Page 5 of Completely Captivated
And Aaron was completely alone.
Table for Two
April
“Christa, the delivery man is here.Can you watch the front while I handle our delivery?”Allie asked.
“Sure, Allie.I got it,” Christa responded.
Allie Barker was Christa’s best friend and only employee at her coffee shop and bakery, The Sweet Spot,but somehow, they made it work together day after day.When the small shop in the high-rent district of an influential San Francisco neighborhood became available at an amazingly affordable price, Christa took it as a sign that it was meant for her.The fact that it had a ready-to-use gourmet chef kitchen was an additional bonus.
She thought if she could get her business going with fast and easy treats first, the kitchen would be perfect for catering larger events later.She had a five-year plan and was determined to see every last detail through to fruition.She was so involved in her thoughts about those plans, and how her business was performing, she didn’t hear the bell over the door chime when the next customers walked in.
When she looked up, she was pulled into the deepest, most delicious sea of blue ever to grace a man’s face.He was more than handsome—he was drop-dead gorgeous.His blue eyes sparkled with mischief, his smile was warm and contagious.She felt her own cheeks lifting in response.
His dark black hair was naturally messy and sexy, perfect for the obligatory finger-gripping during wild, swinging-from-the-rafters sex.His face was covered in just the right amount of five-o’clock shadow.He was tall, with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and had a finely sculpted chest, if the shirt stretched tight across his shoulders was any indication.He had just the right amount of muscular build to be athletic.
Unfortunately, he’d walked in with an equally beautiful woman by his side.
As if I had a chance with him anyway, Christa thought to herself.
She pasted her best hostess smile on her face and greeted her new customers, mentally reminding herself she needed the clientele more than she needed a date.
“Hello.Welcome to The Sweet Spot.What can I get you?”she asked cheerfully.
“Hello.”The sexy, baritone voice was like smooth velvet to her ears.“Can we get a large regular coffee and a medium skinny white chocolate mocha, please?”
“Sure.Just have a seat, and I’ll bring it out to you.Anything from the pastry case?”Christa offered, practicing her salesperson skills.
The tall stick figure that accompanied the Adonis standing before her replied with disdain dripping from her lips.“Oh, those things have a million carbs.Keep them away from me.”
As if on cue, the handsome man responded with the opposite.“They look delicious.How about one of those croissants—toasted, with plenty of butter on the side?”
Christa wasn’t certain, but she would’ve sworn he ordered the pastry just to antagonize his date.She rang up the sale, quickly filled the coffee cups, and delivered the order to their table.
“Aaron, really, did you have to get the croissant?It’s the biggest pastry in the case,” the stick figure whined.
Aaron picked up the pastry and sank his teeth in.“Oh my God!”
Christa had turned her back to him the second before she heard his exclamation.She whirled around, placed her hand on his shoulder, and leaned in close to him.“What’s wrong?”
He almost laughed at the concern on her face.“Absolutely nothing is wrong.This isthe bestcroissant I’ve ever had.Where do you buy these?”
He watched her beautiful face turn the loveliest shade of pink as her embarrassment set in.She quickly snatched her hand from his shoulder and straightened her back.“Umm, I don’t buy them.I make them here.”
“I’m impressed—honestly.This is heaven.It literally melts in my mouth.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”Her reply was as warm and honest as her returned smile.
“I’ll have to come here every day now,” he said with a playful wink and a knowing smile.A smile that said he knew affected her and he knew she wished she could hide her reaction from him.
He’d always had the same effect on the ladies, and he’d frequently used his good looks to his advantage.He’d learned to read the signs; he knew when they were interested in him, and what they wanted from him.He’d give them a good time for a night or so, but no one ever held his interest for too long.
As he watched her walk away, he contemplated how he wouldn’t mind that little lady being next on his list.He was well-known in the influential celebrity and business circuits and often dated high-profile models.Datedwas a generous term.He wined, dined, and sixty-nined them, then sent them on their way.His work had him hip-deep in models on a daily basis.Models that were long-legged, skinny, and wouldn’t eat more than a couple of pieces of dry lettuce to avoid gaining an ounce.
But everything about her seemed to contradict his normal type.Her name tag readChrista.She couldn’t have been over five foot three barefoot.She didn’t have long legs like his current companion, the one whose name he’d already forgotten.Christa had curves in all the right places, like a real woman should.Her breasts were small but perky, her legs were short but sleek and muscular, and her perfectly round ass—he could feast on it all day.
Her hair was long and blond, but it was her amazing brown eyes that held the magic.They captivated him, reached out and physically touched him, holding him as her hostage.For the first time in his adult life, he decided he’d gladly give full control over to someone else.The termlove at first sighthad always been a cliché to him.He’d argued there was no way a person could fall in love when they first met.But the feeling that stirred in his chest told him this pure, natural beauty was a threat to his one-night-only rule.
