A few minutes later, out of the corner of my eye, I see Zoe walk out of the kitchen carrying a tray of food. She stops at the table behind me, chatting amicably with the customers, laughing about something, and I can barely contain my excitement. She’s chatting with them like they are regulars, and it’s likely they are.
“Here you go,” Zoe says, setting the pie in front of me. I can tell the second she realizes who I am. Her stare is so intense that my body instantly reacts. My dick presses against my slacks so hard it’s painful. I welcome the feeling. It helps me focus and stay in control. Without that, I’d likely throw her over my shoulder and carry her out of here. The heat in her stare matches the feelings I have for her, even if she’s not willing to admit it yet.
“Thank you,” I smile as I cut a piece and shove it in my mouth. A moan of appreciation leaves me as she stands there glaring, holding the tray to her side.
“Are you stalking me?” she hisses, lowering her voice enough that only I hear it.
“I’m an attorney, so I can’t answer that question. I plead the fifth,” I respond, deadpanning.
“What are you doing here?” Zoe demands.
I grin up at her. “Well, right now? I’m here to eat your pie.”
Her mouth hangs open in surprise. She snaps it shut as a blush creeps into her cheeks. All I can do is grin at her before taking another bite.
“This is damn good,” I practically groan. The crust is flaky and buttery, while the apple is sweet and tart. That, with the vanilla ice cream, is heaven on a plate.
“You need to leave.”
“I will,” I tell her.
Zoe seems surprised by my compliance. “Good—”
“As soon as you agree to go out with me.”
“You need to give up,” she insists.
“No way.” I shake my head as she looks around.
“You don’t fit in my world,” she says, waving a hand in front of her.
“Oh, but I do. Better than you know.”
“You’re obviously delusional.”
“Go out with me. Give me a chance. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll bow out, and you’ll never have to see me again,” I tell her, holding her eye contact to convey how serious I am.
“I can’t tonight. I’m working.” Zoe holds up the tray as if I didn’t already know. “If you leave and stop bothering me, I might agree to have coffee with you on Saturday.”
Is that a yes? I hold myself still, so I don’t pump my fist into the air triumphantly.
“Change coffee to dinner and drinks, Zoe. Then I’ll leave,” I counter, pointing my fork at her. I can’t seem to stop eating, even as we discuss our soon-to-be date. The pie is just that good.
“You never know when to stop,” Zoe says, shaking her head. Her high ponytail rustles with the movement. Her hair looks good up, but down is my favorite, just like the first night I saw her.
“Not when it matters, and you definitely matter,” I tell her in complete seriousness. I know she doesn’t believe me, but I will spend all my time showing her otherwise.
“Sell those lines somewhere else, Casanova, ‘cause I’m not buying.” She rolls her eyes for good measure.
“Dinner and drinks.” I quirk an eyebrow, knowing I’m great with bartering and hoping my magic will work here too, but it only makes her frown.
“Lunch and coffee.”
I laugh, holding up my hands, and surrender. “Fine. I’ll pick you up Saturday at noon at your place.”
“I’ll meet you Saturday at Angel’s in Palatka at noon,” she argues. Damn, Zoe would be a better lawyer than I am—and I’m one of the best, even if I do say so myself.
“Angel’s?” I ask.
“Yeah, is that problem?” Zoe quips. “Too pedestrian for you?”
I stand up, causing her to shuffle a step back. I throw money on the table as I grin down at her. I lean forward so my lips are close to her ear and only she can hear me.
“I’m going to enjoy spanking your ass for challenging me so much,” I whisper,
A gasp leaves her lips and before she can say anything else, I lean in and kiss her hard, groaning when her tongue slides against mine as I deepen the kiss. I break away quickly, regretting that I don’t get to do it again for a few days. If I don’t stop, however, I won’t be able to let her go.
I lick my lips as she watches my tongue’s movement.
“I’ll see you Saturday.”
“If you say so,” she mumbles nervously.
“Zoe, one warning. If you don’t show up, I’ll hunt you down. So, you better be there.” I give her a wink before turning to walk out. Once I’m out the door, I look back. I see her still standing there with her fingers on her lips.
She wants me. I don’t think that’s my imagination at all. I felt it in her kiss, and I see it in her eyes. Now, I just need to make it through the next three days and make it to our date. That sounds easy, but I know it will be one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life.
Chapter 9
Zoe
The evening passed by in a blur after Callan left. The night got busy and the waitress who was supposed to cover the night shift didn’t show again. I’ve lost count of the shifts I’ve had to cover for her, making for some very long hours.
Besides making sure orders were right, and customers were happy, I had to deal with busy bodies wanting to know who the man was that I kissed. That only heightened the nerves and excitement I felt at agreeing to go out with Callan. Still, it was also worth the extra money I made when I told them that if they wanted to know that, they had to hang around for a piece of my pie to talk about it. Desserts I bake and sell are where I make most of my money from this job. The owner gives me the majority of the profit.
After getting off, I figured pizza for dinner was the best bet. Knowing my dad didn’t want to cook and I couldn’t even fathom standing up anymore, I just thought a greasy dinner was worth the splurge.
My muscles made sure to scream at me the short walk up to the front door. These extra hours are slowly killing me. I’m ready for a hot shower and a soft bed. It’s boring, but it sounds like heaven to me.
I stop dead in my tracks when I open the door to see that every available inch of space in the room is holding vases with red roses. The smell tickles my nose as I walk in with my mouth hanging open. I can’t believe what I’m seeing. I set the pizza box on the couch as I look around. I’m completely stunned at the sight of our house filled with so many arrangements.
“What on earth?” I whisper.
“Is there something you’d like to tell me, Zoe?” My dad asks, walking out of the kitchen as he takes a swig of the beer in his hand.
“What happened? Did the floral shop downtown explode or something?” I ask as my eyes bounce from one dozen to the next.
“Or something,” he grumbles. “The deliveries have been coming all day. It got so bad that I finally left the front door open and just yelled, come in.”
“That doesn’t sound all that safe.”
“Neither was getting up and down constantly. I’m an old man,” he says.