Kellie Hailes - The Cosy Coffee Shop of Promises

Bugger. Mel hadn’t thought about that. She hadn’t really thought any of it through. Her heart began to race. What had she been thinking, coming up with such a mad-hat idea? She should’ve just agreed to help Tony with his business and told her mother a white lie about her fiancé being out of town for work. Now she was stuck with a fiancé known for being a commitment-phobe and a mother who would probably marry them right then and there if she could. Her mother’s obsession with marriage was a mystery to Mel, but ever since she’d been born, that was all she’d done – meet and marry, meet and marry – and for some reason, despite its never having worked for her, she thought her daughter should do the same. Mel inwardly grimaced. It wasn’t like she had anything against marriage, but if she was going to do it she was going to do it right, with the right man, not the kind of men her mother had shacked up with.

‘Okay, okay okay.’ The words came quick, hurried. Tinged with heart-pumping panic. ‘We need to sort this out, now.’

She grabbed Tony by his shirt and pulled him behind the counter, ignoring the ‘you get ‘em’ cheers of the rugby players who seemed to think they were witnessing a passionate moment.

Ow! Her ankle caught on the metal leg of her kitchen table and she lost her balance, sending them falling backwards. She prepared for a second wave of pain as her back headed towards the lip of the stainless-steel bench. Instead, it was cushioned by something warm and soft, yet strong. Tony’s arms, she realised, as she saw a twinge of pain hit his eyes.

‘Are you okay?’ he asked, furrows of concern appearing between his brows. ‘Did you hurt yourself?’

A stray blond curl flopped onto his forehead. It looked so silky. She fought the urge to reach up, wrap it around her fingers to discover whether it was as silken as she suspected, whether it would spring up if she pulled it down and released.

‘Are you winded? Are you in a whole heap of pain? You’re looking pretty dazed right now.’

She focused on his lips. Full, soft, yet no doubt capable of being hard, passionate. If she just stood on tippy toes she’d be able to reach those lips… be able to kiss them…

‘Should I be calling an ambulance?’

She blinked. Once. Twice. A handful of times. What had she been thinking? Kissing Tony? Was she mental? That’d only complicate an already messy situation.

‘I’m… fine.’

She was also dry. Who knew a hot wave of lust could make you so thirsty. She turned around in his arms, reached over for a glass and…

Hello. She felt something prod against her lower back. Hard. Thick. Long. Something that had a reputation for pleasing women far and wide. Should she pretend she had no idea? That’d be the polite thing to do. She grabbed a glass, filled it with water and turned back to Tony, who still hadn’t released her from his grasp. Not that she was complaining.

She sipped the water. Watching him watching her as the cool water wet her lips. Beaded on them.

His throat worked as he tried to swallow. Who knew Tony, stud of the land, could get so het up?

‘Water?’ She offered him the tumbler. ‘You look like you need it.’ She glanced down at the bulge-fest. ‘Feels like you need it, too.’

A slow smile spread over Tony’s face. Damn it. She should’ve kept her mouth shut. Zipped it up and glued it for good measure. But this ridiculous, simmering attraction that kept flaring between them made her feel reckless. She closed her eyes. If she stared at those lips, that smile, that face one second longer she’d lose all control.

She was not going to lose control. Kissing her fiancé was not an option.

The glasses in the kitchen cabinet began to rattle as a soft footfall grew louder. Her mother was up, and coming down the stairs. Mel breathed a sigh of relief. Good. For once her timing was perfect.

‘Morning, Mum,’ she called, bright and cheery while trying to disentangle herself from Tony.

‘Morn…’ Valerie stopped short as she surveyed the scene before her.

Mel knew what it looked like. Two lovers caught in a clinch. A good thing, perhaps? At least it made their relationship look real.

Valerie’s hand flew to her eyes, shielding them from sight. ‘Oh! Don’t let me stop you, you little lovebirds. Enjoying a touch of romance in the morning. How adorable! Go on… I’ll just be making a cup of tea. Don’t let me interrupt you.’ She dropped her hand and gave them a wink, before flicking on the kettle.

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