Sweet Time (Sugar Rush #4)) Read online

  Sweet

  TIME

  A Sugar Rush Novel

  Book Four

  NINA LANE

  © 2017 Nina Lane. All rights reserved.

  Kindle Edition

  ISBN: 978-0-9981059-8-7

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

  SWEET TIME is a very sexy contemporary romance by New York Times bestselling author Nina Lane. It can be read as a standalone or enjoyed as part of the Sugar Rush series.

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  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  About the Author

  Acknowledgements

  Also by Nina Lane

  Chapter

  ONE

  He was a hell of a nut to crack. A tall, broad-shouldered, square-jawed, sexy-in-a-stoic-way, strong silent type, impossibly hard nut to crack.

  And Mia Donovan considered herself a world-class nutcracker—in the best possible way, of course. She wanted to open that man up and discover all the mysteries hiding behind his inflexible, rigid exterior.

  But Gavin Knight, impassive owner of Knight Security, wouldn’t let her close enough to even touch him, let alone crack him open. He didn’t find her worthy of the slightest bit of attention, even though he’d never bothered getting to know her. Even though he didn’t notice anything about her. Not her tight sweaters, short skirts, and floral tights. Not her long blond hair, which had drawn compliments since she was in kindergarten. Not even her patently obvious attempts to flirt with him.

  She gave him a mild glower, just to see if he’d at least feel her stare. Nothing.

  As usual, he sat at a window table in the Wild Child Bakery, a boring cup of black coffee near his elbow and not a single éclair or chocolate truffle anywhere in his vicinity. His attention was focused on his sleek laptop, his expression solemn behind the wire-rimmed glasses that couldn’t hide the striking blue of his eyes.

  Also as usual, his profile was sheer perfection—his sharp cheekbones sloped down to a cut-glass jaw and beautifully shaped mouth. Even his dark hair was in on the effect—brushed away from his forehead with the short cut emphasizing the strong lines of his face.

  Also as usual, he wore black trousers and a black shirt with the Knight Security logo over the breast pocket. Also as usual, the shirt fit him to such delicious perfection, stretching over his muscular chest and around his bulging biceps, that Mia’s mouth watered.

  Darn it. She’d been trying to wean herself off her year-long attraction to him. If he didn’t want to notice her, then screw him. She had enough attention from other boys.

  The problem was she didn’t want a boy. She wanted a man. More specifically, a man named Gavin Knight who, despite his statue-like demeanor, was intensely hard-working and sexy as all hell. He’d gotten her hot and tingly the second he’d walked into Wild Child with his steel briefcase to install a security system.

  Even now, a year later, her belly fluttered at the sight of him. Apparently her body didn’t know when to quit, even if her mind was determined to stop drooling over him once and for all.

  “Here you go.” Polly Lockhart, Mia’s best friend and owner of Wild Child, stopped by the table. She set a frothy caramel-chocolate mochaccino, topped with a pile of sprinkles-laced whipped cream, in front of Mia. “Want another muffin?”

  “No, thanks.” Mia gestured to the portfolio of bridal hairstyles she’d been perusing. “Do you want to take this to Julia and show her which ones you like?”

  “And risk her wrath? No way. She has her own ideas about my wedding day hair and makeup, and I have no intention of getting in her way.”

  “I know, but it’s your hair and makeup. What if she does something you don’t like?”

  Polly waved her hand dismissively. “No one is a better stylist than my future aunt-in-law, as she’ll tell you herself. I consider it a win that she hasn’t taken over the entire wedding, so I’m happy to let her have her way with my hair and makeup. Have you picked up your dress yet?”

  “Friday.” Mia arranged the portfolios into a little stack. “The dressmaker called for a final fitting. Then I’m meeting the caterer at the villa to go over the new layout of the reception.”

  “Are you sure you’re okay with all this?” Polly’s forehead creased. “It’s my fault for biting off more than I could chew, but it’s not too late to hire someone to take over. I want you to enjoy yourself too, not have to work all the time.”

  “Polly.” Mia squeezed her friend’s hand. “I’m happy to do this for you. Besides, I have all the plans and know exactly what you want. Remember when we were ten and I planned a wedding for Mr. Elephant and Miss Monkey? This is a bigger version of that.”

  Polly smiled. “And without a mud cake and rainwater champagne, right? I know you can do it, but I also know this wedding has grown to rather epic proportions. So if it’s getting overwhelming, please tell me.”

  “Everything is under control, I promise.”

  Polly gave her a hug filled with gratitude, then headed back to the counter. Mia turned her attention to the bridal hairstyles portfolio.

  She hadn’t started out as command central for her friend’s upcoming nuptials to Luke Stone, CEO of the Sugar Rush Candy Company. But she would allow nothing to ruin the most important day in Polly’s life, not to mention a Stone brother’s wedding.

