Page 35 of Someone to Tempt
But not tonight. She’s already put up the walls again, and as much as I want to knock them down, I won’t. Not until she begs me.
“I’ll see you at our next dance class.” I lean in until my mouth is inches from the delicate shell of her ear. “Sweet dreams, Iris.”
She holds perfectly still but can’t stop the subtle shiver that runs through her. “I don’t dream.”
“I bet I can change that.” With a wink, I turn and walk out into the dark night.
14
IRIS
I spendthe night tossing and turning as I dream of Jake’s mouth all over my body. Whether he issued the words as a promise or a threat remains unclear.
Either way, my body aches with a yearning I’m not ready to name. I pull myself out of bed for a six a.m. run, then shower and head to the office.
Yeah, I know. Running at that hour is ridiculous unless a bear is after you, but it’s one of the few methods I’ve found—legally anyway—to quiet the voices in my head. Exhausted as I am from the aforementioned lack of sleep, the mental chatterboxes are having a field day with Jake being back in my life.
With a kiss that left me wanting more.
I’ve spent years building walls that kept me safe, that kept me from becoming the kind of reckless, impulsive mess my mom was. Jake makes it hard to remember all the reasons why I shouldn’t want more.
I make coffee once I get to the office. Jodi did it when her uncle was mayor, but the moment I was appointed, she informed me it was no longer her responsibility. I don’t deserve her hostility, but whatever she needs to get through the day. The truth is, I make a damn fine pot. So much so, staff from other floors come to our reception area to refill their cups all day long.
Acts of service have always been my love language, but until now I listened to the muffled voices of town employees enjoying my coffee skills through the closed door of my office. I’ve been under the apparently misguided perception that they understand Skylark means something to me, even if I’m not great at casual conversation. But I’m a quick study and determined to win people over, even one cup of coffee at a time.
By the time Jodi rolls in just after nine—she always stops at the local coffee shop for her morning brew—a small crowd has gathered around the coffee station.
“Hey, there.” I offer her a smile. “I know you’ve already got your caffeine fix, but let me know if you need a refill. We’re doing a Friday Funday coffee bar.”
“That’s not a thing,” she says, wrinkling her nose like I just offered her a dog turd.
I wink. “It is now.”
“Did you know the mayor put herself through college as a barista?” Heidi from the parks department asks. “She can do foam art. I got a tree.”
“Because you take such good care of the trees around town,” I confirm.
“I have work to do,” Jodi grinds out. “We can’t have people loitering like we’re a coffee klatch.”
I smile wider, ignoring her attitude. “That’s a great idea. What do you guys think? Once a month, let’s move the Friday Funday coffee bar into the conference room.” The half dozen peopleloiteringin the office nod enthusiastically. “I’ll bring donuts and we can talk about…”
What are we going to talk about?
“Our weekend plans,” Heidi suggests. “There’s always something fun going on in Skylark.”
“That’s a perfect idea. So muchfun.” I begin cleaning up the remnants of my impromptu coffee bar and incline my head toward Jodi. “You’re welcome to join us. Give your budget a break from those expensive coffees.”
“I didn’t buy my own coffee this morning.” Her smile is self-satisfied. “Someone bought it for me.”
I wait until everyone files out before asking, “So your coffee’s from a secret admirer?”
“No secret. Jake was in line and we started talking. He remembered me from the produce section.”
I force my hand to loosen the Hulk-style grip I have on the vanilla syrup bottle and return her smile. “Broccoli brings the world together.”
“Whatever works,” she answers, hanging her vest on the coat tree in the corner. “The Bistro Boys Band is playing this weekend after the rodeo. He asked me to go with him. On a date.”
“Sounds fun.” At the moment, I hate that word with the passion of a thousand burning suns.
