Falling for the Enemy (Falling in Love) (2 page)

“What do you mean?” June turned to the other woman, frowning.

“You’re June Armstrong. You could employ anyone
, and yet you employed me and I’ve got no baking experience at all. All I know how to do is put a ready meal in the microwave.”

“Hey, I taught you how to make
lasagna and chicken the other day,” June said, smiling.

Molly smiled. “I guess I want to know why?”

“Why I offered you the job?” Grabbing the hair net from the hook June placed it on her hair, wrapping up the strands.

“We didn’t get on in high school. I was popular, you were not
, and yet you’re being nice to me. A lot of my old friends ditched me when I turned up pregnant without a boyfriend, but you’re still here.” Tears filled Molly’s eyes, and they gripped at June’s heart.

Her mother had filled her in on all the town gossip while she’d been away.

“I’m not a bitter person. I don’t see the need to hold a grudge. You were never outright mean to me, Molly. When you walked in the door, I wasn’t going to give you the job at all. Getting to know you and seeing your problems, you need this job a lot more than most. Besides, Sasha and Luke love you working for me, and they get more than a frozen ready meal now.”

June pulled out the whole
meal bagels and placed them on a cooling rack.

Turning back to Molly, she saw the other woman crying.

“You’re the only friend I’ve got,” Molly said.

“That’s okay. We only ever need one friend in this world to survive.” She moved toward the other woman and hugged her close. “Tell you what, when you pick Luke and Sasha up today, come back here. I’ve got a casserole in the oven
, and there’s plenty for all of us.”

“You really are too damn kind.”

Laughing, June went back to the mixer to see if the dough had proven enough. She really did love baking.

Chapter Two

The tattoo lasted long into the night. Dale and Max left around midnight while Trey continued to work. The client wanted it done and completed in one sitting. Trey didn’t mind. He’d given her the spare bedroom to rest up and so he could check the state of the tattoo in the morning. By six in the morning, he was exhausted, hungry
, and in need of something quick to eat to get his energy back up. He checked the woman’s tattoo, got paid, and sent her on her way with a list of instructions and contact details in case anything went wrong. Trey didn’t anticipate any problems.

Seeing his fridge completely bare, Trey saw no other choice than to go across the street to buy something.

Fuck, he’d been trying to avoid going to June’s place. All he did when he wasn’t working was think about her. She’d entered back into his mind, and now he couldn’t shake her presence.

Talk to her and get it over with.

Slamming his door closed, he saw several of the construction workers exiting her shop. They were all moaning on the way out. The heavenly fresh scents of bread and donuts assailed him.

He greeted the workers, recognizing most of them as they worked with his two buddies.

Fisting his palms, Trey took a deep breath and headed inside. It was busy, considering it was six-thirty in the morning. He heard June’s deep smoky voice the instant he walked in. She was laughing at something one of the workers said. Her eyes were sparkling with happiness. Grabbing his wallet, he pulled out a note and waited his turn.

When it came time to serve him, the whole shop was empty. Clearing his throat, June looked at him. The smile in her eyes vanished.

“Hello, June,” he said.

His mouth felt dry
, and his cock was thickening in his pants. She wore a hairnet, which bound those sexy dark curls together, but he was fucking horny.

“Hello, Trey. What can I get you?” she asked.

You could take your clothes off so I could have something more to masturbate over at night, instead of using my imagination.

“A bagel will do
, with everything inside.”

“You’ll have to wait five minutes. The morning crew cleaned me out of the ones I made up earlier.”

“I don’t mind.”

She nodded, turning away from him. He watched over the counter as she started to make up his breakfast. She didn’t speak to him or try to draw him into a conversation. Looking at the display case, he saw a couple of Danish pastries that made his mouth water.

“This place smells amazing,” he said, needing to hear her voice.

“Thank you.”

“Do you make everything yourself?”

June hummed and nodded her head.

Fuck, woman, talk to me.

“It’s difficult for me to not always come over here. The smell is always amazing.”

She walked back to the counter. “I appreciate your words. It’s nice to know the scents of the baking are liked.”

There was a slight smile on her lips. “Would you have any issue to me coming here for breakfast?”

