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This man wouldn’t be intimidated by her wealth. And he certainly wouldn’t be one of those jerks who tried to con a woman out of their money. He had built his own empire.
“So why the secrecy?”
“Pike is a wonderful place to live, but sometimes it’s annoying to have everyone in town discussing my business. This is one part of my life that I’m not willing to share.”
“How did you get started?”
“It was a fluke, really.” Lia recalled the sleepless nights when she made her first loan. She’d not only worried she would lose all her money but the first few clients were people she knew. The destruction of their friendships would have been worse than the debt. “I inherited my grandparents’ trust fund and used it to help a friend open his construction business in Grange. It just sort of snowballed from there. I invest in businesses all over the world now.”
It wasn’t exactly a boast, but Lia was honest enough to admit she was proud of the career she’d created. And it felt astonishingly good to share her accomplishments with this man.
“I can understand keeping your investments quiet. I’m sure your clients appreciate your discretion.” He studied her with a curious gaze, his thumb brushing her lower lip. “But why keep up the pretense of running a grocery store?”
Lia shivered, anticipation swirling through her body. He was barely touching her, but she felt every nerve tingle to life. It was . . . intoxicating.
“There’s no pretense.” Lia struggled to concentrate on forming the words. What she really wanted to do was yank his head down and kiss him until the world faded away. “That store has been in my family for over one hundred years. It’s important that it stay open. For Pike.” She shrugged. “And for my mother.”
“Ah.” His eyes held a tenderness that threatened to melt something deep inside her. “She doesn’t know you use your own money to pad the store accounts, does she?”
Lia wrinkled her nose. “It’s been limping along for years. My mother and I barely scraped by. It got worse after she retired. There are stores in Grange that will deliver to Pike. And, of course, there’s online shopping.”
His hands cupped her face as he stepped closer, the warm scent of him filling her senses.
“You’re a fraud, you know, Lia Porter.”
Her heart pounded, her palms damp as he smiled down at her. “Excuse me?”
“You pretend to be this quiet, down-to-earth woman who spends her days baking cookies and stocking shelves.”
She blinked. “That’s exactly what I am.”
“Liar.” He bent his head, brushing his lips against hers as he spoke. “You’re a risk-taking entrepreneur who thrives on living on the edge. Just like me.”
Like him? Daredevil, stuntman, sex idol? No way. She was boring Lia, who always did the right thing and didn’t know how to have fun.Except for when she was with Kaden Vaughn, a voice whispered in the back of her mind. When she was standing close to this man, she didn’t feel boring. And most certainly didn’t want to do the right thing.
She wanted to be a risk-taker.
“You’re trying to make me seem a lot more exciting than I am,” she whispered.
“Trust me, there’s no way you could be more exciting. Feel.” He grabbed her hand and pressed it to the center of his chest. Directly over his pounding heart. “You have me . . .”
“What?”
“I don’t have the words.” He pressed a kiss against her lips. “Let me show you.”
“Kaden.”
“Just this.” He nibbled a warm path along the line of her jaw. “That’s all I ask. Just this.”
Lia groaned, lifting her arms to wrap them around his neck and arching against his hard body. His lips returned to her mouth, kissing her with a passion that sent jolts of pleasure searing through her. She went on her tiptoes, tangling her fingers in his hair as she silently encouraged him to deepen the kiss.
There was a fluttering excitement in the pit of her belly that made her toes curl in her boots. She’d never had a kiss that felt so . . . monumental. As if she was no longer the same Lia Porter. She was different. Special.
A fierce hunger ignited and spread through her body She wanted more than this man’s kisses. Much more. Lia parted her lips, inviting his tongue as his hands cupped her backside to tug her tight against the hard thrust of his arousal.
Yes . . .
A buzzing sensation raced up her arm. At first, Lia assumed it was part of her intense reaction to Kaden’s kiss. There were dozens of shivers racing through her. As the buzzing continued, she frowned. This was different from her tremors of pleasure. It took a few seconds for her passion-dazed brain to recognize it was her watch, signaling an incoming call.
