Page 25 of Hearts Like Hers

Kate studied her curiously. Yes, it was oddto interrupt their date for work, but in the midst of the hustle to make ithome and back to Kate’s in time, she hadn’t put in her grocery order, which, ifshe did not remedy soon, would leave her with no morning delivery.

“Lead the way.”

“Perfect. I can be really fast. I neverforget to do these kinds of things. It’s just been an unexpected week.”

“In more ways than one,” Kate said, inagreement.

When they arrived at Pajamas, the shop wasdark and still, having closed an hour and a half earlier. The aroma of coffeestill lingered, however, which for Autumn was like a welcome hug.

“It’s strange being here after hours,” Katesaid quietly, following Autumn inside. “It’s like everything’s asleep for thenight.”

“You’re not afraid of the dark, are you?”Autumn walked backward toward the prep room.

“I’m definitely not afraid of the dark,” shesaid, with very attractive confidence. The moonlight slanted across the glintin her eye.

“What are you afraid of?” Autumn askedquietly. “Anything?”

“I live in fear of losing atJeopardy.” It was adeadpan, and a good one.

“You’re lying,” Autumn said, not buying for aminute that Kate Carpenter spent any amount of quality time with Alex Trebek.

“I never lie, and I happen to be really greatatJeopardy.Try me sometime.”

Autumn laughed at how serious Kate became atthe challenge. Well, okay.Jeopardywas clearly important to her, which was endearing in its unexpectedness.“You’re on. You’re also unpredictable. I’m calling it now.”

“You’re calling it? Well, all right. Good.”In one move, she grabbed Autumn by the wrist and pulled her in, right there inthe center of her darkened shop.

Autumn let out a little gasp before findingKate’s darkened eyes. A moment later, she was kissed into next Tuesday. Scratchthat. Wednesday. Sweet Lord, she’d needed this. Someone had just hit the switchthat snoozed her brain and woke up her body, and they weren’t messing around.Kate’s arm slid around her waist, holding her close. The security of that touchwas almost as decadent as the kiss itself. Not to undersell thehot-damn-inducing kiss. Kate’s lips pressed to hers firmly at first beforerelaxing and exploring. Her mouth moved slowly over Autumn’s, who pushedherself onto her tippy-toes to even out their height difference. She slid herhands up Kate’s chest, enjoying that little journey, and wrapped them aroundher neck, bringing them chest to chest. The vantage point also allowed her tosink further into the depth of that kiss.

Kate ran her tongue along Autumn’s lower lip,and she was a goner. She kissed Kate back with an urgency she’d not experiencedin quite a while. A lie. Ever. She’d never been this turned on by or attractedto another person. She’d never kissed anyone blindly, passionately, in themiddle of her darkened coffee shop. She loved who Kate turned her into, allowedher to be. Because this, right here, was like iced water to the thirsty.

She’d fantasized for a while now aboutsliding her hands into that thick hair, and the reality of that experience surpassedher every expectation. She eased her fingers through the soft strands, revelingin the payoff. She gripped and held on for dear life as Kate’s tongue pushedinto her mouth, sending her to Desire City on the express train. It tookeverything she had to keep her clothes on—and Kate’s, for that matter. The onlything stopping her was the room, outfitted with so many uncovered windows andfacing a popular public street.Bollocks.

She nodded against Kate’s mouth. This wasexactly the kind of escapade Autumn had been looking for. She moaned quietly,and the sound trickled through the dreamy haze to her brain like a flare. Thiswas just a hookup, right? Her body lit up hot with arousal. Every part of it.But were they both on the same page?

They were, she assured herself, as herfingers delicately stroked the bare skin between Kate’s shirt and jeans. Theydefinitely were. She was so soft right here. This little patch of skin waseverything. She wondered about the rest of Kate.

Alert!

But what if theyweren’ton the same page?

Damnit.

Her inner Jiminy Cricket wouldn’t leave herthe hell alone. She didn’t want to lead Kate on, but she very much wanted whatwas happening between them to continue—and preferably as soon as possible.

“I should see about that grocery order,”Autumn said, and took an abrupt step back like a record player scratching to aclumsy halt. What in the hell? She internally berated herself for ending thebest few minutes of her past year as she led the way to the prep room throughthe double doors behind the counter. “Want to come?” she tossed out behind her,in attempt to salvage…well, anything.

“Right behind you,” Kate said, with a soft,reassuring smile. God, the things that smile could make her do. She was a saucyminx, if she did say so herself.

When they arrived in the prep room, Autumnturned the overhead lights on at half. Kate leaned casually against thestainless steel table on the wall across from her computer workstation. “Youlook really good leaning against a table,” Autumn said. Hearing the words outloud had her cringing and wondering how she could suck them back in. “That wasan awful line,” she said, feeling the heat blossom on her cheeks. “Should nothave said that out loud. I realize that now.” Clearly, not the saucy minx she thoughtshe was.

Kate, to her credit, was nice enough to lookamused. “It wasn’t awful at all. You’re a forthright person. You say what youthink.” She glanced at the ground and back up, finding the word. “It’srefreshing.”

Autumn decided it was now or never. “I shouldmaybe explain—”

“Before we get caught up—”

They laughed at the overlap. Autumn held upher palm, giving Kate the floor. “You first.”

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