Tessa gave a little wave of thanks while Juliet gulped down the water. She tried to calm the fluttery feeling in her stomach. And not be like Juliet, who always got swept away.

It was easy to tell yourself stories to believe what you wanted.

Leo might be a fantastic chef whose adorable dinner left stars in her eyes. And he might have a kind side she’d never seen before. And he certainly possessed that magic combination of qualities that fired up her hormones, but she had to be honest with herself.

He didn’t do relationships—he’d said so himself—and that was something she could pretend might change, but did people ever really change? Was he so wounded from his mom’s death that he’d never thought about having kids? He was another heartache waiting to happen, and she’d barely survived her last one in this town.

Also, she didn’t want to get stuck here, as she had with Sam. A man had made her stay in this town a lot longer than she’d ever wanted. She couldn’t let another one keep her from her dreams.

She and Leo were both hardworking and ambitious people. Together, they could combine their talents and succeed. She hoped she could trust him enough to achieve their goals.

Save the business, then save yourself.

She couldn’t let a few kisses stand in the way of her dreams.

That was the goal—to get the bakery back on its feet so she could leave. And she couldn’t ever forget that.

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

A knock on Leo’s bedroom door sometime later made him look up from the book he was reading in bed. But he didn’t even get a chance to say come in before the door opened and Tessa walked in, tossing a pillow with a bright floral case onto his slate gray bedding and shutting the door behind her.

He’d been trying to read his book, a bestselling thriller, the best he could. But she kept popping up in his thoughts, sweet-smelling and soft. And those kisses kept replaying in his mind, over and over—the taste of her lips, the little murmuring sounds of pleasure she made in her throat, the feel of her melting against him in the tiny fragrant garden. So seeing her in a robe and little PJ shorts with cupcakes on them and carrying a pillow into his bedroom…well, it was like his fantasies had just come true. He had to blink twice to make sure it was really her.

He lifted a brow. “Things aren’t going well, I take it?”

“Juliet ate your delicious pasta, and I made her some tea. And then I put her to bed in my room. She’s going to have to get her things out of Jax’s apartment tomorrow.”