Page 1 of Sexpresso Night

Chapter One

How long was he going to just lie there?

Not that she minded being on top, but dammit, she just wanted him to take charge for once!

Chris looked up at her, his mouth curving into a lazy smile. “What?”

The softness of his touch, his erection brushing her hip, his gentle smile, made her want to weep with longing for more—forceful hands, demanding kisses, the weight of a hard body pressing her down. She closed her eyes against the dark hunger rising inside her, the craving to be pushed, taken to the edge.

And he had no clue. She searched for the words to tell him how she felt. Her eyes fell on the silk neck tie he’d discarded earlier, draped over the night table. She reached across him for it.

The cool silk slid through her fingers as she held it up. “Here.”

He blinked. “Huh?”

“Tie me up. Do whatever you want.”

His body jerked so hard she actually tumbled off him. He sat up, his eyebrows pinched together, mouth a tight line. “What the hell? Tie you up?”

She swallowed and pushed her hair off her face. And laughed. “I’m joking. A joke.”

He subsided back onto the pillows. “Oh.” Not laughing. Not even smiling. Well, that had been a genius move.

Cheeks scorching, stomach tight, she flopped to her back and stared at the ceiling.

* * *

“She’s in a hurry to see her hot barista guy.”

“I am not!” Danya slowed her pace and slanted a look at her friend Jenny walking beside her, her dark hair glinting in the sunlight, a mischievous smile curving her lips. “I’m just…thirsty.”

“Mmm. Sure. Me too.” Marina, on her other side, smiled too, her pale blonde hair and skin a contrast to Jenny’s darkness. “It’s okay, Danya. We won’t tell Chris.”

“We’re just friends.” Even as Danya said the words, a tiny stab of guilt pierced her. She knew she looked forward to Sunday afternoon coffees with the girls way too much—because of Carter, the barista at Karma Coffee. In fact, sometimes she went early so she could sit and talk to him.

And yes, a friendship of sorts had grown between them. Sparks of mutual attraction had ignited the flirtation, but they’d both known it wasn’t something they were ever going to let grow into full-blown flames, and now an easy rapport had developed—okay, an easy, sexy rapport with a naughty edge.

The three friends strolled along the sidewalk of Cabrillo Boulevard in Santa Barbara. The sun had burned away the early morning fog over the Pacific Ocean and now shone warm and bright. Palm trees lining the boulevard swayed in the gentle offshore breeze.

Seagulls soared in the azure sky and sandpipers hopped over the sand. There weren’t many people on the beach yet but it would soon be packed with sun worshipers. On the horizon, the Channel Islands shimmered like a distant mirage in the hazy remnants of the fog.

Danya pulled open the door of the small coffee shop and stepped in, breathing in the air rich with the scent of roasted coffee beans and warm with steam. The hiss of the espresso maker, the clink of spoons against cups, and the chatter of patrons mingled with some jazzy background music.

As they found a table in the sunny window, her eyes were already searching for Carter. And yes, there he was, behind the counter, wearing a white apron over a black T-shirt and nicely worn jeans that sat low on his hips. The apron emphasized his broad shoulders and rounded biceps, and when he turned around and said something to one of the girls working there, Danya could see how the jeans showed off a really awesome ass.

She sighed and smiled with pleasure. Then he turned back and caught her eye, just as she was ogling his butt. Her face heated. God, she was probably turning ten shades of pink. He grinned and lifted a hand. She gave him a weak smile and looked up at the menu even though she knew it by heart and knew what she was going to order.

“I’ll save the table,” Jenny said. “Get me a double tall Americano.”

As she waited in line, Danya’s eyes kept flicking to Carter, serving people at the counter, laughing and joking with them. His dark hair was a bit long and messy on top, short on the sides. Neat sideburns dipped into a perpetual five o’clock shadow that made him look a little wicked, his chin square, cheekbones high, his eyes espresso-dark.

And he kept looking at her too, eyes crinkling a little at the corners, lips curving into a sexy smile.

“So, what did you and Chris do last night?” Marina asked as they waited to place their order.

“Nothing,” Danya said. “He worked all day and he was too tired to go out.”

“You have got to be kidding me.”

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