“I may not have been truthful with you about what I did for a living, but you never told me you were having problems of your own. That you had to enter a contest for money.”
She chewed on her lip, and I stared like a crazed fan.
“I didn’t want to bother you with my problems, James. I only saw you about once a month.”
I nodded and deflated back into my chair. She was right. If I never confided in her, then how could I expect her to do the same for me?
“We really messed this up.” I smirked.
There was a sense of relief in her laugh. “That’s true. I don’t think we ever really knew each other. Maybe we should start over.” She held out her hand. “Hi, I’m Marika. I run a coffee shop that my parents started the year I was born, and I’m failing miserably at it.”
I took her hand in mine, lifted it to my mouth, and brushed my lips across the back while inhaling. She smelled of lavender. “Nice to meet you, Marika.” I lowered our hands and continued, “I’m James and have a successful VidTube channel that I’m thinking of stopping because fame sucks. And one of my favorite things to do is drink coffee with coffee shop owners.”
She threw her head back with laughter. That’s when she was most beautiful. Her red hair caught the light, more dazzling than any flame the votive candle could produce.
I leaned forward and took a risk. As she sat straight and her laughter died, I was barely an inch from her lips.
Without taking my eyes off that spectacular mouth, I whispered, “Why are we here?”
We could get a room. Nothing fancy because I was sure they booked those rooms. I wanted to get to know Marika on a more personal and much more naked level. Something that didn’t involve sipping coffee and pretending we weren’t eye-fucking each other.
“Here are your coffees. Would there be anything else?” The waiter appeared and slid the coffees between us along with a small white ceramic tray filled with different sweeteners and a small pitcher of cream.
Pursing my lips, I shook my head at him until he left. I made a mental note to double-check that waiter’s references. Cock-blocker.
“This is why we’re here,” Marika said with a sigh.
I sat back, not in the mood for coffee anymore.
“Oh. My. God. This coffee is amazing.”
The expression on Marika’s face was not one of joy or amazement, but horror. She put the cup down and frowned.
“I would think you’d want a good cup of coffee. Whenever I came to The Blue Spot, I always got coffee at Hard Grind, so I never tasted the stuff my brother picked for his café.” I lifted the cup and warm liquid hit my lips and tongue.
Closing my eyes, I savored the delicious drink.
“Holy shit, you are so . . ..” I saw the disappointment on her face and stopped myself. “Wrong. So, very wrong. I mean, it’s good; some might even say better than average.”
“But compared to the stuff I serve at Hard Grind?”
I didn’t want to lie. I had lied enough to her, but I couldn’t hurt her again either.
I put down the cup and swallowed hard. “Equal, I’d say.”
“Really?” Her stunning eyes were so full of hope. How could I be the terrible person to crush her hope? I knew why she wasn’t making money at her café, and that reason sat in two white cups on our table.
“Of course.”
She squared her shoulders and nodded as if confirming this for herself.
“Okay, then all I need is a plan. Splash out on an ad in the local newspaper or try a new flavor of coffee. In a month it’ll be September. I could do an early pumpkin coffee.”
Her grin widened as she spouted out terrible idea after terrible idea. I realized that Marika may work hard, and I was sure she was great at running the shop, but the woman needed help with marketing.
Her ideas were outdated.
“Or . . .” I said as my eyes scanned the room. What I was searching for was an idea. Something to help her where she didn’t have to spend a lot of money or, better yet, anything at all.
“Yes?” Marika leaned forward, nibbling on that lip that was too sexy for words.
I had lied to her for too long. Even now, with the taste of the coffee—which was more of a slight fib than a flat out lie. I had to make up for it. Do something to help Marika.
“Are you sure you won’t consider taking some money for your business? Think of it as a loan.”
“No, people have taken advantage of you for too long, James.” She reached over and took my breath away as she slid her finger down the side of my face and traced my jaw line.
