Chapter 4
Isaac
I can not get Serena out of my head. Pulling into my parking spot at Sanctuary, I pop the kickstand of my bike and remove my helmet. Sweat drips down my forehead from the sun beaming on me the entire ride here.
The clinic is over an hour away in the opposite direction, so I’m late for my shift.
I should have been here two hours ago to start getting the bar ready.
Cole has noticed I’ve been a bit distracted this week and I can tell it is starting to piss him off. I am thankful that he doesn’t ride my ass much, but when it comes to his club, he’s rather protective over it.
My footsteps echo in the quiet hallway of the club. I’ve been here ten years, and the quietness before the storm never gets old. The emptiness of the club and the soft hum of the music in the background is almost peaceful.
Normally, it gives me a chance to focus on prepping the bar and get my thoughts together.
But not tonight.
Tonight, I have been trying to prepare the bar, but I can’t fucking concentrate. Every time I start working down my checklist, my mind wanders to this past Monday at the café.
The door chimes a familiar galactic melody when I walk into the coffee shop.
I’ve never been here before, but I was in the area after Cole had me follow up on a job from last week, and it was the only place I could find that wasn’t a chain corporation.
Most often than not, they have shit coffee compared to the small cafes.
The small mom and pop places put more care and attention into their coffee, and it shows.
This one seems promising. Unique.
An abstract mural on the wall to the left of me catches my attention.
Dark green silhouettes of tree houses in the foreground with rope bridges connecting them layered on top of three light green mountains, each ranging in size.
Cast against the largest mountainside on the right, is a shadow of a ship with two sets of wings, one pair extending horizontally and the other vertically, meeting where the cock pit would be, forming an “X” like configuration.
The sky is a lighter shade of green, and in the distance, there is another ship that has a spherical cockpit with two hexagonal wings extending on either side, giving it a distinct shape.
There aren’t very many people here this early. Good, maybe that means I will be in and out of here and on my way. It was a long night, and I still have to get to the club.
I clip my helmet to the strap of my backpack and find my place in the line. My phone buzzes against my thigh. Most likely my boss wondering where I’m at. Like he didn’t send me to the outskirts of the city to work a job himself.
I type out a quick response and as I am putting my phone back in my front pocket, I get the faint smell of peaches and cream.
The only place I can think of that it is coming from, must be the short brunette in front of me in line. I inch a little bit closer, not too close to alarm her, but close enough where I can confirm that the scent is most definitely coming from her.
When I go to move back, I notice that she is reading on an E-reader and my curiosity gets the best of me. I peer over her shoulder, enough to catch lines about a rough grip, and hands fisted in their hair. And very little protest.
Interesting. Very interesting.
She tucks her hair behind her ear, and I notice the slightest shade of pink color on her cheeks as she continues to read.
From this angle, I can’t see her face fully, but I can see her soft jawline, delicate slope of her nose and full lips parted slightly.
Long eyelashes brush against her cheek as she reads across the page.
She’s beautiful.
I steal another glance and read more about being pinned against the wall and a strangled please, don’t stop . Makes me wonder if she’s as innocent as she looks, or if she has a side to her like the woman in the book.
Such dirty words for such a pretty girl. My cock strains against my jeans as the thought crosses my mind.
Disappointment hits me when she is suddenly gone, the space in front of me empty and cold. I didn’t realize the line was moving and she is at the counter now. While she is placing her order, my eyes can’t help but roam over her body.
She is wearing a purple scrub top with black bottoms, and the pants hug her bubble ass perfectly. I never thought I’d be jealous of a pair of pants… but here we are.
Guess there is a first time for everything.
Her light brown hair reminds me of caramel as it falls in a cascade of curls down her back. She’s curvy and delicious and every second I am near her; I want to find out more about her.
She finishes her order and then finds a spot at one of the benches to wait. It’s my turn to order and when I approach the counter with my travel mug, the barista at the register greets me with a bright smile.
“Good morning sir. What can I get started for you today?” She asks in a breathy tone.
“Good morning… Carrie,” I give her a wink as I read off her name tag and get my wallet out of the front pouch of the backpack strap around my waist. “I am just going to get a drip coffee in this please.”
