Sky was used to the heat. Living as a baker in Belize meant that the scorching temperatures rarely fazed her. But this heat was different. It surged through her veins and set every patch of skin on fire.
Her throat dry, Sky struggled to swallow. Failed. Clasped her hands together. Found they were slick with sweat and wiped them on the side of her pants.
Joon Gi stood a few feet away. She wondered when he’d gotten that far. A few seconds ago, his entire being had encircled her, trapped her in some hazy, in-between world that didn’t quite feel like the reality she’d known for twenty-five years.
His black hair flopped against his forehead. His body was lean and lithe but powerful. She’d felt every bit of his intensity when he held her close.
Now, he seemed to find whatever was on his tennis shoes ten times more interesting than her.
Good. His diverted attention gave her a little time to regroup and make sense of her mangled thoughts. Clarity would come eventually. Right?
Or maybe not.
Her heart still thudded, adrenaline mingling with regret. She’d wanted Joon Gi to kiss her. He had been reaching out to kiss her, right? That wasn’t a figment of her imagination.
Sky closed her eyes and scrambled after the memories of his brief touch. His breath on hers. His fingers curling around her waist. Eyes darkening with desire.
She crossed her legs and bounced, straining to hold herself together so she could pretend to be as cool and calm as Joon Gi.
Girl, you crazy? You’re about to explode.
“I should…” Sky pointed over her shoulder to the door. “Customers might have—”
“Yeah.”
Sky ran outside and then spent the rest of the day running from Joon Gi.
It was a tall order given Sweet Treats wasn’t that big. Fortunately, Joon seemed equally determined to give her space. They made an unspoken boundary. Joon Gi’s territory was the kitchen and hers was the counter.
No one crossed the lines. Physical or imagined.
For lunch, Sky ate from her stock and tried not to think about her drowning sales or her embarrassing moment with Joon. She succeeded on one count and did so poorly in the other that the more she tried not to dwell on it, the more it demanded her attention.
The frequency that Joon’s face popped into mind was almost frightening. Every sensation had been impressed on her brain. Tattooed behind her eyelids.
Why did I close my eyes when he touched me? Why? I made it so obvious.
Nope.
Not going there.
Sky tapped her fingers against the counter and stared at her empty storefront. Things were usually slow this late in the evening, but she still felt depressed.
An image of Joon Gi’s lips flashed in her mind.
“Ah!” She shot to her feet and shook her head so hard her short ponytail flapped against her cheek. Sweet Treats’ problems were doubling by the hour. Why couldn’t she drag her mind away from her sexy employee?
“Miss?”
Sky froze, mid-stride. Glancing up, she found a boy in the trade’s school’s white shirt and khaki pants. He stood in front of the counter, brown eyes fixed on her and a mischievous smirk playing on his lips.
Sky realized how insane she must have looked and ran her hand over the front of her apron. After pasting a smile on her face that said ‘I’m definitely not crazy’, she approached the customer.
“How can I help you today?”
“Are any of your stuffed jacks left?”
“Yes.” She rushed to the counter and extracted a foil-covered stuffed jack.
In the store’s prime, there was no way this kid would be able to sniff a stuffed jack at four in the evening. But things had changed.
“Great!” He pumped his fists. “I love this.”
“I appreciate that.” She placed the pastry in a plastic bag and bit down hard on her bottom lip to keep from asking—‘so the bad reviews don’t bother you?’
“I’d buy one every day, but it’s hard for me to wake up early enough,” he said.
She handed the bag over and nodded. “I’m glad you enjoy them.”
The student gave her the money and inhaled the scent of the fried jack. “It would be great if they sold these right on campus. Don’t you think?”
The student left, but Sky’s mind kept buzzing around his idea. The more she chewed on it, the more it made sense. Sweet Treats had been blackballed by the community but her stuffed jacks had not. She’d been so busy trying to save her store that she’d forgotten Sweet Treats wasn’t a building.
It was her pastries.
This could be the jolt that we need!
Sky almost vibrated with excitement. The first person she wanted to share her idea with was Joon, but given how awkward they were, she decided against it. Grabbing her phone, she dialed Jo instead.
Jo picked up and yelled, “What’s wrong? Are those inspector guys back again?”
“No.” She chuckled. “Calm down, girl.”
“Sorry. I’m still pissed about how they wrecked the kitchen.”
“I’m calling to bounce an idea off you. What do you think about selling Sweet Treat’s most popular pastries directly to the schools?”
“You mean like custom orders?”
“Sort of. I’ll take orders from schools and other businesses and they’ll sell to their own customers.”
“I like it.” Jo squealed. “That’s my girl. I knew you wouldn’t wallow for long.”
“I wasn’t wallowing.”
“You were so wallowing.” Jo chuckled. “But it doesn’t matter because Sweet Treats is about to turn a corner.” Jo’s voice turned bouncy with excitement. “Why don’t we all go out to celebrate?”
“What do you mean by ‘all’?” Sky asked warily.
“Me, you and Joon Gi.”
“Joon Gi?” She stiffened. “Since when did you want to hang out? I thought you hated him?”
Jo sighed. “I did. And a part of me still thinks that he’s a little sly when it comes to business, but when it comes to you… it’s different.”
“Me?”
“Sweet Treats has been failing for a while now, but instead of bailing—which any sane person would do—Joon stood by you. He’s working hard to find a solution. And he’s really concerned about you. Did you know he’s been creating fake accounts just to put nice things on Sweet Treats’ social media pages?”
“What?”
