Page 16 of Perfect Blend

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Sally

“Victor,” I turn to face him instead of the table covered in coffee stuff. “I don’t know how this grinder works. I’ve only ever used the kind I have at home. These buttons are different.”

He smells like a forest on a winter day, where there’s a crispness to the oaky scent. When I walked in today, I was surprised to see him in just a t-shirt, his muscular arms on full display. Which means his scars are also visible. Still, one look at Victor and I was already thinking some very naughty thoughts about how we could be spending our afternoon together.

I’d listen to him talk all day. His deep voice coupled with the obvious passion he has for coffee roasting; it’s a sexy combination.

When we talked about different date ideas, I didn’t imagine getting a coffee tasting but here we are, his large hands covering mine, helping me learn how to use this grinder.

He has ignored my humor with wordplay.

So far.

As the coffee beans grind, he continues to hold my hand, it’s comforting. When the beans are done, he explains the two different brewing methods and how they’ll lead to a slightly different taste for each bean.

“We’ll brew one coffee on each machine, try it with some food, then repeat for the second and third coffees.” Victor releases my hand to grab some mugs from a different table.

I see the assorted goodies and go to grab a cherry.

“Hey,” Victor reaches out to stop me, “you have to taste the coffee first.” I’ve already put the whole cherry in my mouth.

“My bad,” I mumble while chewing the cherry. Then I have a great idea, something I haven’t done in ages. A cheap party trick from my pre-law days. “Want to see a trick?” I wiggle my eyebrows at him.

He folds his arms across his chest, pulling the t-shirt snug over his chest, highlighting his peck muscles underneath. He raises his eyebrows in anticipation, as if telling me “any minute now.”

I’m rusty but without too much unnecessary facial movement, I’m able to twist the cherry stem with my tongue. It takes a minute or two, but I stick my tongue out at Victor presenting him with a tied cherry stem.

“Ta-da!” I take a small bow and remove the stem from my mouth.

“I wasn’t expecting that.” He chuckles, his laughter contagious. He pulls me in for a hug, I could stay in his embrace for hours. “You were my star pupil, now you’re just a goofball.”

“I can be both,” I pull back to look him in the eyes. “Let’s do this tasting. Coffee first then snack.”

“Take a small sip and try to think about the notes. Is it sweet? Is it fruity or nutty? Then, tell me what item you think goes with it.” We’re trying all the coffees in the French presses first then the pour over. Luckily, he has three of each set up so we don’t need to clean in between tastings.

I sip the coffee, mulling over what it reminds me of and what I’d want to pair it with from the items Victor has laid out for us. The first one is sweet and kind of earthy. I sip it from the pour over cup, considering the slight difference. I pick the dark chocolate and am rewarded with a large grin from him. We chat while each coffee is brewing.

The second coffee is sweet but fruitier, I think figs would be good so I go with the cherries. Victor is loving this. He high fives me. His hand lingers, he squeezes my shoulders before he has me try the third one. This one is different.

It’s mainly earthy, kind of reminds me of how Victor smells. I take a graham cracker, sniff it then nibble a little piece. I feel Victor watching my every move, my every decision. This is the other smell that Victor reminds me of– espresso, oak, and graham crackers. I feel my cheeks tighten from the wide smile forming.

“These are your snack from home, aren’t they?” I ask him about the crackers.

“How did you know that?” Victor’s eyes widen and he grabs a graham cracker form the plate. He closes what little space there was between us. “You truly are magnificent Sally. A wonderful palette,” he murmurs as he kisses my forehead. “And a devilish tongue.”

His soft kisses trail my jaw down my neck.

I want more, but when he stops when he gets to collarbone.

“You did great with the pairings. I appreciate you trying out my practice class.” Victor hugs me briefly, as if telling me that’s as far we’re going to go today.

I don’t want to push him away. We did sleep together on our second date.

Maybe he thinks we’re moving too fast.

Outside of feeling rusty about dating, it really has been long time since I felt a connection like this with anyone. Not that I was trying, seeing as how I was married forever.

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