“Red is her favorite color,” he said.
As Adam made his fabric selections on the computer, Brandi brought him a bolt of it to view. Ten minutes later, he’d decided on a bright red poppy print with black straps and handles.
Brandi saw him pull his credit card from his wallet and stopped him. “It’s on me,” she said. “Consider the cost a housewarming gift.”
Adam shook his head. “That’s not necessary,” he said, continuing to input his card info into the website. “A lot of handiwork goes into these bags. You deserve to be compensated.”
“As promised on the site, the bag should be ready in a few days. I hope your grandmother enjoys it.”
“No rush to get it done,” he said. “I want to give it to her in person, and I won’t see her again until next month.”
Brandi nodded and stepped away from him. Now that she’d demonstrated the website, there was no reason for them to stand quite so close. There was no need to continue allowing his warmth or his masculine scent to wreak havoc on her hormones.
“I appreciate your business.”
Her move to put distance between them must not have been as discreet as she’d thought. He gave her a knowing smile and took a step toward her, closing it.
“This is quite an operation. Now I understand the number of boxes at your door.”
“It’s kept me busy.”
He glanced around. “It looks like you’re outgrowing this space. Have you thought about taking your business out of your home and opening a dedicated store?”
Only a million times a day, Brandi thought. She dropped her chin to her chest, averting his gaze. The one benefit of public humiliation was her friends and family had witnessed the wedding fiasco and knew her plans to open her store were in a holding pattern. She didn’t want to rehash it and look like a loser to Adam, too.
Concern blanketed his features. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine,” he said. “Why did my asking about opening a store upset you?”
Brandi sighed, still looking at the floor. “Because I’d saved for years and finally found the perfect spot to do just that,” she said. “But the money went elsewhere and I had to forget about my big plans.”
Adam touched a curved knuckle to her chin and lifted it until her eyes met his. It was completely innocent until their gazes locked, shifting the gesture into something altogether different.
Brandi watched the concern in his eyes morph into longing, and it made her insides quiver in anticipation.
“Perhaps it’s time you had a new plan,” he said and lowered his lips to hers.
* * *
He’d only meant to comfort her.
Then Adam made the mistake of looking into those big, brown eyes, and his noble intentions faltered.
Just one taste, he vowed. A tiny sample to satisfy his curiosity and he’d get back to his reason for being there in the first place.
He closed the scant inch separating them and brushed his lips against hers. God, she tasted good. Even better than he’d imagined. Honey sweet, like a ripe exotic fruit reserved to satiate the palates of kings.
Brandi’s lips parted with a breathless sigh, and it was all the invitation he needed.
Adam leaned in and took her mouth, stroking it with his tongue. He groaned as her lush body melted into his. Everything about this woman was soft except the hard peaks of her breasts against his chest.
Brandi’s fingers slid up his forearms to his shoulders. She cradled the back of his neck with her hands and drew him closer.
He responded by deepening the kiss, keeping a tight grip around her waist as well as his control. Adam resisted the urge to let his hands slip beneath her silky shirt and touch skin he knew would feel like satin. He fought the natural instinct to unhook the clasp on her bra and hold the delicious weight of her breasts in his palms.
Adam knew if he allowed his fingertips the pleasure of teasing her already taut nipples or his hands the delight of cupping her sweet bottom, their very first kiss would end with them both naked and tangled in the sheets of the nearest bed.
Brandi broke off the kiss and her arms fell from around his neck. “That was…” she began breathlessly.
Adam dipped his head until it touched her forehead. “What I’ve wanted to do ever since I saw you in the park.”
“Really?”
She sounded surprised, so he confirmed it. “I haven’t been able to get you off my mind.”
“I don’t get it. All those beautiful women in my exercise class. I can’t believe you even noticed me.”
He pressed the hard evidence of his attraction against her belly, and her breath caught. He watched her teeth sink into her kiss-swollen bottom lip.
“I more than noticed you. I wanted you then, and I want you now,” he said, his voice reduced to a husky whisper. “I believe you feel the exact same way.”
Brandi took a step backward, and he reluctantly let her go. Already he missed the heat of her body.
“I could deny it, but we’d both know I was lying,”
she said.
“So what happens now?” Adam asked.
He knew what he wanted to happen. He’d played the scenario in his head all afternoon. The two of them on a flat surface, her thick thighs wrapped around his waist while he buried himself to the hilt. It had been a long time since Adam had wanted a woman as badly as he craved this one.
She stared up at him, the passion in her eyes just scant moments ago replaced with an emotion he couldn’t quite place.
“Nothing.”
Puzzled, Adam rubbed the back of his neck, still tingling from her touch. He couldn’t have heard her right. Not after she’d confessed the attraction he felt toward her was mutual.
“Why not?”
“Because chocolate isn’t the only thing I’ve declared off-limits.”
Adam moved toward her, closing the space she’d tried to put between them.
