Excerpt:
He was standing
behind the counter, spreading flour over the wooden work surface where
he made his pizza dough. He spread the fresh dough out on the floured
surface and began to knead it with his hands.
He heard her shoes
clicking on the red tile floor behind him as she returned from the
bathroom.
“Wanna have a look
at my magic dough-making skills?” He raised his eyebrows at her.
She giggled and he
thought it was the most magical sound he’d ever heard. She walked toward
him carefully so as not to slip on the tile in her black, high-heeled
shoes. He looked down at her sexy shoes and followed her long, shapely,
bare legs up to the black skirt she wore.
“What are you all
dressed up for?” he asked as he worked the dough between his fingers.
She was standing
beside him now, watching him work.
“Oh, I was
supposed to be somewhere tonight but I got lost,” she admitted, and he
could see a little blush creeping up on her cheeks.
“Ah, well I’m glad
you happened upon my doorstep then.” He saw her bite her lower lip with
her teeth.
He felt incredibly
attracted to this woman and he didn’t even know her name.
“So, what’s your
name then?” he asked as he kneaded the dough a few more times.
“Sasha Adams.” She
extended her hand to shake his.
He took her hand
and shook it gently. She looked down at her sticky, dough-covered hand
and laughed.
“Uh oh, Sasha
Adams, looks like you are going to have to help me make the pizza then.”
He motioned for her to step closer to him.
“Is that right?”
she asked in a flirtatious voice, which both surprised and pleased him.
“Yup, it's old
Irish folklore that one who touches the dough must then make the pizza.”
She shook her head
at him and her lips pouted out ever so slightly.
Ah, God, she was a
beauty.
“Well, if we are
going to be work mates then, what’s your name?” she asked. He could feel
her tension ease completely away as she grew more confident.
“Cian Mahone,
ma’am, and this business has been in my family for three generations,”
he replied proudly.
“Wow, that’s just
amazing,” she said, and seemed genuinely impressed.
He smiled at her
and took her arm to pull her closer to him. He positioned her in front
of him and facing the work surface. He gently reached down and placed
her hands on the mound of dough.
His body was
pressed against her back as he leaned his mouth closer to her ear and
said, “You just press here with your fingers and then squeeze…”