“I’ll follow up with the police and let you know what I find out. I’ll catch you later.”
He stood in the office a moment longer, still in disbelief, then went back upstairs and knocked on Felicia’s open door.
“Logan was the one?” she asked.
“Yeah. He was also stealing the equipment.”
Felicia’s mouth dropped. “This morning someone mentioned they couldn’t find the twenty-pound dumbbells and I was going to ask you about it.”
“Well, he’ll be paying my money back and returning my stuff. Felicia, now that you’re just about finished with your degree, would you consider taking the manager’s position?”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely. I wanted you to have it when Jessie left, but you mentioned not wanting to pick up too many hours because of school.”
A smile blossomed on her face. “Then, yes.”
“Thanks and congratulations. That’s one less thing I have to worry about. I’m taking off for a bit, but I’ll be back later.”
“Okay, and thanks, Khalil.”
Khalil got to the café fifteen minutes before it closed. “Hey, Sam. Is Lexia in the back?”
Sam shook her head and scribbled on the order pad, “She left early to prepare for a cooking demonstration at the Project Food festival tomorrow.”
“She’s cooking?”
She nodded.
“Where is it?”
Sam hesitated, then pulled a flyer out of her pocket and handed it to him.
He scanned the sheet. The location was almost in his backyard and benefited a homeless shelter. Why hadn’t he ever heard of the event? He memorized the website and handed it back.
She held up a hand and pushed it toward him.
“Do they have a schedule of when each chef will be cooking?”
“She’ll be doing her demonstration at noon.”
“I’ll be there. Oh, and don’t tell her I’m coming.”
A smile curved Sam’s lips. “Okay.” Then she wrote something else. “But if you hurt my girl, I’m going to hurt you.” She gave him a pointed look.
“I don’t plan to hurt her.”
She folded her arms and nodded.
“I’ll see you later.” He glanced down at the flyer once more and smiled. He couldn’t wait to see Lexia’s face.
* * *
Saturday, Khalil arrived at the festival an hour before Lexia’s demonstration. Immediately, a sense of unease crept up his spine. Masses of festivalgoers passed by him, talking and laughing. His breathing increased and an overwhelming need to leave engulfed him. He stood off to the side where fewer people lingered for a few minutes to get his bearings. Even after almost a month, he still became anxious in crowds. Once in control, he wandered around the grounds and sampled a green smoothie, dried fruit and roasted eggplant Parmesan. He pulled out the map and searched the key to find where Lexia would be and started in that direction. He spotted her setting up her outdoor kitchen area that held counter space and what looked like a stove top. Not wanting her to see him yet, he took up a position far enough away to be out of her line of sight, but close enough to view her comfortably. She wore a chef’s jacket and moved around the space efficiently and expertly.
Khalil had missed her more than he realized. She smiled and he felt a strange sensation in his belly. He kept telling himself he wasn’t in the market for a relationship, but he wanted her nearness. He was confident the rest would work out. He noticed a small crowd of people drifting over to her station and taking seats. He waited another few minutes and walked over just as she began. Their eyes met and she froze. He smiled and gave her an imperceptible nod, which she returned and continued. Two minutes into the demonstration, he recognized that she, indeed, knew what she was doing. He couldn’t get close enough to understand what she said, but she prepared some type of shrimp taco with the expertise of a seasoned chef.
When it ended, she and Sam passed out the tacos to those in the audience. The eager crowd jostled for position to get a sample. By the looks on their faces, it must taste good. Khalil waited until the last person left before approaching.
Lexia handed him a taco and he purposely allowed their hands to touch. She withdrew hers quickly and her gaze flew to his.
Still holding her eyes, Khalil bit into the warm taco. An involuntary groan slipped out. “This is really good.”
She smiled up at him.
He polished it off in two more bites. He moved closer to her. “Can we talk when you’re done here?”
Lexia paused, biting on her bottom lip, and he pushed down the longing to kiss her. Finally she nodded.