“First my chocolate and now my kisses. Tell me, Brandi, why do you insist on turning down the very things you should be enjoying to the fullest?”
Chapter 5
God help her she did enjoy what this man offered, and she didn’t like it one bit.
What was wrong with her?
A week ago, she didn’t think it possible for anything or anyone to weaken her resolve to stay clear of chocolate and men. In less than twenty-four hours, Adam had managed to do both.
Apparently, she’d underestimated the potent lure of chocolate and the intoxicating feeling of being kissed by a man she was wildly attracted to.
How long had it been since a simple kiss had left her weak-kneed and practically panting for more? Her ex’s certainly hadn’t. That’s what made the man standing before her all the more dangerous and strictly forbidden.
Brandi walked to her desk on the other side of the room. She pulled a pen from a drawer, and he arched a brow. His expression made it obvious her rifling through the drawer hadn’t fooled him. He knew exactly why she’d retreated to the safety of her desk.
Adam crossed the room in three long strides. Leaning forward, he placed his palms flat on the desktop. “Sooooo,” he said, drawing out the word. “What exactly do you have against pleasure?”
Oh, he was smooth, Brandi thought, like the velvety ganache center of a to-die-for truffle.
“I’m not against pleasure,” she replied firmly. “I just know it often comes with consequences.”
“They don’t necessarily have to be bad ones.”
“Unless they involve chocolate or men, which both have been disastrous for me.”
“Why not give both another chance?”
“That’s not going to happen.”
“Okay, you’ve
already explained your reason for abstaining from chocolate,” he said. “But why men? Or more importantly, why avoid being thoroughly kissed by a man who would love nothing more than to kiss you again?” He leaned closer, their bodies separated by her desk, but his tempting lips only a breath away. “And again.”
Brandi swallowed hard. “We’ve barely known each other a day. Why would I confide in you?”
“Because it seems like you could use someone to talk to and sometimes strangers make the best confidants.”
“I’ve never heard that.”
He gave a charming smile. “Okay, I made it up, but it makes sense. I’m a neutral party with no stake in the matter.”
Brandi’s eyes narrowed. “A neutral party who wants to feed me chocolate and get me into bed.”
Adam chuckled. “Well, that, too.” He came around the desk, reached for her hand and gave it a gentle tug. “Grab your coat. We’ll go out and talk over coffee.”
He led her out of her office, through the dining room and back to her living room.
“But I already made some,” she said, gesturing to the now cold mugs.
“It’ll be my treat. Besides, it’s the weekend, and there’s just something sad about two single people being cooped up inside on a Saturday night, don’t you think?”
She cast a glance back to her office. “I still have work to do.”
Adam nudged her with his elbow. “Come on,” he coaxed. “There’s a coffeehouse a few blocks from here I’ve wanted to try all week, but the name escapes me....”
“You must mean Jolt’s. They just opened a month ago. I haven’t been there yet, either.”
“Good. We can try it together,” he said “We’ll walk over, and you can show me around the neighborhood.”
“I don’t know,” Brandi hedged.
“No chocolate. No kissing.” He raised one hand and splayed the other one over his heart. “I promise we’ll only indulge in overpriced caffeinated beverages and good conversation.”
Brandi laughed and finally relented. She was just being silly. He’d asked her to share a cup of coffee, not join him for an illicit tryst.
They made a quick stop next door for Adam’s jacket before heading out. The sting of crisp night air on her face had been refreshing when they’d initially walked out of their building, but two blocks later Brandi shivered inside of her wool coat.
“Cold?” Adam asked.
“I’m fine.” She jammed her hands into her pockets.
Adam pulled his scarf from around his neck and draped it around hers. His body heat clung to the soft cashmere, and Brandi felt the warmth all the way to her toes.
The residential streets leading to the planned community’s town center were quiet, except for the sound of their footsteps hitting the sidewalk and the wind whistling through the barren tree limbs. A full moon and the glow illuminating from windows of the apartments and single-family homes lit their path.
“So what happened to the money you’d earmarked to expand your business?” Adam asked, breaking the silence.
“I used it to reimburse my mother for my wedding.”
“Wedding? Hold on.” He stopped midstep on the sidewalk and exhaled sharply. “You never mentioned being married.”
She placed a hand on his biceps. “I’m not,” she said. “My ex-fiancé is.”
He paused for half a beat. “You lost me somewhere between wedding and ex-fiancé.”
With a heavy sigh, Brandi began. “While I waited at the church with two hundred of our closest friends and relatives, the groom married another woman at a chapel in Vegas.”
Adam said nothing, but took the hand she’d rested on his biceps and tucked it in the crook of his arm as they resumed walking.
“My non-wedding was embarrassing enough, more for my mother than me,” Brandi continued. “I didn’t want her to pay the price financially, too. So I drained my savings so she wouldn’t be out of pocket.”
She left out the part about how she’d mistakenly believed giving her mom the money would put an end to her harangues on how mortifying Brandi’s being jilted was for her. Instead, it had only stopped Jolene from complaining about how much the debacle had cost.
