Page 34 of Enticed

The Corner Bakery is just a few blocks away, but it’s a little café that bakes all of their bread and desserts from scratch. They have delicious hand-crafted sandwiches and home-made potato chips that will make your mouth water.

Once we’re seated inside in a booth and place our order, Clara and I continue getting to know each other—the people we are now, of course. She tells me about her time in college at Boise State and how she landed her job with Pearson Advertising. I get a small update on her parents living in Florida and loving their life, and she fills in the details of the years when we didn’t see each other regularly. She’s composed yet passionate as she speaks and I puff out my chest with pride knowing she’s finally comfortable with me.

“Thank you,” she tells the waitress as she drops off our food and refills our drinks. “Yeah, so now with my promotion I don’t have to travel as much, although I do have to make a short trip to Seattle this week to check in with a client about a new campaign.”

“How long will you be gone?” I prod, knowing I don’t want to wait too long to see her again. I’m already thinking about date number two and this one isn’t even over yet. Of course, that’s if I can get her to agree to another date with me. This one had so many strings attached to it—I wonder if she even wants to see me again after this, except for the occasional pickup from Tony’s I’m expecting, even though that hasn’t happened in over a week.

“Just two days in the middle of the week. I’ll be home by Friday,” she pops a chip in her mouth and licks the salt off of her lips.

Fuck. I guess I’ll have to wait another week at least before I can relieve this ache in my balls, given Clara wants that as much as I do.

Clara chews slowly, never wavering in her stare on me, so I play along with her game and move to scratch my stomach, lifting my shirt just enough to give her a peek at the goods. Her eyes snap down immediately, staring intently on the patch of skin I exposed, her throat moving as she gulps.

“So Cooper,” she breaks her ogling and reaches for her water. “When did you realize you wanted to go into law enforcement?”

“Ah, yeah, I guess you weren’t around after my freshman year in high school to know that,” I sit up straighter in my side of the booth, placing my elbows on the table over my plate and clasp my hands together. “Well, we had a career day sophomore year where people from all over the town volunteered to speak with the students about their jobs and offer insight into career and school paths we could take after high school. I sat in on a session with a sheriff deputy and I was hooked. Something about the uniform and being given that amount of responsibility… it stuck with me—it made me feel like that job would give me purpose, so I made the decision that day that being a deputy was what I wanted to do. The guy who spoke talked to me after his presentation and encouraged me to get my degree first before entering the academy. So I double majored in psychology and criminal justice, got my master’s degree in criminal justice as well, and then went to the academy when I was twenty-four. I bulked up and increased my physical health while I was working on my education, so by the time the academy came around, I was ready to go. I’ve been on duty for a little over two years now and I love it.”

Clara just shakes her head in awe at me. “Wow. Twiggy grew up and now he shoots bad guys,” she smiles, and I swear I feel myself blush.

“Sometimes. It’s part of the job, so unfortunately it happens…” I can feel the elephant in the room bringing up the last person I had to shoot—the person who was hurting her—as her face registers the same thought. “But my favorite part is protecting Emerson Falls and keeping everyone safe. And now I go back and speak at career day, hoping to inspire another teenager in the same way that deputy inspired me.”

Clara fumbles with her fingers in her lap and avoids looking at me. Shit, now I think I’ve lost her. We were doing so good; she was opening up and finally comfortable… why did the attack have to come up now?

“I know I’ve told you this before, Cooper,” she speaks and I’m lingering to see what she says next, “But I can’t thank you enough for being there that night.”

“We don’t have to talk about that today, Clara. In fact, let’s not, okay?” I don’t want to undo all the progress we’ve made.

She nods. “Okay. But I mean it. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Silence falls between us before the waitress finally comes over and asks if we need anything else. Both of us order a slice of pie to go—cherry for Clara, banana cream for me—and I pay before we return to the truck, greeted by a snoring Roark in the backseat with the windows down.

“He is wiped!” Clara declares on a chuckle as we cruise back to her house.

“Told ya. But give him a few hours and he’ll be ready for round two.”

“A quick recovery time, huh?” She winks over at me, and her words and insinuation make me hard for the hundredth time today.

“He must get that from his owner,” I boldly state, making Clara’s eyebrows raise.

“I’ll be the judge of that,” she replies and my mind instantly veers to thoughts of Clara naked beneath me and damn, I know it will be worth it when we get there. Because if her declarations like that one continue, I’m confident it’s going to happen.

But that wasn’t the goal of today—today was about conversing, inquiring, relieving some tension between us that stems from being total strangers at this point in our lives.

I know I’m attracted to Clara, that much is evident. But it’s more than just physical with her, even though we’re constantly trying to flirt and say filthy, sexual-laced words to each other. She intrigues me, entices me—and I haven’t felt that for another woman like I do for her.

I pull into her driveway and shut off the truck, making my way around to open the door for her. This may not have been a fancy dinner date, but I still have my manners—my momma taught me well.

I walk her to the door and hand her the pie she brought home for later.

“Any plans this evening?” I ask, while picturing her eating that pie naked.

“A shower and some laundry, then getting ready for the week ahead. I have to pack and grocery shop—you know, adult stuff,” she wrinkles her nose.

“Ah, yes. Sounds fun. Well, even though I don’t feel the date was worth a thousand dollars, I’m really glad you won, Clara. I think we needed this…”

“Needed what exactly?”

---