"Am I too early?"
She shook her head, waving him inside and shutting the door. She clutched the lapels of her robe tightly shut and swallowed hard, shifting her bare feet. She curled her bubblegum pink toenails and blew out a breath.
"Val? Everything okay?" Feeling foolish holding the enormous arrangement of flowers, Mac glanced around for a table to set them on. At a soft swishing sound, Mac turned back to Val.
The robe lay puddled around her feet. Emerald lace cupped her full breasts and matching sheer panels flirted with the tops of her thighs. A scrap of lace covered the apex of them. Was Val standing in front of him in lingerie? Mac blinked hard. With difficulty, he dragged his gaze back to her face.
"I decided to skip ahead." She drew a deep breath, making her full breasts swell over the lacy cups of her bra and clapped a hand to her chest. "Mac? You okay?"
Mac stared at her, trying to imprint this moment on his memory for all time. Valentina, the woman of his dreams, stood in front of him, dressed in the sexiest lingerie he'd ever seen. He pinched his forearm, hard. She laughed, a low, husky chuckle, and stepped forward, raising her hand to his chest, right over his pounding heart. She stood on her tiptoes to press a kiss to his mouth.
And that simple kiss shredded the shock. He dropped the flowers, pulling her tight against him, running his hand down her sides, feeling the texture of finest lace, sheerest fabric, and finally, her silky warm skin. She slid her hands up his shoulders, arching against him, her hardened nipples dragging across his chest.
And Mac lost what little was left of his mind. He pressed her back into the wall, rocking against her, ready and eager as he devoured her mouth. She wrapped one long shapely leg around him, as they kissed each other. Val nipped his lower lip, before sliding her tongue over the sting and exploring his mouth. Dizzy, more than a little overwhelmed, Mac broke their kiss, his breathing ragged. He had to slow down or this would be over before it had even begun.
He kissed his way down her neck and over the tops of her breasts, as he caressed her bare thighs, slowly moving toward her center. Just as his mouth captured her nipple through the lace, he slid his fingertips under the panties, gratified to find her slick and ready for him. She moaned, cradling the back of his head and clutching at his shoulders. She rocked against his fingers as he circled her before filling her with his fingers. In seconds, she moaned, her inner walls clenching around him as she came fast and hard.
He stepped back, fumbling for the foil packet in his front pocket as her chest heaved. She opened her eyes and smiled at him, a grin that promised him untold delights to come. He covered himself with the condom as she stepped out of her panties. She pulled him to the floor, wrapping her legs around him, as he thrust deep inside her. They rolled together in the entryway and crushed the flowers, rose petals scenting the air as they claimed each other.
Mac shifted and sat up, pulling her down on top of him and tugging down the straps of her top. She rode him hard and fast as he sucked on her rosy nipples, cupping her perfect bottom as he slammed up into her. Val threaded her hands through his hair and tugged. Their eyes met, as they thrust together, each chasing their own climax.
Slowly, in contrast to their frantic joining, Val lowered her mouth to his, sucking on his lower lip as she spasmed around him again, a longer, deeper release. Mac only managed a few more thrusts before following her into bliss.
They clutched each other, their sweat-slicked skin sticking together but neither wanting to let go first. They kissed lazily, as she sprawled over his lap, their breathing slowly returning to normal. He caressed her back, dropping his head to her shoulder.
"Hell of a first date." Mac finally said.
"I couldn't wait any more for you."
Mac smiled against her shoulder, pulling her closer. He felt exactly the same but just said, "I think we missed our reservation."
"Kennedy made us a picnic. We won't starve. Besides, you're going to need all your strength tonight. I have many wicked plans for you."
"Good." Mac smiled up at her, pressing a kiss to the back of her hand. "Think we'll make it as far as the bedroom this time?"
"I was thinking the kitchen counter, but I'm flexible..."
Early the next morning, Mac and Val walked into Cupid's Coffeeshop, hand-in-hand and smiling giddily. Zooey stood on a ladder in the bow window, taking down the glittery red and pink hearts and replacing them with kelly-green shamrocks. When he caught sight of Val, Patrick hastily hid the glittery hearts behind his back and backed up a step.
