Page 12 of Christian Clause

Damn it!

“I came to shop,” she finally says after a short while.

A grin covers my face. “It’s only coffee.”

She tilts her head to the side as if considering my proposal. The gesture causes my grin to widen. This has never happened to me before. It makes me even more intrigued by her.

I chuckle. “Is it so hard to decide?”

A smile lifts around the edges of her mouth, and she laughs softly. The sound sends tingles all over my body, alarming me.

She shrugs. “Okay. Coffee sounds wonderful.”

Great!

“I’m Chris, by the way.” I lift my hand for a handshake.

Beaming, she says, “I’m Hope.”

I decide not to use any more cheesy lines along the lines of what a beautiful name she has for a beautiful lady. Instead, I take her hand and stifle a groan as bolts of electricity shoot through my body in contact with her. Pleasure runs through me when I see her brown eyes widen. Quickly, she retrieves her hand and lowers her eyes. Happy that she too is feeling the chemistry between us, I lead the way to the coffee shop in the mall.

I feel an inch taller walking with such a gorgeous woman. Usually, I have blondes snuggling to my side like arm candy, but not Hope. She carries herself in such a way that one won’t know we are together. With every passing minute in her presence, I’m getting more and more intrigued.

Thankfully, the coffee shop isn’t crowded, unlike the mall. I lead her to one of the white tables at a corner of the shop. A waitress in a white and pink uniform comes to take our order. I’m not moved when I notice the young woman gawking at me. I nod at Hope.

“Please take her order.”

“Only coffee, please. Thank you,” Hope simply says.

My brows shoot up. “Coffee only?”

Shrugging, with a twinkle in her eyes, she says, “Well, that was the only thing you offered.”

I let out a chuckle.

“Besides, I’ve already had breakfast,” she adds with a small smile.

I want to argue so I can spend more time with her, but I let it go. She doesn’t seem to be the kind of woman who will allow others to dictate to her.

“Coffee for me, too,” I tell the waitress who is still staring at me as if all her Christmases had come in one package.

“Sometime this year,” I tell the young woman.

She blushes deeply and says, “Right.” before leaving to get our order.

Hope’s low laugh makes me return my attention to her.

“Care to share the joke?”

Lifting her beautiful face, she says, “Do you get that a lot?”

My eyes narrow with confusion. “Get what?”

“Mindless stares from women.”

Startled laughter rumbles from my throat as I didn’t know that she had noticed the way the waitress stared at me.

Lifting my shoulders and dropping them, I remark, “Sometimes. But I bet a woman like you doesn’t do such things.”

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