I’m not dumb, I know I’m a good looking guy. And I’ve been told I can be a little arrogant. But when you spend your entire childhood being pushed around, there comes a point when you decide it’s not going to happen anymore.
Yeah… maybe I overcompensate a bit.
It has kept people at a distance, and that’s how I prefer it. Simple. Uncomplicated. So why do I all of a sudden want to get close to the brunette sitting in the booth behind me?
She takes the stainless-steel travel mug from my hands and drops it when her fingers brush against mine. “O-Of course. I will get that for you. Nice and fresh.”
“Thanks sweetheart.”
I pocket my wallet and stand off to the side because I know it won’t take that long for my order.
While I’m waiting, a kid no more than seventeen years old and with purple hair approaches the counter “Iced White Chocolate Caramel Mocha, with toffee nut and oat milk for Serena!” The smell of peaches hits me again as the curvy mystery woman brushes past me to get to the counter.
Serena.
Now I have a name for my little bookworm.
She turns away from the counter and the next thing I know, coffee is spilling onto the floor and the most captivating set of bright blue eyes are meeting mine. I thought she was pretty before, but seeing her fully now leaves me momentarily stunned.
My God she’s fucking gorgeous. I take in her entire body, from her stunning face to her full breasts, curvy waist and hips and back up to where I started. And I make sure that she knows exactly what I am doing.
When our eyes lock, her cheeks warm. She tries to speak, but she is stuttering over her words. A slow satisfaction fills my chest knowing that I am affecting her that way.
The feeling is mutual.
I overheard her mention earlier that she had a rough night. That’s a shame. Even though I don’t know her, yet, I can’t help but feel protective of her. And she definitely does not deserve to have anything less than a perfect night.
Something I would be more than happy to provide for her.
“That’s a shame. A beautiful woman such as yourself doesn’t deserve so much trouble.” My mouth is working faster than my brain at this point, and before I could stop them, the words blurt out. And I can’t help but rake my eyes over her again.
Fucking hell.
She gives me an incredulous look and pops her hip out, giving me a witty reply. Oh, she is going to be fun.
She rushes off to the restrooms to clean herself up. At the same time the door closes, Carrie returns with my coffee.
“Carrie, do you remember what Serena ordered?”
“Of course I do! She orders it every morning.” She giggles.
“I would like to replace her coffee.” I tap the top of the counter with my card. “Sounds like she could use it, and it’s the least I can do.”
“Oh, that is so nice of you!” Carrie praises entering the order.
Serena still hasn’t come out from the restroom by the time her coffee is done being made. My phone buzzes again and I groan. If I don’t leave now, I’m going to have hell to pay from Cole later. And I really don’t feel like dealing with that tonight.
Before I leave, I grab a pen from my pack and take a moment to write a note on her cup.
This will not be the last time I see her.
Not if I have anything to do about it.
I want to see what’s behind that innocent smile she so freely gives to everyone, because I have a feeling that behind closed doors, she is something else entirely.
I place her drink back on the counter and leave. Thoughts of blue eyes and golden-brown hair fill my head while I speed down the road.
After that day, I went back to the café every morning just to see her.
She didn’t know I was there. I would arrive right when they opened and figured out that she usually gets there around the same time every morning.
And I made sure that I had gotten my coffee and settled in a corner booth in the back before she got there.
The first day I went back, I told Carrie to make Serena’s usual before I took my seat.
When she arrived, I tucked my head down, helmet blocking my face, and watched her approach the counter to place her order.
Carrie’s eyes sparkled with mischief as she quickly glanced my way before telling Serena that her coffee was already made and waiting for her on the counter.
I told her not to tell Serena who bought the drink for her.
Not yet.
I wanted to admire my girl from afar. Fear of coming off too strong and pushing her away kept me hidden. I had plans to casually run into her again at the cafe, but luck would have it, I injured my hand before then and had the perfect excuse to see her.
For the next three days it was the same thing. I would arrive and watch her from the shadows of the corner booth. She would approach the counter, go to order and then blush when she was told it was already taken care of.
She is painfully adorable when she blushes. And I revel in the fact that it's me making her cheeks flush.