His gaze is so heavy and intimate that I almost forget to breathe.
His stare needs to be outlawed.
When he sees the coffee stain on my chest, everything inside me itches to grab a napkin off a table and wipe at it, but I hold back the urge, my heart thumping a little too fast for my taste.
Why is the air more alive around him? Crisper?
“This isn’t Marcelle’s,” I say lightly when I reach them. “I don’t wait tables here; in fact, no one does. Hello, Graham.”
He merely nods, but the woman lights up with a beautiful smile, eagerness on her face. Her eyes are midnight blue, her teeth like little pearls. Dang, she’s pretty.
“Of course not,” she says, then sticks out her hand. “Hi, I’m Mina. Babs mentioned how hard you work on the displays. It’s so . . . cute.”
“Cute” is a word for kittens. Our windows are freaking divine. “Thank you,” I murmur as I release her hand. “We’ll have a new one up for the summer. The Times comes by for the reveal.” I stop, a heaviness sinking in as I realize I forgot for a moment that we’re closing permanently. I shake my head. “Sorry. That’s incorrect. The store is closing soon. Sometimes I forget.”
“Oh, that’s disappointing,” she says. “It’s my first time here, and G mentioned we should stop by.”
You don’t say. How interesting.
He shrugs. “It’s near my apartment at Wickham.”
Ah, Wickham, an exclusive apartment complex that overlooks Central Park. Of course he would live there. How nice for him.
She gives him a secret smile. “We just came from his place. It’s horrendous and totally needs to be renovated. He actually has a statue of a giant penis.” She laughs, a dulcet sound. “Have you been, Emmy?”
Well, no, but I have stolen his car. It drives like a dream.
“No,” I say sweetly, then turn to him and raise an eyebrow. She’s perfect, my gaze says.
“Thanks,” he replies dryly; then I get flustered because, hello, do we have some kind of mind connection?
“And for the record, the statue was in my apartment when I moved in,” Graham says. “As was the shag carpet and weird sunken living room. I’m hoping someone can help me redecorate.” He raises an eyebrow at me, which I ignore.
Mina laughs. “It’s lime green and bolted to the ground—the penis, that is. You really must go see it.”
“How fun,” I murmur. I’ll never see his apartment, Mina. Because you’re going to marry him, not me.
I put on my customer smile. “So nice to meet you, Mina. The girl at the counter will be glad to take your order. Please try one of our pastries on the house. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to work—”
Before I can leave, Graham takes my hand. “Wait a moment, Emmy. Please,” he murmurs.
Oh. Shivers dance over me.
It’s hard to resist a “please” from him.
Mina rises from her seat with the grace of a swan. “I’ll let you two chat while I take you up on a muffin. I’m going to try the pomegranate tea. Same for you, G?”
“Sure,” he replies absently, eyes on me. “Thanks, Mina.”
She glides away to go to the counter, and he says, “Will you sit for a moment?”
“Okay.” I loosen my hand from his grasp and take a seat.
“Have you considered my offer?” His gaze lingers on my face.
It’s all I’ve thought about. Instead of replying, I lean in and cup my chin, giving him my full attention. “What are you holding over Mina to get her to marry you?”
“Nothing. She adores me. Isn’t it obvious?”
“So you’re going for the romantic angle? Love and devotion?”
He leans back in his chair, a relaxed smirk on his face. “You remind me of Brody, as if all women hate me. It really isn’t true. You stole my dream car, and now you’re breaking my heart, Emmy.”
“You’re different today,” I say. He’s softer. Sexier. More relaxed. It must be Mina. “What’s going on? Got an ace up your sleeve? Are the cops waiting outside for me?”
His lips twitch. “Your imagination is adorable. I’m enjoying watching you work. Nice dress.”
My breath quickens as I realize I’m playing with one of the buttons, and his eyes are following me.
He leans in on the table to match my pose. “And who says Mina’s my fiancée? Jealous?”
My teeth click together as Mina arrives with a pomegranate tea for Graham. She places it and a croissant in front of him, then says she’s going to wander around the store for a bit.