by R. A. Boyd
“Fuck,” she drawled out, using her chocolate straw to stir her coffee.
Each rotation of the little delicious straw made it smaller and smaller, and she could see the oil, sugar, and cocoa break down in her hot cup of java. It was her third cup of the morning and it was only a little after ten. The shop had been open for over an hour and she’d already had to brew another pot of coffee.
She needed to concentrate. Riley had already given two people the wrong orders, all because she couldn’t keep her mind off Teague. It was embarrassing how much she was thinking of him. She was a responsible adult who knew better, not some lovesick teenager who fell in love with the cute boy in school. She pursed her lips and took the next few orders, double checking herself before she handed over their purchase.
Business was best in the morning. Like always, she’d come in an hour before the shop opened and cooked the pastries that she had prepared the night before, grilled pounds of bacon, sausage, and eggs for the sandwiches, and put together the trays of deli slices and cheese that would be ready for the lunch hour.
New Rose Book and Eatery wasn’t fancy, but neither was New Rose. Everyone knew what they were coming to her shop for. Breakfast, lunch, coffee, and books. Most of the older folks in town came in to read newspapers and buy books, and everybody else came in for the good food, good company, and free wireless internet.
The dark hardwood floors, blond paneling on the walls, and white-washed stone fireplace made the shop seem like a cozy farmhouse. The slanted glass counter that displayed everything, other than the beverages, was brightly lit and was the center of the shop. It drew people to it, made them want to taste what Riley had cooked for them. This was her dream.
“Hey, Riley. Have any more of those chocolate strawberry flat things?” Daisy said.
Riley had worked with Daisy, along with the other five women that sat at the table with her, at the coding company. When she’d left to open the shop all the people who she used to work with made this their lunch run. The free Wi-Fi that the shop offered allowed them to come in and code when they were tired of being stuck at home or the office.
Riley nodded and put down her coffee. “The ones with the cream?”
Daisy grinned and nodded, and lifted her own coffee cup in a silent salute. Everyone loved those things.
“Got a whole tray in the back. Won’t take but a few minutes to cook them,” she said, walking to the back of the shop to put the pastries in the oven.
That right there, the support from the people she used to work with and everyone else in this town, was the reason Riley loved New Rose. Everyone supported everyone else. No one was pissed when she quit the job. They knew she was married to an asshole and that this shop was what she’d wanted but had always been too afraid to pursue. The moment she found out Aaron had been screwing at least three other women hadn’t devastated her. She’d known what he was doing but never wanted to give up on him. They’d taken vows to work through their problems and to always support each other. But when she’d found out that he’d been unfaithful, again, and what had come from his latest conquest she knew she had to leave. And she knew she was taking the space where her business now occupied with her.
Waiting for the goods to cook in her totally awesome convection oven, Riley walked through the shop and topped off everyone’s coffee and offered more hot water and sugar to the elderly couple drinking tea. The smell of chocolate, cream cheese, and warm strawberries singled Riley’s nose a few heartbeats before the little timer in her pocket alarmed her.
She made quick work of getting them off the hot tray and on to the cooling rack. Just as she turned around to walk through the kitchen door, she almost dropped the tasty pastries when she saw Teague Durrell waiting at the counter.
“Holy shit,” she muttered, stopping to peek at him through the little rectangular window. “He’s even hotter than he was yesterday.”
His sexy full lips quirked up in a half smile and he took his New Rose Fire Department hat off. Had he heard her? She was on the other side of the door, watching him like some pervy perv. There was no way he had heard her.
Her insides fluttered with insane butterflies and her heart sped up. The thought of his warm body pressing her against the cold metal of the truck zoomed through her mind. Her cheeks warmed and for some awful reason her lady parts felt heavy. What the hell? Just watching the man made her want to throw the food on the floor and invite him to her back office to finish what they’d started yesterday.
Shaking her head to clear away the lusty thoughts, she smoothed her purple apron with her shop name and logo on it, fluffed her hair, and walked through the door.
With a forced, nervous smile she said, “Hey. Teague.” Her words were clipped and sounded unnatural.
“Riley,” he said, that sex pot smile still frozen on his lips.
His sandy brown hair was longer at the top and it fell into his eyes. When he brought his hand up to push it out of his vision, Riley saw slivers of ink crawling up his arm. Were those feathers tattooed on his arm?
“Hey, Teague,” Daisy said, stepping up to the counter and digging through her purse. He gave her quick hello as she looked at the rack Riley was holding. “Riley. Let me get six of those, please.” She pulled out her credit card and slid it through the card machine to pay for the treats as Riley tapped in the prices. “Teague. If we haven’t eaten all of these chocolate thingies you should definitely try one. Or three.”
He smiled at Daisy and then turned, holding up three fingers to Riley. “When you finish, you can ring me up for three of those. And a large cup of coffee” He stared right into Riley’s eyes as he spoke.
After Daisy walked away, Riley stood looking at Teague as he looked right back at her. She couldn’t move. Not while he was holding her in his gaze like this. Those green eyes were the color of grass during a quick springtime storm, and she wanted to be covered in all the cool dew that remained from him.
