Maya
“Well, this is me,” she said with a smile, swinging the door open. “Thank you, again, for…well, everything.”
A slow blush spread over her cheeks, and he brushed his thumb over the back of her hand.
“You’re welcome. Uh, goodnight.”
He didn’t move. She didn’t move.
“Do you want to come in for coffee?” The words were out of her mouth before she could think better of them. He blinked at her, and her blush deepened. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what’s gotten into me. I don’t usually invite strange men into my home.”
“Oh, I’m strange now, am I?”
“Oh, my God, no, I didn’t mean that.” She clamped her hand over her mouth.
Way to go, Maya. Now you’ve completely embarrassed yourselfandoffended him.
And then she caught the grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.
“Hey!” she protested.
“Sorry.” The grin spread until it seemed to make his whole face come alive. “Couldn’t resist. I’d love coffee, thanks.”
She led him inside and left him on her sofa while she headed for the kitchen, excitement tingling in her stomach. There was something about Cole that made her want to throw caution to the wind. It was like she’d known him for her entire life instead of only meeting him a few hours previously. Why was that?
“Here you go,” she said, handing him his coffee.
Maya’s condo was a little on the small side and Cole looked massive seated on her tiny sofa. But it wasn’t just his stature that was huge—it was his personality and his presence too which seemed to take up all the space in the room. She took a seat on the opposite end of the sofa, but the piece of furniture was so small, they were practically sitting right on top of one another.
“Holy crap, this is incredible,” Cole said after taking a sip of coffee. “What is this?”
“Oh.” Maya felt her cheeks heat at the compliment. “I used the Cuban roasted beans today and added some hazelnut syrup. It has quite an intense flavor, doesn’t it?”
“I’ll say. You use different beans each time?”
She nodded. “Depending on my mood and the time of day—some are stronger than others and I use decaf in the evening.”
“Damn. I use the stuff out of a jar, but I might have to rethink that.”
She chuckled nervously. “I’m ashamed to admit that I’m a bit of a snob when it comes to coffee.”
“Hey, if it all tastes like this… So, did you have to close the bakery today, or do you have someone working there with you?”
“I have a couple of people who work for me, actually. Harper and Aria. Harper has been with me the longest, but she’s only part time. I called her earlier and asked if she could do a full shift today. Aria is full time, but she’s only been with me for a couple of months so I haven’t given her a set of keys yet.”
“Makes sense. When do I get to taste one of those cinnamon buns? You know I’m going to be dreaming about them tonight, right?”
Maya hoped that wouldn’t be all he’d be dreaming of. “You can come by the bakery whenever you want.”
“I’ll hold you to that, but I’ve got to warn you—I have an incredibly sweet tooth.”
“Yeah? Then you’ll probably want to opt for my peach and pecan twist. It’s to die for.”
When his eyes glazed over, she huffed out a laugh. “I can see I’m going to have my work cut out keeping you in sweet treats.”
As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Maya mentally cursed herself. She’d just met this man and she was already talking about a future that they were both a part of. If there was a sure-fire way to make a man go running for the hills, that was it. What the heck was wrong with her?
To his credit, Cole didn’t even flinch. He didn’t appear fazed by her statement at all. Quite the opposite. He leaned in closer and held her gaze.
