by Evie Snow
6
Brea felt like she was floating on a cloud as she walked into Ginger’s Diner and took her seat in a booth across from Derek. He had kissed her, and it had been wonderful. He found her attractive, and, better yet, she hadn’t done anything embarrassing. Except for the gnomes, which he seemed to be fine about now.
“What’s good here?” Derek asked while Brea tried her best not to focus on the dimples in his cheeks. They made him look both boyish and sexy. Irresistible, in fact. She was staring now. She should stop staring.
She darted a glance at the menu, scanning for the dish that would have the least parsley. “Oh, the hot dogs are great. And the salads are nice too.”
“A hot dog sounds great. I’m glad you like them.”
He gave her a small, sexy smile that reminded Brea how great kissing him had felt, which reminded her how much she wanted to kiss him again. The waiter came by and they gave their order before Derek spoke again.
“I have to admit I was nervous about meeting you, especially today.”
“Me too!” Brea exclaimed. “I was so anxious. Like I told you, I always manage to do something to make things awkward, and I’m so sorry that happened today. I’m so glad you were fine with it. I think a lot of men would have been scared off.” She played with her knife and fork. “I guess I was worried I wasn’t what you’d be looking for, especially after seeing you.”
“I have to admit . . . you seeing me was the most, um, intense thing I’ve done for a woman ever,” Derek said in a low voice that sent shivers over Brea’s skin. She felt a wave of compassion. It was hard to imagine a man this handsome being so nervous about simply trying internet dating. “Really?”
He nodded. “Yeah. It really surprised me that you were so open to getting into it so quickly, being as shy as you said you were.”
Brea recalled the touch of his mouth on hers. She wanted that again. “I am shy, but it’s weird—I’m feeling more relaxed right now than I’ve ever been around a guy.”
Both dimples appeared again. “You think?”
“I do. I’m happy that you . . . that you feel open with me.” She set her knife and fork aside. “Like I said in my messages, I’ve got a history of being kind of awkward.”
“I don’t think you’re awkward, and I don’t think that’s a bad thing anyway, not after meeting you today.” There was a quiet assurance in Derek’s tone. “I wouldn’t be here otherwise. You don’t need to worry about embarrassing yourself around me, Brea.”
“Not even if get parsley in my teeth?”
“Nope. I’d tell you straight away.”
“What happens if I spill coffee down my dress?”
“Then we’d have to get you out of that dress.” The shy edge to the flirtatious words set Brea’s nerve endings on edge. She knew Derek was inexplicably inexperienced with women, but right now he was saying all the right things at just the right time. And she hadn’t gotten nervous and made a fool out of herself. Yet.
“What happens if I don’t spill the coffee?” The words slipped out before Brea caught them, and she was gratified when he gave her a slow smile.
“Then we can take a little more time getting you out of that dress, but I’m looking forward to it. If I’m being honest, I’d like to see a picture of that.”
His voice took on a low, husky quality, and Brea felt warm all over. The words should have been a little sleazy, but the way he said them, like it was a shy admission, gave them a super sexy punch. “Really?”
He nodded. “Or maybe I’d rather see it in real life.” The words came out almost like a prayer, completely melting Brea’s defenses.
“Well . . .” Brea tried an openly flirtatious smile for the first time in her life without worrying about making a fool of herself. This flirting thing wasn’t as hard as she thought! In fact, she was beginning to wonder how things had gone so wrong on past dates. This was so easy. Or maybe it was Derek, making it seem easy. “Maybe that can be arranged later.”
7
Derek couldn’t believe the words coming out of his mouth. This was so not like him. Maybe it was the fact Brea had those pictures and she liked them. He knew he was swimming in unknown waters, but for the first time, that was okay. Brea was right there with him, and she was as attracted to him as he was to her. For the first time in his life, anticipation overtook the fear he’d always felt about getting it right. She saw him. She’d literally seen him, and she still potentially wanted to get naked with him. That felt so great. Better than great. He knew he was smiling like a crazy person, but that was okay because she was doing the same.
“So . . .” Brea ran a finger over the tabletop between them, drawing Derek’s attention to her candy-striped nails. “You never did tell me why you’re so shy around women. I can’t believe someone like you hasn’t been snapped up by now.”
Derek was saved from immediately answering by the waiter arriving with their drinks. He cleared he throat softly. “That’s because it’s a bit of a downer. My dad had early onset Alzheimer’s. He was diagnosed when I was fifteen, and my sister had recently moved out of home to go to college, so—”
“You cared for him?” Brea reached across the table, putting a hand over his, her eyes full of compassion. “That must have been tough.”
Derek shook his head. “Not in the way you’d think. I saw it as a privilege that I could be there for him. We were always close. Instead of moving away to go to college, I started working with the SPCA. They were flexible with my hours, and the animals I adopted were great with dad. Even when he couldn’t remember who I was, he always seemed to remember them. The only problem was that by the time he passed, I was thirty and hadn’t had time to get out and meet anyone. The few times I tried were a disaster.”