“So I’d be correct in assuming your moron-of-an-ex’s poor judgment is the reason you’re on a man sabbatical?”
Brandi nodded. She hated rehashing the story, but it was best Adam knew upfront where she stood and pursuing her was pointless.
“I’m not him,” he said firmly.
“It doesn’t matter,” Brandi replied. “Relationships are a lot of work, and right now I need to put all of my effort into my business.”
The finality of her words hung in the air as the dark, quiet residential streets gave way to the bright lights of their community’s newly opened town center. Although it was still under construction, a smattering of shops and restaurants had already opened for business. Window signs promised a bookstore, cupcake shop and day spa were coming soon.
Jolt’s Coffee, which still had the grand-opening banner draped above the entrance, appeared to have already become a popular neighborhood spot.
Adam held the door open and Brandi walked inside. Strains of soft jazz music, the buzz of conversation and aroma of freshly ground coffee beans surrounded her. In contrast to the shop’s logo, a coffee mug split in half by a lightning bolt, the place had a laid-back ambience.
There were the standard table and chairs and a couple of overstuffed chairs arranged in a way to promote conversation. After months of weekends hidden away in her condo, Brandi had to admit it felt good to be stepping out on a Saturday night.
Even if it was just a stroll down the street with a neighbor.
While the majority of the tables were occupied, there wasn’t a line at the counter.
Brandi ordered a coffee concoction with nonfat milk, sweetened by a sugar substitute, while Adam opted for black coffee.
They settled on a high bistro table in front of the window with a view of the street. Brandi stared out at the people going in and out of the various stores and eateries.
If the shops in her working-class neighborhood drew a steady stream of customers, she could only imagine the store traffic in the trendier area she had wanted to locate her handbag boutique. Arm Candy would do a brisk business there.
“Have you applied for a small-business loan?” Adam asked without preamble.
Brandi felt an unexpected twinge of disappointment at his question. Apparently, she’d done a good job of getting through to him, and he’d dropped the idea of them being more than neighbors. It’s what she wanted, right? To stay focused on her business.
“The bank turned me down.” She shrugged. “Good credit, but no collateral and no savings.”
He asked her about her profit margin, and his eyes widened at how much her bottom line had increased over the few years she’d been in business.
“I’m surprised they didn’t grant it. From the little I’ve seen and heard, your business seems like a good risk,” he said.
“The loan officer said a few years ago an application like mine would have been easily approved, but the current economic climate has tightened restrictions and made them less apt to take a chance on new ventures.”
“And I’m guessing borrowing from your family…”
“Is out of the question,” Brandi finished. She sampled her coffee, which could have used a few teaspoons of real sugar and a dollop of whipped cream. “Like I told you earlier, my younger sister is getting married next month.”
“So what’s your business plan?”
“I’ve started saving again, but it’ll take time to get my bank balance up to where it was before.”
Adam folded his arms across the table and leaned forward. “What if I told you there were other ways for you to get money?
” He raised a brow and a grin spread over his face. “And that I have a proposition for you.”
“I’d say I’m two seconds from dumping hot coffee in your lap.”
* * *
Adam glanced from the curl of steam rising from Brandi’s coffee to the offended look on her face.
“Whoa.” He held up his hands as understanding dawned. “You’ve got it all wrong.”
It had been a poor choice of words on his part, but an idea had come to him that might solve both of their problems. Now all he had to do was sell his scowling neighbor on it.
Adam took the precautionary measure of pushing the drinks aside before launching into his pitch. “I’m talking about alternative and completely legitimate sources for seed money.”
“Well, don’t keep me in suspense.” She didn’t look mad enough to throw coffee, but her expression remained guarded.
“The company I used to work for—as well as a lot of other major corporations and foundations—have programs that make loans to fledgling entrepreneurs like yourself.”
“Really?” She leaned forward in her seat.
“There’s nontraditional financing help out there like microfinancing, crowdfunding and peer-to-peer lending,” he said. “With them, potential and your business plan are taken into consideration, not just collateral and credit scores.”
“I don’t know,” Brandi said. “Sounds too good to be true.”
Adam pulled out his smart phone and pulled up the web browser. Moments later he showed her an article about a woman who’d taken her cupcake business from a street cart to a space in a mall food court thanks to microloans from two large corporations.
“Wow. I’d never heard of this kind of help. I thought it was the bank or nothing,” she said after reading it. Brandi handed him back his phone and slid their coffee back in front of them. “Thank you.” A hint of a smile returned to her face. “I’m going to look into it as soon as I get home.”
“Keep in mind, you also have a valuable resource with over ten years of executive experience living right next door to you.” Adam eyed her over the rim of his coffee mug. “I could point out the best opportunities and weed out the bad ones with high interest rates and hidden fees.”
Taste for Temptation (Kimani Hotties) Page 5