by Parker, Ali
“Yep, I’ll be here. Hey, don’t worry about this little slump. It’s hot, once we’re out of this little heat wave, business will pick up,” she said with a smile.
“I’m not worried,” I lied.
“See you tomorrow,” she said with a wave as she walked out the door.
I sighed, looking around the empty shop. I moved into the dining room, trying to see it with fresh eyes. I liked my shop. I thought it was comfortable and clean. The music was soft, and the ambiance was fresh and upbeat.
“Hey, I think you’re on the wrong side of the counter,” one of my regulars said, walking through the door.
I turned to see Jarrod, iced mocha with an extra shot of the good stuff, come through the door. “Hi there, you’re late today,” I said, moving back behind the counter to get started on his drink.
“I had an early meeting. I had to get one of those godawful coffees from a cart. You have me spoiled with the good stuff,” he joked.
“That’s the goal. I want you to keep coming back,” I said with a laugh.
“It’s working. One of these days you’re going to have to tell me who your supplier is.”
I shook my head. “That’s my secret.”
I quickly made the drink, not wanting to delay him at all. My customers were busy people. I had to keep them happy and that meant getting them what they wanted in a hurry.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said, taking his drink and rushing out the door.
I guessed it was a compliment he left his office to come over to the shop to get his fix. I needed more of him. I got busy, wiping things down and preparing for the afternoon slump rush. That’s when I got the chance to make new regular customers. I shouldn’t have let Cara go, I realized. I could serve twice as many people with two of us on shift.
“Too late now,” I mumbled to myself, glancing over my shoulder to make sure no one was there to hear me talking to myself.
It was clear. I did a quick dash to the back to grab a few things and quickly stocked up, anticipating a rush. I kept myself busy, thinking about Mason and trying to analyze my feelings for him. I wasn’t sure what I was doing. Things were moving fast between us, or at least they were moving fast for me.
I knew I was taking a huge risk by letting myself fall for him. The man could break my heart. I missed him like crazy. We weren’t even officially a couple and I found myself missing him and wanting to be with him when we were apart. I felt like a schoolgirl with a mad crush on the popular football player. I wanted to write his name and draw little hearts around it.
Pumping the brakes and slowing things down seemed like a very good idea, but I couldn’t quite bring myself to do it. I was having too much fun with him. I didn’t know how he felt but got the idea he was enjoying whatever it was we had going on. If I started getting in too deep, I would pull back. I couldn’t risk him stomping all over my heart. I didn’t think I would recover from something like that. I had to promise myself to be ready to let him go if it came to that. I couldn’t let myself get too caught up and blinded by love for a man who would probably never be able to love me back.
Mason was a good man, but I wasn’t convinced he was emotionally capable of truly loving anyone. He was still carrying a lot of baggage from his childhood. He wouldn’t be ready to have a real relationship until he dealt with all of that. I knew that and would keep reminding myself of that fact. I wouldn’t get caught up.
“Too late for that,” I grumbled.
Chapter 43
Mason
I’d been waiting all day and I didn’t want to wait any longer. She had said she had cleaning duties and all that shit, but I’d seen her clean up before. I wanted to see her. I missed her. Even if I had to sit and watch her make coffee and wipe down tables, it would be enough. I grabbed my keys and headed to the parking garage. I looked at my Harley. I wasn’t ready to ride quite yet. I wasn’t giving it up, but there was a new apprehension. The idea of my body skidding across pavement so soon after the last time did not appeal to me.
I drove to her shop and went inside. She was wearing the same black pants and the white shirt I was so used to seeing her in. She turned around and saw me staring at her.
“Hey, sexy,” I said with a grin.
She smiled. “You’re early, like really early.”
“I couldn’t stay away. I missed you too much.”
She came around the counter. “I think that’s probably about the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard.”
“There’s plenty more where that came from. I can whisper all kinds of sweet things in your ear or take it up a notch and make you blush,” I offered.
“Stop. You are impossible,” she teased.
I wrapped my arms around her, giving her a chaste kiss before releasing her. I didn’t trust myself to stay too close. I could smell her scent under the aroma of coffee that always seemed to cling to her. It was her signature smell and I wouldn’t change a thing about it. It reminded me of that first night we were together. She’d had that spicy perfume on, but I also detected a hint of coffee. It was a smell unique to her.
“I hope you don’t mind if I hang out for a bit. I had nothing better to do at home and the thought of watching you move around was too much to resist. I could help you, if you’d like?” I offered.
She laughed. “Thank you, but I can handle it. I’m almost done. It’s been a pretty slow day.”
“Ouch, that’s not good,” I mumbled, taking a seat at one of the tables.
“Can I get you anything? It’s a little late for coffee, but I can make you something else,” she offered.
I shook my head. “Unless you got a cold beer stashed back there, I’m good.”
She scoffed. “I wish.”
“I guess I’ll have to wait until we get back to my place,” I said, just throwing the idea out there.
She raised an eyebrow. “Get back to your place, huh?”
