Page 2 of Grump of Misty Mountain

“Did you want one, Finn?” Sami asked.

Silence filled the cinnamon-scented space. Both women wore expectant looks on their faces. I scrambled to put together if I missed a question because all I could focus on was Sami’s smile and her full, deep rose hued lips. What would they taste like? Feel like wrapped around my aching cock, which was doing its best to suck all the blood from my overactive brain.

Yes. The answer was yes. Didn’t matter what it was. Clara may have outed me as the town grump, but for this woman, I was tempted to change my ways. Wait, where had that thought come from?

“The latte. It won’t take long to make.” Sami’s smile did me in.

And, yeah, I was going to try one of those damn foo-foo coffees Clara had forever been pushing me to order. Anything that would give me more time to continue watching Sami.

“Um, sure. Why not?” I croaked out. Damn, that sounded lame. In an attempt to cover my embarrassment, I cleared my throat. “Summer allergies.” Then I smiled for good measure. And what do you know, it didn’t hurt.

Sami didn’t seem to notice my awkwardness and was that some interest in her eyes when I smiled at her? Then, with a slight bounce in her step at my acceptance of the specialty coffee, my gaze zeroed in on her full breasts as they jiggled.

My mouth went dry as an image flashed in my mind. Sami lying under me as I caressed, then sucked first one, then her other nipple into my mouth while she moaned and writhed underneath me. Would they be the same rosy-red as her lips?

Shit, I didn’t want to be caught staring, even if I was. So, I shifted my gaze back to her face and prayed she hadn’t noticed my leering. Nodding, I quickly stepped to the side so the person in line behind me could give their order.

Clara’s soft chuckle followed me as I stood silently, trying my best to pretend I hadn’t just ogled her new employees’ breasts. Shouldn’t be hard considering I’d never shown an interest in any other woman when I’d come into the Pine and Petal.

To take my mind off Sami’s tempting little body, I instead tried to guess her age. She looked younger than me, but at forty-two, that wasn’t hard.

What was it about her that I couldn’t stop my gaze from returning to her as she made my coffee and interacted with Clara and the other customer? I felt dumbstruck at just being in her presence and that was definitely something I hadn’t felt since, well, maybe never.

Now using my peripheral vision, which I’d long ago developed in the service, I continued to spy on the maybe just over five-foot-tall woman as she made quick work behind the espresso machine. Wasn’t there a saying, “Great things came in small packages.”

Well, I’d like to unwrap her packaging and discover if her luscious curves and skin were as soft as they appeared.

“Finn, here you go.” Sami stood behind the antique walnut counter, my drink in hand and her face prettily flushed. Had I done that to her? Had lust been written all over my face?

Again I blanked my expression, then caught my reflection in the mirror covering the back wall behind the register. Knitted brows and the slash of my tight-lipped mouth reflected back at me. No wonder everyone thought I was grumpy all the time.

Couldn’t be helped. I wanted Sami more than any woman I’d ever been with, but I also didn’t want to scare her off with this strange, out-of-control possessiveness that had overcome me.

With my debit card in one hand, with the other raised to accept the coffee, I wanted to make a quick exit as soon as I paid. Then go home and regroup. Figure out my reaction to her.

Just as we were inches from the tradeoff, Sami lurched forward, and the cup went flying. Right into my chest.

Hot liquid exploded, splashing under my chin. I released a hiss as the bulk of the coffee started seeping into my leather jacket. A beat up, broken-in jacket I’d had for over two decades. It’d seen worse during that time. Thankfully, it saved me from a skin blistering accident that could have sent me to the local urgent care center. But damn, it was my favorite.

“Oh, no! I’m so sorry. I—I don’t know how that happened.” Sami look mortified as she grabbed a hand towel and came around the counter, frantically trying to wipe up the sticky mess. Even through the thick leather, her erratic strokes heated my chest from the inside out. Then her scent—a mingling of woman, and was that coconut, wafted around me, ratcheting up my desire at least ten more notches.

Holding back a moan from the contact, I lifted my free hand, circled her wrist and gently pulled her away. “Accidents happen.” The need to comfort her overcame me, but even to my ears, my voice sounded rough, irritated, and devoid of any softness.

I needed to get out of there before I said or did something stupid, like hugging her. Or lean down and find out what her now pouting lips tasted like. So, I stepped back from her. My sudden move startled her, and I cursed the hurt that flashed within those mesmerizing brown eyes.

“I’ll pay for the dry-cleaning. Here, let-let me have—” she stammered.

I croaked out, “No! Uh, it’s old, and anyway, I needed a new one.” My gaze collided with Clara’s who was calmly cleaning up the counter. A not-so innocent look on her face had me quickly replaying the incident as Sami tried to give my chest one last swipe with the now soaked towel.

Had Ms. Clara given Sami a hip bump as she passed behind her, setting my box of pastries down?

With a wink, the cafe owner said, “The fritters are on me this week, Finn.”

“No, that’s not right, Ms. Clara. I did this. I’ll pay for them. And Finn, if you won’t let me get your jacket cleaned, there has to be something I can do to make this up to you.” She lifted her chin higher, stubbornness written all over her pretty face. “I mean, you probably don’t want another coffee, but maybe you could come back tomorrow? I’ll make another one, and I promise to set it on the counter this time.”

“Uh, yeah, that would be a no.” No sooner were the words out of my mouth, then I realized what an ass I sounded like.Dammit,think before you speak Campbell. Man, I was just digging myself deeper with every word out of my mouth.

Sami’s eyes hardened, an icy wall slamming down as my words rang out.

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