“Yeah? Well, I like yours too,” he professed with a wink.
“Whatever. I just want my order.”
“You mean my order?”
“I don’t think so. I ordered the extra-large peanut butter macchiato with caramel and pineapple drizzle, whipped cream, and an apple turnover,” I argued.
“So did I, but we can resolve this easily,” he replied smoothly.
My eyebrows dipped down because I didn’t know a soul who liked that drink other than me. I slowly released the cup as he spun it to look at the receipt. The baristas weren’t paying us any attention, as they were filling the orders of the other patrons who waited. There were several people in the shop at this hour of the morning as everyone was starting their day.
“Harlem.”
“What?”
“Harlem,” he stated, pointing at the receipt. “That would be me. They called it and my name.”
I frowned at the same time the barista called, “Tegan! Extra-large peanut butter macchiato with caramel and pineapple drizzle, whipped cream, and an apple turnover!”
“You must be Tegan. See. Great minds think alike, that’s all.”
His smile was easy and slow, and I struggled not to melt in a puddle at his feet. I mean, he was good-looking, but could my reaction to him be because I hadn’t had any sex in a while?
I twisted my lips and moved to the counter to grab my order. My morning had gotten off to a rough start so far, and it didn’t appear to be getting any better.
The electricity was off on our block, and I had to shower, dress, and get ready for work in the dark. I stubbed my toe on the coffee table in the living room when I went to get my keys. Not only had I hit my toe, but I cut it, and I’d had to put a bandage around my big toe and then change shoes because the heels I planned to wear kept rubbing against that toe. That turned into an entire wardrobe change.
I was twenty minutes late leaving home, and one of my contractors cancelled on me, and then I’d been notified at the last minute that the inspector for one of the permits was coming by today. He wasn’t scheduled until two days from now, and I wasn’t sure that we were ready.
“Sorry about the mix-up,” I mumbled to Harlem, feeling foolish as I headed for the door. He beat me to it, opened the door, and held it for me. He smelled so yummy that I could barely think straight.
“It was the perfect way to be introduced to my new neighbor.”
“Neighbor?” I asked, stepping out onto the sidewalk.
He pointed across the street. “Aren’t you the new owner of Baby Got Buns?”
I blushed under the heat of his stare. There was something in the way that he said the name of my bakery that was so suggestive, like he was making a personal observation about me. Now I was afraid that when I turned and walked away in my skintight pink denim jeans, he would be forced to observe if that statement were true.
I licked my lips, and his gaze dropped to my tongue and slowly roamed back up to my eyes. “Yes, I am,” I replied nervously as I twirled my hair around one finger. His gaze was unwavering, and the expression in it communicated interest, an interest I wasn’t ready for, but I was definitely flattered by.
“Mm . . . well, I’m the owner of Knox Cutz and Stylez.” He introduced himself and his shop, pointing to a shop two doors down from the coffee shop and directly across the street from my bakery. “Drop in the next time you need your hair done and check out the ladies who do hair. I’ve got some of the best talent in the city, and I’m willing to give you a new customer discount.”
I smiled politely at him. “Well, I uhm, . . . have a stylist who has been doing my hair for years. Thanks for the offer, though. Anyway, it was nice meeting you, Harlem of Knox Cutz and Stylez,” I replied just before I took a step into the street.
He jerked me back in the nick of time as a car horn blew, startling me. “The light’s green,” he explained, nodding at the traffic light that wasn’t in my favor, let alone crossing in the middle of the street.
My heart pounded in my chest as I struggled to regain my composure.
“That’s cute.”
“What?” I asked, jerking my gaze from the street to Harlem.
“That you blush when you’re embarrassed or uncomfortable. It makes your freckles stand out even more, beautiful.” He sipped his coffee as his gaze homed in even stronger on me.
“Uhm, thank you. I uhm, I’d better go,” I stated, realizing that he was still holding my elbow.
He didn’t appear to want to release me as he looked from my face to where his hand touched me.