I shuddered, and my dick hardened. A slight touch like that made me ache for her. Imagine what would happen if she touched my— Nope, couldn’t think about that. My cock was hard enough. I didn’t want to have a premature ejaculation problem in the middle of a café because a woman touched my chin.
“As much as I need the money for Hard Grind, I can’t take it from you.” She stared at the coffee cup and sighed. “You know, I didn’t want to enter the contest to begin with, but Susannah talked me into it.”
“The way you talked about it last week, it seemed like you had made your mind up. The only reason I didn’t want you to enter was because I was afraid you would find out about me. How I owned part of The Blue Spot.”
Her head shot back. “What? I thought your brother, Rock, owned this place.”
“Mainly, it’s his baby, but he needed investors. There’s me, our other brother Monty—”
She threw her thumb behind her. “The Monty from the contest?”
“Yeah, I’m the youngest. Rock was the father figure when our dad was killed by a construction accident, and when Mom passed several months later, he had to take on both roles.”
Marika gasped and took my hand in hers. “Oh, James, I’m so sorry.”
“I rarely talk about my parents, but that’s because of Rock. He doesn’t want anyone to bring them up. Monty’s not like that. If I had to talk to anyone, Monty would be there. If Rock became our dad, then Monty became our mom.” I chuckled softly, thinking back to when I was still in high school.
“All of us moved from that rundown townhouse we grew up in, to a big house from the money we got from the lawsuit against the company my dad worked for. They were negligent, and the court forced them to pay up.”
I intertwined my fingers with Marika’s. “Our abuelita moved in after that. That was nice. She helped Rock soften up a bit. But, when she passed away two years ago, Rock created this place.” I waved my hands around.
“He needed investors. Me, Monty, his friend Konrad Love, and Hamish Blackwell. There might be a few smaller investors, but I stopped paying attention once he got the help he needed.”
“The Hamish Blackwell?” she asked as her hand flew to her chest.
With a nod, I said, “My brother knows lots of people.” I winked. “As much as I make fun of Rock, he’s a wonderful guy. I promise there’s nothing bad about this contest.” I put my hands up. “And I swear, I’m not the billionaire if you felt weird about trying to win a date with me.”
She shook her head from side to side. “Yes and no. I worry since I know you, it might influence the contest.”
“No, not at all. My brother does everything by the book.”
She twisted her fingers together. “Well, if you swear that nothing out of the ordinary will happen, then what’s the harm of trying to win a hundred grand?”
My mouth fell open. I quickly shut it and grinned as if that was normal. “That’s the top prize?”
I wondered if my brother knew how much that prize was since he’s a notorious cheapskate? “I guess with that being the only prize, it makes sense it’s so big.”
She shook her head. “No, that’s just for the winner.” She reached into her pink skirt pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper, handing it to me.
I unfolded it and read the flier for the contest more thoroughly. If I had been drinking the coffee, I would have spit it back out.
> “Rock will not like this,” I mumbled.
Chapter 9
MARIKA
“When will they be here?” Susannah asked as she gently placed her hands on the counter and smiled toward the shop door.
Before I could answer, she shifted her position, turning slightly and fluffing up her curls with her fingers before grinning once again at the door.
“They should be here any minute.” I pulled out the heavy box of coffee from the back, possibly breaking my back in the process. “Don’t worry about me,” I said between groans as Susannah shifted.
“Oh no, I wasn’t coming to help. I’m just trying to get the perfect light for when the film crew shows up from The Blue Spot. I want to look my best for the camera. You never know what famous Hollywood producer will watch it and think, ‘who is that amazing brunette with the curls? She’s perfect for my next blockbuster.’”
I rolled my eyes. “Yes, because that’s how producers find their stars. Auditions and talent scouts have nothing to do with it.”
“I’d expect that kind of snark from your dad, but not from you. Is something wrong?”
I pushed the box into the corner and hoped no one tripped on it. When I stood, I felt a sharp pain shoot down my back. Yup, this place would kill me one way or the other.
