Page 13 of The Hot New Bartender in Town

I look down, my cheeks burning. “So it would seem.”

“Not that I’m complaining,” he adds with a smirk as he steps forward and sets the objects down on the kitchen table.

“I just woke up,” I explain as I approach the table with the sheet wrapped around me again. “You were gone.”

“Yeah, sorry,” he says. “You, uh... looked really peaceful, so I didn’t want to wake you.”

“That’s okay,” I say, smiling at the sweet gesture.

“And it’s always fun to sneak out and grab breakfast before the girl wakes up.” He holds up a coffee. “I figured a latte was a safe bet.”

“The safest,” I say, happy to take it. “Thank you.” I embrace it between my palms, my cold fingers tingling from the warmth. “What’s in the bag?”

“Bagels.”

“I like bagels.”

“Me, too. To tell you the truth, being right across the street from a coffee shop was one of the main reasons I rented this place.”

“Proximity to work helped, too, I bet.”

As he opens the bag, Cat Jake leaps up onto the table, his tail high and curled. “Does he like bagels, too?” I joke.

“He likes the cream cheese,” Riley says as he reaches out to scratch him behind the ear. “Don’t you, buddy?”

Jake rubs his head against Riley’s palm, purring softly.

I smile. Gotta love a guy who loves animals. “Speaking of work...” I say.

“You have to leave?”

“Soon,” I say with a nod. “But there’s always time for coffee and...”

I notice the way his gaze drifts toward my mouth, and I pause.

“Bagels?” he finishes as he oh-so-slightly leans into my personal space.

“Yeah,” I whisper. “Coffee and...”

He kisses me. His hand comes to rest on my cheek, his fingers warm and wonderful. “Sorry,” he says, licking his lips as he tilts back. “You just looked really cute.”

I blush. “Thanks.”

As Riley looks at me again, he bites his lip hesitantly. “Listen, Tish. I, uh...”

And just like that, my stomach drops.

“What?” I ask.

I…

I was hoping you’d be gone by the time I got back?

I have a girlfriend?

Or, the worst of all...

“I don’t know about you,” he says, clearly stalling, “but...”

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