"She had a great view from her condo on Front Street. That was pretty much the highlight." Just as the words flew out of his mouth, Liv approached. His stomach jumped.

A grin curved her lips. She'd definitely heard. And she definitely thought he was a joke. "How are we doing, boys? Another round?"

"I'll get this one." Tony took out his wallet and handed Liv two twenties. "What's your name, sweetheart?"

Liv grabbed the money. "The name's Liv...sweetheart."

Jake chuckled. Liv Crawford-bartender, baker, and the next big thing?

"No laughing. I'm trying to concentrate," Miles scolded from the table.

"I'm Tony. That's Brian, Jake, and the one bent over the table there is Miles."

"Nice to meet you." Liv caught Jake's stare before she hustled away to get their drinks. It hit him like a fist to the gut.

Jake had to tamp down his attraction. He'd never accomplish his mission if he let s.e.x get in the way. He only wished he'd known she was smokin' hot before he'd agreed to the proposition.

Miles had missed his shot and it was now Jake's turn. He surveyed the table to pick his best shot. He didn't have a best shot.

"If you're stripes, you're going to want to hit the six and force it into the middle pocket." Liv's voice broke his concentration. He may not be the best pool player in the world, but even Jake knew that shot was impossible.

"There's no way he can make that." Brian crept closer to the table. "There's nothing to bank off of."

Jake agreed. She was totally wrong.

She waved her hands, motioning him to lean over. "I'll show you."

She approached and the heat of her body surrounded him. She laid her hand on his back and pressed down. He followed through and bent to a right angle, threading the cue between his fingers. She grabbed his left shoulder and leaned in closer, her breath a soft whisper against his neck.

"Now, you're in the right spot." She shuffled closer and kicked out his foot to widen his stance. She mirrored his body, her knees and hips and stomach molded to him. "Focus on the farthest spot on the six ball from the center of the pocket."

How was he supposed to focus when she was this close? When he'd just promised himself s.e.x was out of the question?

"Form a line with your eye from the farthest point to the very middle of the cue." Her voice settled over him, lulling him into a trance. He followed her direction and focused his gaze. "Pull back and follow through with that line."

Jake took a deep breath, glanced at Brian, then took his shot. The b.a.l.l.s cracked on impact and his ball banked off the six and found its home.

"Holy s.h.i.t!" Brian shouted.

"I'll be d.a.m.ned." Tony's voice was softer but still audible.

Miles smacked his hand on the edge of the table. "She's a shark."

"You're a quick study," Liv said before she backed away and returned to her post at the bar.

Jake made no other move than to follow her back to the bar with his gaze. Was his mouth open? It felt like his mouth was open.

Tony twirled his pool cue between his fingers. "I think this is the first time I've ever seen a woman shock Jake into speechlessness."

Jake barely recognized his friends laughing in the background, his attention more focused on Liv's sweet scent that still lingered, like chocolate and vanilla. Familiar. Intoxicating. It took all his willpower not to jump over the bar and take her right there in front of his friends, in front of a room full of people.

They finished their game, and one after the other, his friends left, but Jake returned to his original position at the bar. Business had been steady all night, which didn't make it very easy for him to talk to Liv, but finally, only a few customers remained at the bar and he wouldn't waste the opportunity.

"Can I get you another Bud?"

She rested her elbow on the bar in front of him and leaned in. Close enough that he could feel her heat, but far enough away to let him know he had to work if he wanted her.

"I'm good." He raised his beer, letting her know he still had some left. "Where did you learn to shoot like that?"

"I've worked here for almost ten years." She wiped at the bar with a wet cloth. "You learn a thing or two."

She'd learned more than that. "If the bartending thing ever falls through, you can always become a professional pool player."

She rested her hip against the bar and stuck her hands in her pockets. "I won't be a bartender for much longer. I'm going into business for myself."

He already knew all about her plan to open a bakery, but he was distracted by her scent. He inhaled deeply, savoring it, never taking his eyes off her. Watching those soft, plump lips made it hard for him to concentrate, but he kept the conversation on track and played along. "Are you opening a bar? I'd definitely be a regular."