  The eldest of five brothers and a sister, Luke Stone was the second-in-line, after patriarch Warren Stone, of Indigo Bay’s wealthiest, most prominent family. Founded by a Stone ancestor in the mid-nineteenth century, the historic Sugar Rush Candy Company had changed the economic landscape of the coastal California town and continued to be the dominant force both commercially and socially. The public was waiting with bated breath for the extravagant wedding of the first Stone brother.

  Given the Stone family wealth, Luke could have hired Martha Stewart and her crew to plan the whole affair. But he wanted whatever Polly wanted, and Polly had been adamant about planning the wedding herself, with sister Hannah and Mia’s help.

  None of them had been surprised—thanks to her mother’s influence, Polly had always been an advocate for personal involvement, and she’d turned Wild Child around from near bankruptcy into a major success.

  But a few months ago, Polly had started to struggle with running one branch of Wild Child, opening another in Indigo Bay, and planning an early fall wedding all at the same time. So Mia had taken control of the wedding details to give her friend some room to breathe. Polly trusted her wholeheartedly with the task, and Mia had no intention of letting her down.

  The good news was that just invoking the Stone name produced results, not to mention there was a virtually unlimited budget. The family also owned the venue—a sprawling Spanish villa on a cliff overlooking the ocean—so Mia had been serving as the coordinator of the vendors, confirming details about the flowers and décor, and r
eorganizing the reception to accommodate all the guests. As Polly’s maid of honor, she wouldn’t be coordinating everything on the day of the event, but the villa manager would ensure it all ran smoothly.

  Though the stakes were high—Luke’s family ran with a high-class crowd who would be anticipating the best—Mia was enjoying the challenge. Aside from being thrilled for Luke and Polly, the wedding had taken her mind off the stark fact that she’d have to start job hunting soon or risk atrophying in her tiny cubicle at the insurance agency.

  She took a sip of her mochaccino and sighed. She could practically hear her granny bemoaning the fact that Mia was stuck in the exact kind of dead-end job she’d always tried so hard to avoid. Even her attempts to liven up the insurance reports had fallen flat. She’d already gotten in trouble twice for drawing little flowers on the invoices and using bubbles instead of dots over the I’s.

  Mia’s phone buzzed. She shook off her brief malaise and pulled up a text from her friend Susan: Drinks @ Rave on Dandelion St. 5pm – be there!

  “Hey, Polly, can you make it to happy hour?” Mia gestured to her phone. “Susan just texted. New bar on Dandelion.”

  “I can’t, I’m sorry. Luke’s brother Adam is coming home, and we’re going out with him, Hannah, and Evan.”

  Though Mia had half-expected a negative response, she couldn’t suppress a stab of disappointment. Happy hour aside, she and Polly hadn’t done anything together in weeks. Polly spent all her evenings with Luke now, and when they went out, it was often with Hannah and Evan. Cute little foursome, two brothers and two sisters.

  Mia had tried not to feel left out, but it wasn’t always easy. Especially since Polly had met Luke when Mia dragged her out for drinks on her birthday. She couldn’t help feeling a bit like she’d been the matchmaker.

  Still, she was genuinely happy for Polly, and she figured things would get back to normal after the excitement of the wedding.

  “Miss Donovan.”

  The deep, rumbling voice skittered rather deliciously down her spine. Mia looked straight up into the unreadable face of Gavin Knight, who was standing right beside her table.

  Her mind went blank. He’d actually approached her? He knew her last name? What alternate universe had she just fallen into?

  “We need to talk,” he said.

  Mia could only stare at him, like he was a brick wall come to life. Though given his lack of response to her flirtations—which had never failed on any other man—he sort of was.

  She dug deep to find a nonchalant, whatever tone of voice. “What is it we need to talk about, Mr. Knight?”

  He pulled a chair away from the table and sat down. His knee bumped against hers. Her heartbeat skyrocketed. Was this really happening? All those months of ignoring her and now he was taking a seat? Should she be excited or annoyed? She chose the latter.

  “We need to discuss the layout and plans for Luke and Polly’s wedding.” Gavin set his laptop on the table. “I’m personally handling the security for the event. My understanding is that you’ve taken charge of all the plans.”

  “That’s correct.”

  “A situation has come to light that requires further evaluation of our security operations.”

  Mia frowned. “What kind of situation?”

  “I’m not at liberty to discuss the details with you, but it means I need to reevaluate both internal and external areas of the venue.” He opened his laptop. “I’ve briefed Luke on the situation and have his full authorization to do whatever is necessary to ensure the safety of everyone at the wedding.”

  Alarm rustled in her. “Is there some sort of danger?”

  “As I said, I’m not at liberty to provide details. The point is that I understand the guest list has grown, and there are a number of vendors involved in the reception. I need to see all the updated plans. I need the latest guest list, the seating chart, the vendors, photographer, and music contact list, and the timeline. I also want to know exactly what kind of decorations are planned.”

  Mia folded her arms, her alarm quickly replaced by irritation. “Decorations? Are you leaving the personal security business and going into wedding planning?”

  He was unperturbed by her sharp tone. “I will be increasing the security level at the venue, which means revaluating the full set-up. I don’t want to concern Polly with this matter.”

