Page 12 of Truth and Temptation
“Maybe I will.”
All of a sudden, it’s too much for me. The push and pull between us, the crackling tension that I am slowly coming to realize is perhaps not only one sided. I need a moment. I stand up swiftly and head to the door.
“I’m going next door to get some coffee. Do you want some?”
Wyatt nods, and I turn jerkily and open the door without even bothering to find out what he wants.
Outside, I take a moment to lean against the concrete pillar that divides my store from The Nutty Muffin bakery. I draw my breath in through my nose and out through my mouth, willing my heart to stop racing. But my efforts are in vain because the moment Mila sees me, her eyes widen and she comes rushing over.
“Are you okay? Why are you so flushed? Is it your lungs? Do we need to go back to the hospital?”
I manage to shake my head vigorously and spit out one word. “Wyatt.”
She lets out a huff of laughter as her shoulders sag. “Oh, shit. You freaked me out, Paige! I thought you were having another attack or something, not getting all hot and bothered over a man.”
My mouth opens to protest, to deny what she says is true, but I can’t lie. “Mila, I don’t know what to do,” I answer honestly. “I look at him and I feel strange. I am preoccupied with thoughts of him, and when he is near, I feel warm all over. And I have this odd compulsion to touch him.”
I feel vulnerable exposing myself to Mila like this, but she seems to take it in stride, wrapping her arms around me and giving me the hug I didn’t realize I needed. The natural release of oxytocin from our embrace steadies me, and when I pull back, I feel calmer.
“Honey, you like him. You want him. I know this is new for you, but maybe just try to enjoy it. See where it goes,” she says gently.
“I would like to do that, but what if —” I pause, licking my lips “— what if he rejects me when he finds out I have so little experience?”
“Oh, Paige,” Mila murmurs.
“I have only been with two men, once each time. And that was less about desire and more about feeling it was a task necessary to move forward in my maturity.”
Mila knows all of this, yet I can’t stop myself from spilling it forth.
“I have never been drawn to a man the way I am with him and I don’t even know his last name.”
“Well, that’s an easy thing to fix. Just ask him,” she teases. “Next time you see him, just ask.”
“He’s waiting in my store right now,” I mumble under my breath.
“What?” Mila exclaims, pushing my shoulder lightly. “You have a gorgeous man waiting for you and you’re here talking to me?”
“I told him I was going to get coffee,” comes my weak reply.
“So let’s get you coffee and send you on your way.”
We enter the bakery, and Mila hustles back behind the counter and busies herself making two drinks. Moments later, she passes them over the counter. “Latte for you and an Americano for him.”
I look up in surprise. “Is that what he drinks?”
She gives me a wink. “Yep, and just think how amazed he’ll be when you show up with it.”
I smile gamely, but it must come out looking pained because Mila comes back around the counter and puts her arm around my shoulders, gently guiding me to the door. “Just be your usual amazing self, Paige. He’s obviously interested, seeing how he’s still around.”
I consider that as she propels me out of the bakery, then stumble to a stop. “But…” my protest dies off.
Mila plants her hands on her hips and stares at me. “But nothing. You can do this. Just talk to him.”
Just talk to him. But talking is when I know I come across as different. Awkward. Brainiac. Cold. Those are the words people have used to describe me in the past, and I don’t want Wyatt thinking of me that way. Not that he’s given me any indication that he thinks that of me, but still, I cannot deny that my nerves are high as I open the door to Pages.
At first glance, I don’t see Wyatt, and my heart stutters at the thought that I took too long with Mila, and he may have left. Then I hear his voice from the side.
“Is this what women really want?”