She leaned forward. “How? And don’t worry about embarrassing yourself, because if you tell me your dating disasters, I’ll tell you mine.”
Derek had to take a moment to process her words; the feel of her hand touching his was distracting as hell. He wanted to pick that hand up and kiss the back of it, but he was worried the gesture would seem corny.
Instead, he braved turning his hand over so their palms were touching. This was great. Better than great. “I just got it wrong. I’d clam up and wouldn’t know what to talk about, or I’d make the mistake of trying something really cheesy, something a teenage girl would like but a grown woman wouldn’t.”
“Like?”
“Like . . . sending a handwritten note to a woman who’d agreed to go out with me telling her how much I was looking forward to our date.”
“But that’s sweet!”
Derek gave her a rueful smile. “I think it came across as way too intense. Who writes notes and sends them through the mail anymore?”
Brea rested her chin on her free hand. “She was missing out. Tell me another one.” There was no vindictiveness in her request, more a gentle humor, as if she could commiserate, so Derek kept talking.
“There was the time I lit about twenty candles before bringing a woman back to my place. Unfortunately, I didn’t count on one of the parrots I’d adopted getting out of her cage and knocking one over.”
Brea muffled her laughter with her free hand, her eyes dancing. “Did the fire department come out?”
He gave her a slow nod. “Uh-huh. Needless to say, that date didn’t go too well. Last I heard she and one of those firemen have two kids.” He liked her laughter, knowing it wasn’t mean. He liked the way she slid her fingers between his even more. A lot more. In fact, if he had to stand up any time soon, he was going to be in trouble. “There was a moment there this afternoon when I thought our date would go the same way.”
Brea nodded. “So did I! That was so awkward! I was worried I’d send you running the other way.” She squeezed his hand a little tighter. “I’m glad you didn’t.”
“So am I.”
“You know after messaging you for a month, I feel like I know you so well.”
“Same.”
Th
ey looked at each other over the table.
“Would you mind . . .” Brea bit her lip.
“Yeah?”
“If we got our meals to go and maybe—”
“Went somewhere a little quieter?” Derek considered the crowded diner. It was Sunday evening and half the town was packed into the old-fashioned booths and tables, laughing and talking.
“Maybe.” Brea frowned. “I don’t know. I just . . . I’d like to—”
“Be around fewer people?”
“Yeah.” She nodded slowly. “You said you wanted to see my store. Maybe . . .”
“We could go there?” For some reason the thought of being alone with Brea, surrounded by candy, was doing more for Derek than he’d ever imagined possible. “There’s only one problem . . . If I stand up, it’s going to be embarrassing.”
Brea’s eyes widened behind her glasses before she gave him a slow smile. “Let me take care of getting our orders. Then if you’ve still got a problem, you could walk right behind me as we leave the diner. It’s only a short walk. Also, it’s getting dark out, so no one would see once we get outside.”
“That could work,” Derek said, although privately, he thought that walking behind Brea close enough to touch her wouldn’t work at all. Still, the thought of getting her alone far outweighed the potential embarrassment.
“Great.”
She walked over to the counter to change their order to two hot dogs to go.
8
Brea’s hands were shaking as she unlocked the front door of Sweet on You, but the nervous anticipation curling through her actually felt nice. She hadn’t messed this up! A man as hot as Derek wanted to be alone with her. The garden gnomes hadn’t freaked him out enough to call the date off. He even seemed to think they were cool. Although, she didn’t want to really bring up why they’d been on her lawn in the first place, because that would mean explaining why her crazy brother had thought surrounding Brea’s house with them had been a good idea. No, she didn’t want to even think about family right now. She wanted to think about being alone with Derek,
The combined scent of chocolate, peppermint and marzipan washed over them as they walked inside. Brea flung out her arms wide as she showed off the walls of old-fashioned, candy-filled mason jars and the refrigerated counter containing a display of luxurious chocolate truffles.
“Welcome to my store. We can eat in my demonstration room.” She led the way through the louvered arched doors next to the counter, showing Derek into a cheerful blue-and-white room where three small café tables covered in plastic red-checked tablecloths were set up around a large work station that contained a cooktop and an oven.
“This is amazing!” Derek turned around, his smile broad. “I didn’t even know places like this existed anymore.”
Brea beamed with pride. “My grandfather owned a candy store in Baltimore when I was little, and I always loved visiting him during summer break. So when I inherited a little money after he passed, I jumped at the chance to set up Sweet on You.” She set out the food they’d brought from Ginger’s on one of the small tables. “I haven’t looked back since. I might not be so good at meeting men, but I know I’m great at this.”
Derek gave her a look sexy enough to curl her toes. “I don’t know about that. I think you’re great.”
Brea gave him a smile, and the room fell silent as electricity crackled between them.
Finally, Derek ran a hand over his head and drew a deep breath. “Do you mind if . . . uh . . .”
Brea froze, praying that this wasn’t going to be Derek telling her he’d changed his mind and wanted to call things off, because that would totally suck. “If what?”
“Can I kiss you again?”
Giddy, relieved laughter welled up. “Yes!”