  “Damned right you won’t concern Polly,” Mia replied tersely. “She is my best friend, and this is her dream wedding. You will not upset her with talk about security levels and revaluations.”

  “I don’t intend to.” Gavin studied the laptop screen. “As I understand it, you have all the details. Therefore, I need the information from you so I can make necessary changes.”

  “What kind of changes?”

  “I’ll know when I see the updated plans. When can I have them?”

  Mia eyed him suspiciously. The Stones were so high profile that personal security was the norm for them. But it was not the norm for free-spirited Polly, who’d spent her childhood on a commune before her mother had opened Wild Child, a bohemian bakery that had become a gathering point for artists and musicians.

  After her mother’s death, Polly had revived the bakery with Luke’s help, and now Wild Child boasted successful branches in both the farming community of Rainsville and the upscale coastal town of Indigo Bay.

  Polly, being both trusting and dedicated to retaining her mother’s vision of a warm, welcoming collective, had even balked at the idea of installing state-of-the-art security systems in the bakery, though Gavin and Luke had eventually overruled her.

  But if she thought her family and friends were somehow at risk at her wedding, of all places, she would likely call the whole thing off and convince Luke to elope. Not only would that be a social disaster, it wouldn’t go over well at all with the rest of the Stones. Certainly it would be no way for Polly to start her new married life.

  Mia leaned forward to look Gavin in the eye.

  “Look, Mr. Knight,” she said coldly. “I’ve known Polly since we were ten years old. She is the kindest, most caring, and unaffected woman you’ll ever meet. She would do anything for anyone. And I’m the only person in the world who knows that since childhood, she has secretly dreamed of a fairy tale wedding to the love of her life. There is no way in hell I will let you do anything to ruin that for her.”

  He studied her for a moment. Was that admiration flickering in his blue eyes? Surely not from the man who was about as expressive as a clam.

  But of course she was mistaken. Nothing showed in Gavin’s eyes except a deep, cobalt blue almost startling in intensity, a blue that reminded her of sea-glass, arctic glaciers, slivers of agate—

  See? He’s hard and icy all the way through. You can stop imagining things that aren’t there.

  “I don’t intend to ruin anything for anyone.” Gavin turned his attention back to his laptop. “My sole purpose is to keep everyone safe. My team is also well instructed on the importance of remaining unobtrusive, which is precisely the reason I intend to carry out necessary changes in advance of the event.”

  God, the man spoke like a machine. Mia picked up her mug, suddenly glad he’d ignored her all these months. She shouldn’t have wasted her time on him.

  She sipped her coffee drink, appreciating the chocolate-caramel sweetness. A crease appeared between Gavin’s eyebrows as he studied the tall mug loaded with whipped cream and rainbow sprinkles.

  “What exactly is that?” he asked.

  “Caramel-chocolate mochaccino with extra chocolate, a shot of toffee syrup, vanilla whipped cream, and rainbow sprinkles.” Mia lifted her chin in defiance, daring him to make fun of her. “It’s not on the menu. I invented it myself, and Polly’s nice enough to make me one whenever I come in.”

  He said nothing, only regarded her in silence.

  “What?” she asked irritably.

  “Whipped cream.” He gestured to her mouth.

  Mia grabbed a napkin, then decided to scr
ew with the brick-wall man just one more time. Out of habit, of course. She met his gaze and flicked her tongue out slowly to lick the cream off her lips.

  “Better?” she asked.

  He nodded and turned back to his laptop. Frustration tightened her chest, even though she was supposed to be done with him.

  “You can finish this.” She pushed the mochaccino toward him and stood. “Maybe it’ll sweeten you up.”

  “I only drink black coffee.”

  “Of course you do.” She rolled her eyes, even though he wasn’t looking at her. “With not even one sugar. Look, I need to go. I have plans tonight.”

  So there. She couldn’t help hoping he’d ask what kind of plans she had, but he didn’t. As usual.

  “I need the details and list of changes from you.” He removed a business card from his briefcase and put it on the table. “You can email them to me at this address.”

  Sure. For months, he couldn’t even spare her a glance, but now that he wanted something from her, he was giving her his contact info.

  She picked up the portfolio and slung her bag over her shoulder. She walked away from him without looking back. About time he had a taste of his own damned medicine.

  Chapter

  TWO

  Noise masquerading as music thumped against Mia’s ears. She squeezed closer to Susan to make room for Anne at the table that was about the size of a quarter and covered with a mysterious sticky substance.

  “This place is smaller than I thought,” Susan yelled above the screech of the band.

  “And more crowded,” Mia agreed, though she suspected the jam-packed crowd was due to the two-dollar beers rather than the atmosphere.

  “Hi, ladies.” A young man with curly brown hair approached. His tie was askew against his wrinkled shirt. “Fancy seeing you all here.”

  “Danny!” Anne pushed closer to Mia to make a space for him to sit. “Come on and join us.”

  He sat, thumping his pint of ale on the table and nearly knocking over Susan’s margarita. Mia caught the glass and pushed it back on the table.