Page 30 of Forbidden Desires

“I’ll have a flat white and a serving of the cake as well.” He hands over his card, as if he’s ordering and paying for me.

“What are you doing?” I mutter, confused.

“Joining you. I could do with a little tasty treat with my coffee this morning,” he says, as if it’s obvious. The way he looks at me makes me wonder if he is talking about the delicious baked goods or me. “Mae told me you would be here,” he explains.

I quirk my brow in question. Why was he at my house asking for my whereabouts? Suzie gazes at me with admiration, as if I'm the luckiest girl alive, and she would trade anything to be in my shoes. She takes his card and processes the payment. I roll my eyes in his direction, knowing there is no point in fighting him on it. If Brody has made up his mind on something, it’s happening. I’ve learned that the hard way this week. After the car debacle, I really don’t have any fight left in me.

“Most people say thank you,” he mutters as I walk toward the table I was eyeing.

I take a seat with a view of the rest of the café, and he sits across from me. “Most bosses don’t crash their staff’s morning off.” I’ve spent the last two weeks working my ass off in my new job, while doing my best to avoid him around the hotel. During the day, I can do it no problem. But the nights are a different story. When I’m tucked up in bed all alone, I can’t help but open his text messages and smile to myself, knowing he’s lying in bed thinking of me just like I am him. Sometimes I indulge him and write back. Every day since my first night here it’s been the same, a late message with something from the day, like “nice pink shoes” or “skirts like the one you had on today should be illegal.” They started out super friendly, but over the last few days, they have intensified into extremely flirty.

“I thought you would have learned by now, Gigi. I’m not like most people. And I’m not your boss here, just an acquaintance sharing breakfast. It’s my morning off as well.” His lips twitch at the sides as if he’s trying to hide his smirk. He’s different today, he seems more playful. I’m curious about what’s gotten in to him.

“Is that right? I thought you would have better things to do with your free time than hang out with me.” I smile sweetly, if not a little sarcastically. It’s not that I don’t want to be in this man’s company. It’s the exact opposite. I’m drawn to him. I'm confused because every fiber of my being warns me to stay away from him. But it’s not what I really want. I enjoy the way he watches me walking past him, the way he finds any reason he can to drop in to my office, and I especially enjoy his texts late at night. It makes me feel special. Even the overprotectiveness has a sort of charm to it that it shouldn’t. He has made it very obvious that there will never be anything between us other than a working relationship. But here we are—me pretending like I wish he wasn’t here and him paying for my breakfast and joining me like he wants something more, even though he shouldn’t.

“I can’t think of anything I would rather do.” He gazes at me like he wants to say something more but then stops himself. For two weeks now he’s been doing that, giving me these long, lingering looks that I don’t really understand. I wish he would just spit it out.

The server delivers our coffees and cake. It’s warm, and the sweet cinnamon scent coming off it is insanely yummy. I slide my plate closer, slicing my fork through the layers and taking a bite.

He sips his coffee, watching me as I place the fork in my mouth then lick it clean. I’m in baked-goods heaven. I don’t know what the people of Deception Bay put in their food, but it’s the best I have ever tasted.

“Are you all ready for tonight’s wedding?” he asks, and I realize this might be more of a work check-in than anything else. The thought disappoints me more than it should. The only thing I should be talking to him about is work, but for a second, I wanted a little something more—a glimpse of the man I met back in New York.

I wipe the corner of my mouth. “I thought you said this wasn’t a work chat.”

“It’s not. I was checking up on you, Gisele, the person, and how you’re going with your new job, not as your boss.”

I take a sip of my coffee, glancing back at him, trying to work him out. “I think so. I feel a bit better about it after last night’s and last weekend’s weddings running so smoothly.”

“You should. I heard from Elliot this morning, and he said you were impressive in how you dealt with anything that was thrown your way. You have a knack for dealing with difficult people,” he compliments me, a new warmth in his eyes. I have impressed him; that thought makes me feel more special than it should.

“Obviously.” I smirk at him, implying he is one of those people. “Tonight’s couple should be easy. They’re relaxed, just happy to be marrying their person. They’re really sweet.”

“Don’t tell me you’re a hopeless romantic who believes in the idea of finding your person and happily ever after?” He sounds disappointed in me.

I glare at him, a little disappointed myself. “Why doesn’t it surprise me you don’t believe in any of that?” I huff, turning my attention back to my food.

“I guess if I had good evidence it existed, then maybe I could believe it. But as it stands, I haven’t seen any proof.”

I finish the rest of my cake in two mouthfuls. He’s so cynical. I wonder what happened to him to make him that way. “Child of divorce?” I ask, curious.

“No, unfortunately for my mother.” Sadness sweeps over him. He looks vulnerable for the first time. He loves his mother, that’s sweet. Maybe some of that guy I first met is in there somewhere.

“What about your sister? She doesn't seem as opposed to the idea of love, she had the same parents,” I challenge him. I don’t want to know that he doesn’t believe in love, and I’m not even sure why. I'm not looking for him to fall in love with me, but I guess I just feel sad for him. I like the idea that my other half is out there somewhere, and one day I will find him, and we’ll settle down together and share a life of happiness. It gives me hope. His sister is the same, I know she is.

“She’s just as bad as you. Reads too many of those things.” He motions to the book resting on the table under my phone.

His parents’ marriage must have been pretty ugly. Unless it’s something from his own past he’s talking about. “That’s sad, Brody. I’m sorry someone hurt you so badly you don’t think there is any possibility of finding your person,” I mutter out loud before I have the chance to stop the words.

“I was talking about my parents’ marriage,” he says a little too quickly.

“And growing old alone because you didn’t want to try and find something real and worth fighting for doesn’t look fun? Not for me. I want it all. That’s why I moved away from my life in the city; it didn’t feel like it fit me properly. I will forever keep searching for what does. And hopefully, I will find my person to share that life with.”

He looks me over, his gaze cynical. “I hope for your sake life doesn’t disappoint you.”

“Like it has you?” I ask a little more seriously. This guy gives me nothing much to go off, but I see that wounded look on his face. His hurt isn’t about what happened with his parents. He’s in his mid-thirties with no wife and no kids. Maybe he wanted something different for his life, but it just didn’t turn out theway he expected. I guess if I’m still alone when I get to be his age, I might feel the same, but I hope not. I hope I keep searching. Optimism has to be better than giving up and just being miserable with the hand you’ve been dealt.

A pretty blonde with a contagious smile gracefully approaches our table. Her eyes hold a glimmer of familiarity, as if I should instantly recognize her, but she’s a stranger to me, and the confusion must be obvious on my face as she stops at our table. I can’t place her.

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