Page 32 of One Night Stand After Another
“The Belgian chocolate fountain at The Peninsula Hotel.”
“I’m ready.” She rolled out of bed, naked. “Let’s go.”
God, she was hot, with her blond hair an absolute mess of curls and her violet eyes sleepy but shining. And those tits. His gaze dropped and held. He tossed the covers aside and stalked her.
She backed up. “Nope—we drive. Get coffee. Alpacas and chocolate. Stick to the plan.” She scurried into the bathroom and shut the door.
Since he was making the plan, he added making her orgasm while her mouth was full of chocolate to it. Swiftly, he packed up his things.
No word from Roman Gallagher yet, but it was still early in California. As he checked out of the inn on his phone, he saw his receipt from the restaurant last night in his email and set a reminder to leave a review while Clara was yarn shopping today. Which reminded him they’d never had dessert last night. He opened the bag and laughed when he found bagels and muffins. Definitely a five-star review.
Resolutely, he resisted joining her in the shower and made her coffee.
…
“I had no idea they were so cute.” Clara dodged a kiss from Freddie, the friendliest alpaca in the herd. “Like, adorable. I kind of want one.”
“No one said you couldn’t be an alpaca farmer,” Zane said. “But for now, maybe you should focus on the yarn. See anything you like?”
The yarn in the Magic Meadows shop was completely different from yesterday’s smorgasbord of color at the Yarn Barn. The alpaca yarn was chunky, and it was the same color as the animal it came from. Dark brown, light brown, gray, cream. Sometimes a combination of all those colors, but mostly natural hues that pleased her eye.
“As if I’d tell you, you’d buy this poor woman’s entire stock,” Clara said. “I’m on to you, and I don’t want a spy while I’m shopping. Don’t you have work to do or something? Friends to call or text? Heck, a nap to take?” Where was he getting his energy? She was feeling a little punchy after their late night and early morning.
“I do, actually. I can’t completely cut myself off from the daily running of the restaurants, and I really need to get in touch with Roman and set up that meeting. But just so you know, Freddie is my favorite. Maybe a beanie?”
She laughed. “Maybe.”
He checked his watch. “Will two hours give you enough time?”
“I think so.” She wasn’t going to buy much. Hand-spun alpaca yarn was wickedly expensive, but she’d fallen in love at first touch. So soft. As warm as wool, even wet. And the alpacas were deadly cute.
No, she didn’t want to farm them, but ever since she’d locked eyes with Freddie, who was her favorite, too, she’d been thinking about socks. Wickedly expensive, divinely warm socks that would give a hidden boost to get through a tough day. Kick Ass socks. Monday Mood socks. Big Presentation at Work socks. I’ll Take Off Everything Except My Socks socks.
Now she wanted to buy all the alpaca yarn, but not at nearly two hundred dollars a skein.Damn.She wanted to work with it, but she wasn’t in a place where she could kiss hundreds of dollars goodbye because of a creative itch. Maybe someday. Meanwhile, she’d put it up on the blog.
Zane kissed her cheek and headed for the door.
Once he was safely outside, she selected two skeins of Freddie yarn. New York was cold, and Freddie’s near-black wool would go with everything. Much cheaper than that three-thousand-dollar flight, too—and a lovely thank-you gift for Zane.
…
Zane grabbed his laptop from the car, settled on a picnic table in the shade, and placed the call.
“Roman Gallagher.”
“Hey, man, it’s Zane Brampton. Sorry I missed your call the other night. I appreciate you reaching out.”
“No problem. Glad we could connect. I got your voicemail late last night, and you were on my list of calls today. Jack said you might be interested in opening a new place.”
“I’m always interested in the right opportunity,” Zane said.
“My broker gave me first refusal on a Venice Beach Boardwalk storefront. I had plans to turn it into a shake shack, but then one opened up right next door. Jenna’s pregnant and not really in the mood to start another big project, anyway. It’s such a sweet spot, I hate to let it go. Wanna take a look?”
“Love to. Can you email me the details so I can get my head around it before I see it? I like to let things simmer a bit, you know?”
“Yep—when can you make it out here? My broker is bugging the hell out of me.”
Zane chuckled. “Actually, I’m on my way, but I’m driving. Does Friday work?”
