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She would normally be too shy to speak to a strange man, let alone one so handsome, but at this point it didn’t matter that this “Heath Miller” character was by far the most stunning male specimen she had ever gazed upon in the flesh. She hated his sandy-blond hair, golden eyes, and sparkly white teeth at first sight.
She’d had enough of the “generous” offers creeps like him had been sending her for the past three months. Neither she, nor her company, were up for sale or rent. She’d made it abundantly clear that she wasn’t interested in what Miller was selling. Still, he’d had the guts to travel all the way out to her cabin to try to force her to see things his way.
Bella lived in the middle of nowhere, as far back in the Deepweeds Parish as you could get and not be a resident of Outer Kartolia. Her nearest neighbor was a ten-minute carriage ride to the south and she liked it that way. She liked being alone, in a part of the Kingdom where cars weren’t allowed and life moved at a slower pace. She’d known everyone in the parish for years, and it was common knowledge that she guarded her privacy fiercely.
It was shocking that anyone had told this man how to find the trail to her home, and even more shocking that he had been bold enough to violate the solitude that had made her family as famous as their candy.
It was almost enough to make her lose her temper, the one thing she never did and the only thing she had left to lose.
“Listen, Bella, I—”
“Don’t say another word,” she warned.
“Another word.” His face lit up when he smiled, his slightly crooked front teeth somehow making him even more handsome.
A tingle of awareness sizzled across Bella’s skin, making her nipples tighten inside her camisole and mysterious aches begin in lower places.
“Goodbye, Mr. Miller.” Bella started to shut the door in his face. She’d never been so rude, but her response to this man’s smile was enough to scare the good manners right out of her.
“Please, Bella,” he pleaded, smile vanishing as he stuck a boot in her door to keep it from closing, reaching a hand through the crack to grasp her fingertips like a lover praying for a second chance.
“That’s Ms. Quinn to you, sir.” Bella took a deep breath, struggling to ignore how nice his long, tapered fingers felt twined around her own.
God, it had been so long since she’d felt the touch of another human being, especially a male human being.
“Please don’t call me sir. I’m Heath, just plain Heath, and I really wish you’d give me a chance. I can promise you, whatever reasons you have for refusing me aren’t the right ones.”
The intensity of his feelings simmered in his honey-colored gaze. His passion was real, and completely…captivating.
“You don’t know anything about me or my reasons.” Bella dragged her focus away from the amazing depths of his eyes, and the dangerous thoughts they inspired. Those eyes might promise salvation, but his mouth was trying to convince her to sell her soul.
His mouth. He had a beautiful mouth. Such full lips, so soft-looking and—
“Let me go,” Bella said, squirming her fingers. “You need to leave.”
“Not until I’ve said my piece.” He released her fingers, sending a strange wave of disappointment rushing through her.
“I do know you, Bella,” he pressed on. “I know you’re the best. I know you create taste sensations that devastate me in the best way. I know you have a passion for your work that goes beyond the bottom line and that you’ll never be satisfied with mediocrity.”
He fell to his knees and bowed his head until it thudded against the wooden door. “I’ll do anything to work with you. Name the price, and I’ll pay it.”
“I don’t want your money,” Bella said.
“I don’t mean just money, damn it!” Heath bounced back to his feet and leaned forward until his face filled the crack in the doorway. “I mean whatever I have to do to make you see that your talent wouldn’t be wasted. You would be the most treasured asset to my company, and you would be making a positive impact on the lives of thousands of people. Command me, Bella, I’ll do whatever it takes.”
“You’re crazy,” Bella said with an exasperated laugh.
“Crazy for you and your incredibly edibly talented hands.” He smiled. “Come on, let me in. Let’s sit down and talk about this like reasonable crazy people.”
“Who said I was crazy?” she asked.
“I did,” he said with another big grin. “You’d have to be crazy to refuse me and my generous, wonderful, fun and sexy offer.”
Bella sighed, starting to like this man in spite of herself. “Fine, you can come in,” she said as she opened the door. “But that doesn’t mean I’m seriously considering your offer.”
“I would hope not. I can’t stand to have anyone seriously consider anything. That’s no fun at all.” Heath strode into her cabin like he had lived there all his life. Immediately his presence flooded the room, invading every corner of her entirely feminine space.
“Nice.” He looked around appreciatively. “I love the pictures.”
