PROLOGUE

      October... Ross Tower, New York City

      WAS THIS REALLY HAPPENING?

      An invitation to one of the most exclusive parties in New York City. It didn’t get much better than this.

      Okay, it wasn’t quite an invitation. Still, she was here among the crème de la crème of New York society—actresses, models, politicians, and the list went on. How she got here shouldn’t matter, right?

      And, okay, she just happened to be one of the waitstaff. Not an actual guest. But still, this wasn’t just any party. This was Simon Ross’s party at the top of the tower. She stifled a squeal of delight as she considered pinching herself just to make sure this was real.

      Pepper M. Kane resisted the urge, but barely. After all, she had landed—correction, her bakery had landed—this prime opportunity, and she wasn’t going to do anything to ruin it or her reputation. If she could make a good impression here, the connections and possibilities were endless.

      By the end of the party, she’d handed out countless business cards. Her cheeks were sore from smiling so much. And her feet ached from the heels she’d decided to wear instead of her usual flats. She couldn’t wait to get home, curl up on the couch and put on an old black-and-white movie from her ever-growing collection.

      There were still a few lingering guests, not to mention the host—the very sexy host. Her gaze moved across the spacious conference hall. There stood the man himself. More than six feet of tall dark sexy goodness.

      She clearly remembered their first meeting this past summer. It had been very early one morning when Simon had strolled into the Polka Dotted Bakery. It had been just like any other day when her life started to change. There had been no lightning strikes and no earthquakes, but his entrance into her life had caused ripples through her heart.

      At the time, she’d thought he was just another customer. Well, not just any customer—he’d been the only customer at that early hour. Even the sun hadn’t risen yet.

      Pepper remembered quite clearly that particular morning. She’d been working the front counter when he’d stepped up to the glass display case to peruse the baked goods, from croissants to donuts to cookies and everything else in between. He’d chatted with her about her selection of donuts. And then he’d ordered two coffees, plus two cherry turnovers. After he paid for them, he’d handed her the second coffee and the extra turnover. No one had ever done something like that for her before. She was truly touched.

      He had a billion-dollar smile that could melt the frosting right off Pepper’s triple-chocolate cupcakes. And he had these dreamy espresso brown eyes that she could stare into the entire day. With his short-styled hair and designer suit, he could easily grace the cover of any magazine or romance book.

      The longer she talked to him, the more she’d noticed that he had something weighing on his mind. Pain flared in his eyes. It touched her, and though they were strangers, with her staff handling things in the kitchen, she’d invited him to sit and drink his coffee with her.

      He hadn’t said much at first, but as one thing led to another, their conversation deepened. And then he’d revealed that he’d just received news that a childhood friend had died. Pepper never thought anything good would come from losing her mother and grandmother, but she was able to draw upon that experience to give some sort of comfort to Simon. It was as though that morning they’d formed a bond—a bond forged in loss and wrapped in hope.

      And so for the past five months, Simon had been stopping by the bakery at least once a week early in the morning for two large black coffees and two cherry turnovers. Pepper looked forward to those mornings as they chatted about current events, the bakery or whatever was on their minds. She had made a new friend—a good friend.

      And then out of the blue, he’d offered her the opportunity to cater for the Ross Toys expansion party. At first, he’d caught her off guard, as they hadn’t exchanged last names. But when she found out he was Simon Ross of Ross Toys she was left speechless. For Pepper, it was a crowning achievement. Ross Toys was one of the biggest businesses in the country.

      Today Mr. Ross, as she insisted on calling him at the party, was the host and she was the baker. Today they were not coffee mates or friends. They each had a job to do—expectations to be met. The announcement of a new chain of stores had been made to the world—Ross Pet Playground. Speeches had been made. Thank-you’s had been issued. And predictions were bandied about while Pepper and her staff kept the trays on the buffet table filled.

      Pepper had just returned from helping her staff load the empty trays into the delivery van. With both employees and the carts, the van was full. She’d sent her staff back to the bakery to unload and then head home. She’d driven separately, but before leaving, she had to finish cleaning up.

      She rushed in the back door and came to an abrupt halt. There stood Simon Ross not more than ten feet from her. He wasn’t just another New York City businessman. He had been voted the city’s sexiest bachelor, as well as Business Person of the Year, in addition to being CEO and founder of Ross Toys. He was quite a package for some lucky lady.

      At the moment, he was deep in conversation with another man in a similar dark suit and tie. Before she could discreetly make it past the men, Simon’s gaze met hers. It was only for the briefest of moments, but it was long enough for her heart to start racing. Heat rushed to her face. What was wrong with her? Why couldn’t she treat him like any other client?

      A mocking voice inside her head said it was because he wasn’t like any other client. He’d started off as her friend. And then there was the part about him being smoking hot. She didn’t know a man could look that good in a suit.

      She moved to the buffet tables, finding them still covered with fine white table linens and a cake platter. She lifted the end of a long white linen—

      “Would you like a hand?”

      She didn’t have to turn around to know