He winks. “I put a shot in there for you.”
“Thanks.” I lift the cup to him. “I think this is my new favorite.”
He eyes the cat. “So how should we work out the shared custody?”
I reach down and run my fingers over her long soft fur, and she purrs even louder. I tip my head up slightly as I tease him. “There won’t be any shared custody. I’m going to keep her all to myself.”
“Well, I guess you’ll have to bring her to visit me here then.” He chuckles. “And let me know when her soccer games are so I can at least show up for those.”
I grin. “I’ll be sure to do that.” I meet his gaze evenly. “That was really brave what you did back there to save her.”
“I couldn’t allow a helpless creature to be injured while I stood there and watched. No one else was trying to help her, and I didn’t want to watch her get run over.”
I nod because I know if I had seen her first, I probably would’ve done the same as well.
“Have you thought of a name?”
“Not yet.” I glance down at the cat in my lap as I scratch her chin, smiling as she purrs. “But I have a feeling it will come to me.”
Across the room, Aris narrows his eyes at Cael as he calls out to him. “There’s a line forming back here, you know.”
Cael smiles at me again, then leans in just a bit and whispers. “If you like that drink, I think I have another one you’ll like next.”
I blink up at him, my face flushing with warmth as his teal gaze holds mine. “Thanks,” I somehow manage.
He winks, and I’m completely captivated as a faint smile tugs at his gorgeous full lips. “I’ll be back soon.”
Just like that, I’m inspired to write even more. The words practically flow from my fingertips as I furiously type on my keyboard. My hero is a handsome barista by day and a crime fighter by night. He falls in love with the writer, who spends her days at the café with her loyal cat companion, drinking coffee as she works on her award-winning novel.
“What are you working on?” a male voice practically purrs in my ear.
Slightly startled, I turn and find Cael staring down at me, his eyes sparkling with amusement as he places another cup next to my laptop. I glance at the clock, shocked that two hours have already gone by while I was typing. Instead of answering, I ask, “What’s this one?” I bring the warm mug to my nose and breathe in the delicious scent. It smells amazing.
“Cinnamon, chocolate, peppermint latte.” He winks. “If you don’t like it, I can try something else.”
Aris clears his throat and calls out to Cael from the counter, “Could you please leave my favorite customer alone?”
Cael arches a brow. “She’s not just your customer, you know. She’s mine, too.”
Aris crosses his arms. “Is that so?”
“Yeah,” Cael laughs. “Fifty-fifty, remember?”
My brow furrows as I look between the two of them. “Wait a minute… you’re the owners?”
Aris tips his chin up with pride. “The owner was selling, so Cael and I decided to buy it. The paperwork just went through yesterday.”
“Wow, congratulations!”
My gaze flicks back up to Cael. I guess that means I’ll be seeing more of him around here, and to be honest, I like that idea.
“Thank you.” Cael’s eyes are full of mischief as he leans over to catch a glimpse of my screen. He flicks his gaze back to mine. “You never told me what you’re working on.”
Slightly flustered, I open my mouth to reply but then stop, unsure of what to tell him. I’m not sure I really want him to know what I write. I know I could easily make something up, but it’s never a good idea to start a relationship—friendship or otherwise—with deception. So, I draw in a deep breath and decide to tell him the truth.
“It’s a romance novel.” I brace myself for the inevitable teasing I’ve received in the past from others I’ve told.
Instead, he gives me a curious look. “What’s it about?”
My cheeks heat with embarrassment. I’m certainly not going to tell him about my hero barista. So instead, I shrug. “You know… typical love story. Guy meets girl, and they fall in love.”
He nods. “I’d like to read it when you’re done.”
“You would?”
“Yeah.” He grins as he leans in. His warm, minty breath fans across my ear as he whispers, “I’m a sucker for romance.”
“Hey!” Aris snaps. “Would you stop pestering Kyra? Get back here and help me.”
Cael laughs and waves him off. “I’ll be right there.” He leans down and pets the cat. She rolls over, stretching out so he can run his hand over her belly before he gently scratches beneath her chin.
I smile as I watch him. This guy is the whole package. As he makes his way back to the counter, I allow my gaze to travel over his lean, muscular form. Like a marble statue of masculine perfection, this guy is almost too perfect to be real. With a dreamy sigh, I sit back in my chair and then turn my attention back to my writing. I’m completely inspired to write romance today, especially after meeting Cael.
Chapter 2
Cael
As I work behind the counter, it’s hard to keep my gaze from drifting to Kyra. There’s something about her that draws me in, and it’s hard to focus on anything else. I’ve heard of love at first sight, but never really believed in it… until now.
I study her a moment. Her blond hair has almost completely fallen out of her clip, cascading down her shoulders in long, silken waves. I sigh as I think on her luminous blue eyes, her dazzling smile, and the warm flush of her face as she stared up at me, accentuating the slight dusting of freckles across her cheeks and the bridge of her nose.
With her eyes glued to her computer, she steadily types away while sipping on the drinks I’ve made for her. I don’t know how Aris operates, but as far as I’m concerned, I’ll give her all her drinks for free to encourage her to come in here every day.
Now, I just have to walk the fine line between crazy guy she just met that wants to marry her already and cool guy who wants to ask her out on a casual date—which will actually be anything but casual—to get the ball rolling on this relationship.
One of my foster moms—actually, she was more like a foster grandma due to her age—told me that the first time she saw her husband, she knew he was the man she was going to marry. I remember thinking that story was so crazy, but now as I glance back at Kyra, I get it.
Aris always says I’m impulsive, and maybe I am. But right now, I don’t care. There’s just something about Kyra that feels right.
A hand claps me on the shoulder. I look back at Aris, and he gives me a pointed look.
“Kitchen. Now.”
I look over at Tara, who’s mostly been making the orders. I ask her to watch the register, and she agrees as I head into the back kitchen with Aris.
As soon as I step through the doors, he spins to face me, a thunderous look on his face. He lifts his hand, pointing a finger at me with mock authority.
“Don’t even think about it,” he snaps.