“Sorry, it’s just . . . now that I entered the Win a Date with a Billionaire contest, I kind of want to win,” I said and rubbed my lips between my teeth.
Susannah moaned and ran over to me. “Finally, you understand the importance of winning. No more excuses. No more hopeful spirit. It’s time to get cutthroat.” She pointed into the air.
“No, that’s not what I meant at all. I just hope I win.”
She moaned and went back to pose for the front door. “There’s that terrible word again. Hope. I can hope to have beautiful nails, but unless I snatch the last Blackwell Press-Ons at the Castle Mart before muscled-up Jack can get his greedy hands on them, then I won’t ever have beautiful nails.”
“Is that one of your terrible analogies, or does muscled-up Jack really buy press-on nails?”
“OMG, he puts them on his dog's paws. I believe in the importance of letting your beauty shine by adding a little store-bought polish, but that man takes it too far.”
I secretly believed that Jack and Susannah were in a weird sort of beauty war.
The door to the shop opened, and Susannah squeaked. Once she saw who had walked in, she released the excitement that filled her lungs in a disappointed groan. I looked over to find James standing there with two small vases of flowers in his hands.
“Hey, what are you doing here?” I asked as he came closer, placing the vases on the counter.
“I’m here to help you spruce up the place. Help you win!”
“Yay!” Susannah jumped up and down, clapping her hands. “See, Marika, that’s how you do it. You don’t hope. You do!”
I waved her off. “Anyway. Thanks, but wouldn’t that be a conflict of interest or go against the rules?”
I picked up a vase and sniffed. Lavender, my favorite. I wondered if James knew? I don’t remember ever telling him.
“I don’t think a few vases of flowers go against the rules.”
“Okay, but the film crew will be here any minute. If they catch you here, I might get kicked out of the contest.”
My stomach flipped and not pleasantly. I may have wanted out of this two days ago before I signed the paperwork, but I was in it now. I’d hate to get kicked out of a dating contest, which would be just another notch on my dating disaster belt.
James crossed his arms. “Don’t worry. When I talked to Coleman this morning, he told me the crew wouldn’t be here until ten. So, we have at least an hour.”
My shoulders sagged.
“Oh, good. I like the flowers. Perhaps if I place them on the tables, it won’t be so suspicious.”
“But we have six tables. I think that would make it appear stranger. Like all you could afford were two vases of flowers,” Susannah added.
She had a point.
“Oh wait, I know.” I went into the back, seeking a box of small glass vases my dad had ordered years ago but never used.
I kept some of the stuff from before the remodel in case it came in handy. I wasn’t about to throw out perfectly good vases, despite my dad getting them at a discount because a few were cracked.
They were on the top shelf of a rack by the back door. I stood on my tippy toes but couldn’t reach the box. No matter how much I stretched, I was too short.
It was times like these that I hated being short. Where was that step stool? I turned and jumped in surprise when I saw James walk into the back room.
“Need help, my lady?” He bowed, swinging his arm in front of him and knocking a bag of coffee beans over.
He scrambled to pick up the bag and then bumped into the stack of large plastic cups, sending the top half scattering all over the floor.
“Crap,” he mumbled, and I stood there trying to hold back my laughter.
Once he picked everything up, he jumped up to his feet and said, “Ta-da! I am here to amuse.” As he did that, he hit the large shelf on the wall, sending it swaying. Both James and I ran up to push the shelving unit back.
I couldn’t help but giggle. That’s what I liked about James. No matter what happened, he could always find the humor in a situation.
“You’re cute,” I said.
Heat flooded my cheeks because I totally didn’t mean to say that out loud.
James stepped forward and slid his hand to my cheek, tucking some loose strands from my ponytail back behind my ear.
“And you’re beautiful. Would you mind, Marika, if I kissed you?”
Holy macaroni! That was the hottest, sexiest, and sweetest way a guy has ever asked to kiss me.