“You’re a paying customer, Trey. I don’t see a problem.”

He ordered three of the Danish pastries and then handed over the money.
“Are you seeing anyone?” he asked, hating the words the instant they were out of his mouth.

“It’s none of your business. You’re a paying customer, nothing more.”

She handed him over the change.

“You’re different.”

June shook her head, smirking. “Yeah, I’m different. I’m not the shy girl you bullied back in the day.”

His cheek heated at the memory of some of the things he
’d said.

“What do you know, I opened this bakery up in the month of June. Maybe you could add that to your past insults about my name?”

Trey recalled taunting her over the name June. He used to say it was when her parents conceived her or some other shit like that. Thinking back over his youth, Trey had a lot of regret.

“I’ve moved on, babe,” he said. “I’m changed.”

“So I’ve heard.”

June turned away from him first. Staring down the length of her body,
he couldn’t help but moan at the full rounded curves of her ass. She was so fucking sexy. Trey cursed his wayward thoughts. He wanted to fuck her, and June couldn’t stand the sight of him.

Great, there was a time he could have any woman he wanted. Nothing had changed
. He could snap his fingers, and women would surround him. June was not part of that circle. He was never going to get her sweet smile or have her thighs wrapped around his waist.

“I’m not the man I once was,” he said, needing her to see he’d changed. He sounded desperate even to him.

His mouth lost all saliva as she tugged her hair net off. Those black curls escaped, sliding down her back to hit her butt. He wanted to run his fingers through the length, grip her hair and fuck her from behind.

“Okay, I believe you,” she said.

“No, you don’t.”

She whirled around, moving back to the counter to glare at him. “Look, I don’t know you, Trey. I remember the nasty as fuck teenager who used to tease me about everything. You picked on my hair, my appearance, even my name and my weight. Everything you could find fault with, you picked at. Don’t expect me to
be different toward you. High school was stressful enough without having to pass you in the hallways.”

Her hands rested on her hips. Trey shouldn’t be responding to her outburst
, but he was. His cock was unbearably thick in the tight leather pants he wore.

“What did you get out of tumbling my books around or stealing my backpack? Nothing. Everyone would stop and stare at chubby June trying to get on with her day. Please, don’t tell me you’ve changed. I’ll see it for myself.”

She dismissed him with her hand.

“Whatever.” He grabbed his purchases and left the shop feeling angry. There was no reason to be angry.
Every word June had spoken was the truth. He’d been mean to her because he couldn’t have her. She didn’t know he was angry at the fact she made him hard all the time. No one knew how affected he was by her mere presence.

Opening up the paper surrounding his bagel, he took a large bite and moaned. The bagel was so tender and fresh
, the tomatoes juicy and the cucumber delicious. He’d never tasted such a nice bagel before.

He finished the bagel in three bites. Opening the shop, he checked the log as he finished the Danish pastry. The other two were for Max and Dale
, but after the first one, he ate the other two.

June was one hell of a baker
, and he was addicted to her food.

The morning rush went by quickly for Trey. At lunchtime his bell went letting him know someone had arrived. Molly came through the shop carrying another bound package with the label
“Just Another Slice” printed on it.

“Hello,” he said.

“Hi. June asked me to give this to you.”

Getting up from his desk, he took the package from her. Looking inside the package he saw another bagel and a chocolate cupcake.
“Why?” he asked. His mouth watered from the smell.

“She wanted me to apologize for her outburst. This is her way of saying sorry and hoping you won’t be offended.”

He wasn’t offended. That morning was the first time he’d seen June stick up for herself. Trey said as much to her.

“June doesn’t hold grudges
, and she doesn’t like conflict. At least, she doesn’t like it with me.” Molly rubbed her hands down her clothing.

“You’re working for her?” Trey asked, shocked.

Molly nodded. “Yes, she took me in when no one would give me a job ‘cause I’m a single mom. She adores my kids, and to be honest, I can’t believe I was never friends with June when we were younger.”

He listened to Molly. They’d all been part of the same circle. He wasn’t a football star
, but he’d been popular like them. Molly was the cheerleader back in the day.

