Page 83 of Between the Lines

I shrug but brush the hair away from her face, lightly running my lips across the soft skin of her neck.

“No, I really do need you for this meeting,” I reply, my voice slightly rough. “I’m sorry, I can’t stay away from you.”

We’ve hooked up once more after the night of the awards dinner. I’ve kissed her more times than I can count though. I told her we’d go at her pace, however, and I intend to keep my word.

Which means I truly need to stop coming into Good Grinds in the middle of the day.

“I forgive you,” Fia replies, putting her hand on my chest, nudging me back. “But we should get going. Don’t want to be late for the supplier meeting.”

Fia leans back in the passenger seat of my Jeep as the sun shines down on her. She tilts her head my way, catching me staring at her.

“What?” she asks, green eyes peeping over the rims of black sunglasses.

“Nothing . . .” I smile at the stretch of road rolling out in front of us as I head towards the ocean. “I just really like seeing you in my car.”

She rolls her eyes, pulling her leg up under her. “I’ve ridden in your car plenty of times before.”

I turn on the radio. “Yeah, but now I can look at you like I want to.”

She blushes and leans towards me, pecking my cheek.

“Must I remind you, I’m on the clock,” she says with a sultry smile.

Fia scrolls her phone as we pull onto the highway, heading out of Wilmington. “Okay, so where are we going? I don’t think I’ve ever gone to a meeting with you.”

I’m actually a bit surprised she bought that lie.

I haven’t changed coffee suppliers in years, and they send all the samples to the cafe for testing.

I smirk, but remain silent.

“Caden,” she says sternly, looking up from her phone. “Why do I feel like you’re not telling me something?”

“So, there’s no meeting.”

Fia’s jaw drops open, and she dramatically swivels towards me, her hair flying in the wind.

“I know, I know.” I throw a hand up. “Don’t be pissed. I just wanted a day, fuck, just a few hours, with my girl. Just the two of us.”

Fia sits back in the seat again, her scoff turning into a tiny grin. “Your girl?”

I reach out, draping my arm around the back of her seat. “Yeah, my girl.”

She sighs. “I should be pissed at you. And I feel pretty guilty for leaving Halle and Melody alone. But you’re intriguing, I’ll give you that.” She laughs to herself.

“They will be fine for a few hours without you. As my manager, you deserve a break.”

Fia nods. “Uh-huh. And as your girl?”

“As my girl.” I move my hand to her thigh and squeeze it. “You deserve a man who can surprise you.”

“So you’re not going to tell me what the plan is?”

“Nope.”

I turn the music up.

This isn’t like me. I’m a man of routine, of solitude, but this morning I woke up not wanting to be alone.