"Hey, Val. At least Valentine's is over for another year." Patrick handed a shiny metallic shamrock up to Zooey.
Val put her arm around Mac and said, "I think I might not mind it so much, from now on."
"Now that we know how to celebrate it." Mac kissed her forehead and drew her toward the counter, manned by a drowsy Joe.
"I'll take a Cupid's Kiss, please." Val beamed at Joe who shot a glance toward his cousins, eyebrows raised.
"Awww. They are so cute." Zooey stage whispered to Patrick as Mac and Val settled near the fire.
"It's like love city in here." Joe complained, propping his head on his hand, his elbow resting on the counter, before giving up and resting his head on his folded arms.
Patrick tapped a dozing Joe on the head. "Aren't you going to work on your magic drink for March?"
"That's easy. Irish Coffee." Joe said with a yawn as he stood and scratched his ribs before stretching his arms over his head.
"Tiny detail. We don't have a liquor license, Joe."
"I’ll make it a virgin, like you, Paddy-cakes." Joe rattled cups and frothed milk for a few moments, a furrow appearing between his eyebrows. "I think I'll call it Rock your Shams."
"No, you will not call it that." Patrick said firmly. "Absolutely not."
"Leprechaun Latte?"
"Lucky Latte?" Zooey suggested. "Since all the couples so far have gotten lucky."
"Sounds good to me! Lucky Latte it is. Now I just have to figure out how to make it."
THE END.
Are you ready to get lucky in March? Please read March’s story, Lucky Latte, next.
When Claire O’Shaughnessy needs a date for her younger sister’s upcoming wedding, her new co-worker Grayson March offers to help her—for a price. She’ll have to let him work with her on their firms biggest account.
To pose as her lover, Grayson takes a crash course in getting to know Claire. They quickly learn that a fake romance might just turn out to be the real thing…in Lucky Latte, third in the Cupid’s Coffeeshop series.
Lucky Latte
Third in the
Cupid’s Coffeeshop
Series
By
Courtney Hunt
Lucky Latte
Copyright © Courtney Hunt 2016
All Rights Reserved
This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the copyright owner except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, places, events, business establishments or locales is entirely coincidental.
First Digital Edition: March 2016
www.Courtney-Hunt.com
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Author’s Note
For my mother, with love.
I’m lucky to have you.
Chapter One
"Okay, this one will be the one." Claire O'Shaughnessy gave herself a pep talk as she paced in front of Cupid's Coffeeshop, ignoring the cold drizzle spitting from the sky on such a dreary early March afternoon. "I'm not looking for love or marriage. Just a date for my sister's wedding. It shouldn't be this hard."
"Talking to yourself is usually cons
idered a bad sign." At the honeyed twang behind her, Claire's shoulders' tensed and her hands balled into fists. She spun around to see the devil himself standing behind her, holding a sunshine yellow umbrella. That is, if the devil came from Texas and looked like sin. Tall, with broad shoulders, blonde hair, and indigo eyes, Grayson March had a face carved by the angels. Too bad he was evil—and temptation—incarnate. Looks are deceiving, her Irish grandmother always told her. As usual, Gram was right.
"Do you need something, March?"
"Just wondering why you're wearing a rut in the cobblestones out here in the rain, mumbling to yourself." Grayson stepped closer to her, tilting his daffodil-colored umbrella to cover her head too. Claire narrowed her eyes at him, but he grinned sunnily down at her. If he weren't so evil, she'd be tempted by that pretty face. Good thing she knew better.
"I'm meeting someone."
"Someone imaginary?" Grayson peered around the cobblestone square, deserted now in the late winter rain. "Get stood up?"
"Hardly." Claire gritted her teeth and glanced at her watch. As her online meet-up was over twenty minutes late, Grayson was probably right. Still, she'd rather stand out here and get rained on than admit it.
"Well, if you'd like to keep waiting, you can borrow my umbrella. I'm going inside where it's warm."
