Her voice is soft when she asks, “Everything okay?”
Her expression softens with concern, but she doesn’t pry. One more thing I like about this girl. I look at her fingers wrapped around the cup, her chestnut hair catching the glow of the café lights, the way her hazel eyes keep drifting back to me like she’s surprised I’m real. And all I can think is, of all the days… all the towns. Why did it have to betoday?
I rub my thumb against the coffee cup lid, trying to ease the tension out of my shoulders before I meet her eyes again. “Yeah. Just… my friends are waiting on me. They need me to get into town sooner than I planned.”
Understanding flickers across her face. No pushback. No pressure. Just quiet acceptance. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to keep you.”
I shake my head immediately. “Don’t apologize.” My voice comes out rough. “It’s been a while since I sat with someone and just… talked. I enjoyed meeting you, Hope.”
Her lip curves. “I enjoyed meeting you, too.”
For a moment, neither of us moves. It’s as if we created our own peaceful world inside this booth.
She lifts her peppermint mocha slightly. “And thank you. For the coffee. And the… rescue.”
“Anytime.”
Her cheeks color at that, and she glances down, fingers tracing circles on the lid of her cup. “Well… if you’re ever in the neighborhood again, I’m usually here on Saturdays. It’s a good spot for a change of scenery and, um, great coffee.”
I let out a quiet breath. “Saturdays, huh?”
“Most of them,” she says. “Sometimes I like to pretend I’m mysterious and unpredictable, but I’m really not.”
I chuckle under my breath. “Could’ve fooled me.”
She laughs, a soft, hopeful sound, and for a split second, I imagine staying for just a little while longer. Enough to see what else she’d say, how else she’d smile.
My phone vibrates again in my pocket, knocking me out of the fantasy I’ve built in my head and back to reality.
I stand, slow and reluctant. “I should hit the road.”
Hope nods, though there’s a flicker of disappointment in her eyes. My gut tightens as I watch her expression.
“Ride safe, Frost,” she says.
I hold her gaze for a long beat. “I’ll try.” Before I turn away, I add quietly, “See you around, Hope.”
This is for the best. Yeah… Keep telling yourself that.
CHAPTER 3
HOPE
“And just like that, he walked out of my life.”
Frost gives me one last warm smile before he turns toward the door. The logo, Death’s Gambit, is proudly displayed on the back of his leather cut, and I can’t help but admire his ass as he walks away. The bell above the door gives a soft jingle as he pushes it open, but he pauses on the threshold before stepping out. When he glances back over his shoulder, I offer a small wave, and he dips his chin.
Do I watch him straddle his bike and fire it up before backing out of his spot and tearing off into the sunset? I absolutely do. In a matter of minutes, he’s gone.
For a moment, I just sit here staring at his empty spot. It feels surreal, like I was living out a scene from one of my novels, but with his departure, the spell’s broken. There’s nothing left to do but gather up my stuff and head home.
I tuck my laptop into my bag, replaying every little beat of the last half hour. Frost’s voice cutting in at just the right moment, those deep brown eyes that never wandered from my face.
I can’t believe I admitted that I write romance novels for a living to a hot ass biker. God, I even blushed like a teenager. I zip up my bag a little too quickly and mentally scold myself.
“Get a grip, Hope,” I mutter under my breath. “He was just being nice.”
Except… no. My heart doesn’t want to let it go, and it doesn’t seem to matter how much my brain is screaming at me to drop it. There was something between us. At least, it felt like we were connecting.
