Noble Love (The Nobles of Sweet Rapids #1) by Té Russ Read Free Book Online

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Chapter 8
     
    " I saiah..."
    The sound of his name on her lips affected him more than he would have imagined. It was obvious she'd been in the kitchen baking with her apron tied around her waist, which was covered in flour. That wasn't the only thing covered in flour.
    He held a finger up to his nose.
    "You've uh...got a little something..."
    Her eyes widened as her hand went to her nose. "Oh!" She wiped her nose and his amusement grew as she smeared more flour on her face.
    Tessa looked down at her hands, then back at Isaiah and caught the amusement on his face. "I made it worse, didn't I?" she asked, exasperated.
    "Just a little," he said, pinching his fingers together.
    "Shit," she mumbled under her breath. "Will you excuse me? I'll be right back."
    "Take your time."
    She nodded and then disappeared to the back.
    He stood in the middle of the bakery, looking around. When they'd briefly hung out at the juice bar after the yoga class, he'd mentioned that he wanted to see her again and she'd given him that teasing response of 'you know where to find me' before turning and walking off. He decided that he was done stalling, for no good reason. He wanted to get to know more about Tessa Everett and he could feel that the chemistry between them wasn't one-sided.
    It was time to explore it.
    Several minutes later, Tessa returned, looking refreshed. She'd left behind her apron, cleaned the flour off of her face and gotten rid of the hair net. Her long, tightly coiled curls now framed her gorgeous face, whose lips were covered in some kind of gloss that made them look incredibly kissable.
    "Sorry about that," she said, this time moving closer to him. She smelled heavenly, her own scent of jasmine and citrus mixed with the bakery scents of cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg; or was the vanilla part of her perfume?
    He couldn't tell, and he didn't care. All he knew was that the combination made his mouth water.
    "So..." Tessa said, interrupting his thoughts. "What brings you to my bakery?"
    He smiled, remembering the bag he was holding in his hand. He took a step closer to her and he watched as her nostrils flared.
    "I knew you were closing soon, so I took a presumptuous chance and figured you hadn't had dinner yet."
    "It smells wonderful," Tessa said.
    "Does that mean you'll join me for a meal?"
    Those sweet looking lips of hers turned up into a smile as she said, "I'd love to. Why don't we eat at one of the tables outside? It's a gorgeous evening."
    "That's a great idea."
    Isaiah turned and opened the door for Tessa. After she stepped out, she turned and locked the door.
    "So," she said eagerly as they sat down. "What great things did you bring me?"
    He chuckled as he placed the bag on the table. "I hope you like Mediterranean food."
    "I love it!"
    "That's a relief," he joked. "There's a great restaurant in South Lake Tahoe. Their food is amazing. You're going to love it."
    As he began pulling out take-out cartons from the bag, Tessa asked, "Tahoe?"
    He stopped for a moment and looked up at her. "Yeah, that's where my place is. Well, when I'm not out in L.A., anyway."
    "You have a place in South Lake Tahoe?"
    "Zephyr Cove to be precise," he said. "But it's right on the lake. I couldn't pass the place up, and I got it at a steal. That's why I picked that location rather than something here in Sweet Rapids."
    "I think it's beautiful out there."
    "I'll have to take you out there one weekend."
    Tessa smirked at him, propping her elbows on the table. "We haven't even started eating yet, and you're already planning weekend getaways? Now that's presumptuous."
    He began popping the lids off of the food cartons, the exotic spices filling their nostrils.
    "I assure you, once you taste this food, you'll be hooked and want to make the trip over there for more. And you'll probably be too full to drive back home. I'm just being hospitable," he said with a wink.
    "Oh okay!" she giggled. "What's on the menu tonight?"
    "Hummus, Patatas