9. Stallone

nine

Stallone

A battle rages between my head and my heart. My head scolds me, telling me not to go back there. I definitely don’t need to get caught up in some weird flirtation.

My heart is quieter, yet somehow stronger, saying, “She’s one you won’t want to pass up.”

I get no sleep.

I’m up even earlier than usual. I fumble through work, all because I have only one thing on my mind.

Arielle and her sweet kiss.

Okay, that’s two things, and it’s all I think about. One doesn’t offer a drink named kiss to another if it doesn’t have some sort of innuendo, right? There are rules about that kind of thing.

After work, I lose control over my legs and drive right to the coffee shop. Butterflies spark alive in my gut as soon as I see El is working—and better yet—it’s closing time.

We are alone.

I march up to the bar and drop my palms on the counter. “I’ll have one of your sweet kisses.”

“You’re in luck.” She bats those flirty and superfluous lashes at me, not missing a beat. “I’ve been saving an extra sweet one for you all day.”

That certainly makes my mouth water.

It’s been ages since I’ve allowed myself to banter with a woman. The innocent smile she gives me when she moves in front of the espresso machine makes my heart putter in full throttle. It’s like I’ve been sleeping too long. I’m finally feeling what it’s like to be awake.

“How was your day?” she yells over the milk frother, giving me her sweetest smile. My knees weaken, and I match her smile.

“It was good.” I nod, and then nod again. It’s silly to be here flirting like a teenager, but I can’t resist. “Except I was thinking about your kisses all day.”

“Good. I like them to be memorable.” Her demure brows rise, and she steps to the side, adding the rest of the ingredients to the cup. She pops the lid on and sets the cup in front of me. “Try this one. It’s the leprechaun kiss.”

“Leprechaun?” I lift the cup and snicker right over the top of it. The drink heat seeps through the thin cardboard, warming my hands, and I hold it steady and enjoy the thawing.

“They’re minty.” She tips her chin up, exposing her long neck momentarily before her hand curls around it in a resting position. “Let me know what you think, but I’m guessing you’ll like this one even better.”

Her lips pinch in anticipation as I lift the cup to my lips and sip. It’s toasty, and rich with chocolate coffee notes, and it pulls me even more awake. I lower my cup and say with a straight face, “Definitely lucky.”

The sweetest chuckle rolls out of her lips. Her gaze levels with mine, and my heart hammers against my chest wall as I feel this human connection I haven’t felt in forever. I pull the stool out and plop down and make a dramatic eye sweep to the clock behind us. “Are you closing?”

She slowly nods, and her voice drops to a low hum. “I need to.”

I could be wrong, but I’ve seen this look before. It’s the way she looked yesterday when she asked me to stay, and it makes me weak in the knees. “I could stay if you want company while you clean.”

Her perfect white teeth slide over her bottom lip, and she bites down, holding that pose for a moment. “I actually have everything cleaned already.”

“Oh.” I sit up straight and rotate on the stool so my legs angle toward the door. “Ah, that’s fine. I got stuff to—”

She reaches over the counter and places her hand on mine. Fireworks explode right in my palm—no exaggeration. I struggle to feel my skin as she says, “I got all my cleaning done early, because I was hoping you’d want to hang out.”

The heat from her hand zips all the way up my arm and doesn’t stop until it makes a nice ring around my heart. “Okay,” is all I can manage.

“I thought we could have coffee together.” She grabs a coffee that was sitting on the back counter, waiting for her. “I made one for myself.” She gestures toward the table up front next to the window. “Is that okay?”

“Sure.” I rise to my feet, and we drift together as we cross the room. Now I’m wishing I’d put on my good aftershave, the one I haven’t worn in a year. Too late for that. I take a deep breath as a light row of perspiration layers on my lower back.

She gingerly slides into her seat, and I plop down across from her, and when our gazes slide together, everything else fades away. My nerves instantly melt because it’s the most natural feeling in the world to sit across from her. She leans over her coffee cup and blows into the drink hole before asking, “How was work?”

I blink, hardly even remembering work. It’s impossible to think about anything but her gorgeous pale-blue eyes when I’m sitting this close to her. “It was work. How about you?”

