The Sweet Shoppe: Tempting Prudence Read Free Page A

him—Jonas was happy whatever he was doing. Comfortable. Confident. All things she lacked. The only time Prudence felt confident was when she was working. In every other aspect of her life, she felt awkward. Especially with Jonas.
    She cocked her head to one side and watched Jonas drain the pasta. Each movement was economical but contained a quality of ... grace? He tossed the pasta in with the chicken and she studied his hands. At the moment, he handled the task with the skill of a chef, using even movements. His hands were calm, controlled ... almost gentle. Such a contrast to the size. What would it be like to have them on her skin?
    Just the thought of all that quiet concentration focused on her pleasure had her body humming.
    As he walked to the table, a slight smile curving his lips, she reminded herself she was there to work. In no way was this going to lead to anything. Especially tying him down and teasing him until he begged for sex.
    Jesus. She swallowed another gulp of wine and prayed it wouldn’t go to her head.
    *  *  *  *
    Jonas shifted in his chair, trying to find a more comfortable position. Kind of hard to sit with a woman during dinner and make conversation, with a raging hard-on. He hadn’t lacked this amount of control since he was a teenager, but something about Prudence always had him fully cocked and ready. It hadn’t helped feeling her study him while he cooked. Damned if she hadn’t been looking at him just the way she’d stared at those chocolate-covered cherries this morning. Like she wanted to devour him in one gulp.
    “Where did you learn to cook like this?”
    Her voice, relaxed from the wine, brought him back from his fantasies. When he focused on her face, he lost his concentration. She had the prettiest blue eyes. Not sky blue, but a deep, dark blue like sapphires. It made a striking contrast to the curly brown hair that spilled over her shoulders, and her porcelain-like skin.
    And her lips ... She had smiled through most of the meal, and he’d gotten her to laugh a few times by reciting his favorite Monty Python quotes. Each time she’d laughed, he fell a little more in love. Because, somewhere between the cooking and the eating, he realized he’d been in love for months. He noticed she was staring at him expectantly and he remembered she’d asked a question. Oh, cooking.
    “My mother and sister were not very much into eating, always on a diet.” Prudence frowned and deliberately set her fork down. “Dad was always on a business trip, so I hung out in the kitchen with the cook.”
    Her eyes widened slightly. “The cook?” He shrugged. “Mom and Dad were from old oil money. Got out before the bust.” She fiddled with her napkin, then placed it on the fork. “Well, why don’t we get to work?”
    “You didn’t like your food?”
    “Oh, of course I did.” Her face turned an adorable shade of pink. “But I’m trying to watch my weight.”
    He looked at her incredulously. “Why?”
    “Jonas, really. I understand you were being nice about dinner, but I know that I could stand to lose a few pounds.”
    He shook his head. “What’s wrong with the way you look?”
    She pursed her lips, tempting him. “I really don’t want to talk about this right now, if you don’t mind.”
    He did as she requested, hoping he would get teach her exactly what he thought about her body later. “I’ll clear away these things and we can get to work. Then dessert.”
    “Oh, well ...”
    “I bought something special. You can have a little, can’t you?”
    She studied him. He tried his best sorrowful expression, the one that always worked on his mother. Her lips curved and then split into a full grin. He felt it all the way to his gut, and it took every ounce of control he had to concentrate on his task. Especially when all he wanted to do was grab her and lick her from her toes to those lips.
    He sighed. Patience might be a virtue, but it was a pain in the ass. He glanced down. And