Page 9 of Completely Captivated
She had a fleeting thought that this was their “thing,” intentionally misinterpreting words and playfully using them against the other at a later time.She quickly pushed that thought aside, thinking that no man as gorgeous as Aaron would be interested in having a real “thing” with her.
Aaron laughed, genuinely laughed, for the first time in a long time.His deep blue eyes danced with mischief sprinkled in them.“I don’t recall saying itquitelike that.”He took a bite of his dessert and groaned with satisfaction as he chewed.Pointing his fork at her, he added, “You are trouble.”The sparkle of mischief was back in his eyes, the shade deepening to a rich, dark blue that drew her in until she became a willing victim.
“So what brings you back here today?Severe coffee addiction?Need a sugar rush?Did you get sent home early for falling asleep at work?”Christa teased between bites, trying to steer the conversation away from the thoughts swimming in her head.
Aaron responded with a wide smile and considered turning her words into something dirty and sexual, like he would normally do, but quickly changed his course to try something new.Like honesty.
“I just wanted to see you again.This is my new caffeine spot.The coffee and pastries are the best in the city.But you’re the real reason I can’t stay away.I’m here twice a day on weekdays and three times on Saturday.”He watched her hand freeze in midair, her eyes widen, and her lips part for a second.He had to give her points for recovering quickly as she pushed past the shock and narrowed her eyes at him dubiously.
“Why?”
“Why?Well, because you’re beautiful.And sweet.A great cook—even though you’re trying to make me fat.You probably hear this all the time, but you have areallynice ass, and Ireallylike to stare at it.That blush that takes over your face and neck when I say something remotely dirty is sexy as hell.Like right now, when you’re still thinking about how I commented on your ass.But mostly, because I like talking to you and getting to know you.”
She narrowed her eyes more, absorbing his words and sizing him up at the same time.“What about your girlfriend?”she asked, not hiding her suspicion of his intentions.
Now it was Aaron’s turn to look shocked.And confused.
“Girlfriend?I don’t have a girlfriend.”His eyes crinkled at the corners, and his brow furrowed at her question.
“Well, no, you have a couple of them, at least,” Christa responded.“You brought them in here with you.”
“No, no, no—neither of those women is my girlfriend, Christa.I’m an agent, and they’re both models.We were on our way to client meetings, and I needed coffee.The first girl didn’t meet the client’s needs, so I brought the other one by the next day.You know, after you got me hooked on your cooking and your ass.But it’s strictly business with the models.You haven’t seen me with one in a while, have you?”As of now, it’s strictly business anyway.
Christa shook her head slowly, pulled the corner of her lower lip into her mouth and bit it while she considered his explanation.Her self-defeating thoughts returned with a vengeance, attempting to deprive her of the tiny bit of happiness blooming inside her.
He was so handsome, and he was interested in her—that just didn’t make sense.He was so far out of her league they weren’t even in the same zip code.Surely, he’d made some mistake, and he’d come to his senses.Or she’d burn a batch of croissants, and he’d move on to another coffee shop.
Then an unusual thought, for her, took root in her subconscious and urged her to change her mind.Take a chance.What’s the worst that could happen?
“Well, then I’m glad you came to see me again.And I love the flowers, that was so thoughtful.And…I really like talking to you, too.”She finally admitted her feelings aloud, looking shyly at him through her eyelashes.But she was completely unable to hide the huge grin on her face.
First Date
Aaron stayedat the café with Christa the rest of the afternoon then walked her to her car after closing up shop that evening.Just before she got in, he stopped her with his hand on her arm.
“Christa, before you go, I have something to ask you.”
“What is it?”She immediately wanted to facepalm herself.Couldn’t you reply with something a little smoother?
“I’d like to spend the day with you tomorrow.Is there any chance you can clear your schedule for me?”His confident smile was on full display, but he felt anything but confident as he watched her freeze in place and look everywhere but at him.He’d never worried about being turned down before, but she appeared to search for an excuse to say no.
He wants to spend the whole day with me?
What will I talk about that whole time?
What if I run out of conversation topics?
What if he takes me home early because I’ve bored him to death?
A lifetime of doubt and insecurity was hard to overcome, especially when someone as overtly handsome and visibly successful expressed interest in her.Not that anyone like him has ever asked me out before, she amended internally.His clothes were name-brand.His suits were custom tailored.His car screamed wealth and prestige.Her car screamed to be taken to the repair shop.Embarrassed she’d left him waiting for an answer while she wrestled with her self-confidence, she smiled warmly and replied with the first thought that came to her mind.
“I would love to, Aaron.I’ll call Allie and make sure she can cover the shop alone.Saturdays are usually slower since we don’t have the nine-to-five crowd first thing in the morning.”
“Great.How about I give you a call later tonight just to make sure?That gives me an excuse to talk to you again tonight.”
She looked at the ground, hiding her shy smile.“You don’t need an excuse to call me, Aaron.”
They exchanged numbers then Aaron closed her door and watched her drive off with a smile permanently etched on his face.He’d never been so drawn to anyone so fast and so completely.The foreign nature of those feelings should’ve been enough to send him fleeing.Instead, he felt it drawing him to her more and more with each passing minute.