Ew. That was a gross thought. Covered in the cool dew that remained? Like his sweat as he held himself over her while he was screwing her brains out? That wouldn’t be bad at all. Or dew like being covered in his—
“You are always in your head, Riley,” he said, smiling at her as he used his thumb to scratch the stubble on his chin. His deep baritone moved across her skin like warm silk. “You still get lost in your thoughts way too much. You know that, right? I thought you were working on that.”
He’d remembered. They had that conversation years ago, and he remembered.
“Yeah,” she said, smiling. “I don’t think I can do anything to change that. I stopped trying.”
They’d seen each other in a bar six years ago. She was there eating a bowl of soup, drinking a beer, and reading a book on her phone. Aaron had driven Liv to see her grandmother in Baltimore, and Riley had a night to go out by herself and have a drink. She liked going out by herself sometimes. It was good to keep yourself company.
Teague had been there too, eating a plate of hot wings and taking whiskey shots. He’d bought her a few as well, and when she was nice and liquored up she spilled her guts about liking to hang out alone. As long as she’d been married to Aaron, she had always seen Teague at the fire station, but that was the night she started to consider him a friend. She’d also wanted to have him rub those large hands all over her body, but she’d just chalked that up to the liquor. She was a good wife and was married to a good man. At least she thought she was.
Riley looked up at him as she keyed in his order. “That’ll be five bucks. It’s the morning breakfast special. Three pastries and a large coffee.” It really wasn’t. She just wanted him to come in to her shop every day.
Never taking his eyes off her, he reached into his back pocket, pulled out his bank card, and paid for his food.
Riley was beginning to squirm under his gaze. It was a hungry look. And an angry one, too. Why the hell was he angry with her now when they’d just been joking? Probably because she’d sullied him the day before.
He pulled his lips into that sexy as hell mouth of his and shrugged. “You do that all the time?”
She wasn’t sure if he was serious or not. The expression on his face hadn’t changed. The monotone of his voice was disarming. Did he really think she made out with random men?
“No, smartass,” she said through a smile. “I don’t climb men and start kissing them. Would you stop looking at me like that, please. It’s making me feel…” Like jumping across the counter and climbing his sexy ass again. She was getting nervous, and nervous on Riley sometimes made her seem like an angry, blabbering fool.
Still freaking watching her, he pulled his sunglasses off his shirt pocket and just before he settled them over his eyes Riley could swear that they were steadily lightening to a pale green. Holy crap.
The warmth that had already been snaking around her body hitched up about two-hundred percent. She shifted from one foot to the other and instantly regretted it. That tiny friction from the small movement sent flutters to her breasts and between her thighs.
“Better?” he asked.
She shrugged, nodded, and shook her head. This man was confusing.
Riley cleared her throat and handed him his bag. “How was your shift last night? Get any rest?”
“Nope. No rest. Slow shift, though.” He leaned in over the counter and the subtle movement made Riley lean in toward him. “Kept thinking about those thick, sexy ass thighs wrapped around my waist.”
Riley’s entire body caught fire as those words fell from his lips. Her breasts pressed tighter against her bra and shirt as she inhaled his masculine scent. She let off a slow, shushing breath threw her lips as she looked at herself in his sunglasses. Now she wished he would take the damn things off. He was watching her closely. She knew it. Was he looking in her eyes? At her body?
“Umm. Let me get your coffee.”
“Did you touch yourself last night, Riley?” he asked quietly, just as she was backing away from him.
She swallowed thickly and whispered, “No.”
“Lie.”
Yup. She’d lied. After Liv had gone next door to study with her classmate, Riley grabbed her most powerful vibrator and went to town. The only thing on her mind as she brought herself to climax was the feel of Teague’s hands rubbing up and down her body and grabbing her ass to pull her closer to his cock. The heat of his tongue dancing with hers as she stroked her core and breasts against him.
She turned around and grabbed a large coffee cup, filling it with coffee. Lie? How the heck did he know she was lying? Maybe she looked more relaxed than she did the day before. Didn’t orgasms make your skin shine or some crap like that?
When she turned to face him, he had taken off his sunglasses and was looking at her legs like they were the tastiest things he’d ever laid eyes on. His eyes. They were lighter. Maybe they changed with his emotions. Was he a shifter? No. The town would have known if he was.
New Rose had a tight shifter community. No one hid who they were.
His eyes finally traveled back up to meet hers. She was pinned again, standing between the cash register and the back counter as she held the hot cup of coffee that was beginning to warm her fingers.
She pointed to the table across from them. “Cream and sugar are over there.”
“I could do better,” he said, reaching out his hand and beckoning her closer.
Riley gave him his cup and felt an electric shock much like she did yesterday as his fingers touched hers. “Better? You don’t like that brand of cream and sugar?” she asked.
“Don’t give a shit about cream and sugar. I could do better than whatever you used to get yourself off last night,” his said, his voice low enough so that only she could hear. “See you, friend.”
