Cassie poured the last of the batter into the tin, then swapped the tray for the one that had just finished baking. Over the course of the afternoon she’d made nearly three hundred miniature cupcakes. She’d covered the basics with chocolate fudge and Madagascar vanilla, but had also made a few batches of red velvet and lemon chiffon to shake things up a bit. It was overkill for a rehearsal dinner that would seat no more than fifty people, but Cassie wanted everything to be perfect for her older brother’s big weekend. And besides, who wouldn’t want an extra treat to take back to their hotel room?

“Smells great,” Sue said, peeking her head over Cassie’s shoulder.

“Help yourself.” Cassie smiled. “There’s certainly plenty to spare. I tend to over bake.” Even if she hadn’t, Cassie would have been more than happy to share a dessert or two with the woman who’d graciously agreed to sublet her bakery for the weekend.

Sue reached for one of the cupcakes from an earlier batch and pulled back the paper wrapper. She took a bite and made a sound of pure bliss. “Lordy,” she said with her mouth still full of red velvet cake. “These are amazing.”

A sense of pride welled up inside her as Cassie stood a bit taller. “Really?” A compliment from someone with as many years of experience as Sue meant a lot to a newbie like her.

“Absolutely.” Sue nodded. “The mini chocolate chips are a nice touch. Any chance I can hire you?”

Cassie laughed. “Would be one heck of a commute.” The drive from Chicago to the outskirts of Atlanta hadn’t been too terrible, but certainly not an option when it came to daily employment. Besides, Cassie had a shop of her own, or at least she would in a matter of weeks. Ten to be exact. That realization was still hard to fathom at times, despite the fact that every passing day brought it one step closer to becoming a reality.

“Well, if you ever change your mind,” Sue said, popping the last crumb into her mouth, “consider it a standing invitation.”

“Thanks, and thanks again for letting me use your kitchen.” For the next two days Sue’s Sweets & Treats was Cassie’s home away from home. Or in this case, bakery. Set in a remodeled general store in the center of town, Sue’s bakery looked as though it had been plucked straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting. Known statewide for its award-winning moonshine cake, the charming bakery had everything Cassie could ask for, all wrapped up in a red gingham bow. It was warm and homey, the sort of place you’d come for pecan pie on a Thursday afternoon or coffee and biscuits after church on a Sunday, and it was the perfect place to bake rehearsal dinner treats. Of course, the miniature cupcakes were just the beginning. Tomorrow would be spent making the groom’s cake her brother had requested—devil’s food layered with chocolate ganache and topped with hand-dipped chocolate strawberries—then decorating the three layers of almond flavored wedding cake that were currently cooling on wire racks.

Sue waved her hand through the air. “Pish-posh, happy to help out. Any woman willing to spend her entire weekend away baking for a family member is my kind of gal.” She opened the bottom drawer of the small desk she kept in the back corner of the room and pulled out her purse. “Plus, it forced me to take a few days off. First vacation I’ll have had in years.”

It was only two days. That was hardly a vacation. Still, Cassie could imagine herself keeping the exact same schedule. It was how she’d approached nearly everything in her life. She’d become a CPA at only twenty-two thanks to AP credits and an aggressive schedule that allowed her to graduate with a combined bachelor’s and master’s degree. After that it was on to one of the city’s top accounting firms where she burned the midnight oil at least six days a week. And while quitting her job to pursue her dream of becoming a pastry chef was the single best decision she’d ever made, it had done nothing to balance work and leisure. Between classes and test batches and apprenticeships, she still spent more time with inanimate objects than actual human beings, but at least she was happy. Relatively. There was still the matter of her re-virginization, but that was a topic for another day.

“Big plans?” she asked, the lift in her voice expressing her hope that Sue had packed plenty of adventure into those forty-eight hours.

“If by that you mean a weekend at home with my feet up and nothing but wine, takeout food, and mindless TV, then absolutely.” She laughed as she slung her purse strap over her shoulder. “Weekends are the busiest time, taking one off means a lot of lost revenue. Just wait till your shop opens, you’ll never want to switch that sign to closed.” She started for the back door. “Oh, speaking of, will you double-check I remembered to turn the sign over out front?”

“Sure thing.” Cassie put the last two trays of cupcakes into the commercial-grade oven, then wiped her hands on a towel and headed to the retail area of the bakery. She was pushing through the swinging stainless steel door when she heard the front door’s telltale chime.

“Oh, hey,” she said, startled by the man in the University of Georgia baseball cap. “Um, we’re actually closed.” She would have thought the empty display cases would have been his first clue, but he didn’t seem to notice. Instead his eyes were glued to the crumpled map he held in his hands.

“Sorry to bother, luv,” he said in an accent that was far from Southern. It was unlike any Cassie had ever heard before, part British and part something she couldn’t quite place. “I’ve circled the same four blocks at least a dozen times but no matter which way I turn, I seem to end up right back here.”

He lifted his head and when his gaze met hers, he smiled. Shy and sexy all at once, Cassie knew without question it was the sort of smile that meant nothing but trouble. The kind that got him whatever he wanted. The kind that was absolutely irresistible. “Might you have a look?”

Oh, she was having a look all right. Although to be fair, it was more like a shameless gawk. The man standing in front of Cassie had warm brown eyes that seemed to actually sparkle when he smiled, like he was straight out of some Disney animation. From the bit curling around the band of the baseball cap, she could see that his hair was what some would call “dirty blond.” She’d always envied people with that hair color. In her opinion it was the genetic jackpot, nature’s very own version of highlights. He was tall, at least half a foot taller than her, and while he was lean there was an undeniable bulge of a bicep pushing against the sleeve of his shirt. There was an undeniable bulge a bit lower as well but Cassie did her best to keep her hungry gaze above the waist of the faded jeans that were definitely doing crazy things to her tired and overstressed brain. How else could she explain the sudden urge she had to let her fingers trace the sizable ridge outlined against the worn denim?