He told her where he’d be waiting and got out of her way. The faster she got done, the sooner she’d be in his arms.
Chapter 13
Lexia knew that Khalil was watching her every move. She’d almost fallen off the small stand when she looked up and saw him in the back of the audience. How had he found out about the festival? She searched her mind and tried to recall whether she had mentioned it to him, but didn’t think she had. That left only one person. Sam.
“Sam, did you tell Khalil about today?”
Without looking up from packing away the utensils, Sam said, “Yep. He came to the café yesterday asking for you. He seemed so pitiful when he found out you weren’t there. I couldn’t help myself. Go ahead and admit it. You know you’re glad to see him.”
She wasn’t going to admit anything, least of all the fact that the first thing she wanted to do when she saw him was throw her arms around him and kiss him with everything within her. Lexia busied herself with cleaning the stove top and grill for the next chef. Afterward, they loaded everything on the provided cart and Khalil helped wheel it out to her car.
“I’m going to check out a few of the vendors,” Sam said. “I’ll see you on Monday. Get some rest. You’ve earned it.”
“Thanks for all your help.”
She hugged Lexia. “Have fun and be nice.”
She ignored her friend. “Bye.”
“Bye, Khalil.” Sam waved.
When they were alone, Khalil grasped Lexia’s hand and entwined their fingers. “Can we find a spot that’s less crowded?”
Lexia led him over to the far side of the grounds away from the vendors and found a bench. For the first minutes, they just sat with his arm wrapped around her and her head on his shoulder.
He tilted her chin. “I don’t know what I was thinking agreeing to not see you anymore. I missed you, Lexia.” He lowered his head and placed a soft kiss against her lips. “Why did you back away? Was it something I did?”
“No.”
“Then why?”
She took out her cell. “You’re a special man and I really like you, but I don’t want to get caught up in another relationship with the potential to get my heart broken. Been there, done that with my ex-husband. I’m finally putting the pieces of my life back together and I like the peace. That’s why I named the café Oasis. It’s my haven, my place of refuge.”
He sat stunned by her revelation. Married? “How long were you married?” She held up two fingers. “He cheated?”
“And took the one thing I loved. The diner we purchased. I had been going there since I was a teen and when the owner passed away suddenly, my ex knew I wanted it and helped me finance it. In the end, he had a better lawyer. I didn’t care about the house, the cars, the money, just my diner. And he stole it.”
Lexia swiped at the tears gathered in her eyes. She thought she’d finished crying.
Khalil gently pushed her hand aside and kissed her tears. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. He can’t hurt you anymore. And if he ever shows up, he’ll have to go through me.” He tightened his arm around her.
She glanced up at him. The sincerity in his fe
atures and protective gesture gave her pause. She hadn’t expected him to say something like that—as if they were a couple. “What are we doing here, Khalil?”
“We’re sitting on a bench talking.”
She slanted him a look. “You know what I mean.”
He blew out a long breath. “I’m not sure...exactly. I just know I like spending time with you. I like talking to you, touching you, kissing you...” He captured her mouth in a brief but scorching kiss. “Especially kissing you.” He stared at her a moment. “You are so very different in a good way and I can’t seem to stop wanting you.”
Just like that, she fell a little harder. They sat awhile longer, then wandered around to see some of the other demonstrations. An hour later, he walked her out to her car.
“What are you doing tomorrow?”
“Just relaxing. Why?”
“I owe you a couple of training sessions and I thought we could start.”
Lexia remembered him saying that, but figured he had been kidding around. “You were serious?”
Khalil chuckled. “Of course.”
“Well...um...don’t you think that might be too strenuous for you? I don’t want you to hurt yourself.”
“I’m not the one who’ll be working out, you will.”
She hadn’t been inside a gym in a good five or six years and, even then, she’d only done a couple of exercise classes, never the weights. She could just imagine the crazy looks she’d get. “I haven’t worked out in a long time.”
