He Wants Her (Curvy Women Wanted Book 23) Read online

  EVERNIGHT PUBLISHING ®

  www.evernightpublishing.com

  Copyright© 2020 Sam Crescent

  ISBN: 978-0-3695-0228-5

  Cover Artist: Jay Aheer

  Editor: Audrey Bobak

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  HE WANTS HER

  Curvy Women Wanted, 23

  Sam Crescent

  Copyright © 2020

  Chapter One

  “He’s done this on purpose,” Sally Bright said as she glanced across the street.

  “Sure. Hank Owens decided to quit his city job and relocate back home, all to spite you. I’m sure that’s what it is and it had nothing to do with his health,” Rebecca, or Becks as she often called her, her baking assistant and sometimes loyal friend, said, laughing as she did. “You know, he’s not going to take your clientele from you. He offers only baked goods, the sweet kind, while you offer a hell of a lot more and you know it.”

  “Becks, he opened up a store right opposite me. A bakery no less.”

  “I didn’t think you and Hunk had any issues.”

  “We don’t, and don’t call him Hunk.”

  “Come on, he got that nickname in high school.”

  “And high school ended twelve years ago.”

  “Exactly my point. You’re treating this as some kind of high school vendetta. He works next door and he hasn’t taken any of your regular clients and in fact, we had three additional advance orders for next week.” Becks hit her on the shoulder with the order book. “Stop worrying.”

  She wouldn’t usually worry, but Hank was popular and there was no getting away from it. Women adored him.

  He was the most popular guy in school but also the kind of guy everyone wanted to see succeed. Hank was nice through and through and hadn’t even been the bully type. In fact, if her memory served her well, he wouldn’t even hang around with guys who did bully. He’d make sure they all suffered as he didn’t believe hurting anyone was right.

  Then, of course, he’d left town, become some big, hotshot Wall Street person, and then six months ago, it was announced he’d bought the shop opposite her, opened it up, and now she’d been dealing with his bakery across the road.

  Sales hadn’t gone down, which was a shock.

  Whenever there was a rival store coming to town, there was always a major concern on the little person.

  Now, she just had to contend with Hank taking most of the female clients, but they’d also pop into her bakery and cake decorating shop. She also offered fully-catered-for parties, and a lot of people asked for basic dinners to be made as well.

  Yes, she could have done with the additional help, but now that it was going to Hank, she was worried.

  Stepping back into her store, she glanced over the order, seeing a couple of vegan clients who had also asked if she could start catering for them, to which she agreed. She had a hard time saying no to anything.

  As she ran the pen across her lip, she found all the necessary ingredients she’d need and started to make a list. Once it was all done, she phoned her suppliers and had everything ready to be delivered by the end of the week.

  Happy with herself, she closed up shop as it was getting late. She started early and always liked to have the shop closed by three, so she could relax. Becks constantly told her she was doing too much. Her friend was already gone and as she stepped out of the bakery, she was surprised to see Hank doing exactly the same.

  In the past six months, she’d avoided any contact with him, other than to glare—hopefully not so obviously through her shop window across to his. She’d hoped she was in the clear but as she bent down to deal with the lock, she felt him behind her.

  “I’ve been trying to catch you since the moment I opened this place,” Hank said.

  His voice. She’d heard a couple of customers talking about how his speech alone could make a woman orgasm and damn it, they hadn’t been exaggerating. It had a depth that traveled down her spine and made her toes tingle.

  Not good. She wanted to hate this guy.

  “Sally, are you ignoring me?”

  She stood up and spun toward him with a smile, pushing some of her red hair out of the way. “No, I’m not ignoring you. I was listening to you. You wanted to talk to me?”

  “Yes, I’d been hoping to catch you for a little while now.”

  “You’ve got me.” She looked over at his shop. “I thought you were open later.”

  “Can’t. Doctor’s orders.”

  She frowned, tilting her head to the side.

  “Can I get you a drink?” he asked.

  “I’m heading home. It’s been a long day.”

  “Have I pissed you off?”

  She stopped a few steps away from him. “Excuse me?”

  “You won’t stay and chat. You won’t have a drink. I can’t help but wonder what I’ve done wrong.”

  He was tall, muscular as well. Why couldn’t he be a little ugly or in some way irritating?

  “With all due respect, Hank, er, you opened a bakery right across from me.”

  “I know. Is that a problem?” he asked.

  She laughed. “You do realize that I’ve owned this spot for ten years.”

  “I heard. You took over from your parents after your father had a heart attack.”

  “Wait,” she said, holding her hand up for him to pause. “If you know all of that, why did you open right across from me?”

  “I did all the research and I even got an expert in to assess the situation. They assured me opening here wouldn’t cause you any issues, especially as I only run a sweet bakery. I made sure I was in no way a competition with you.”