She waited, her entire body tensed with anticipation as he put his hands on her hips, drawing her close, his mouth pressing tentatively against hers until she spurred him on a little by darting her tongue over his bottom lip. That was all the encouragement Derek needed. Suddenly, Brea was being kissed in a way that had her gripping his butt through his jeans.
Derek suddenly pulled away, his expression containing a charming combination of lust and anxiety. “Am I doing okay?”
“You’re doing great. But maybe if you tried it again, we could make sure you’ve got it right.”
Had she just said that? Had she been that flirty? She never managed flirty! The thought was immediately cut off by Derek’s mouth pressing against hers, and then Brea was pressed against the entire length of his body. He was definitely liking this as much as she was. She moaned to let him know he was doing a great job and risked sliding her hands under his T-shirt before moving them below the waist of his jeans, copping a feel of his ass. If his groan was any indication, he liked that a lot.
The kiss got deeper and Brea made a decision. She pulled back, taking off her glasses and tossing them gently onto a nearby table. She was shortsighted and could see him just fine this close. She reached up and undid the bow at the back of her neck which held the top of her dress up. “Unzip my dress.”
His eyes widened. “Really?”
She nodded. “Definitely. Do you want to do this?”
His tongue darted over his bottom lip. All Brea wanted to do was kiss him again, but she didn’t want to do anything until he spoke.
“I do.” His hands were shaking a little as he reached around and slid her zip down. They looked at each other and laughed as Brea loosened the top and slid the dress to the floor.
Derek shook his head. “Wow. Just . . . wow.” The look on his face should have turned her into a puddle on the floor. “You’re beautiful.”
There was no room for protests, and the words gave her enough confidence to reach for the hem of Derek’s T-shirt, giving it a tug. “Why don’t we get you as naked as me, gorgeous guy?”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
The shyness he showed while pulling off his T-shirt and unbuttoning his pants was Brea’s undoing. Unafraid of making a fool of herself, she launched herself at him, intent on getting her hands on every inch of skin she could.
Derek let out a yelping laugh as Brea wrapped her arms around him, pulling his head down for another deep kiss while pushing his jeans down as far as they’d go. Then she slid her hands between them and trailed her fingers down his front.
“Oh wow,” he groaned when she reached her target.
Somehow they both ended up on the floor. Derek’s hands were all over her, helping her remove her underwear and running over her bare skin with a sexy reverence that had Brea breathlessly laughing.
“Do you have a condom?” she asked, rolling him over so that she was on top.
“Pocket of my jeans. I wasn’t expecting anything, but—”
She didn’t give him time to say anything more, just scrambled for his jeans, found the condom and ripped it open. “Want me to put it on you?”
“Yeah, but I’m a little worried I’m not going to last.”
“We’ll manage.” She slid the condom onto him, revelling in the way such a basic touch had him making a low, sexy moan.
“Brea, I’m really not sure—”
“Shh, let me take care of you.” She straddled him again, placing her hands on his chest and marvelling that this gorgeous man was letting her have her way with him.
He didn’t last all that long, but it was enough for Brea to get her engine running, and then it was his turn. He rolled her over and, after sweetly asking what she liked, got to work making sure she had a good time too.
It was a long time before Derek pulled back, resting on an elbow as he studied Brea with beautiful, hooded brown eyes. His dimples popped out when he gave her a smile that made her feel like the most attractive woman on the planet. “You’re amazing, Brea.”
She reached up to cup his cheek. Her legs were still trembling and her entire body somehow felt completely content and acutely alive all at the same time. “So are you.”
&nb
sp; “I made you happy?” There was enough concern in his voice to completely melt her heart.
She ran her index finger over his bottom lip. “Definitely.”
He took her finger, kissing the tip of it before running his hand over her belly, making Brea want to purr like a cat. His expression when he looked at her was so openly admiring that there was no room for self-doubt.
“And I just want you to know how grateful I am that you were brave enough to send me that message this morning,” he said. “When you asked me for those pictures, I was so nervous, but now I realize how much it freed me of my worries.” He swooped down to nuzzle her neck, peppering little hot kisses down her throat.
“Pictures? What pictures?” Brea said.
The minute she said the words, Derek froze. He pulled away, frowning with confusion. “The ones you asked me to send you today. Of my . . . the ones you asked for.” He sat up, pulling his phone out of the pocket of his jeans, and within seconds he was showing her a message that had definitely come from her account.
Brea had to scramble for her glasses before she could read the message and its accompanying hashtag. The blood drained from her face. “Oh no.”
Derek’s expression turned unreadable. His next words were measured, as if he was being very careful of what he was saying. “Brea, it would be great if you could tell me what’s going on, because I took a huge risk today sending those pictures to you.”
“Of your—” Brea’s eyes darted down Derek’s naked body.
He nodded slowly.
Brea suddenly felt very, very naked. “Derek—this isn’t me rejecting you or anything, but could you excuse me for a moment? I’ve got to take care of something.”
9
Brea barely waited for Derek to nod before she grabbed her dress and skittered through the door leading to the bathroom, wildly fishing through its front pockets for her phone.