Teague took the bag off the counter, put the lid on his coffee, and walked out the door.
She stared after him for a few moments, now noticing the wet heat situated on panties. That man was dangerous. Not the heartbreak kind of dangerous like Hippotwattamus Ass-face Aaron.
No. This was different. The kind of dangerous that could lead to sweaty nights, fantasy filled days, and then a clean cut broken heart. She had a feeling that Teague would be nice about it, though. Something nice and sweet like, ‘Riley. I’m not looking for a relationship. But spread those legs and come on my tongue, and we can still be friends.’
Damn-it. She was screwed.
Chapter 3
“Go back and help her,” Audra said as she peeled a carrot. She looked at Teague and frowned. “Why am I peeling these by myself? Get to work.”
Teague opened the utensil drawer next to him and pulled out a potato peeler. He’d already washed his hands two times to help his sister peel the countless bags of carrots to get them ready for the clan dinner tonight. Grabbing one that Audra handed him, he stood next to her over the sink and started peeling.
“I’d look like a damn fool if I go back there. I left on a mysterious note. It’ll mess it up if I go back to put up those shelves.”
The whole reason Teague had gone to Riley’s shop this morning, other than to see her, was to put up those shelves that Liv had told him about. He’d completely tossed that out the window when he saw Riley. He didn’t mean to, but the beast now prowling around in his middle was making him do things he wasn’t used to.
Teague filled his cheeks with air and held it for a few heartbeats, and when he let out a whooshing breath he tipped his head back to the ceiling. “And do you want to know the really fucked up part?”
“Not really.”
“I have to go back and help her. I need to. The urge to help her do everything won’t let me not go back.”
He was in trouble. He hadn’t even told Riley what he was but all he wanted to do was be there with her. Watch her. Help her. Comfort her. Beat the breaks off of Aaron to make sure he never laid eyeballs on his mate again.
“Audra, how am I supposed to tell her what I am? We’ve been friends for years and if I just spring it on her she’ll feel betrayed. I know I would.”
She was silent for a few moments and when she spoke her voice was full on agitated. “This isn’t about you. Well, not completely about you. Don’t worry about how you would feel. Just tell her. Woman-up, put your big girl panties on, and be honest. Either she’ll accept you or she won’t. Those are literally your only options.”
His sister was a ‘take charge and be completely honest’ type of person. In all ways. Feelings be damned. She was mean as an injured cat and had the fight to back it up. She was the best person to talk to about anything when she had a level head.
Audra was slowly descending into madness. Her time here on this planet was eating away at her, and only time would tell what would become of her. Everyone in the clan hoped to God that Audra would find her mate. Maybe, hopefully, that mate would help her find herself again. As easy going as she was, she was also volatile. She was the smallest one among the Ghost Shifters and one of the most deadly.
What the hell would they do if she decided to give up the fight and let insanity have her mind? They’d do what they did to their brother when he went ape shit and took a few dozen people with him.
“Don’t even speak his name,” Audra said, breaking Teague from his thoughts. “I’m not him. I won’t let go. And I swear on the Almighty Throne that if I do feel it happening to me I will let someone know. I’ll give you a chance to put me down. Least I’ll try to. Get back to scraping those carrots.”
Teague gave her a closed mouth smile and pushed her with his hip to knock her off balance. They wouldn’t have to put her down. She was strong. She’d make it.
“Back to you,” she said, rinsing off one carrot and grabbing another. “You should be leaving right now. Her shop closes in about an hour. You want her to put those shelves up by herself?”<
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He shook his head and flicked water at her. “I’ll put them up. I already planned to go back after the shop closed tonight and install them. I’m going to tell you a secret. Promise not to laugh.” he said, turning to face Audra.
“No. But tell me anyway.” She broke off a piece of carrot and tossed it into her mouth.
“I’ve been doing small things to help her out. Well, I did before Jax and Damon found Cass. Them finding their mate to kick-start us finding ours put that shit on hold for me.”
“You were scared to find out if she was yours?”
“Yeah,” he said, grabbing and cleaning another carrot. “I panicked and kept myself away from her. Anyway, I would fix little things. I heard her car squeal when she drove by me on the street so I changed her brakes. The light outside her house would flicker so I fixed the faulty wiring. Hell, she had her tires changed right before winter began but she bought the cheapest ones, so I bought the best that would fit her car and changed them all one night while she slept.”
Audra drew in a large breath and put her hand on her chest. “Aww. That is so sweet. I like the way you stalk, brother.” Her eyes crinkled at the edges and her nose hitched up as she smiled. “Even before you knew she was your mate.”
“I always knew she was my mate. She was my friend. I wanted to make sure she was okay, especially with a douche husband like Aaron. She deserved getting a break.”
“Want him to disappear?” she asked.
He frowned and started stumbling over his words. “What the hell is wrong with you and Cass? Hell yes I want him to disappear but I’m not going to murder the bastard. Karma will get him.”
Audra bounced up and down and then shoved him with her hip. “I love my new sister. She offered to kill his dumbass, too? Great minds think alike. You should join our party.”