Page 36 of Hold the Line

Opening my hands, I slid them down his sides and circled my arms around his narrow waist. He was only a couple inches taller than me, and I liked that very much. It put us on the same level, neither of us straining. We could have comfortably stood outside my door kissing for hours. And the way he tasted and felt, I would gladly have done that.

Deacon pulled back, his warm breath ghosting across my lips as he stared at me in a daze.

“You’re not stupid,” he uttered, low and raspy. “That’s me. I’d never been in a position to take a woman out before I went in. If I’d known you wanted tonight to be a date, I would’ve brought you flowers.”

“You’ve never been on a date?” That surprised me. Looking the way he did, with the tattoos, voice, and everything else…

But maybe he’d kept things casual with women. After all, he’d been in his early twenties when he’d gone to prison. Deacon didn’t strike me as a hit-it-and-quit-it kind of guy, though.

The corner of his mouth hitched. “Guess I have now.”

My toes curled in my shoes. “I guess so.” I leaned in, touching my lips to his. “I like flowers, but they’re not necessary. I really did have a great time with you.”

His thumb dragged back and forth on my cheek. “I’m wrapping my head around this.”

“I think I am too.”

“You want to do it again?”

I nodded. “Yep, I definitely do.”

“Good.” He kissed the side of my mouth. “This kind of thing is new to me, Phoebe. You’re gonna have to tell me when I’m messing things up.”

“You won’t. So long as you don’t assume I’d ever take another man’s number when I’m out with you.”

He chuffed. “I think I got that.”

“Then you’ll do just fine.” Smiling, I let my arms slip from his waist and backed into my doorway. “See you soon, Deke.”

The slow, lazy grin he returned would keep his name in heart doodles for years to come. It was that good.

“Yeah. You will,” he drawled in a promise I fully intended to cash in on.

Chapter Sixteen

Phoebe

Haileyhadbeenworkingat Sugar Rush for a couple weeks now, and she fit in like she’d always been there. She showed up on time, did her work well, and had gotten comfortable enough to show her personality, albeit slowly. I’d learned we shared the same taste in music, she’d lived with her foster family for five years, and she wanted to be a nurse—though that was subject to change.

We had a lull in customers, so I decided to show her how to make a cappuccino. Usually, she just ran the register, but knowing how to make coffee would help.

“By the way, is the guy who picked you up yesterday your boyfriend?”

Why had that question made wild butterflies take flight? “No, he’s not.”

Her nose crinkled as she examined me. “Do youwanthim to be your boyfriend?”

I laughed. “That was our first date, so we’ll see. I’m not in any rush to find a boyfriend.”

She worried her lip with her fingers as I explained the parts of the machine and the different types of coffee drinks we offered.

“Is he nice?”

I turned from the machine to look at her. “Who?”

“The guy you like. What’s he like?”

“Well…” I poured the coffee we’d made into a cup, adding cream and sugar, then slid it to Hailey. “He’s very nice. I knew him in high school and always had a thing for him, but nothing ever happened. Now he’s my neighbor, so we’re getting to know each other.”

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