  “Oh, I see. You did all of that without even asking me, giving me a chance to voice any possible concerns I might have? You just did what you wanted. Why am I not surprised? Hank Owens, always doing what he wants, when he wants. You’re unbelievable.”

  “I didn’t make this a competition, but if you want to start one, sweetheart, we can certainly go that way.”

  It was the first time in her life he’d ever spoken to her like that.

  “I’m ready,” she said.

  So much for Becks believing he was considerate.

  ****

  Holy fucking damn!

  Hank had forgotten how sexy Sally was. He hadn’t gotten a good look at her in all the time he’d been back, six months. She had a nice, curvy ass and damn it, he loved her attitude as well.

  He was in no way here to damage her career. Far from it. What he wanted to do was … thrive. He’d done all the necessary research and knew what she catered for and to. Baking was a passion of his and it helped him to relax. With all the money he’d earned in the city, he didn’t actually need to work, not now, not ever.

  Going a single day without work wouldn’t help him. He needed to keep busy, even if his health required him to slow down.

  Go after her!

  He didn’t even hesitate. Coming back home, he wanted to finally settle down, have a family. Doing all the work, he’d put living on hold and now, he didn’t want to waste a single moment more. Competition wasn’t exactly what he was after.

  “How about I buy you a beer?” He touched her arm, gaining her attention.

  Sally sto
pped and smiled. “Really, you want to buy me a beer?”

  “Why not?”

  “You’ve just posed a challenge to me and now you want to buy me a drink?”

  “As a friend.”

  She giggled. “Wow, you really … you know what, sure. I don’t see why not. I’ve got some time to kill.”

  “What were you going to do?” he asked.

  “Go home. Eat. You know, relax before it all starts again tomorrow.”

  “You start early?”

  “Don’t you?”

  “Not really,” he said. “Doctor’s orders.”

  “Ah, yeah, I heard about that. Is everything okay?”

  “It will be. I’ve got to learn to take it easy, you know, that kind of thing.” He pointed for her to take the lead and he stepped into step beside her.

  “So you come back home where you become the most eligible bachelor in town.”

  “You think I’m quite the catch?”

  She had the most beautiful laugh. “You always did have a high opinion of yourself.”

  “I’m not the one who called me an eligible bachelor. I’m just sticking to what I’ve been told.” He glanced at her. Several women had tried to invite themselves over to his home and offered to date him, but he’d declined.

  Until he’d seen Sally, dating had been the last thing on his mind.

  “What about you? Any boyfriend I should be worried about?”

  Sally shook her head. “Do you think I’d go out for a drink with you if I had a boyfriend?”

  “What’s a drink between old friends?”

  “True. This isn’t a date. No, I don’t have a boyfriend and even if I did, why do you want to know?”

  “I’m curious.”

  “About what?”

  “About the competition.”

  “You’re crazy, right?” she asked.

  “Not crazy at all,” he said.

  She rolled her eyes. “Back there, you posed a challenge and now you want to tell me we’re going to be best buds.”

  “I don’t think best buds will cover it, but … maybe we could be something.”

  “This drink isn’t going to happen if you keep on talking like that.”

  “How about dinner instead? The diner offers beer and that way you can eat and we can drink, have some fun.”

  She stopped and nibbled her lip. Her eyes gave it away, the sadness. He’d seen his fair share of rejections.

  “Don’t say no. Come on, you’re going to be the envy of every single woman here.”

  She sighed. “I don’t care to be the envy of the wild women here. I don’t know if this is a good idea.”

  “Come on. Keep me company. I’ll get on my knees and beg for your company.”

  “You will?”

  “Please?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Pretty please?”

  “Fine. Fine. I can’t stand to see you beg like that. It’s not right.” She laughed.

  They made their way back a couple of feet. The diner was already thriving but he caught sight of a nice table. He got to it, holding out a chair. People were already whispering. Rather than being irritated, he found it charming. Back in the city, no one gave a fuck. At home in a small town, everyone had an opinion and he had to give them credit, they all liked to give him theirs.

  “Do you think we should give them something to talk about?” he asked, whispering against her ear.

  “Don’t even think about it,” she said.

  “We’re not going to have the town talking.”

  “Oh, please, like you wouldn’t get off on it,” she said.

  He didn’t argue and took his seat after her. What he really wanted to do was take her home and fuck her hard. He’d not had a feeling like this for a very long time. In fact, no woman had ever made him feel alive. He hadn’t lived like a monk and didn’t claim to be innocent, far from it. Sally, though, she was the first person in a long time he’d really wanted to fuck and be with. Sitting back, he grabbed the menu.

  “My treat.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I’ll have the burgers and fries, oh, and make sure they have the extra cheese sauce on the side. I love that stuff.”

  The waitress took their orders and he sat back, watching her. “Did you ever leave town?” he asked.