Ugh. He made himself sick with his attempt at small talk. When did he become the King of Cheese?

"A bakery. On the corner of Eglinton and Greenway. Right now I'm working at Sweet Creations. You know the bakery just a few blocks from here?"

He nodded. He knew all about her employment status, too.

"If you're ever in the mood for something sweet, you should stop by."

Jake silently cursed his plan. There was no mistaking her interest. She held his gaze, desire dancing in her black eyes. They were mesmerizing, like an iris with no pupil. Jake itched to reach out and pull her over the bar, sitting her on his lap, stroking the smooth strands of her black hair.

"When do you open the doors?" he asked.

At first, she looked confused. The desire danced in her eyes ten seconds before it dissipated and she straightened. "In a few weeks." She hesitated and bit her bottom lip. "I hope. I have a lot of things to do before the city will let me open for business."

"I'm sure you're on top of it."

"Thanks." Her face softened and she smiled.

Something constricted in his chest. It was usually his crotch that reacted to a beautiful woman, but this time, Liv touched something inside of him he hadn't felt before. At first, it was the fact she was a ten on the hotness scale. A hard ten. But with only a few minutes of conversation, something else touched him. Was it her desire to follow her dream?

Liv was another person following their pa.s.sion, solidifying Jake's decision to follow his own dream and accept his boss's proposition-no matter the cost.

He pushed aside his desire. His dream was more important than sleeping with a beautiful woman. Right, and if he said it enough he'd believe it. But he and Liv had something in common, a dream. She was opening her own business, and if Jake's plan went accordingly, he would be fast on his way to doing PR for an art gallery. She would understand if she knew the truth.

The truth. She deserved the truth. But a little white lie wasn't the end of the world. In fact, with Shelton on her side, this little white lie would only bring her closer to achieving her dream.

"Liv, dear." An older woman made her way behind the bar. "Why don't you go home? I'll close up tonight."

"Really?" Jake saw her ecstatic expression in the mirror behind the bar. Her eyes were intense, a gateway to her emotions. He wondered if she knew they gave her away.

After an exchange of words, Liv shuffled over to the register and pocketed her tips. She opened a cabinet and grabbed her coat and bag. She struggled with it, Jake unable to miss the fact that she had three or four books stuffed inside the black bag. And if he wasn't mistaken, she had a Leslie James book in there. Leslie James was his client, and he was in the middle of planning the launch party for her new book. An idea formulated in his mind. A brilliant idea.

"You're heading out?" It was probably smart to pretend he hadn't just heard her entire conversation.

"I am." She turned around to face him with a cute little twist. "Would you walk me to my car?"

Jake had to keep himself from jumping off his stool, his stomach tightening. "I'm ready when you are."

She c.o.c.ked her head toward the back door. He collected himself and sauntered around the bar to meet her. His body tensed in antic.i.p.ation. She hefted her heavy bag on her shoulder and bundled up before leading him through the metal door into the alley-the dark, deserted alley-and he cradled the small of her back with his hand.

"My car is just over there." She pointed to a vehicle, a four-door sedan. Practical, durable, and black.

The dim light of the bulb above the back door did little to guide their way. The smell of grease hung in the air, mixing with the pungent scent of garbage that wafted from the Dumpster. All of that was overpowered the minute she walked in front of him and her sugary, sweet scent threw his senses into a frenzy.

They walked over to her car and, as they approached, she pulled out her keys and unlocked the doors with a double chirp of the remote. She rested on the car, her back arched, her chest toward him. If only the cold weather didn't warrant her wearing a coat over that tiny T-shirt he'd become fond of.

He leaned in and rested one hand against the cold metal of the car.

"What brought you and your friends here tonight?" she asked, the words rolling off her tongue like satin.

"Brian heard that this bar was crawling with hot bartenders," he said. He couldn't exactly tell her the truth.

