Page 8 of Until We Meet Again

"What can I get you?" the stunning redhead asks, smiling down at me.

"Could I please have a vanilla latte?" She jots down my order, and I notice how her eyes light up once she turns her attention to Zane.

I can't blame her. He's the type of guy you'd love to cuddle with. Naked.

"I'll take an espresso, please." The moment she leaves, he's focused on me again. "Have you been here before?"

"I've been coming here since my first year of college. They make the best smoothies." His face lights up, and his warmth is palpable.

"Is that right?" he asks, his voice deep and husky—and sexy as hell.

"They're amazing. You should try one."

Am I really talking about smoothies? I'm lame as shit.

"I'll keep that in mind the next time I need to cool down." The pretty redhead is back with our drinks. She sets them down in front of us, and with a friendly smile, she walks away, leaving us alone once more.

Zane's eyes meet mine, and despite my attempts to resist, I find myself unable to fight off the urge to gaze upon his perfectly straightnose and the faintdimple on his chin."So, have you lived in Chicago all your life, or did you move here for school?"

"Just for college. I grew up in California."

"Pretty brave step moving from one side of the country to the other."

"It was a good fit for me. Everything I wanted from an education was here, and I instantly fell in love with the place."

"I like people who go after what they want. I respect it. It's not always easy."

"How long have you been here?"

"I moved here a couple of months ago. I've been taking some time to settle in before I start a new job next week."

"You nervous?"

"About the job?" I nod and wait for him to continue.

"No, not really. I'm looking forward to it."

The longer we talk, the more drawn to his energy I am. I wasn't expecting us to have so much in common or to get along so easily, and the fact that there's a significant age gap between us is the furthest thing from my mind.

We're both into reading, check. Both earth signs, check. Chemistry is so strong that I'd probably crawl over the table if he asked me to, check.

"Where did you live before you moved here? I can hear you have an accent."

"I was born and raised in Dallas, but I wanted a change, and now here I am."

"Is there a story to that? Not many people just pack up their things and move hundreds of miles away for no reason."

"It's more of a date six or seven kind of story."

A little worried that I may have overstepped, I attempt to ease any tension. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see if we make it to date six."

"I can only imagine what date six with you would look like," he says, stealing a glance at my lips. It happened so fast that if I blinked, I would've missed it.

"You need to make it to date two first."

"I'm not worried."

"No?"

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