“Yup.”
Sky laughed. “That’s kind of sneaky too.”
“Yeah but in a sweet way.” Jo paused. “So what do you say? Shall we go out tonight? I’m thinking Toucan Isle. We can eat by the water. Have a few drinks. Enjoy the sea breeze.”
She was still hesitant, but what the heck. It had been such a long time since she’d gone out or done anything even remotely fun. “Sounds like a plan.”
“Great. Tell Joon. I’ll pick you guys up around seven.”
She spoke in a rush before Jo hung up. “Can you tell Joon?”
“Me? Why?”
“Just do it.”
“Okay…” Jo drew out the word as if she expected a better explanation.
Sky offered none. “I’ll see you tonight.”
After hanging up, she returned to her seat and tapped her fingers against the surface of the counter.
What should she wear?
Sky could kiss Jo for giving her something else to think about. By the time closing rolled around, she had a much better grip on her emotions when it came to Joon and their romantic moment in the kitchen.
When he appeared to help her lock up, she smiled at him as if nothing had happened.
“You okay?” Joon asked, thin eyelashes fluttering. He seemed hesitant, unsure. Unlike his usual, egotistical self.
“Yeah.” She turned the key and tested the door to make sure it was secure. “I’m great. Did Jo call you?”
“She did.”
“Are you coming?”
“Should I?” His eyebrows hiked.
“Of course.” She placed her hand on his shoulder. Saw the moment his gaze trekked there before returning to her face. Sky’s smile trembled but she kept it in place. “You’re not just a valued member of the Sweet Treats’ team. You’re also a friend.”
“Friend?”
“That’s right.” She jerked her chin down. “Jo’s stopping by in an hour and I have a lot to do.” She tugged at her dry curls. “Let’s finish this up and run home.”
Joon’s confused expression lingered but he didn’t say more.
Sky hustled out of the store.
The night was still and hot, as if the entire world was holding its breath. Joon hung behind even though, with his long legs, he could easily catch up to her. Sky could only assume that he was still in ‘keep my distance’ mode.
Her stomach churned with nerves, but she took a deep breath and released the anxiety. She refused to let the awkwardness between them keep her from having a good time. Joon and Sweet Treats had eaten more than enough of her energy.
When they got home, Joon Gi disappeared into his room.
She took over the bathroom. In under an hour, she was shaved, plucked, primped and ready. Sky swept into her bedroom to apply perfume and shot a quick look in the mirror.
Perfection.
She’d drenched her hair with water and dunked enough leave-in conditioner to keep it tight and coily all night. It had been a while since she’d applied heavy makeup, but it all came back to her after a few YouTube tutorials. Her dress was a red, off-the-shoulder that flared at the knees. Simple and pretty.
She felt like a million bucks as she slipped her feet into heels and headed outside. It had been so long. Too long. Sky was so often the dowdy baker covered in flour and worries that she’d forgotten what it felt like to be young and hot.
“Alright,” she said, head down as she stuffed her cell phone into her small purse and strolled into the living room, “I’m ready.”
Silence.
She glanced up and found Joon Gi staring openly at her. He snapped his jaw shut and blinked twice. “Wow, Sky. You look…”
“What?” She fluttered her hands in encouragement. “I look what?”
“Gorgeous.”
Her heart thrilled, but she didn’t let it show. “Thanks. You’re not so bad yourself.”
Joon Gi wore a navy dress shirt—top button open—and a pair of black jeans. He could be wearing a sack and he’d still ooze sex appeal. Sky shook her head enviously. While she’d rushed to prepare, all he did was throw on some clothes and he still made her breathless.
Honking broke their private stare down.
Joon Gi gestured to the door. “Shall we?”
Sky nodded, suddenly more nervous than before.
Joon Gi escorted her to the car waiting on the sidewalk. Sky slipped into the front and greeted Jo who was stunning in a ruffled white shirt and a short black romper. Her wild black hair curled all over her head.
“Sky, girl, you’re giving me a heart attack!” Jo clutched her chest. “It’s been way too long since I’ve seen you dressed up. You’re going to break someone’s heart tonight.” Jo eased closer, her glossy lips stretching with mischief. “Who’s it going to be?”
“We’ll see,” Sky said breezily, resisting the urge to glance behind her at Joon.
Jo chattered all the way to Toucan Isle, a hip restaurant and bar overlooking a wide canal. Every inch of the place was filled to capacity. When Sky saw the frazzled hostess standing behind a podium, she figured they’d either have to leave or stand by the bar and wait for a table.
Neither option appealed.
Before they could decide on what to do, a familiar face popped out of the crowd and waved. “Sky!” A moment later, Sun Gi barreled into her and gave her a hug. She returned it stiffly, confused by his warmth.
Joon Gi swatted his brother off. “What are you doing here?”
“Who is this?” Jo pointed and then mouthed, “He’s hot.”
Sky chuckled and silently agreed.
“I’m Joon’s favorite brother.” Sun Gi flashed a lethal smile that Sky was sure had seduced many, many girls.
“I’m sorry,” the hostess approached. “We don’t have any tables available.”
Joon took her hand as if to lead her away. “Then we should find somewhere else.”
“Not so fast.” Sun Gi snatched her hand back. “Why don’t you join my table?”
“No.” Joon growled.
“Yes.” Sky smiled warmly at Sun Gi. “I would love to.”
She tossed a defiant look over her shoulder as Sun Gi led her into the crowded restaurant.
Tonight, I’m forgetting all about you Joon. Try and stop me.