A gust of wind rattled through the square, shaking the bare tree branches and spattering the umbrella with a staccato of heavy drops. Claire sighed. Looked like her potential Prince Charming wasn't coming. With as much grace and dignity as she could muster, Claire stepped inside the shop. She waved to her best friends, Kennedy, Val, and Joy, enjoying cozy seats near the warm fire. Grayson shook out his umbrella and smirked before gesturing for her to precede him to the counter. Claire resisted rolling her eyes with difficulty and stepped forward to place her order.
"Want to try a Lucky Latte?" Zooey Lockhart, one of the co-owners of Cupid's Coffeeshop, greeted her with a warm smile.
"Why not? I need all the luck I can get."
"Still no luck on finding a date?" Zooey asked sympathetically as her fellow co-owner and cousin, Joe, set to work on Claire's order. The third co-owner and Zooey's brother, Patrick, headed over to her group of friends, coffee carafe in hand and offering refills.
"I'll just have to go stag."
"I'd go with you, beautiful, but someone's gotta make these coffee concoctions." Joe winked at her, pushing an oversized crimson coffee mug toward her. "Here ya go. One Lucky Latte, extra luck."
Without a glance at Grayson, Claire carried the drink carefully to the sofa, admiring the adorable shamrock latte art on top. She settled in next to her friend, Val, owner of Val's Cards and Gifts directly opposite Cupid's Coffeeshop in the square. Val didn't look up from her phone. Claire sipped her drink—a heavenly mixture of chocolate and mint—and stretched her toes out toward the warmth of the fire. "I won't be able to drink many of these if I want to fit into my maid-of-honor dress."
"Lots of calories, but worth it." Val said, her thumbs flying over her phone as she texted.
"So, that was it. My last hope of finding someone suitable to bring to the wedding."
"You could go by yourself." Her other best friend, Kennedy, the chef at the Ashford Falls Cafe, reminded her.
"If my mother hadn't told my Gram I'd been dating someone special, I would. I don't want to see the disappointment on Gram's face or the worry in her eyes. She's old. This might be her last trip to America. Not to mention my mother will kill me. It’s bad enough that my younger sister is marrying first but now I’m still single on top of it."
"Your Gram will outlive us all." The third friend of their quartet, Joy Baker, put in. "Just go by yourself. You'll have fun. You might meet someone."
"All the relatives from Ireland will be clucking 'Oh Poor Claire! She's on the shelf. A spinster. No hope of her marrying now.' Who needs it?"
"You talk like you're Gram's age." Joy laughed. "You're only 26."
"Doesn't your Mac have any friends, Val?"
Startled, Val looked up from her phone, smiling dopily. As she and her Mac had only been together a few weeks, Claire refrained from teasing her.
"Well, Mac's friend Pete is pretty cute. But he's married with three kids."
"All the good ones are married." Claire flung her head back on the sofa, closed her eyes, and sighed.
"Dramatic much?" Kennedy laughed. "Just find a man to go with you."
"And where should I do that, I'd like to know? Men R Us? Order him off Amazon? It's not so easy. I mean, I can go to a club and pick someone up. I'm a reasonably attractive woman." All her friends nodded quick agreement. "But for this, I need someone special. Days of wedding celebrations at a tiny B&B miles from anywhere. Not to mention my crazy family."
"Days? It's just a rehearsal dinner and then the actual wedding. Barely two days, Claire." Joy said, shaking her head. "You'll be fine. Here, have a cookie."
Claire took the shamrock shaped cookie, covered in swirls of different shades of green royal icing and bit into it, enjoying the taste of the lemony shortbread. "These are amazing, Joy. You should open up your own bakery."
Joy flushed with shy pride and shrugged. "Just doing a bit of baking to save up for my wedding."
"Ugh, now you've done it. Your cookie made me forget about my problems for a few all too brief moments, but now...."