“
She’s funny and smart, and I remember how bad you made her life,” Molly said. “I don’t want her to be hurt or have any reason to want to leave Winters Fall. Luke and Sasha adore her, and I can’t let them lose her.”

“What are you trying to say, Molly?”

“Please, don’t bully her or hurt her. If you can’t be nice then don’t come by the shop.”

Fisting the wrapper, Trey stared at her seeing the desperation in her eyes. “I’ve no intention of hurting her.”

“Good. Then I’ll go.”

Molly pushed past Max and Dale on her way out.

****

June watched Molly enter the bakery once again. She felt like such a coward for getting Molly to deliver her apology instead of doing it herself. Seeing Trey for the first time since graduation had ruined the cool control she kept as a front.

“Well?” she asked, wringing her hands together.

“He thanked you and didn’t see the need for you to apologize.”

“Oh, okay, that’s good.” Leaving Molly to handle the front of the shop, June went and finished the afternoon baking. Several businesses in the surrounding area had started phoning up asking for bulk orders to be delivered for lunch. With how many companies were calling, June knew it was only a matter of time before she started looking for a lunchtime driver to deliver all the orders.

Alone with her baking, June allowed her mind to wander to the morning when Trey entered her little world and turned it upside down.
He was a lot bigger than she remembered. His muscles filled out the tight shirt he wore, and he was tanned. How the fuck was he tanned in the middle of November? Ink covered both of his arms, and she’d seen one on the side of his neck as well. Talk about wearing your work, Trey looked like a walking, talking advertisement for Get Inked. When he was walking away she thought she saw the name on the back of his neck. She couldn’t be sure without her glasses.

What really pissed her off was the answering pulse of arousal his presence had made inside her.

How could she respond sexually to a man who’d bullied her?

Pushing her thoughts to the back of her mind, June concentrated on baking. This was her baby
, and she wasn’t going to let anything stop her from making it a success. At around two in the afternoon, Molly pulled her out of her baking.

“I’ve got to go and pick Sasha up,” Molly said. “Is it okay if I leave early?”

“Sure, what’s the problem?”

“Her teacher just phoned. She’s been fighting again.
I don’t know what to say to her anymore.”

“I’m here if you need me.” June offered her friend as much support as she could
. There was nothing else she could do for Molly. Sasha was a sweet kid, but she kept getting bullied. June tried talking to her, but nothing ever got through.

Finishing up the baking, she headed around the front to deal with the
rest of the day’s customers.

By three she was tired but continued to deal with the high-school rush and then onto
four. A lot of the locals tried to talk to her as she worked. She listened to them talk, laughing and smiling in all the right places. At five, her mother stopped by to grab several different kinds of breads. She was hosting a dinner party, which June was invited to.

Again she declined the invitation. Four-thirty rolled on by
, and June was ready to call it a night. She started packing everything around the back away. It was Friday, and she had one more day before it was a full day off.

The shop bell
jingled, and she was about ready to rip the damn thing off. It had been a long day, and all she wanted to do was go upstairs to her home, have a long relaxing bath and settle down for the night to read a good book.

Pushing her glasses up her nose, June looked up to see Trey, Max
, and Dale entering her shop.

Memories assailed her all at the same time of these three men taking it in equal turns to tease her.

It’s all in the past. It’s all in the past.

“June, it’s great to see you,” Max said, smiling.

She didn’t smile back. Trey stayed in the back, looking over his friends’ shoulders at her.

Tearing her gaze away from him, she turned her attention to his two friends.

“What can I get you?” she asked.

“You’re looking mighty fine,” Max said.

She saw Dale was busy looking at the displays of biscuits and treats that were still available. “Where’s Molly?” Dale asked.

“Molly got called away on an emergency.”

“Is she okay?”

“As far as I know.”

Dale gave his order, and she went about getting it for him. All the time she was aware of Trey’s stare. Why was he intent of making her nervous?

“So, you’re a
kick-ass baker, and Trey here is a kick-ass tattooist. Have you ever thought about getting a tattoo?” Max asked.

His attention was starting to grate on her nerves. Why couldn’t he back off?