Sugar Rush Read Online Free Page A

be. The first time in forever he found someone he actually felt something for and her family was Candy Land?
    He cleared his throat. “You guys have great caramel-filled macaroons.” He leaned as far back in his chair as possible…as far away from her as possible.
    “Thanks,” she said, and smiled. Damn, she had a great smile.
    He had no idea what to do, so of course he did the exact wrong thing. “Not as good as ours, mind you,” he said.
    Her eyebrows crinkled in a maddeningly cute way as she struggled to understand, and then…it hit her. Only one other place in town even made similar caramel-filled macaroons.
    Her mouth opened. “Oh my God,” she said, panic finding a home on her face, and she almost threw herself backward off her stool.
    Nick was already putting his coat on.
    “Seriously?” she said, sounding defensive. “You think your macaroons hold a candle to ours? You must be delusional.”
    He snorted. “Yeah, as delusional as the thousand customers who come in,” he said, leaning toward her again, “every day.” He regretted the words the moment they came out, but there was no taking them back.
    “Well, at least our candies are handmade, not out of some machine.”
    He rolled his eyes, even though secretly, he wondered if she were right. Of course, the way his father drilled it into him that technology was the way to go, his reactions were pretty much automatic by now.
    The tension he’d mistaken for the cosmic connection now pulsed more like hatred, palpitating the room in jagged, dangerous currents. He wouldn’t let her have the satisfaction of walking away. He was the one who walked, though not before getting one more shot in. “See you in Candy Land,” he finished, forcing a laugh.
    He cringed at himself, mouthing a rather colorful word as he walked away, hating that he always got sarcastic, even borderline mean, whenever he was the least bit uncomfortable. It stemmed from his hellish days in school, he supposed. A kid as round around the edges as he’d been could only take so much before he became nothing but a constant stream of defensive chatter.
    She must despise him completely. He would, if it were him.
    …
     
    “What was that?” Lila asked, returning to the table. “You could see the sparks flying from across the room. I thought I’d better not come back until he was gone in case I got caught in the combustion.” Her eyes danced.
    “Shut up,” Dulcie said, definitely not wanting to talk about what had just happened.
    “Are you kidding me? I watch an exchange like that and I’m not supposed to be curious? My God, you two looked like you were ready to eat each other up, then all of a sudden he just left.”
    Dulcie shrugged, trying not to make a big deal out of it, even though it felt like the least shruggable moment in the world. How could a guy I thought was so perfect, even for a second, be such a supreme jerk?
    “His family owns How Sweet It Is.”
    Lila stared. “Um, yeah. So?”
    “Um, so , they’re our mortal enemies.”
    Lila scrunched her face, confused. “I’m pretty sure there are no mortal enemies when it comes to candy making.”
    “Are you kidding me? Don’t you remember Grams always talking about How Sweet It Is and how they almost ruined our business by automating their store and undercutting our prices?” Dulcie said, her voice rising.
    Lila blinked. “I guess I sort of remember something like that, but seriously, isn’t that a little dramatic? Your shop survived.”
    “Barely,” Dulcie said.
    “So you’re just going to give up on a guy like that, who you are obviously hot for, because of some stupid business thing?”
    “I am not hot for him,” Dulcie said, shifting in her seat.
    “Oh, please. If you were any more hot for him, you could start this building on fire.”
    Dulcie made a sour face. “Look, let’s just get out of here, okay? I’m tired.” She stood to put on her jacket.
    “Okay,” Lila said, smirking.
    “And I am not hot