Glazed (4 page)

“It’s the least I can do after all I’ve put you through.” He unslung her purse from his arm and handed it to her with an apologetic look.

She took it, embarrassed to find she’d forgotten all about it in the past few moments. Just as she opened her mouth to turn him down, her stomach growled. Loudly. She cursed silently, regretting the fact that she’d been trekking around town all day, breaking a sweat on an empty stomach that had just answered for her. “Lunch sounds good.”

****

Derek gazed across the table at Kelly, drinking in the way the soft lilac T-shirt she’d exchanged her sweater for clung to her curves. She’d chosen in deliberately, he suspected, to show him she considered their date a casual occasion. However, the color of the soft-looking cotton sent a subtler message; it was the same shade as the violet rose. Did that mean she really had been enchanted by it, or that she wanted to continue enchanting him? The internet search session he’d embarked upon before leaving his condo had given him a thorough run down of rose color meanings, but no clue how to decipher Kelly’s reaction.

He downed a mouthful of Coke and shook his head. This woman was an enigma. By all physical indications, she seemed to return his attraction. It wasn’t just the way she’d kissed him that morning, but the way she looked at him, even now. When their eyes met hers sparkled, and her cheeks turned deliciously pink. He knew he wasn’t just imagining it.

She glanced up at him from her salad and looked away just as quickly, as if embarrassed he’d caught her looking. He continued to admire her instead of dropping his gaze. Maybe he could figure her out if he stared long enough. What was it that made her shy away from him when she was obviously interested? Were the admittedly weird stunts he’d pulled the problem? He wouldn’t have blamed her if that was the case, but some gut instinct told him it was something else. But what?

“I hope I didn’t interrupt your day,” she said, breaking his train of thought.

He pulled his eyes from her breasts – they’d migrated there at the worst possible moment, though he’d hardly been conscious of it, lost in speculation as he’d been.  He met her gaze now, and as a tell-tale flush tinted her cheeks faintly pink, he had to repress the urge to smile in satisfaction. “Don’t worry about it. Having lunch with you is much more enjoyable than anything I’d planned to do today.”

She blushed more deeply, and he let himself smile. “What about you? Have I ruined your work day?”

She shook her head, answering his question but not taking his bait. “What is it you do?” he asked. “Are you involved in real estate?”

She shook her head again.

“Oh. When I dropped you off this morning I saw a ‘For Sale’ sign in the window of the corner building, and I thought maybe you were there to sell it.”

“Not to sell. To see about buying.”

“Oh really?” He hadn’t considered that.  “What for?”

She blushed again, though he hadn’t complimented her this time. Then she stared directly into his eyes, suddenly fierce. “I’m planning to open my own business.” She said it as if she were delivering a challenge. “A premium coffee café.” She stared at him with her eyes slightly narrowed. Did she expect him to object? What exactly was that about?

“Cool.”

Apparently, she hadn’t expected this reply. Her eyes widened in surprise at the casual compliment, and she smiled tentatively. “Yeah,” she continued, “I think the building you drove me to this morning is the perfect place for my café, too.”

“Really?”

“Really. I spoke with my realtor this morning.” She was smiling dreamily now, this time without looking at him.

“So what are you doing in the meanwhile? I mean, until you open your café. Do you have another job?”

She nodded, the blissful look draining from her eyes. “I wait tables at the Red Sage Steak House.” The challenging look returned. “But not for long.”

He wasn’t sure what to say to that. There was nothing wrong with waiting tables, of course, but there wasn’t anything wrong with opening a café, either. He settled for a neutral nod, wary of the spark in her hazel eyes, as a spark of his own ignited somewhere in his pants. He wished she’d stop looking at him like that. He liked her just as much now that he knew she was a waitress as he had that morning before he’d known anything about her. He still longed to reach out and touch her, to kiss her again. He’d said he wanted to put that first incident behind them, but that didn’t mean he was going to forget about it, or that he didn’t want to do it again right now.

“What about you?” she asked, interrupting his increasingly inappropriate thoughts. “What do you do?”

He had to snap out of this before he embarrassed himself again. This lunch date was a second chance he’d been lucky to get, and he was determined not to screw it up. Excruciatingly aware of the erection he’d popped under the table, he forced himself to reply instead of leaning across the worn wooden surface to pull her into another kiss. “You know those donuts we ate in the truck this morning?”

She nodded, the tip of her tongue poking out to barely touch her lip in apparent memory. He didn’t think she even realized she’d done it, but beneath the table, it gave him a jolt.

“They came from my store,” he continued. “The Blue Mills Donut House.”

“Your store?” Her pretty eyes widened. “You own the Blue Mills Donut House?”

“Sure do.”

“Oh.” She was frowning now, looking flustered. “And here I am, keeping you away from your shop all day.”

He reached out impulsively, covering her hand that lay on the tabletop with one of his own. “I meant it when I said not to worry about it.”