“The gym is closed on Sundays, so there’ll be no one there but us.”
That’s a relief. “Okay, but not too early because I want to sleep in.”
He smiled. “How about three? That way you can sleep in and run any errands. Oh, and I’m coming to pick you up.”
Lexia rolled her eyes. “This isn’t a date, Khalil.”
“Doesn’t matter.”
They engaged in a staredown until she sighed in surrender. “Fine. Like I can’t drive myself,” she muttered, and unlocked her car.
“I know you said something smart, but like I said, it doesn’t matter.” Khalil held the door open, bent and placed a kiss on her lips. “Let me know when you get home.”
“I will.” As she drove off, Lexia tried to contemplate a way to get out of that workout. The mere thought of his heat surrounding her while demonstrating some exercise technique aroused her. More than aroused her.
* * *
Khalil let him and Lexia into the gym Sunday afternoon and locked the door behind them. “Stay right here while I turn on some lights.” With the blinds closed, it was so dark, he could barely see and he didn’t want her to trip over anything. But he knew the place like the back of his hand, so he didn’t have a problem navigating by instinct. He pressed a wall switch and a small section of lights came on, providing enough illumination for them to accomplish their task, but not enough for anyone to see from outside.
Lexia came to where he stood. “I’ve never lifted weights before.”
“I told you I’d show you a few exercises to do that don’t require a lot of equipment.” He held up the large bag in his hand. From it, he withdrew a yoga mat, an eight-inch bouncing ball, a length of light resistance exercise band and a resistance strap with handles that could be attached to any door. This would be his first training session since the accident and, if it went well, he would start pulling his clients back.
“All that is supposed to be for a whole body workout?”
Khalil met Lexia’s skeptical gaze. “Yep. And you can take all this home with you.” He rolled out the mat. “We’ll start with some stretches to warm up your muscles.”
She came and sat on the mat. “As long as it’s been since I’ve worked out, the stretches might be all I can handle.”
He shook his head. “You’ll be fine.” He took her through a series of movements. Each time he touched her, he struggled to maintain a professional edge. It didn’t help that she had worn a fitted sleeveless top and leggings that outlined every curve and he was tempted to reacquaint himself with the feel of her smooth skin.
Lexia finished the last one and sat up. “That wasn’t so bad. What’s next?”
Khalil came to his feet with the resistance band. “Upper body exercises. This one is for the chest and back.” He grasped the band on either end, held his arms straight out in front of him at ninety degrees and pulled until his arms were out to his side. He felt a slight twinge of pain, but nothing like it had been. He did one more repetition and handed it to Lexia. “Let’s start with two sets of fifteen, resting for thirty seconds between each set.”
“Okay.” She finished the first exercise with ease, but by the time she got to the third one, he could see her arms trembling.
“Only six more. You can do it. Come on, baby.”
Lexia finished and dropped her arms down to her side. “I can’t do this. My arms feel like lead.”
“Yes you can. This is only your first session. Your arms can rest while we do a few for the lower body.” Khalil led her over to a bar mounted on the wall. “At home you can use the back of a chair to hold on to for squats. Don’t go down too far or let your knees go beyond your toes. I want you to concentrate on your form like this.” He did a set of fifteen with her. His mother would have a heart attack if she found out, but it felt good to do something other than lie around all day. Next he had her lie on the mat. He placed the ball between her bent knees. “This will work your inner thighs. I want you to squeeze, hold for three seconds and release. Three sets of twenty.”
She flopped down on the mat. “Okay. That’s easier than those squats. By the time we finish, I’d better be able to win the Miss Fitness contest.”
Khalil laughed. “I’ll see what I can do.” Three reps into the first set, he began to think this wasn’t a good idea. Watching her squeeze the ball sent visions of her knees pressing against him as he thrust deep inside her. Blood rushed to his groin and he closed his eyes briefly to force the images away. Lexia touched his hand. He flinched and his eyes popped open.
