Chapter 5
The Perfect Blend
Stepping into the small café, the rich aroma of freshly ground coffee sifted through the air, and a hint of cinnamon and baked goods lingered.
"How can I…" She trailed off when her eyes met mine. "Matt?" My lips lifted into a smile. "What are you doing here?"
I tried to lean casually against the counter, but my elbow slipped off the edge. "Oh, you know. Just finished my morning workout." I gestured vaguely toward the door. "Needed some… Coffee."
"Really?"
I shook my head. "No. I wanted to see you again."
She stood silent for a long moment. "I should probably apologize for last night."
"You don't have anything to apologize for.
I had a good time, and I hope we can do it again.
" I paused, clearing my throat as I reached into my pocket.
I suddenly felt like a middle school boy asking his first crush out and was secretly scared that after last night, I'd ruined everything.
"I have a match tomorrow night," I pulled a ticket out of my pocket, "and I was wondering if you wanted to come watch me, and then we could have dinner after? "
She smiled. "I want to say yes, but I don't think I'm really in the right headspace for dating."
Rejection shouldn't sting this much, not when I barely knew her. But something about the careful way she held herself, like she was braced for the next hit, made me want to prove that not all men were dicks. She needed to know she was safe with me, that I wasn't going to hurt her like her ex did.
It didn't help that I'd embarrassed her last night, which was the complete opposite of what I wanted to do.
I wanted to kiss the shit out of her until she couldn't breathe.
I wanted to take her back to her place and show her exactly how attracted to her I was, but I was afraid she'd regret it when she woke up.
"Did you still want that coffee?" I nodded. I wanted that coffee every day for the rest of my life. "What kind of coffee?"
"Surprise me and a…" my gaze lifted, scanning the large menu above her head, "bagel."
Twenty years of discipline, strict diet, rigid training schedule, every calorie counted. And here I was ordering a bagel I wouldn't eat just to stay in the same room as a woman who'd already turned me down.
She slid my coffee across the counter. "You can have a seat, and I'll have your bagel ready in a few minutes."
I wedged myself into what appeared to be a chair designed for hobbits because it definitely wasn't made to fit a six-foot-four, two hundred and eighty-seven-pound wrestler. My knees were somewhere around my ears, and I was pretty sure I looked like a giant trying to have a tea party.
Smiling, my gaze swept out over the busy streets of downtown Tampa as I waited. I'd googled cafés in downtown Tampa, and it turned out there were eight. Eight cafés. I'd hit all eight cafés this morning like some lovesick stalker, telling myself I just needed coffee, except I didn't drink coffee.
The front door exploded open with enough force to rattle the windows. My coffee cup froze halfway to my lips.
A man in an expensive black suit cut through the café like a blade, tall, lean, and radiating fury.
I knew who he was before Brooke's face went white.
"What the fuck, Brooke?" His voice cracked like a whip across the sudden silence.
My chair scraped against the floor as I stood. Every muscle in my body coiled tight.
Brooke's head twisted, and her eyes widened when she saw the man. "Chris?" Her brows pulled together like she was confused. She shook her head.
"Your dad just passed me up for partner."
I was right. He was the ex-husband. I stepped forward.
She rolled her eyes. "Chris, I run a café. I have nothing to do with my father's choice of partner. Just like I had no choice…"
"That's fucking bullshit, and you know it."
I wasn't going to let him talk to her like that.
"Hey, babe," I smiled, strolling past him and meeting her in the open space that led behind the counter.
My hands cupped her face, holding her in place as our eyes met, and a brief moment of confusion flashed across her face. I pressed my lips to hers.
It wasn't the first kiss I'd wanted.
I'd wanted to thrust my tongue into her mouth and tangle it with hers. I wanted to taste her to see if she tasted as sweet as she looked, but I wasn't sure how she'd feel about that yet.
Breaking from the kiss, I released her face and shifted my weight so I could throw an arm around her possessively. My gaze met his, a smirk pulling at the corner of my lips.
"This is Chris," Brooke sighed. "My ex-husband. Chris, this is…"
"You're The Mountain."
Forcing a smile, I nodded. "Yeah, and I'm going to have to be real with you, man." I kept my tone cool and calm. "If you talk to my girl like that again. I'm going to have to readjust your jaw." My fake smile faded.
He huffed out a laugh. "Look, man, if you're hoping she'll change and eventually look like…" He paused, biting down on his bottom lip like he was fantasizing. "The models you date. She won't. I already tried to help her. She doesn’t…”
I surged forward so fast he stumbled backward. "The problem wasn't Brooke. The problem was you were never man enough to handle all of her perfect fucking curves. You," I shoved my finger into his chest, forcing him to take a step back, "are nothing but a little boy."
I twisted, dropping my chest to hers as my hands curled around her ass.
I lifted her onto the counter in one smooth motion.
Her hands instinctively gripped my shoulders for balance, and the soft gasp that escaped her nearly undid me.
The way she looked at me, surprised, flustered, but not pulling away, sent heat straight through my chest.
"So run along, little boy. You can see your way out.
" My gaze shifted back to Brooke, "The café is closing temporarily so my girl and I can take a," my eyes perused over her curves as I licked my lips, "snack break.
" I shoved my hips closer, forcing her legs wider as her hands curled around my waist. For a brief moment, I forgot Chris was in the room as I leaned down, brushing my lips over hers.
"This isn't over, Brooke," he growled. "You wanted this divorce, not me. You will…"
My lip curled up into a snarl as my gaze flashed from Brooke to her ex.
"If you let another word come out of that mouth," I hissed in warning, "you're going to go back to work without your teeth.
" I released Brooke, sidestepping out from between her thighs, and slowly moved towards him.
"You will lower your voice and speak to her with respect because I have zero problems sitting behind bars for murder. "
"Just go, Chris," Brooke ordered, sliding off the counter. "And please don't come back. We have nothing more to discuss. If you have…"
"Yes, we…"
I surged forward again, tangling my hands into his expensive suit. I dropped my face to his. "Shut up and listen." Swallowing hard, he nodded.
"If you have a problem with your job, you'll need to take that up with my father. I am no longer the middleman."
"Do you understand, little boy?"
His head nodded frantically, and I released him with a shove. "Leave and don't come back."
He jerked the door open and stormed out, disappearing. I moved quickly back to Brooke's side. "Are you okay?"
"You didn't have to do that," I opened my mouth to defend myself. "But thank you." I snapped my mouth shut and nodded. "So, does the offer still stand to come to your next match?"
"Abso-fucking-lutely."
She cleared her throat, and I felt what she was about to say. "I feel like I should be honest with you."
"Honesty is good."
"Chris led me on the entire time we dated and even through the first year of our marriage, and I can't go through that again.
" My brows pulled together. "I know what you were doing today, and I really appreciate it, but from here forward, I need you to be brutally honest with me.
If you want to be friends, I'm okay with that, but please do not lead me on.
Don't make me believe you like me for more than a friend if you don't."
Friends. Right. I could do friends. Just ignore the fact that she was close enough to touch, that her laugh did things to my pulse that had nothing to do with friendship.
"How about we are friends, and we see where this goes?" I smiled. "Because after you get to know me, you might only want to be friends."
She laughed. "That sounds good. So, no more kissing. It confuses my senses."
"Unless your ex is around," I said. "Then I'm going to kiss you."
"Deal."