She stiffened at first, but then relaxed. She made no effort to remove her hand, and it was warm beneath his own. The urge to turn it over, open her palm and interlace his fingers with hers was strong, but he didn’t push his luck. Simply touching her, even if it was only the back of her hand, was making his blood rush. Mostly into his pants, but also in his ears. He spoke again over the faint roar. “I left my assistant manager in charge.” He didn’t see any reason to mention that Jason was only an assistant manager in training – she was jumpy enough as it was, like she was looking for an excuse to slip away from him again. No way was he going to let that happen.

“Right,” she said, picking up her fork with her free hand and spearing a cherry tomato tentatively.

They mostly made small talk after that, their conversation slowed by the necessity of eating. By the time they’d cleared their plates Derek was beginning to feel nervous. He’d have to drive her home now, and then ask her on a second date. Something more romantic than lunch at a casual dining restaurant, but not too romantic. He knew he needed to ease into this, not go overboard again and scare her away. Keeping his hands off her wasn’t going to be easy though, especially with those looks she kept giving him.

****

Kelly let Derek walk her to her apartment door. He counted that as progress, remembering how she’d slipped out of his truck with a hasty goodbye that morning. Maybe she was warming up to him. He’d know soon. Leaving her on her doorstep – or not leaving, an eternally hopeful part of his mind added – would be the moment of truth. He didn’t really expect to be invited inside, or even to be kissed. Not after how he’d jumped her that morning. He’d gladly settle for her agreeing to a second date.

She paused on the steps, turning toward him. Her eyes were bright, her cheeks flushed and her lips slightly parted. He’d never seen anyone look more kissable. She’d clasped her hands in front of herself. Was that a sign of nervousness? She was looking at him like there was something she wanted to say. Hopefully it wasn’t that she never wanted to see him again.

“Derek,” she finally said, “would you mind coming inside?”

He felt as if he’d been right-hooked in the jaw. By an angel.  Mind? Hell no, he wouldn’t mind! Feeling slightly light-headed – probably because most of his blood was beginning to rush below his belt again – he opened his mouth to say so.

“I’d really appreciate your professional opinion,” she continued, “on my business plan. I was wondering if you’d skim over it and give me some feedback, if you have a few extra minutes.”

His heart slowed a little. So she wanted him to take a look at the business plan she’d put together for her café. That wasn’t exactly what he’d been expecting, but he still definitely didn’t mind. He’d have happily agreed to come inside and fix a clogged kitchen sink if she’d asked, glad for an opportunity to spend more time with her. “Sure.”

Apparently, he didn’t seem sure enough. “Really?” she asked, biting her lip in a way so sexy it ought to be illegal to do outdoors. “If you’re too busy, just say so. Maybe we could set up another time.”

If she was doubting his enthusiasm, that at least meant she hadn’t noticed the swelling her invitation had caused in his jeans – a fact for which he was grateful. “No,” he assured her, “I’ve got plenty of time. Let’s do it.”

Poor choice of words, he realized, a moment too late. A glimmer surfaced from somewhere deep in her hazel eyes, and it seemed best to simply shut up and wait for her to unlock the door.

Chapter 3

Kelly nervously bid Derek to have a seat on the couch, and then shuffled back to her room to retrieve her business plan. She’d been working on the thing for years, but this was the first time she’d shown it to a real, successful small business owner. Her stomach was in knots. What if she’d done everything wrong? Sure, she’d read dozens of books on how to write a business plan, but he actually owned and ran a small business.

She found it in her desk, tucked carefully into the top drawer. For the first time, the blue plastic binder intimidated her. What if she found out she wasn’t ready to buy a building after all? Worse, what if Derek laughed at her plan? She tried to tell herself that was ridiculous, that Derek seemed like a perfect…well, not a gentleman – not after the way he’d set sparks flying in the truck that morning – but an unusually nice guy. Still, the fear persisted, and she steeled herself for the worst.

“Here it is,” she said a moment later, surrendering the binder as if it were her first-born child. She settled onto the opposite end of the couch from Derek, breathing a little more heavily than usual.

He pulled the binder into his lap, flipping it open gently.

Desperate for something to distract her from her nervousness, Kelly found herself watching his hands. They were large, but not clumsy. He handled the thin pages of her assembled plan easily, and the faint sound of rustling paper softened the silence as he stared down in concentration, his dark eyes roving back and forth across the text. The way he held a page casually between a thumb and forefinger, poised to turn it, brought back memories of how his hands had felt on her body that morning, buried in her hair and pressed promisingly against her hip. He was strong, but he knew how to be gentle – gentle enough, anyway. She’d gotten the distinct impression that he’d been holding back, even as he’d pressed her against the seat and slipped his tongue past her lips. The skin on her arms pebbled as the memory consumed her, and for a moment she could almost taste him again.

“How long did it take you to put this together?” he asked, interrupting her tantalizing reverie.

“Years,” she replied, pulling herself back to the tempting reality of being less than three feet away from Derek. “I mean, I’ve been working on it sporadically for ages. I started taking it seriously about a year ago, and I finished it last spring.” A faint sense of betrayal tugged at her heart at the thought of the past spring and what the completion of her business plan had brought about. She shoved it away, unwilling to dredge up such unpleasant memories in Derek’s presence.