I抦 flipping blushing.
揑 know. The first time I tasted the difference, I was shocked. I抦 thinking I抣l call it s抦or抩fee or something.?I smile awkwardly. 揙r maybe I抎 better leave that part to marketing.?
Chrissy laughs. 揙h, like s抦ores coffee? I love it.?
揌m, one problem. How do you think you抣l replicate this in a store without safety issues? Having the flame seems pretty key.?Ryan asks.
I freeze. It抯 an honestly good question.
揥e could make a concentrate. Though nothing beats the taste when it抯 piping hot,?I say, racking my brain for options.
揕iquid concentrate or powder??Gina asks, peering at me over her glasses.
揢h, I抳e only ever done liquid.?I sip my coffee slowly. 揌onestly, I don抰 know how to make a powder concentrate…？
Everyone looks up then. For a second, I think they抮e stunned silent at my ignorance.
Nope. I抦 not that lucky.
A walking coffee curse is moving toward us on long legs stuffed into trousers so expensive they make my skin crawl.
The friendly crowd scatters like birds, clearing a path for Cole Lancaster to come stalking through.
Ugh.
揥hat are you doing here??I bite off.
He scoffs. 揕ast I checked, I owned the place. Including this military-grade coffee lab.?
揙h, boy, here we go.?I roll my eyes. 揧ou just can抰 describe anything without sounding like a Bond villain, huh??
揗rs. Walker emailed me, gushing about how good your coffee is. I decided to show up for a personal taste test,?he says bluntly.
Gina comes closer to the pot and takes the ladle.
揘o. Let Miss Angelo do the honors,?he orders, holding up a hand. 揘o sense in stealing her thunder, after all.?
I bite my tongue so hard it抣l be sore later.
He closes the space between us, waiting expectantly for me to pour his coffee, his eyebrow raised in that smug godfatherly way.
Definitely supervillain vibes.
And I抎 rather brew coffee for every cartoon bad guy ever invented than give Cole damn Lancaster the satisfaction of taking a piping hot cup from my hands.
He抯 clearly enjoying this, his brow quirked in just the right way that makes him ten times more annoying and somehow more gorgeous梬hich only makes him even more annoying.
Double ugh.
What the hell makes him think I want to waste my time serving him coffee? I guess being King Dick makes him think everyone should trip over each other for the privilege?
I wish I could serve up a super-concentrate strong enough to choke that look off his face.
For now, I toss a steaming ladle of black liquid into a paper cup and thrust it into his hand. I hope it melts right through the container.
揈njoy,?I snap.
He winks.
He freaking winks at me.
And he takes his sweet, sweet time sipping from the cup, holding the liquid in his mouth so reverently you抎 think I just handed him the cure for old age.
Also, I hadn抰 noticed how full his lips are around that halo of beard that looks like it would scratch just right.
Not until now.
Like I needed to notice that.
He holds the scalding liquid in his mouth, turning it over, ice-cold calm and assessing. The man towers over me, an intimidating beast even when his shields are down mid-sip.
My eyes are stuck to him now梘lued to his broad chest and the wild ripples of muscles that become more visible every time he moves, pulling the silk suit tautly against him.
God, I hate how attractive he is.
I extra hate how he抯 in my space.
I triple hate how his lips move as he rolls his tongue inside his mouth, making me imagine all the awful things that tongue could do besides make my blood pressure skyrocket.
This feels like the longest coffee sampling ever.
Of course it is.
When Lancaster finally swallows, I wonder what year I抦 in.
揇ivine, Miss Angelo.?His unexpected compliment almost makes the torture worth it. 揟hough even Prometheus had to bring his gift down from the gods.?
揅ome again??
揚rometheus. A Greek god who棓
揑 know Prometheus, professor!?I snap. 揥hat does that have to do with my coffee??
He chuckles. 揌ow are we mass producing this wonder-brew for the people??
揥ait. You just had to bring in the Greeks to ask about production??
揂 little mythology reference never hurt棓
揝o, instead, you were confusing and pretentious? Nice. Also, we were discussing how to mass produce it when you came rolling through,?I tell him.
If I抦 hoping to get under his skin, he doesn抰 bite.
揥hat did you come up with??he asks neutrally.
揥e were considering the fire issue,?Gina starts, but the bear in a suit holds up his hand.
揑 want to hear it from Miss Angelo, Mrs. Walker. After all, she knows coffee better than me.?