Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 27909 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 140(@200wpm)___ 112(@250wpm)___ 93(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27909 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 140(@200wpm)___ 112(@250wpm)___ 93(@300wpm)
His blood heated with arousal, followed by regret for not making a move last night. He’d sensed she wanted him to kiss her outside her apartment door. He’d wanted to and almost made a move but talked himself out of it.
He hadn’t done this relationship thing in a while. Casual sex was so much simpler, but he had a feeling nothing he did with Cammie would fall into that category. They’d only gone out once and just seeing her made his stomach flip like an eager teenager.
The line moved quickly, and Cammie was her usual friendly self with her customers, but when she caught sight of him, her eyes lit up in much different way.
When he finally made his way to the register area, she grinned. “Hey! I didn’t know I’d be seeing you today.”
He met and held her gaze. “What can I say? I had a caffeine craving.”
A bright smile lifted her kissable lips. “You sure know how to make a girl feel special.” She input his order on the touchscreen in front of her.
“What can I say? There are probably hundreds of coffee shops in New York City, and I bet most of them sell peppermint drinks for the holidays. But only one of them has you.”
Her smile widened. “There’s that charm I knew you were capable of.”
Laughing, he ordered a turkey wrap to go with the coffee and stepped aside so Cammie could serve the woman behind him.
A short time later, her friend Mona placed his drink on the counter, looking at him curiously. He wondered what Cammie had told her about their date last night. Mona bustled off to make another coffee while a different employee put his wrap in front of him.
He took his food and drink to Charlie’s table, and she stood up to greet him with a hug.
She was dressed in a white silk blouse and high-waisted dress pants. Her chin-length brown hair was a new look and he flicked a strand of it with his finger.
“I like the new look,” he said as they sat down.
She pinned him with a knowing gaze. “Don’t lie. I know you prefer women with long hair.”
His eyes flickered to Cammie, who was taking another customer’s order, but he quicky refocused on Charlie. “Well, it looks good on you.”
Charlie chuckled and took a bite of her sandwich. As she chewed, her eyes shifted toward Cammie just as his did, but she wasn’t subtle about it. She stared for a moment, curiosity in her eyes.
“So, who’s the girl?”
“Why do you ask?” He’d tried going for nonchalant, but the half smile pulling at his mouth probably gave him away and he caved. “Okay, her name is Cammie.”
She nodded. “I saw you guys flirting when you ordered your food. And then, I caught her pretty smile disappear when you hugged me.”
Leo’s attention snapped to Cammie again. The line was gone, and now she was wiping down the counter with a white rag and Charlie was right. She’d lost her smile. In fact, this was the first time he’d ever seen her with a frown on her pretty face.
He pushed his chair back. “Excuse me,” he said to Charlie. “I’ll be right back.”
He ignored his friend’s chuckle as he walked toward the counter.
Cammie looked up as he approached, the light in her eyes dull, her smile forced.
“I’m about to go on break, Leo. But Mona can help you if you need it,” she said with no inflection in her voice, as if talking to a stranger.
Oh, hell no.
She turned away and headed to the back of the store.
He strode around the counter and followed her, ignoring the protest of one of the baristas. Passing through a swinging door, he found himself in a small kitchen. Cammie was already on the other side of the room, pushing through another door and closing it behind her.
He walked past the man making sandwiches and ended up in a tiny breakroom with a refrigerator and two round tables.
Cammie stared at him with big eyes as headed toward her. “What the hell are you doing in here?” she asked, sounding shocked instead of angry.
“Following you. Now tell me, are you jealous I’m here with another woman?” he asked, knowing he was being too blunt, but her emotional distance put him on edge even as the possibility of her jealousy pleased him. The contradictory emotions clashed and made him lose all his finesse.
“What? Why would you even ask that?” She stared at him in disbelief.
That wasn’t a no.
He stepped into her personal space, close enough to feel her body heat and smell the vanilla and apricot scent of her hair. She glared at him, but he didn’t mind. It was better than the lifeless look she’d had a moment ago.
“Are you jealous, Cammie?” he asked again, their mouths nearly touching.