“It was wonderful.” She runs her hand over her hair, tucking one of her wild strands back behind her ear with a dainty twist of her wrist. It’s mesmerizing to watch the way she moves with such feminine grace. “I love being here, and I’ll be sad when I have to leave.”

Wait. What? She’s leaving?

My hand finds my chin, and I rub my beard while I rewind my memories. “I remember you said you were new to town but guess I didn’t realize you weren’t staying.”

She slouches back in her seat, appearing to get more comfortable. “I’m from Boston but was looking to stay in Long Island with my brother for a while when he decided to open this store. My brother is my boss, and well, he’s not actually my boss, because I don’t officially work for Coffee Loft. It’s just easier to call him that.” Her words trail off into an airy laugh.

“Interesting.” I can feel my brows bunch together, all while a sting digs into my chest, and I repeat, “I didn’t realize you’re leaving.”

She nods, her head bouncing several times into the silence. “Yeah, Sunday will be my last day.”

I clear my throat, wishing it was that easy to clear the sting in my chest. “Then I guess we should make use of the time we have together getting to know each other.”

“Right.” Her tone is flirty and even, not disappointing at all.

I bite my lip, oddly feeling a tinge of relief. I was never looking for anything more than a little flirting. It’s actually quite perfect. We can hang out, but nobody gets attached. “So…” I return my cup to the table and lean forward. “Who else is enjoying your kisses?”

“Excuse me?” Her head springs back before she blinks and sputters out a laugh. “You mean the coffee, right?”

I shrug playfully, leaning forward. “Maybe.”

“Well, for the coffee-flavored kisses, I’ve actually saved that recipe for you, and for the uh, other kind of kisses”—her gaze dips to the floor before she rushes out— “I just had a breakup a few days ago, so nobody at the moment, which is how I like it.”

I stay quiet but maintain a full smile teasing my lips. She’s been flirting with me, so I give it right back.

“What about you?” she quips back, her posture extra tall, and her gaze is pointed. “I know you’re single, but it sounds like you had a recent breakup too.”

“Ah.” My breath is heavy as it crawls up my throat and forms the words. “Not real recent.” Her gaze dances around my face, softening as the silence drags on, but she doesn’t ask for more clarity. I suppose I could drop it, or change the subject, but as her expression continues to warm, she starts to feel like a friend—someone I could confide in. Maybe it’s a mistake, but she’ll be gone soon. I haven’t spoken about this to anyone other than Ryson. For a reason I will never understand, I test the words I’ve never even dared to speak. “I was engaged.”

Her lips form an O, but no sound leaks out.

“She left me suddenly a few days before our wedding.” My words are steady and surprisingly easy to express. My chest literally releases the tension that’s been there for months. “We never even fought. I had no idea, but I guess she had been talking to an ex-boyfriend for a while, and she wanted to be with him.”

“I’m so sorry to hear that.” El’s eyes swell rounder and her hand slides across the table, not stopping until it’s on top of mine. “I actually know exactly how you feel. My last boyfriend was cheating on me too.”

“You definitely didn’t deserve that.” My instinct is to go off about how it’s okay she left, because she showed me how evil women are, and I dodged a bullet, but El’s hand is still on mine. A spiral of heat flows up my arms, melting those thoughts into nothing but air that makes it easy for me to breathe.

I don’t know how, but I allow my lips to slide over my teeth into a small smile. “You’re going to be okay.” A thick tension in the air, and neither one of us bends a lip upward, but our gaze is held together as we both seem to study each other from across the table.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

A rapping on the window pulls our gaze to it, and El immediately gasps. “Look, a dog!”

Not just any dog.

My dog.

Apparently, he got bored sitting in the box of my truck. The evidence is the fact he’s covered from head to tail in clinging snow. His paws completely caked in ice clumps frozen to his fur, and paw prints marking his path from my truck to a huge snow pile at the corner—which he apparently rolled in—back to the window. Now he stares with gleeful mischief in his eyes, as if he’s proud of how messy he is. His huge eyes peer directly through the window, like he can’t take his eyes off El.

I know the feeling.

She’s that showstopping.

