Ella Frank - Edible

No, no, no! Rachel’s mind screamed. It can’t be him. He hasn’t turned around yet, so maybe there is a slight possibility—oh hell, who am I kidding? I’d know that rigid backbone anywhere.

Glancing up at the clock, Rachel watched as the big hand moved in slow motion to make that final tick to the twelve, confirming it was now four o’clock. She had missed locking him out by only ten minutes. Why didn’t I lock the damn door before? He was the last person she wanted to deal with when C.J. turned up. Well, better get this over with. Keep it professional, Rachel.

Clearing her throat, Rachel made her way behind the counter . Best to have something between us . He turned to face her, and just like that, she was reminded of exactly why she needed an obstacle to separate them. Those damn eyes were serious and far too perceptive as they looked her over, like he was studying her for later consideration.

Pushing his hands into his pockets, he took several steps forward. Rachel was certain to track those steps with absolute focus. After what felt like an eternity, he finally stopped directly in front of her, standing on the opposite side of the counter, as Rachel allowed herself to look up and meet his eyes. She reached out to grip the edge of the counter as the heat between them increased, threatening to melt her on the spot. Holy shit, this guy is something else. She knew she needed to get rid of him quickly, so Rachel steeled herself against the sizzling once over he was giving her. She decided to go with cocky. With a bit of luck, she hoped that maybe her attitude would get rid of him.

“Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m almost positive this falls under the stalking category.”

Cole took a moment to look around the small flower shop. He was surprised to find that she really fit in here. Bursts of color were everywhere in the form of red roses, a rainbow of tulips, and bright yellow sunflowers displayed in a large aluminum can.

With her colorful hair and bright persona, this place seemed exactly right for her. Now, it’s time to get that wild side to come out and play.

“You’d be wrong,” he stated matter-of-factly.

He removed his hands from his pockets and began to undo the buttons of his coat. When her eyes dropped directly to his hands, he had to stifle a laugh as she watched him intently.

What exactly is she thinking? Better yet, why should I guess when I can just ask? “You don’t mind if I unbutton my coat, do you?”

Her eyes shifted directly back to his as she moistened her painted bottom lip and shook her head. “No. I mean, no, I don’t mind…not no, you can’t.”

After undoing the final button, Cole shrugged a little to let the material part and relax around his body.

“What are you doing here?” she demanded, finding her footing again.

Cole lifted his arm and made a show of pushing it forward, so his silver watch appeared from beneath his coat and sleeve. Looking down at it and then back to her, he allowed himself a moment of enjoyment. He then turned to look at the clock on her wall. “Well, I’m sure I was told to be here at four.”

He could see the wheels turning behind those annoyed blue eyes of hers. He decided he didn’t care how long it took her to come to her final conclusion. He was happy to stand there for a minute, just looking at her.

Her hair was down today, hanging in loose curls over her shoulders. Her eyes had been enhanced with what looked like blue and silver glitter across the lids. Instead of looking ridiculous, it just made her more appealing, like a shiny toy he wanted to touch.

She’d colored her fabulous mouth a sinful red that made Cole think about how good that color would look smeared all over his— Yeah, well, best not to think about that at the moment.

While he couldn’t see much of what she was wearing, the apron that was wrapped around her waist made him want to untie it. He liked undoing things, and the thought of undoing her was extremely appealing.

“ You were told to be here at four?” she asked in a tone that screamed bullshit .

“Yes, definitely four today. I never miss a meeting.”

“You’re insane.” She muttered in frustration as she ran her hand through her hair. “The only person who should be here at four is C…”

Ahh, the penny has finally dropped , Cole thought as he tilted his head to the side. “Who?”

“You presumptuous jerk!” She stormed around the counter.

Well, I’m not going to argue with that.

Cole turned and met the feisty woman head-on. As she stopped in front of him, he became immensely satisfied when she had to crane her head back to look up at him.

“You set this whole damn thing up! C.J. my ass,” she hissed like a pissed-off wet cat.

Cole admitted to the accusation without a shred of remorse. “Guilty. And as for your ass…well, I am definitely open to discussing it.”

Her cheeks flushed as her annoyance and irritation began to overwhelm her, and then there was the fact that she had been duped.

“Your arrogance is unbelievable!” she fumed, turning to storm away from him.

Cole decided it was now or never. He reached out and took ahold of her arm in a firm but gentle grip. She stopped where she was, like her feet were glued to the ground, but she didn’t turn around.

Okay, Miss Langley, let’s get all the cards out on the table.

Breathe. Just breathe. That was the mantra Rachel was repeating over and over in her mind as she felt the heat of his tall body move in close behind her. The hand that had firmly grasped her left arm had still not let go, and just as she was about to request her freedom, she felt a second hand wrap around her right arm.

Closing her eyes against what she knew was about to happen, Rachel wasn’t surprised when she felt Cole’s strong body brush up against her back.

Why did I ever go to that damn club? Oh, that’s right. I was lonely . Well, look at what that got me.

The man standing behind her now wanted something she was not willing to give. Oh, she was human. She wanted companionship, and she craved to be touched, but Rachel wanted the control. She never wanted to be the helpless one again— ever .

The only problem with this scenario was the way she melted at the thought of giving it all over to a suit named Cole.

“Where are you going, Rachel?”

His voice, dark and seductive, slid down her spine.

“You need to take your hands off of me.” She was proud of herself for getting even that much past the lump in her throat.

Immediately, he released her arms.

Instead of fleeing the way she had imagined she would, she stayed frozen and waited.

“They’re off. I won’t touch you again until you ask me to,” Cole whispered.

Rachel couldn’t help the ridiculous noise that escaped her throat. She tried to convince herself that it was somewhere between a laugh and a cough, but she knew it ended up sounding more like a bark.

“Well, don’t hold your breath,” she retorted.

“Why? Are you worried for my health?”

“No,” she denied emphatically.

This time, she turned her head to look over her shoulder, forgetting how close he was. Her mouth was now only a whisper from his, and as their eyes collided, Rachel felt her heart almost thump right out of her chest.

“In that case, I repeat, I won’t touch you again…until you ask me to.”

Rachel blinked and clenched her jaw as she watched his eyes trace what felt like every line of her face. Finally gathering her nerve, she pivoted around to face him. He stood back up to his full height, which caused him to look down at her, as he waited with what seemed like infinite patience.