she stood there in stunned silence.