Flavor of the Month

Flavor of the Month
Tori Carrington

Pastry-shop owner Reilly Chudowski has spent most of her life squelching her secret cravings. But when delicious Ben Kane shows up with an offer she can't refuse, Reilly can't help indulging a little.Only, the more she has, the more she wants. But Ben is known for dating L.A.'s creme de la creme. How can down-to-earth Reilly be anything more than the flavor of the month?The decadent delicacies Reilly creates are irresistible, but the delights she serves up in bed are what Ben hungers for most. How could he have guessed that this subtly sensual woman could make love to him so wildly…and steal his heart so easily? And now all Ben has to do is convince Reilly that she's one dish he'll never stop craving….

“You’re such a wildcat,” Ben said in appreciation

He couldn’t have been more surprised. Before he could blink, Reilly had essentially ripped off his clothes, pulled her T-shirt over her head and shimmied out of her decadent jean cutoffs. Then she’d pushed him to the couch and straddled him, her lips full and pouty and her body primed and more than ready.

Now her hazel eyes twinkled, amusement and a hint of a challenge in them. “I’m a woman into extremes. When I do something, I go all the way.” She wore a determined expression. “What’s the matter, Ben? Afraid you can’t handle a woman like me?”

This Reilly was so different from the self-conscious woman he was coming to know that he had to take another look to make sure it was the same person.

And the contrast turned him on to no end.

“Not the case at all, Reilly. I just want to know where the fire is.”

She curved her fingers around his wrist, then tugged his hand down until his fingers rested against the front of her panties. She grinned wickedly. “Right here.”

Dear Reader,

Sugar ’n spice and everything naughty literally applies to the second heroine in our KISS & TELL miniseries. Not only does Reilly Chudowski own a pastry shop named Sugar ’n Spice, but the treats she offers to Ben Kane are impossible for him to resist!

Only a woman who spent her childhood known as Chubby Chuddy would grow up to own a sweets shop…and be stupid enough to date L.A. restaurateur Benjamin Kane, a man renowned for his good looks and never-ending series of model girlfriends. But oh, how he feeds Reilly’s growing appetites on every level. Only, when push comes to shove, can Ben convince her that there is life for them beyond dessert?

We hope you enjoy Reilly and Ben’s delicious journey to sexily-ever-after! We’d love to hear what you think. Write to us at P.O. Box 12271, Toledo, OH 43612 (we’ll respond with a signed bookplate, newsletter and bookmark), or visit us on the Web at www.BlazeAuthors.com and www.toricarrington.com for fun drawings.

Here’s wishing you love, romance and hot reading!

Lori & Tony Karayianni

aka Tori Carrington

Flavor of the Month

Tori Carrington

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

We warmly dedicate this book to our niece Elena:

One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life:

that word is love.

—Sophocles

May you and Pantelis have love, always.

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

1

Hollywood Confidential—October 13, 2003

“…if you want this reporter’s informed opinion, the crème de la crème of Hollywood eateries are Benardo’s Hideaway and Sugar ’n’ Spice. If the owners of these two delectable hot spots were to combine their talents, we’d all be in for a treat….”

REILLY CHUDOWSKI read and reread the piece in the daily paper her best friend, Layla, had left behind, gob-smacked by the unsolicited rave from the popular L.A. reporter. She sat back in the bar-style chair in her favorite corner of Sugar ’n’ Spice and glanced out the floor-to-ceiling windows onto Wilshire Boulevard, taking in the autumn sunrise and the cars cruising by. A deep breath filled her nose with the smell of yeasty sweet rolls baking and coffee brewing and a touch of cinnamon from yesterday’s cookies. Who would have guessed she’d be where she was now? Six months ago, she’d finally used the small amount of money her grandmother had left her and opened the doors to the pastry shop. Now, not only was she operating in the black, she was beginning to make a tidy profit. And with coverage like the Hollywood Confidential had just given her, things would likely get even better.

Yes, all was definitely right with the world….

Her smile slipped. Okay, maybe there was one little blemish. Her name had been linked with that of the owner of Benardo’s Hideaway, Ben Kane. She didn’t make a habit of buying the Hollywood hot sheets herself, but between her customers and her friends Layla and Mallory leaving the papers behind, she was kept pretty well informed when it came to L.A. social happenings and people of interest. Suffice it to say that dark-haired, sexy Ben Kane had enjoyed being the Hollywood Hunk of the Month for the past two years running. And while the Confidential reporter had likely met him, she probably had no idea who Reilly was, even though she’d obviously been in the shop. Because if she had, she’d never have linked Reilly and Ben Kane together in print, or in any other manner. Simply because people didn’t come any more different than her and Ben Kane.

He was the captain of the football team and she was the fat girl in the back of the class.

He was the star and she was the extra with no lines.