The large hand closed over mine and momentarily startled me. “Hold on, there, Grabby McGrabber,” said a gruff, possessive voice.
Just inches from my fingertips, the whole-wheat bagel rested on a nearly empty platter atop the conference room sideboard, blissfully ignorant regarding the sudden contention between two human beings to claim it. I looked up and into the dark, twinkling eyes of my unexpected opponent. Shivers chased along my spine. Not tingles of fear, mind you. Indeed, quite the opposite. A chill of s****l longing raced through my body and settled in my groin, where it exploded in a wave of sudden heat.
“The name’s Zane Caldwell,” I corrected.
“And?”
“And nothing.”
“No apology?”
“For what?”
“Didn’t you hear me call dibs on that bagel a second ago?”
“I just came in,” I ju