“Want a peek?”

Cassie blinked hard. “What?”

“At the map.” He held out the crinkled paper.

“Oh yeah, sure.”

He handed her the map, but Cassie was so dazed and confused, it took her a moment to even realize she was looking at it upside down. Smooth Cass, real smooth. As casually as possible, she turned it right-side up, stealing a glance at the handsome stranger as she did. Mercifully, he seemed unaware of her map faux pas. He was far too busy rattling on about having forgotten his “mobile” and “How did we ever survived without GPS?” and “Was it always this humid in the South?” to take much notice of her flustered state. She used the short reprieve to compose herself, but it was difficult with all that perfection in such close proximity. Seriously, how could someone be that good looking? And as if that wasn’t enough, he had the whole sexy accent thing going for him. Even mundane words sounded like something any girl would want whispered in her ear.

She cleared her throat. “What are you trying to find?”

“My home.” He smiled that lopsided grin again and her stomach did a little flip. This guy was too good to be true. In her wildest dreams she couldn’t have conjured anyone more delicious, even after a night binging on rom-coms and cookie dough ice cream.

“Your home?”

He nodded. “At least for the next three nights. A cozy little B&B.” His brow knit together. “Oh bloody hell, now I’ve forgotten the name.”

Cassie laughed as realization hit her. “The reason you keep ending up back in the same spot is because this is exactly where you need to be.”

Now the stranger was the one who was taken aback. “Come again?”

For a moment Cassie was tempted to break out of her mold and hit him with the type of snappy comeback Olivia would have no doubt used as a follow-up to such obvious innuendo. But true to form, she merely smiled sweetly as she explained, “The B&B is above the bakery.” She pointed to the spot on the map that was right where they were currently standing. “Here.”

The stranger leaned closer, close enough for her to smell the faint scent of his soap. It was clean and yet a little spicy and made her want to lick his neck. Because yeah, that was something a perfectly sane woman would do. Cassie had no idea what had gotten into her but one thing was certain, her level of hard-up was even worse than she thought.

His eyes narrowed on the map and he rubbed the shadow of stubble that covered his jaw. On some guys a bit of scruff made them just look like they needed a shave, but in this case it made him seem rugged and, if possible, even more mysterious. Whether or not that was intentional on his part, or just a few lazy days off from the razor, it was totally working. As Cassie watched him scrutinize the map, she couldn’t help but wonder how that prickly stubble would feel beneath her fingertips, against her cheek, or maybe between her thighs . . .

“What do you know?” he said, interrupting her seriously depraved and deprived mind. “After all that, I am right where I need to be.”

If only, she thought as she handed him back the map. When he reached for it, his fingers lingered on hers. His hands were soft, softer than she’d ever felt on a man.

And then his eyes met hers and all at once she wanted those hands touching her in places she’d never considered letting a man touch on a first date. First date? Whoa, where the heck did that come from? This wasn’t a first date. In fact it wasn’t a date at all. It was simply a stranger stopping in for directions. Yet there was something about him, something irresistibly seductive that drew her to him like a moth to a flame.

He stared at her for what felt like an eternity, his eyes seeming to take in every detail from the tousled curls pinned haphazardly atop of her head, to her lips and flushed cheeks. And dear God, the way he looked at her neck, like he wanted to sink his teeth into that sensitive spot that never failed to turn her on and yet still make her giggle. The energy between them crackled with anticipation. Then again, maybe it was all in her head. Maybe she’d finally read one too many romance novels and her brain was permanently rewired to think every handsome stranger had the potential to be Mr. Right. Or at the very least, Mr. Right Now.

“Shame really.”

“What is?” Her voice sounded all breathy, as though the air in the shop was suddenly too thick.

“Shame you’re closed because whatever you’re baking smells delicious.”

“Would you like a taste?” Her tongue darted out to wet her dry lips, and the stranger’s eyes widened ever so slightly before darkening into a look that quite frankly could have torched a perfect creme brûlée.

“I’d like that very much,” he breathed as he moved closer.

Oh Lord, did he think she meant . . .

Cassie took a step back and felt the cool glass of the refrigerated display case press against her overheated skin. Her handsome stranger leaned in, bracing one hand against the glass beside her head, and a devilish smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. The look on his face would have been almost predatory if he weren’t so damn cute. And sweet Jesus, was that a dimple on the left side?

A beat of silence ticked between them offering her the perfect opportunity to play it safe, to explain what she actually meant and end the whole matter with an awkward laugh. But this handsome stranger had awakened something deep inside her and for once in her life Cassandra Miller didn’t feel like playing it safe. Instead she felt wild and reckless, and the last thing she wanted was to end the moment in any way at all. In fact, she wanted to prolong it, to suspend it in time like something from The Matrix. Then maybe she could even step back and watch from all angles because holy hell, this gorgeous stranger was going to kiss her. Right there. In the shop. With her hair up in a messy bun and flour and dough all over her hands. And what’s more, she was going to let him. So instead of playing it safe, Cassie lifted her chin just as he dipped his head and then. . . .

. . . and then the smoke alarm began to screech in the next room.

“The cupcakes!” she gasped. Her stranger stepped aside as Cassie hurried through the swinging steel door. Smoke billowed from the convection oven and all at once she knew that the last batch of cupcakes was ruined. Just like their moment.