Now that I was thinking about it, that was the only time a guy had asked to kiss me. They usually just went for it. Most of the time I didn’t mind, but sometimes it wasn’t what I had wanted.
“Yes.” The word had barely floated across my lips before James captured them with his own.
The kiss was as sweet and toe-curling as the man himself. He nipped at my lips until I parted for him. His tongue lightly slid across my seam until I widened. I met him there, and he groaned as my tongue danced with his.
What started out as light, almost innocent kiss, quickly turned harder and filled with passion. His arms wrapped around my waist as he pulled me to his body, and I had to grab hold of the shelf for fear I’d lose my footing.
When his hand slid down my side and settled on my ass, I wished at that moment I wasn’t wearing jeans. I wished I wasn’t wearing anything.
I reached up and curled my fingers in his hair, tightening my grip. He groaned, and I felt the vibration of his voice from my lips all the way down between my legs.
The room smelled of coffee and James. That made me smile. I broke our kiss and looked up to hungry, darkening eyes.
We were both gasping for breath but kept staring at each other. His hand tightened on my ass causing me to moan. He must have been enjoying watching me squirm in pleasure in his arms. The corner of his mouth quirked up.
He moved his hand away from my ass and slid it up my body until he was tugging my black button-up blouse from my jeans. I stared, unable to stop him—not that I wanted to.
I knew we should stop—Susannah could walk in at any time—but I didn’t want this to end.
His fingers tickled my stomach as he moved under my shirt. My eyes darted for a second to the doorway to the café. His smile faltered the moment he cupped my breast.
“Do you want me to stop, Marika?”
He tugged at my bra cup as he asked his question. My mouth opened, but nothing came out, so I shook my head. And when I gave him the answer he wanted, his thumb slid deliciously over my spiked nipple.
The sensation was exquisite. I sucked in a sharp breath through clenched teeth and arched my back.
His eyes traveled down my bod
y as if assessing what had to be done. He never took his eyes off my tits as he lifted my shirt to expose me. “Here’s what I will do to you. I will watch as you quiver in my arms. I will make you come. But you have to keep your voice down. I don’t want anyone to hear you. Let me know if that’s what you want, too?”
“Yes,” I finally said, but it was more of a moan than an actual word.
James’s grin was confident, delectable, and devious. He got to work pushing my other white cotton bra cup out of the way and unbuttoned my jeans. When I tried to help, he pushed my hand back to the shelf.
I glanced down to notice his cock straining against his jeans. Perhaps it was the way it pressed against his clothes, but it looked rather large. I licked my lips, wondering what it would feel like pressed deep inside me. I clenched just thinking about it.
I had been so fascinated by the outline of his cock that I hadn’t realized he slipped his hand into my jeans. He pushed past my undies and slipped a finger into my wet folds. I gasped at the suddenness.
My hand flew to his wrist, holding him still. I was slick but sensitive. His other fingers pinched my nipple, and the sensitivity between my thighs gave way to heat and desire.
He slipped a finger inside me, and his thumb slowly rubbed my clit. My hips swiveled. The pleasure was almost more than I could take.
“You’re so soft and warm. So beautiful, Marika.” He slipped another finger inside me.
“There it is. Found it,” he said as his fingers moved over a spot that caused my head to fall back as an intense sensation flooded my body.
“Oh, James. I, uh . . ..” I couldn’t say anymore because it was too late.
I was coming. The world exploded behind my eyes. I tried to remain silent, but I had to let it out. A deep growl bubbled up from deep in my chest, and his hand cupped my mouth, muffling my cries.
My eyes flew open, and I stared at James, his gaze devouring me. He enjoyed watching me. That thought made my clit twitch, adding to the orgasm.
With a lazy grin, he lowered his hand from my lips and stepped back. “You’re beautiful. Stunning,” he said.
My chest rose and fell rapidly as I slowly came down from the epic high he guided me to with his hands.
Dating Disaster with a Billionaire (Blue Ridge Mountain Billionaires, #1) Page 6