"O'Shaughnessy." Claire tensed all over. She hated the way Grayson said her name, in that low sweet drawl, like a caress. She turned slowly to see Grayson seated at a table nearby, a tablet in front of him and a half-eaten shamrock cookie on a plate next to him. He cradled a scarlet coffee mug in his large hand.
"What?" Claire snapped, peevishly. "It's not enough you ruin my working hours but now my leisure time too?"
"Claire, aren't you going to introduce us?" Joy, no doubt horrified by Claire's rudeness, attempted to smooth over the moment.
"Yes, Claire, do introduce us." Kennedy said, her voice a low, sultry purr. Gorgeous Grayson March would be just her type.
"Ladies, meet Grayson March. We work together. Unfortunately." Grayson stood, all grace and poise, handsome in his silvery gray suit with a lavender tie and matching shirt, just the right color to set off his beautiful eyes. Did he pick that exact shade of lavender on purpose? Claire wondered as he shook hands with her friends and grinned warmly at each in turn. Vain job-stealing peacock.
"Please, join us." Kennedy invited, raking her hungry gaze over Grayson. Well, Kennedy was welcome to him.
Grayson settled between her and Val on the sofa. Claire crossed her arms over her chest and glared daggers at him, shifting away when he bumped her thigh with his own warm one. Well, he was the devil. Figured he would burn hot.
"So, couldn't help but overhear, O'Shaughnessy, that you're having a hard time finding a date for your party."
"It's not a party. It's my sister's wedding." Claire bit out. "And you were eavesdropping."
"Maybe I was." Grayson flashed his adorable dimples. "I'll go with you."
"You? I'd rather go with my eighty-year-old neighbor."
"It's not a bad idea, Claire." Joy chimed in and Claire's jaw sagged in shock as Val and Kennedy nodded agreement, smiling warmly at Grayson.
"Are you three daft? I'd rather go stag than go with him."
"Claire, don't be rude." Joy said and Claire rolled her eyes like a surly teenager.
"Oh, don’t mind us. That’s just how O’Shaughnessy shows her affection for me.”
“Affection’s not quite the right word, March.” Claire said, sweetly.
“I'm sure you'll find some poor sucker to take you." Grayson said easily and turned to Kennedy with a gorgeous smile. "What do you do? Kennedy, is it?"
As he chatted with her friends, Claire considered. Grayson was handsome. He'd look good in pictures from the event. He could be charming, as he was with her friends right now. If she showed up without a date, her mother's wrath would be awesome to behold, not to mention everyone in her extremely large I
rish family would be trying to fix her up for years to come.
"Fine. You can come." Claire burst out, interrupting Joy explaining about her cookie sideline.
Grayson turned to her and eyed her appraisingly. "I'd be delighted to escort you to your sister's wedding, assuming you let me have the Henderson audit."
"And why should I let you work with me on my biggest client account?"
"You need a date. I need a big project with the yearly bonuses coming up."
"Shark." Claire spat. This was why she loathed him so much. That and his creative ideas in meetings. Or the easy way he'd charmed all her co-workers and that her boss, Buzz, seemed to believe the sun shone out of Grayson's every orifice. She glared at Grayson.
Grayson smirked and stood up. "Enjoy your party. Nice to meet you, ladies."
"Fine. Fine! I'll share the account with you."
"I'll be the lead auditor. You'll work under me."
Claire ignored the innuendo in his words. She ground her teeth and refused to look at Grayson. Only the thought of disappointing her grandmother made her nod once.
"Looking forward to it, O'Shaughnessy."
Chapter Two
Mid-morning the next day, Claire clicked through her spreadsheet at work, checking the calculations for her most recent audit. Ever since she was a girl, she'd adored math and loved solving problems, pulling order out of chaos. Unlike in life, where awkward social situations left no right choice most of the time, math always granted her a correct solution. She was so lost in her spreadsheet that she jumped at the sound of Grayson's voice, knocking her knee hard on the underside of her desk. She looked up to find him smiling down at her, standing at the corner of her desk.
"What?" Claire rubbed her knee. Her heartbeat sped up but she told herself it was just because he’d startled her.
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