I shrugged. “I was checking to see if you were listening.”
“I’m always listening. How are you feeling?”
“Good. Bruising is almost gone,” I said, fudging the truth a little.
She tilted her head to the side. “Liar. How’s the arm?”
“It’s almost healed. I get to take the bandage off tomorrow. There are a few spots that I still have to keep covered, but the doctor said the rest had healed well.”
She sighed, shaking her head. “You really did get very lucky.”
“I know. I’m very thankful for it,” I told her, realizing every day I had on this earth was not a guarantee.
I wanted to stick around and get to know her better. I had replayed the accident in my head over and over. Bits and pieces of it were coming back to me. I remembered being pissed at her. I was headed home to pack my shit and leave town. I hadn’t been driving reckless, but I had a feeling if I would have been more focused on the road and my surroundings, I might have noticed the car speeding at me. I jerked, remembering the moment my body hit the pavement with some serious force. Things were a bit of a blur after that, but I remembered coming to and trying to remember what the last thing I said to her was.
I wasn’t a sentimental person, but I wasn’t okay with having regrets. I didn’t like regrets. If I regretted something, that was on me. I was of the firm belief regrets were the product of bad decisions that were purposely made.
“I think you gave everyone a good scare. Maybe that was your intention, you little drama queen,” she teased.
I chuckled and nodded. “Did it work?”
“I guess that depends on what your goal was.”
I grinned. “I have no regrets.”
“I will kick your ass personally if that accident was all just a trick to get me back in your bed.”
“No, you won’t. You like my ass too much to do that,” I shot back.
She was moving around the dining room, pushing in chairs and straightening little things here and there. “You are very sure of yourself, aren’t you?”
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��I am. Being with you and hearing you beg me for more is proof I have good reason to be sure of myself,” I teased, smiling as she blushed a little.
“You are in quite a mood tonight,” she said with a giggle.
“I’ve been away from you too long.”
I watched her move behind the counter, admiring her curves and finding her incredibly attractive. The woman had a beautiful ass. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. There was a quiet confidence in the way she moved. It was something that I was drawn to now, but before I got the chance to know her, I had been put off by it. I had pegged her to be stuck up and too confident. Deanna had been so kind to point out I carried myself the same way, except she called it cocky instead of confident.
She walked to the door, flipped the sign, and locked the deadbolt.
“Closed?” I asked her excitedly. The sooner she was locked up, the sooner I could have her all to myself. I was hoping to convince her to come back to my place. Hell, I’d go to her place. I just wanted to be alone with her.
She nodded. “Really no point in staying open another ten minutes. I’m guessing there isn’t going to be a mad dash for a cup of coffee on a Tuesday night.”
“Probably not.”
She took off her apron and tucked it under the bar before coming to have a seat at the table. She looked nervous as hell. “Thanks for coming here.”
“We could have talked at my place,” I suggested.
She laughed. “No, we couldn’t have. I have a feeling there would be very little talking if we were alone in my place or yours.”
“We’re alone here,” I reminded her.
“There’s no bed.”
“Baby, I don’t need a bed.”
“Stop. This is serious,” she warned.
I let out an exaggerated sigh. “Fine. What’s so serious?”
She looked down at her hands, wringing them nervously. “I wanted to ask if you were serious about the investor thing,” she said, her voice so low I almost didn’t hear her.
“Yes, I am serious. Are you willing to accept my investment?”
“Yes, but I want it all very official. I want contracts and a repayment schedule,” she started.
I shook my head. “I’m not loaning you the money. I’m investing in your business.”
“I want to pay you back.”
“You’ll pay me back through a percentage of profits once things start running in the black,” I told her.
I didn’t really know how it all worked. That’s what my financial advisor did. He told me what was what, I signed my name, and never thought about it again. I didn’t really want to get into her business, but I did want to make her life easier.
“Is this a huge mistake?” she asked.
“No, it isn’t. I know how important the coffee shop is to you. I am in a position to help and invest in what I think is a great business.”
She blew out her cheeks. “I hate that I have to ask. It’s really embarrassing.”
“Don’t be embarrassed. I want your coffee shop to be a success. I think you have a great idea and with a little infusion of cash, it can be brought to life,” I assured her.
“I really do appreciate it, and I am going to do everything I can to make sure you get a good return on your investment. Thank you so much for doing this. I hate to admit it, but I am not doing great here. I’m looking at closing the doors without your investment,” she said, looking into my eyes.
That surprised me. I had no idea it was that serious. I was amazed at her resilience. “Wow.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I know. I don’t know where I went wrong.”
“No, I mean, wow, I didn’t realize it was that bad. You don’t let it show,” I told her.
She smiled. “I’m really good at burying my emotions and hiding my feelings.”
“I’m sorry you’ve been dealing with this. It has to be stressful.”
She shrugged a shoulder. “It’s not that bad.”
“I am hoping to help you de-stress. You can hire more staff, then take some time off and hang out with me,” I said with a grin.
