Page 85 of Coffee Shop Girl
At some possibly soon point that I didn’t want to acknowledge. Because putting in new appliances wasn’t the first step of a house refurb, that was for sure.
With a sigh, I stepped out of the car and grabbed a to-go box of pasta in one hand and a breadstick bag in the other. Maverick opened the door before I could knock. Dust coated his features, highlighting a knee-weakening smile.
“Welcome.”
I held up my offerings. “I bring sustenance. In the form of Italian food.”
He tossed the food on the counter and grabbed my wrist. “Bring me this first,” he murmured, then spun me around, caught me against his chest, and captured my lips in a hungry kiss.
Heat pooled in my belly as his hands brushed my face, cupping them with gritty warmth. He backed me into the wall. All the air rushed out of my lungs. I grabbed his shoulders, heady with the scent of him. Maybegoodbyewasn’t coming too soon. No one kissed like that who didn’t mean it.
Who was about to saygoodbye.
No one kissed like thatever.
Like a fool, I entertained the thought that he might stay. Flip houses with me. Like Chip and Joanna Gaines, only in the mountains. When he deepened the kiss, I wrapped my arms around him. My thoughts dissolved. The rough feel of his hair on my palms sent fire through my fingers.
He pulled away with a self-satisfied grin. I stood there a second, heart racing.
“Whoa,” I whispered.
“Maybe you need to have Lizbeth go to Jada’s more often.” He laughed but didn’t let go. The deep roll of his voice made me shudder. I would never get enough.
“If this is what I get from it, we’ll just have her move in.”
He tightened an arm around me and pulled me in for a second searing kiss, setting fire to my skin. He set me free and held me back all at the same time. The odd distance between us during the day melted away.
Several breathless minutes later, the kiss slowed. I blinked, staring into his eyes in something like shock. But I didn’t have any words. His expression softened as he rubbed a thumb over my bottom lip.
“Why do you look so serious all of a sudden?” he whispered.
“Because you make me feel serious things.”
“Same.” With a lopsided smile, he threaded his fingers through mine, then tugged me away from the wall. “C’mere. I have something to show you.”
28
Maverick
I’d longed for Bethany’s hand in mine. The oddly grounding effect of her smell. Just knowing she was there, even if we didn’t say a word. I’d never just wanted to be around a woman before. Not like this.
Her kiss-stung lips looked almost too tempting to ignore as I led her through the house, toward the back rooms that faced the forest. Had she worn yoga pants on purpose? I wouldn’t put it past her. She drove me crazy.
The house had been a vanity project. A delay. Something to do while I ensured the coffee shop could stand on its own two feet. Something to keep me here until I figured all of this out. But now? Now we knew the plan worked.
This was where I started to wrap things up, I imagined.
She’d made a full credit card payment. The leniency from the bank for the next six months would buy her time to get debts paid down. She would earn enough to support the girls if they lived at the coffee shop. Their new marketing efforts, aided by some discreet consulting help from one of my friends at corporate, would bring more people in. Her shiny new systems guaranteed a greater return on investment.
It wasn’t perfect, but it was just enough.
Right now, Bethany needed it.
Shoving thoughts of the future aside, I slowed. She stood so close to me I could feel her heat. Wanted to run my hands through her hair again. I kept them locked at my side, her fingers tangled in mine.
“Here.” I pulled her into the doorway of a room on the left. “Let me know what you think.”
She stepped inside, then gasped. My anticipation smoothed into relief when she gaped at me, wide-eyed.
