Page 4 of Cookie

I decided not to shower and just freshened up before changing my clothes and hurrying back down the stairs. I was standing at the counter sorting the mail when there was a knock at the door. There stood Charlie, looking even more nervous than he had earlier. I grinned at him before walking over and letting him in.

“Are you ready to go?” he asked.

“Yes, I was just looking at the mail.” I set it down and walked closer to him. He’d just showered, which made his dark hair look nearly black. It was cut short and close on the sides and combed back neatly on the top making his blue eyes stand out even more than they had earlier, and I found it hard to look away. He did finally turn away breaking the spell he had me under, and we walked toward the door.

“Oh, are those the same cookies you gave me earlier?” he asked when he noticed the basket near the counter.

“Yes, Avery had the idea to put them closer to the counter and I thought we could have some kind of combo deal like a book and a cookie.”

“It was really good.” He stood with his hands in his pockets looking at the display with a sweet smile on his face. He really was cute, and once again I had to force myself not to stare. He turned to meet my eyes, and I lunged at him. My chin hit his cheek, and our foreheads hit as we both went in for a kiss that neither of us seemed able to control. He gripped both my arms and held me back. “I am so sorry,” he said.

“Don’t be sorry, kiss me,” I whispered. He leaned in and our lips met. His were warm and soft, and the fact he was holding me back made me want to throw myself even closer to him. He wrapped his strong arms around me and finally pulled me against his chest as his tongue swiped at my lips. I opened mymouth, and our kiss went from new and innocent to hot and needy as he slid his hand down and gripped my ass.

“What is it about you that I can’t resist,” he breathed out against my cheek.

“Must be the cookies,” I said, still delirious from the way he held me so close I could feel his cheek lift in a smile.

“Must be,” he whispered before kissing me again.

“I guess we should go eat dinner,” I said, not really wanting to go eat dinner at all.

“Or we could stay here and get to know each other better.” He grinned before waggling his eyebrows, making me laugh.

“How about we go get something to eat, then we come back here for dessert?”

“I like how you think,” he said before kissing me once again. He was big and strong, and so gentle it made my heart hurt with want. He took my hand and led me to the door then waited while I locked it.

“So, what kind of food does this place have?” I asked as we walked down the street. Most of the businesses were closed but there was still a good crowd of people downtown for dinner or a drink at one of the bars.

“They have a little bit of everything, don’t worry, it’s all good.”

“I trust you,” I said, and for some reason I did. “What time did you get off work?”

“Right after I saw you. My dad said I was driving them all crazy and made me leave.”

“What? The shop looked busy when I was there.”

“Oh, it was, but I’ve wanted to ask you out since I noticed you a while back, and I guess my nerves were a little too much for them.” He ducked his head and looked away, but I tugged on his hand to get him to look at me.

“I’m really glad you asked me out,” I said and meant it.

Five

Charlie

We walked into the café, and after ignoring the townsfolk who turned and stared, I led us to a booth in the back where we’d have a little privacy. As we ate dinner, we talked about so many different things. From cars to books and everything else we could think of. He was smart and interesting and so different from anyone I’d met before. “So, do you think you’ll end up buying the store?” He’d mentioned earlier he was only supposed to be here for a few months to see if he liked it, and I was worried he could be leaving.

“If you had asked me that a week ago, I would have said no, but now I’m making it my own, and I really do love it. Looks like you might have a new neighbor,” he said and smiled at me.

That smile did strange things to my insides, and it didn’t have anything to do with being nervous. I reached across the table and settled my hand on his. I loved the way he was so ready to try something new and even though he wasn’t sure he’d like it, he still tried. “Cookie, I’d love for you to stay.”

“Cookie?” he asked with a puzzled look and a hesitant smile.

The heat of a blush crept up my neck, but I ignored it. “I didn’t know your name and every time I saw you at the park you were eating a cookie.” I shrugged, far beyond being embarrassed. “I really like you, Ryan, and I’d like to spend more time with you.”

Now it was his turn to act shy but when his blue eyes met mine there was a fire there that I’d had a glimpse of earlier. “Want to go back to the bookstore? For dessert?” he asked.

“I thought we could get something here,” I said, not really sure why he’d want to go back there.

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