  “No. I mean other than a few courses that I needed to take to help expand my cuisine and my baking. That’s about it, really. Did you have fun leaving? Making a name for yourself?”

  He shook his head. “No, I didn’t have fun.”

  “You didn’t?” she asked. “But you’re wealthy.”

  “Money isn’t everything. In case you didn’t know, my health is the biggest problem I have.”

  She sat back. “Was it really bad?”

  “I had to quit, turn in my city days, come back here, and try to figure things out. I’m healthy, though, if that’s what you’re worried about. Perfectly healthy, not a problem to worry about.”

  Chapter Two

  Was Hank flirting with her?

  Did she enjoy him flirting with her?

  Sally watched him as he looked all relaxed. Age had done wonders for him. He was still sexy, in fact, he was sexier now than back in high school. Gone were the boyish good looks and in their place was a man, a sexy, hot, gorgeous man. She didn’t want to be attracted to him but there was no denying it. He’d gotten better with age. During high school, he’d been … something, but now, he was even better.

  She’d never approached him back then. They were in two different worlds, and it seemed odd to her to even be sitting with him now, about to eat food.

  “Is there a wife you’re keeping secret?” she asked. “I may as well get all of this formality out of the way.”

  He rolled his eyes. “There’s no woman waiting for me or that I’m keeping from you.”

  “Kids?”

  “None. You?”

  “I don’t have children.”

  “Do you want to keep going with all of these questions?” he asked. “I can think of a lot more things we can talk about.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like you going out on a date with me next Friday.”

  “Not happening.”

  “Why not?”

  “You’re the competition.”

  “Competition is healthy.”

  She wasn’t getting turned on by this conversation. She smiled at the waitress as she placed their orders right in front of them.

  After picking up a fry, she dipped it into the cheese sauce and took a bite. Closing her eyes, she enjoyed the flavor explosion on her tongue. “This is so damn good.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  She opened her eyes to see him staring at her. “Go on, have a try.” She moved her plate over and he did exactly the same. “Good?”

  “Not as good as watching you enjoy something in your mouth.”

  She chuckled. The way he said it sounded even dirtier.

  There was a twinkle in his eye that she wasn’t mistaking. “You’re flirting with me, aren’t you?”

  “What gives the game away?”

  “Why?” she asked. “You can have any woman here and you’ve turned them all down. Why me?”

  “Why not?”

  “I’m not who you’d go for. I’m not the cheerleader.”

  “Oh, Sally, baby, I’m not after an eighteen-year-old cheerleader.”

  “What are you after?”

  “A woman. A full, beautiful, sexy woman.”

  Her cheeks had to be on fire with all of his compliments. “And have you found her?” she asked.

  “I’m staring at her right now.”

  She looked at him, licking her lips. Picking up the burger, she took a bite. So good. “What are your plans now?” she asked.

  “To ask you out next Friday.”

  “I’m busy.”

  “Saturday?”

  “Busy.”

  “Tomorrow?”

  “Still busy.”
r />   “You’re playing hard to get.”

  “I wonder how you were able to figure that out.” She smirked.

  “You think I don’t know how to chase?”

  “I honestly don’t know, but I’ve got things to do and dating isn’t one of them. You see, a guy has opened up across the road from me, and I really need to make sure I can compete with him.”

  “Ah, we’re back to that.”

  “You could do anything you wanted, Hank. Why opposite me and why a bakery?”

  “I love to bake. It helped me with my stress levels. Always has and always will. I’m not going to take away your clientele. I’ve done all the necessary research. You and I, we can work this out together.”

  “The only partner I have is my best friend, Becks.”

  “I saw. She’s been in my place a couple of times.”

  This was news to her. “She has?”

  “Don’t worry. I think she just wanted to see what I’m all about. Get a sense of who decided to ruffle your feathers.”

  “Becks wouldn’t do that.”

  “Then clearly she wanted to try something new.”

  “Now you’re lying.”

  “Am I?” he asked. “I wonder.”

  “I can’t deal with this, not right now,” she said. She was going to talk to Becks about visiting him. Not that she had a problem with him, not in the slightest. Her best friend keeping stuff from her, that was what she didn’t like. It wasn’t like Becks to do that.

  “It was nothing personal,” he said. “She was welcoming me back. It was a couple of months ago.”

  “Don’t worry. I’m not upset with her or anything.” She forced a smile to her lips. Finishing up her food, she decided against dessert and instead, Hank offered to walk her home. She wanted to decline but decided not to make a scene. “You know where I live?”

  “I know a great deal about you.”

  “Cool,” she said.

  “Yeah, cool. So about this date.”

  “It’s not going to happen, Hank. I’m sorry. I wish you every bit of success.”

  He laughed. “You think I don’t see when I’m getting the brush-off?”