Chapter Seventeen

"Thank you for the purchase! Come again!" Larth walked the last customer to the door, happy she had come but overjoyed to see her leave.

"Oh, I will." The human woman clutched a loaf of bread and the last pie from the case. "I'll be back in the morning. I can't believe I found a place for coffee!"

She left. He tapped his wrist and sealed the door. They'd opened early and closed late to accommodate everyone, not wishing to turn business away. They needed all the sales they could get. His feet hurt from standing all day. He was bone-weary and hungry—business had been so brisk, he'd missed lunch.

He had never been more euphoric. His grin stretched from ear to ear as he turned. "We did it, Pru! We did it!"

She flew into his arms, and he swung her around. Laughing, they hugged and danced around the shop. He pressed his lips to hers, and she wound her arms around his neck, melting against him. She smelled like citrus, coffee, and baked bread. Tongues entwined in a slow dance of gratitude, need, and desire. He was tired, but holding her rejuvenated him, gave him a boost of energy. He ached to take her to bed, show her how much he loved, needed, and desired her.

The kiss ended, and he leaned his forehead against hers. Her eyes crinkled with a smile, and he figured he was grinning, too. How could he not be, when he was filled with so much joy?

"I can't wait to get home," he said, "but first we need to finish up a few things here."

"Get ready for tomorrow," she agreed. "I'm so glad we have Donna."

"Me, too. After a day like today, I can't imagine spending all night baking. But if sales continue this strongly, we'll be able to pay off the android loan in record time."

She held up crossed fingers. "We were slammed all day long. We didn't get a moment's break. The rush could be the result of opening-day curiosity, and business may drop off after the novelty wanes—or we'll be slammed even more when all these people tell their friends."

"We'd have to get help. Hire someone," he said. If they could. He remembered the trouble he had had the last time, but if grand opening sales were the start of a trend, they could afford to pay more. A higher wage would generate a bigger pool of better potential employees. "We might be able to acquire another android who could help at the counter. But I'd prefer to give the work to someone who needs a job to help them move up from the surface."

"As long as you're not considering advertising for another wife through Cosmic Mates." She teasingly punched him in the arm.

"Never." He hugged her and kissed her.

While Donna cleaned the customer area and moved all the leftover baked goods into a single case to be sold at a discount the next day, he and Pru sat in the office cubicle to review the day's sales and take inventory of what they had sold, what they had run out of, what hadn't moved so fast, and come up with an amount to be baked for the next day. They gave Donna very specific instructions and left the shop.

"I hope the coffee I ordered from Terra Nova gets here soon. We're going to need it. Those women drank a lot of java today," she said. "Word must have spread like wildfire among the Cosmic Mates brides. I'm afraid we could run out of coffee."

"It's a good problem to have, isn't it?" he said. Every single person had bought something to eat with their coffee, and most had left with a take-home purchase. The café was a great idea.

"Yes." She grinned at him. "And from now on, I want only good problems."

He laughed, feeling light and carefree. Instead of facing the future with resignation and apathy, he eagerly anticipated each day, no matter what it brought. "We're together, so it's all good."

At the vaporator, she halted. "Maybe we should grab something for dinner before we go home?"

"Good idea." His stomach rumbled now.

"Does Caradonia have takeout or take-away or whatever you call it here?"

He caught the gist. "Most restaurants can accommodate eat-at-home meals. I know a good place."

They vapped to the restaurant, and, while they waited for their order, he asked her, "Do you need to tell Hope you won't be returning to the penthouse?"

"You didn't see her? She came to the grand opening." She chuckled. "You were helping a couple of customers who couldn't make up their minds. Hope bought some bread. She's aware we're back on track."

An android handed them their food, and they vapped home .

Larth carried the carton into the kitchen. He turned to find Prudence leaning against the doorframe, watching him with a seductive gleam in her beautiful blue eyes. "Are you very hungry?" she asked in a sultry voice.

Simmering desire flashed hot. A lascivious grin tugged at his lips. "Very hungry." He stalked toward her. "But not so much for food." He pulled her close and kissed her then scooped her up into his arms and strode to the bedroom. He'd show her later that he'd disposed of Sala's things and moved her stuff into the closet.

But, first, he'd show her how much he truly loved her.

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