Everything about the way her hair frames her perfect face makes it impossible not to stare. She’s just so unbelievably stunning. My heart rams against my chest being near her. “Yeah.” My smile grows even wider. “That’s my dog. His name’s Lucky. I think he’s being impatient and was trying to find me. I had him in my truck. I guess he just hopped out.” Shrugging, I add, “He’s mesmerized by you.”

Her airy laugh leaks out of her lips. “I don’t know why.”

My chest pinches tighter, warning me not to say the words that are about to roll out of my mouth. Not because they are mean, but quite the opposite. I swallow and say, “I know why.”

There’s still a hint of laughter in her voice when her gaze pulls playfully to mine. “Why’s that?”

“He’s never seen a woman as beautiful as you.” Her mascara-clad lashes flutter but our eye lock holds steady, and I can count the beats of my heart slamming against my chest. “I clearly speak dog.”

She throws her head back as her dense laugh fills the air. It’s a beautiful sound that sparks a chuckle to form from deep in my chest, and I join her in her laughter. It’s been a long time since I laughed like this. It’s so effortless to sit here with her. Her gaze slides back to the window, where Lucky still lingers. “If you speak dog, can you tell him it’s rude to stare? It’s making me a little nervous.”

“I can’t tell him that.” I slide to the edge of my seat, steeling my jaw forward. “Because I know how he feels. He’s clearly stunned by your beauty. It’s your fault.”

A rose tint fires on her cheeks, and she shakes her head, matching my gaze. “You’re too much.”

“I’m too much?” My voice ticks up, adding playful inflections as I jerk my thumb back to Lucky, whose nose is still pressed against the glass. “I’m not the one drooling all over the window trying to get to you.” Her giggles fill my confidence, and I playfully tap the glass and say, “Buzz off, Lucky, I saw her first.”

Her laughter upticks even more, her shoulders shaking in synchronization. I sit back in my chair and marvel that I could seriously sit here and listen to her for days. When the last of her cackles die into a playful smile, it feeds my ego even more. “Now what did he say?” She raises her brows at me, challenging me.

“He’s not happy. He wants to fight me for you.” Before I second-guess myself, I take a huge risk and say, “I told him there is no use in fighting, because you’ve already decided that you’re going out with me next.”

“Oh, I have, have I?” Her head takes an angled position, but her smile doesn’t deflate. “Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise. Tomorrow.” I lower my voice, ridding it of all teasing. “After work. I’ll pick you up here.”

Her lips part, and her tongue slides out and runs along her bottom lip before she says in a soft voice, “You said you weren’t looking to get involved with anyone.”

“I’m not,” I rasp, knowing this decision is about to change everything, but with the way she’s looking at me—all the light firing in her eyes—I don’t care. “This is us going out to have fun together without the pressure of dating.”

I glance back at the window, but Lucky has walked away and is loitering by my truck, sniffing the tires.

“So, just going out to have fun?” Her heated gaze pulls mine back to her.

I swallow and reply, “Yes.”

“Okay.” Her bottom lip pushes out, making it incredibly hard not to notice how plush and kissable it is. “I get off work at six. You can meet me here.”

“I’ll be here.” I tip up my cup and finish the last of my coffee, and as I’m trying not to wear out my welcome, I slide off my chair.

“Are you leaving?” Her gaze follows me as I walk to the trash to throw away my empty cup.

“It’s time. I don’t want my dog to get run over, and he’s clearly asking for some trouble since he wants to hang out in the road.” I walk to the door and pause to hit her with a direct gaze one more time, taking a moment to linger. Then I put my hand on the door handle and push it ajar. “See you tomorrow, El.”

“Bye,” she calls after me, and I leave the shop, all the while my heart is slamming against my chest.

What did I just do?

I didn’t want to go out with anyone.

She just has this power over me. As soon as I sat next to her, I couldn’t help it. I shake my head as I stride to my truck, my eyes peeled for Lucky, who’s taken it upon himself to dig in the snow right by my front tire. “Get in, boy.” I open the driver’s door and wait for him to scurry into the passenger seat. Then I get in and say to him, “I have a date to get ready for.”