I give her a nod and dig in. It’s so delicious I eat every morsel, not wasting a crumb. About an hour passes before she comes back.

“There’s no way you ate all that,” she says, her eyes wide.

I lean back and suck in a deep breath. I might’ve gone overboard, but it was too good to pass up. “I did, and now I’m full as hell and have no idea how I’m going to work for the rest of the day. I can already feel the food coma coming. It was so good, and if I had any room, I’d eat more.” I throw her a wink.

“You’re not shitting me, right?” she asks again.

“Never. You’ll win, hands down. I’d even bet on it.” I hold out my hand, hoping she shakes, but she doesn’t do anything but smile wide.

“Thank you,” she whispers. “Means a lot to me. I’m just nervous about all this.”

“Shouldn’t be. You’re a pro, Maze. That prize is yours,” I stress, wishing she’d believe me. I look around and notice the B&B is empty. It’s just her and me. The place is a mess, so I stand and help her pick up the remaining dishes left on the tables. We grab as much as we can so we don’t have to make another trip, and I follow her to the kitchen area.

Maize sets the dishes in the sink and then steps slightly out of the way to give me more room to add what I’m carrying. Our arms touch, and electricity shoots through me. She must’ve felt it too because I notice goose bumps form on her arms. Though she denies anything between us, moments like this remind me there is something. Nothing she could say would make me think otherwise because her body gives her away every single time.

“Maze,” I whisper, watching her breasts rise and fall. I place my palm on her warm cheek and brush my thumb against her skin. She swallows, and I’m tempted to kiss her, but I don’t want to press my luck when I’m gaining ground.

My phone rings, and I glance down to see it’s Jackson. I’m sure he’s wondering where the hell I ran off to because I’ve been gone for a while. “I don’t want to go, but I have to,” I admit.

“I know,” she whispers.

I look down and reject the call, not ready to go just yet, but knowing I have to.

“Do you want a hand?” I ask.

She tilts her head. “Not unless you want Uncle Jackson bursting through those doors and dragging your ass back to the training facility. You’ve helped me more than enough already.”