Ever since last night, I feel like I’m cracking beneath the surface of Freddie Sterling. I feel like I’m starting to discover a part of him that others don’t get to see, and I’m not sure how I feel about that.
Or the fact a part of mewantsto keep discovering those unknown bits and pieces of FreddieFlashSterling.
“I know, I just—” I have to fight the urge to look at him.
“Can I interest you in some lunch? A coffee?” He cocks his head in the direction of the café. “Since you were in such a hurry this morning, you didn’t get the Flash Sterling culinary experience.” His lips pull into a soft smirk.
“Actually, I was planning on grabbing a coffee before I headed back…” I twist my lips.
He smirks. “You want to thank me?” he says, his voice dark and sexy as he nods to the bag in my hand.
I shouldn’t think such things about the man, but I can’t help it. Freddie Sterling is gorgeous. All the Sterling brothers are, including Brett, but there’s something timeless and classic about Freddie that just scratches a part of me that is so unknown yet so intrigued I can’t help but feel heat flooding my damn pussy.
I can think of plenty of ways to thank you.
My cheeks heat as the thought lands, and I try to shove it away before he chuckles.
“Uh…”
“Let me buy you lunch and coffee, and then we’ll be even, princess.”
“That’s hardly even, Freddie. Considering you just bought me all of this”—I raise my shopping bag—“which you really didn’t have to do.”
Freddie nods for me to follow him. He doesn’t argue or rebuke me, just says, “Come.”
Like I’m a damn dog and not a person, but I can’t help but listen. It’s like an itch I never knew needed scratching until now.
Iwantto do as he says.
So I do.
I follow him as he opens the door for me, and I walk through, bumping into him.
“Good girl,” he says, his voice dark. I nearly stumble from the tone, the warmth of his proximity, and my insides flare with heat.
What the hell is wrong with me?
When I get inside, I head for the counter and Freddie is behind me within seconds. I can feel the heat radiating from his body, and it makes my entire body feel like a heated live wire.
“Get whatever you want,” he says, his voice low and deep. I have to strain to listen a bit because it’s almost a whisper.
And then I realize how close he is. I turn to look at him, his face barely inches from mine, and the way he’s looking at me makesmore than just my heart skip a beat. I’m acutely aware of the moisture blossoming between my legs.
“And don’t even think about arguing with me, princess.”
I bite my lip, because the desire to push back and be sarcastic is strong.
“Nora…” His voice is even. Smooth. “You understand?”
“Yes, sir,” I say, feeling flush from my head to my toes. I know my cheeks must be tinged scarlet right about now, and that makes me feel almost as mortified as I felt waking up with Rush by my side on the couch.
Almost.
The woman ahead of us moves down the counter, and Freddie nods for me to step forward, so I do. I order myself a warm caramel latte, and Freddie orders a large regular coffee, black.
When we get our coffees, Freddie leads us to a private booth in the corner, and we both sit down. I sip my coffee, but he doesn’t. Instead, he sets it down, leans back in his seat, and watches me.
It should be weird, since it’s not like Freddie and I hang out on a regular basis. In fact, I think this is the most Freddie’s ever socialized with me, period.