I try to stop myself, I really do, but the words spill out of me anyway. “For what just happened, I’d take being late every day.”
A shadow crosses over Ethan’s features.Oh, shit.I fucked up. I shouldn’t have said what I did, even if I meant it as a joke. Mostly. But before I can wave it off with some lame excuse, a grin splits his face. He graces me with his sexy laugh too, and in no time I am melting as one of my own bubbles out of me.
“I’m sorry, too. I got a little carried away myself, so, uh, don’t worry about it.” I scratch my head, then produce my spare woolen scarf. Not asking for permission, I put it on him and then tip my chin toward the window. “And now you are truly ready. Let’s go and have some fun!”
Chapter 7
Ethan
Being in the snowis not fun. But it’s also a lot less annoying in the company of Jake. He hasn’t shut up since we left the hotel, telling me about the area and what kind of things one can do.
If I’m being honest, I’m only half-listening. The impulsive kiss in his room has fried my brain. Whether it’s in a good or a bad way, I’m yet to decide.
I suppress a tingling shiver as my body remembers how it felt. I have never been kissed like that. With so much intensity and want behind it. I could experience how desperate Jake was to kiss me, his tongue hot and nimble and his hands greedy to touch me. I swallow hard, smiling as he points at a bronze statue dedicated to a beaver colony that lives nearby. I wish he’d touched more than my face, that he’d slipped a hand under my shirt. Or inside my pants.
My cock twitches in interest. I stifle down a surge of arousal. Yeah, I bet those big, callused hands would feel amazing stroking me. Slowly at first, then faster and rougher until I’m a rambling mess at Jake’s mercy.
“What’d you say?”
I stop abruptly, almost crashing into him. “Huh?”
He gives me an over the shoulder look and indicates the herbs and spices store across the street. “I need to grab a few things from there for the restaurant. Do you want to tag along or wait for me at the café? They have killer hot chocolate.”
Maybe it’s a good idea to put some distance between us so I can calm down. “I’ll wait at the café.”
“Okay, great.” He holds the door to the cozy shop open, gesturing me inside. Warmth and the smell of coffee and cakes engulf me, solidifying how right the choice to wait for him here is. “I won’t be long.”
“You want anything?” I halt him as he turns around.
He hums. “Sure. I’ll have the cinnamon mocha. Medium. And I recommend you try their berry crumble. I think you’ll like it.”
I slink inside the quaint café as Jake jogs across the street to complete his errand. Hardwood comprises the interior, with thick rugs scattered across the floor and landscape paintings hanging on the walls. A glass vitrine with cakes and sandwiches sits to the left of the small counter, where a woman in her sixties smiles at me.
“Hi. You have a lovely place,” I say, smiling back. The smell of freshly brewed coffee and baked goods hijacks my senses.
“Oh, thank you so much, dear!” she replies, preening a little. “What would you like me to get you?”
As recommended, I get the hot chocolate and the berry pie as well as a mocha for Jake. True to his word, he’s back shortly after the order is brought over to the table I claimed in the alcove by the window. His cheeks are rosy when he sits down and that somehow makes him even more handsome, bringing back the image of his flushed expression after our amazing kiss.
“Did they have the cardamon?” I ask, eyeing the bag he places on the backrest of his chair.
He looks at me quizzically as if I have spoken in a foreign language. Then he grins in a self-satisfied way. “Guess youwerelistening then. Yeah, I got the last two. They were due a restock this week, but with the roadblocks…”
A frisson of annoyance passes through me as I am reminded of my very unfortunate situation, but it goes away so quickly when Jake shoots me an unintentionally sexy smile that I am not sure if I imagined it or not. I guess being forced to take time off is not so bad when you find something to keep your mind off it.
I eat a bit from my crumble to distract myself from the inappropriate thought that invade me. It’s delicious.
“How is it?” Jake asks, sipping from his beverage with a knowing smile.
“Oh, I don’t know, it’s hard to say,” I shoot back, doing my best impression of a food critic. “You want a bite?”
He purses his lips, eyeing my plate. “Sure.”
I scoop crust and berry goodness and lean forward so I can reach his mouth. He wraps fingers around mine and holds the fork still as he brings his lips to it. His eyes don’t stray from my face, intense and tempting. It’s unnerving. My stomach does a flip, twisting and squeezing as he eats the crumble and then licks the bit of sauce that got on one of my fingers.
“It’s very tasty,” he says, his voice so low it goes straight to my cock. “But… it has nothing on you.”
It takes my brain a few seconds to realize what he’s saying. Heat licks the peaks of my spine, spreading through me like a forest fire I can’t stop. My cheeks feel hot too, my chest not far behind. I am sure I am flushing, but there is little I can do. My pale complexion makes it very hard to hide when I am flustered.
