Some Kind of Wonderful: A Holiday Novella (The Cupcake Lovers) by Beth Ciotta Page B

doing that with Cupcakes & Dreamscapes.”
    She palmed her brow. “You want to make cupcakes?”
    “I want to make a difference. Thought I could hang out with you while I figure out how.”
    “Hang out?”
    “Marry me, Maya.”
    Knocked dizzy, Maya slumped against a tree trunk.
    Zach moved in, bracing his arms on either side of her head. “Mom said we’ll make beautiful babies.”
    Something Daisy Monroe had said about Zach and Giselle. But Zach’s mom is dead . “When did she say that?”
    “Last night.”
    “What? In your dreams?”
    “Something like that.” He kissed Maya then. One of those kisses that shimmied throughout her entire body, leaving her weak-kneed. He served a death blow with a breathtaking smile. “Marry me.”
    Maya gave him a whole five seconds to take back the proposal. He didn’t. “Okay. You know what? I’m going to say yes, because I think you’ve gone a little screwy and you need someone to look after you.”
    “Any other reason?”
    Heart full, Maya pushed her hands through Zach’s messy hair and rested her forehead to his. “I love you, Zachery Cole.”
    The besotted look in his eyes seduced her soul. This time Maya initiated the kiss and she was certain the heat they generated would melt a path leading them back to Sugar Creek.
    Instead a car honked breaking the silence, if not the magic.
    Still holding Maya in his arms, Zach eyed the logging road. A monster vehicle with a plow was pushing its way toward the Hummer. “Looks like Adam’s truck.”
    A dark-haired woman shoved her body out the passenger window and waved. “And G,” Maya said with a smile.
    “Ah, Giselle. The woman who talked you into penning her letters. Remind me to thank her.”
    “For misleading you?”
    “For gifting me with the woman I love.”

 
    Read on for an excerpt from Beth Ciotta’s next Cupcake Lovers Novel
    Anything But Love
    Available from St. Martin’s Paperbacks

 
    “What the hell?” Luke watched as Rae strode toward the doors of the luxury hotel. Stunned by her hasty exit. Mesmerized by her sensual body. Call him a dog, but Luke had a longtime obsession with the female form. Rachel Lacey had hidden her considerable assets beneath baggy ankle-length dresses, whereas Reagan Deveraux showcased her curves. Not in a slutty way, but that almost made things worse. Rae was class on designer heels.
    And she just called him a judgmental jerk.
    “Son of a—”
    “LAX?” the driver asked.
    “What?”
    “Still going to the airport?”
    “Yes. No. Not yet.” Luke unbuckled his seat belt.
    “Want me to wait?”
    “Yes.” Luke noted several taxicabs parked near the lobby. “No.” He hadn’t flown all this way to get the bum’s rush. “How much do I owe you?”
    “Your lady covered it.”
    “She’s not my lady.”
    She’d duped Luke and all of Sugar Creek. She’d run off and left them all to worry. Where did she get off giving Luke attitude? She hadn’t given Luke a straight answer to any one of his questions. “How much did she give you?”
    “A hundred.”
    She’d paid his entire tab. As if he couldn’t afford it. Luke’s pride reared. He passed the man a generous tip, nabbed his backpack and jacket, and hit the pavement. He blew through the doors of the swanky hotel feeling severely underdressed.
    Damn .
    So this was how the other half lived. Even though the lobby had a cozy vibe—hardwood floors, comfortable furniture, raging hearth—this hotel reeked of sophistication and money. Similar to Rae’s house. Or rather her mom’s house.
    He’d been so angry when he’d first confronted Rae, he hadn’t paid much mind to her posh digs. He’d been too focused on the gorgeous redhead with the kickass curves and impeccable style. He still couldn’t believe the extent of her physical transformation. Jayce Bello, Luke’s almost brother-in-law and an ace private eye, had not only, finally , traced this woman to Bel Air, he’d also filled Luke in on her real background and