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“I don’t trust your answer.”
He gave her a side-eye.
Ignoring Amanda’s scoffs of disbelief, Jo chuckled. “You tell me. She came in around three, did a supply assessment. Then, with the help of her assistant, Rosa, did some baking.”
“It’s after eight.” Gene noted she’d been working for five hours, and probably most of it on her feet. “How are you feeling? Any fatigue, dizziness?”
“No. I let Rosa do most of the hard work.” Amanda rolled her eyes to Jo. “You see what a hard ass he is?”
“Takes one to know one.” Jo grinned, then turned to Gene. “It’s good to meet you. I’m gonna head out now. You make sure this one doesn’t work too late.”
“I’m all done,” Amanda said. “Gene’s here for some dessert, that’s all.”
“Uh huh.” Jo winked at her friend as she went out the door with a cheeky grin.
Amanda shook her head at her disappearing friend’s back and went to lock the door before spinning around to him. The skirt of her flowery dress billowed around her calves, drawing Gene’s eyes to her ankles.
Even covered, he knew well the shape of her legs. For the past thirty-six hours, he’d tried so hard to look at Amanda through a professional lens, but his sense of touch remembered too well the softness of her skin, the strength of her calves, and the alluring roundness of her hips. And he couldn’t ever forget her female scent. That night, it had teased him, tempted him to cast aside all the rules he religiously followed throughout his career.
Slowly, Gene scanned his way up her length and back to Amanda’s face as she sashayed toward him. Again, the calling was strong, and he knew he couldn’t resist her allure much longer.
As if she knew of the internal battle he was fighting, the woman in question took his hand.
“Come with me.”
Amanda’s heart started a steady thrumming beat pumping through her veins as soon as she laid eyes on Gene. He shouldn’t make her drool dressed casually in a pair of chinos and chambray shirt, but Dr. Gene Rowland didn’t have to make much of an effort to turn her on, apparently.
That intense look in his eyes was the only thing he needed.
Maybe you’re imagining what you want to see.
She might have the ultimate crush on him, but Gene might still see her as he had all those years ago: a girl who needed his help. Nothing more. Those gray eyes of his had always felt intense when he focused them on anyone. They just had a major effect on her.
She remembered her skin tingling, abs clenching, breath catching when Gene had examined her ankle a gazillion years ago. These days, she experienced the same effect ten fold, plus her lady bits throbbed. Amanda blushed just thinking about it.
Putting herself on a tight leash, Amanda pulled Gene into the kitchen, where she had a sampler of the freshly baked goods she’d made earlier.
“Wow.” Gene eyed the display of cookies, brownies, cakes, and pies with a big smile. “You made all these today?”
“Some are our daily offerings, like the cookies and brownies. So we always make them. We mix up the cakes and pie flavors based on the season and what strikes our fancy.”
“Tell me what we have here.” Gene leaned his hip against the metal working table where she placed the goodies. “I see chocolate chip cookies and brownies. Do they have nuts or anything in them?”
“There’s the classic chocolate chip cookie. Maybe uninspiring, but always a favorite.”
Amanda broke off a piece of the huge cookie and handed it to Gene.
He took a bite and nodded his approval.
“Perfection. I love that it’s soft on the inside, but slightly crispy on the edges.” He finished half. “There’s a savoriness that cuts the sweet. What’s that?”
“Sea salt.” Amanda was impressed he noticed the nuance in the taste.
“I like that.”
She knew her cookies were good, but his approval made her night. He tried the other cookies and brownies and was just as appreciative.
“We also bake a number of pastries in the morning like pain au chocolate, croissants, and Danishes,” Amanda explained.