She raised her brows. “You assume I’d spend that extra time with you?”
I chuckled. “Yes.”
“You sound very sure of yourself.”
I got up from my chair and reached out to grab her hand, pulling her to her feet. “I’m very sure of myself. Isn’t that what you like about me?”
“I like many things about you, but your cockiness, I’m still deciding on that one.”
I pushed her hand down to my crotch, pressing it against my growing arousal. “This is my cockiness, and I don’t think there’s ever been any question about whether or not you like it.”
“You’re so bad.” She breathed out.
I lowered my mouth to hers, brushing my lips over hers before applying more pressure. She let out a small moan, which I swallowed, pushing my tongue inside her mouth.
“I want you.” I breathed. “I need you now.”
“We can’t. Not here,” she whispered.
“Back. I’m not waiting. I’ve been without you for two days. That’s two days too long.” I growled.
“Mason.” She gasped when I reached around and squeezed her ass hard, yanking her body against mine and grinding my hips.
“I’m not joking. You can take me to the back or I will take you right here on this table,” I told her, not joking around in the slightest.
“This is so wrong.” She gasped.
“I’m not playing, Adelaide. I’m going to strip these pants off your body and bury myself inside you. I don’t care how many people walk by that window and see us. I have to have you and I have to have you now.” I growled, my body already primed and ready.
It took very little to get me excited when I was around her. She pushed all the right buttons with me. I wanted her over and over. The very moment I walked through the door, I had grown hard with my need for her.
“Okay,” she said, pulling away from me and walking behind the counter.
I followed her behind the counter and through a small door. I grinned when she stopped and turned to face me. She was looking at me with nervousness.
“We’re alone,” I told her.
She nodded. “We’re alone.”
“I’ve missed you,” I said, brushing the back of my knuckles over her jawline.
“I’ve missed you too.”
We stared at each other for several, long, pregnant seconds. I stepped toward her, using my body to push her backward until she was against the wall. Her mouth dropped open when I reached for her hands, pinning them against the wall beside her head, and ground my mouth against hers, holding her prisoner with my body.
Chapter 44
Adelaide
My heart was racing as his body held mine against the wall. He had a way of working me up without doing much of anything. It was the way he talked and the way he looked at me, as if he were devouring me slowly with his eyes. I could feel his hardness pushed against my belly and wanted more. I had never had sex in my coffee shop. The thought had never occurred to me. Why would it? I wasn’t a risky person and having sex in my coffee shop after hours was far more daring than I had ever been.
His mouth dropped to my neck, hot and wet as he moved over the sensitive flesh, the back of my hands pressed against the wall as he dominated my body with his. He was hot, wild, and completely feral. He was breathing hard when his mouth rejoined with mine.
One of his hands dropped mine and worked at the button on my pants. I ran my fingers through his hair with my free hand, moving over his scalp and pulling him closer as his tongue pushed inside my mouth. I heard my zipper go down and a second later my pants were sliding over my hips. They were hooked around my knees when his hand reached under my panties, his finger like a heat-seeking missile.
“Oh God!” I cried out when he pushed his finger inside me without hesitation.
My body immediately opened for him, welcoming his invasion as he plunged deep befor
e drawing it out and circling over my sensitive nub. I gasped, the sensations rolling over my body were intense.
“You want me,” he rasped out the words.
“Yes.” I panted.
“Turn around,” he demanded.
My eyes opened to find his hazel ones staring back at me. He was a man on a mission. I was happy to be a part of that mission. I kicked off my shoes and shimmied out of my pants while he worked at his jeans. I stood facing the wall, waiting for him to tell me what to do next. I was completely at his mercy. His hands dropped to my hips, yanking me backward a little. I bent forward, pressing my palms flat against the wall, bracing myself for his first thrust.
His hands parted my legs, his finger finding home again and pushing inside, tickling and tantalizing until I was on the verge of an orgasm. He stopped moving and pulled his finger out, bending over me to press his chest against my back. One hand reached up, pushing my hair away from my neck before he lowered his mouth and began to suck.
I groaned with pleasure. When his finger slid back inside me, I could feel the orgasm inching closer. His mouth worked over the sensitive flesh on my neck. He jerked the shirt to the side, exposing more flesh for him to feast upon.
“I want you to let go, now.” He growled.
I moaned, my forehead rolling over the wall as he worked his finger inside me. “I can’t.”
Despite how good it felt, my mind kept going back to the idea of being in the back room of my coffee shop. It was risky. We could get caught. I didn’t want anyone to happen to walk in and find me being nailed against the wall by the sexy beast behind me. I quickly reminded myself the door was locked. Deanna and one other employee had the keys. They wouldn’t stop by on a Tuesday night.
“You can. I can feel your need.” He breathed into my ear.
His finger pushed in higher, his mouth clamping down on my neck, biting and sucking hard. It was raw, gritty, and felt so good I had no choice but to give him what he demanded. I cried out, my back arching as my body wept over his finger. My legs trembled with the force of the orgasm.