Lexia came up on her knees. “Are you hurting? I thought you hurt your right hand.”
“I’m fine and I did. My hand is sore from knocking the hell out of my manager yesterday. I’ll tell you about it after we’re done. I don’t want your muscles to get cold.” Her concerned gaze searched his face, seemingly to gauge if he was being truthful. “I promise I’m okay. Lie back down and keep your knees bent.”
She nodded and resumed her previous position.
Khalil tied the resistance band around her knees. He ran his hand up the outside of her thighs. “This is for your outer thighs.” He pulled her knees apart, stretching the band. “Three sets of twenty, holding for three seconds.” Once again, he had to look away. The sight of her slightly spread legs conjured up memories of the way she had clamped down on his hand as he pleasured her. He grew harder and harder. By the end of her first set, he couldn’t take it anymore. Khalil reached over and untied the band.
Lexia braced herself on an elbow. “What are you doing? That was only one set. I thought you said three. I’m not finished.”
“No, you aren’t. But we’re going to have to finish it in a different way.” Khalil got up on all fours and moved until he was over her. “Do you know how hard it is for me to sit here and watch you, when all I want to do is make love to you? Let me show you how much, baby.”
She lifted her hand and signed, yes.
He lowered his head and captured her mouth in a slow, drugging kiss. He’d wanted her from the first time they met. He had planned for their first time to be in a bed, but there was no way he’d make the ten-minute drive to her house. “We really should be doing this in a bed, but I can’t wait, sweetheart. I promise to make it up to you next time.” He came to his knees, bringing her into a sitting position and removed
her top and blue sports bra. He kissed her back down on the mat and trailed kisses over her neck, chest and breasts. He used his tongue to tease and suck, first one nipple, then the other. Khalil kissed his way down her belly, hooked his thumbs in the waistband of her leggings and slid them, along with her panties, down and off. He tossed them aside and continued his quest. His lips grazed her center, inner thighs and behind her knees. She arched and writhed, arousing him further. He took another slow tour back up her body, pausing to shed his own clothes and don a condom. He lowered himself on her and shuddered as their warm, naked flesh came together.
Lexia grasped his head and pulled him down for a kiss that left him gasping for breath. “What are you waiting for?” she mouthed.
“For you to invite me in.”
She smiled, reached between them, grabbed his shaft and guided him inside her.
It was all the invitation he needed. Her tight walls clenched him and he gritted his teeth to keep from losing control. “You ready to finish your workout?”
She nodded.
“Good. I know we already worked your inner thighs, but one more set won’t hurt. Squeeze your knees against me just like you did with the ball.” He punctuated each press with a slow, deep thrust, pulling out to the tip each time. They both trembled. He kept up the measured pace and watched the play of passion across her features.
Her nails dug into the flesh of his back and she arched higher to take him deeper.
Khalil fused his mouth with hers and she twirled her tongue around his, provocatively and sensually. He groaned. “Now,” he said as he shifted until his thighs were on the outside of hers, “you have two more sets to work these.” His hands feathered down her hips to her knees.
Lexia’s mouth opened with a perfect O and her eyes drifted closed. In this position, he grazed her clit with every stroke.
The pressure of her holding him so snugly made him increase the tempo, delving deeper into her with each rhythmic push and she matched his fluid movements. Khalil gripped her hips and ground his body into hers. Her body began to shake and he buried his face in her throat, needing to feel the vibration of her voice when she came. As spasms racked her body, it triggered his own release and the climax shot through him with a force that left him weak and panting. He groaned and called her name. Closing his eyes, he collapsed and shifted his body so as not to put all his weight on her. For weeks he had imagined what it would be like when they finally made love, but the real thing had surpassed his most erotic fantasies. Lexia tapped him on the shoulder and he lifted his head.
A Touch of Love Page 13