"Brian heard correctly." She stood there, lips parted, her eyes scanning his body in appreciation. She was a test to his willpower. A test to his strength, because he wanted nothing more than to rip open her coat and give his hands free rein to search out every soft curve of her body.

But he didn't intend to take this further than a meet and greet. He had that brilliant idea to put in motion.

He rubbed his thumb across her cheek. "So, you like romance books?"

Liv's eyes narrowed. "How did you know that?"

Jake just pointed at her nearly overflowing bag.

"Oh. Well, I guess I like the idea of impossible love, a couple who can never be together, but by some extreme twist of circ.u.mstance, they live happily ever after." She lowered her head. Was she embarra.s.sed? He hooked his finger under her chin and lifted her head.

"Impossible love. I can relate to that." Slipping his finger from under her chin, he backed away a couple of feet, giving her some more room. Despite his overwhelming urge to strip her down and take her up against her car, he didn't want to scare her away before his mission was complete.

She gave a little sigh. "Books are always better than real life. In real life, there is no such thing as happily ever after."

He processed that statement. "Happily ever after is an interesting concept. People spend all this time searching and ruining perfectly good relationships trying to find 'the one.'" He curled his fingers into air quotes. "Maybe it does exist."

Someone once told him that there was a girl out there who was supposed to be his destiny. After all these years of dating and the different women that walked through his life, he didn't know what to believe anymore.

"Well, who needs romance novels when I can just be friends with you and listen to all your happily-ever-after talk?" She let out a nervous giggle.

"Speaking of which, I have this party I need to go to," he said.

She looked up at him with wide, seductive eyes. Her teeth clenched the side of her lip. He stifled a groan.

"One of my clients is a writer and we're launching her new book. You might have heard of her? Leslie James?"

"Leslie James?" Her body tensed and she grabbed the front of his jacket. "I love Leslie James."

Jake laughed. So far the plan seemed to be working. "Good to know, because I'm in charge of the event and I need a date."

"Are you kidding me?" Liv squealed. "And you wan-" She lifted her hand and pointed to her chest. "You're asking me?"

"It's just a party. It's not that big of a deal."

"Not a big deal? This is huge. What do I wear? Who else is going to be there? What-"

Jake's strong hand clamped onto her waist, pulling her into his body. "I'm more excited about showing up with a beautiful woman on my arm."

"All those big-wigs and you're excited about showing up with me?"

"I'll be even more excited to leave with you on my arm."

Heat flushed across her cheeks. Even in the darkness, he saw the blush glowing in the soft light.

"So, what do you say?"

She hesitated. If the traffic on the streets that surrounded them wasn't so loud, he knew he'd be able to hear the gears turning in her head.

"I'll think about it."

He stepped closer and brushed his thumb along her jaw. Her body tensed under his touch. Heat ignited between them, and with each swipe of his thumb across her skin, he fanned the flames higher and higher until they rose up her neck, flushing her cheeks.

"Okay. I should be getting home," he said, but his brain was unable to tell his feet to follow the instruction. He closed in the s.p.a.ce between them, pinning her against the car. The warmth of her breath tickled his jaw line.

"Jake?" He could barely hear her words over the thunderous beat of his heart and the blood rushing through his ears.

"Yes, Liv." His voice was low, thick with need. Even he didn't recognize it.

"Would you like me to join you?"

His gaze locked on hers. Even in the dark, he could see the sparkle glistening in the chocolate depths of her eyes and, for a split second, he toyed with the idea of giving up on his plan.

As his face moved closer to hers, she parted her lips with hungry determination. He caressed her neck with his lips while he moved his hand down and grabbed the handle of the car. The click of the door echoed around them, then he pulled back, bringing the doorframe with him.

"Good night, Liv." He rested his left arm on top of the frame, waiting for her to refocus. He did have willpower, after all. "I know where to find you."

She swayed on her feet, taking in his words, her eyes glued to the ground. Eventually, she looked up and whispered good night, then ducked her head and shuffled into her car. It wasn't his intention to cause her discomfort, but his actions were strategic.

She had no idea she would be seeing him tomorrow.

Chapter Three.