I WATCHED FROM the dry warmth of inside as the keys drifted downstream and out of sight. They did not share the same fate as the red umbrella. They were goners.
“Mother fu—” I started to yell, but thought better of it when I remembered I had company. Unexpected, albeit welcome, beautiful, wet company. I scared her off once; I didn’t want to risk her running out into this stormy night. Besides, she was here now. Just us two. It was finally a chance for us to talk, for me to get know her better. I warded off the bundle of nerves that waltzed through the door along with Greta and the rain, and turned on the charm.
“Welp.” I shrugged. “Guess this is something we can tell our grandkids one day, right, babe?” I ran a hand over my drenched hair, slicking it back while arching an equally drenched brow as I sized up my lady friend from head to toe.
Greta’s eyes narrowed behind misty lenses. Her nostrils flared and her hands balled into merciless little fists at her sides. She couldn’t have known that the rain boots threw off the whole I’m mad as hell and I’m not gonna take it anymore vibe. But she was angry nonetheless, and if her ears could have produced smoke, their cue would’ve been now.
“Oh . . . oh . . . just . . . scruff you, alright! Scruff you and your lumbersexual, I’m God’s gift to Williamsburg attitude. For your information, I did not risk my life—nor my dignity—in this shitty weather to hear more of your cheesy pick-up lines or to be harassed. I’m on deadline and I left my charger and I’d like it back so I can get out of here and be on my merry way!”
Well . . . shit! Tiny but fierce! I didn’t want to laugh. I really didn’t, but scruff you? Did this girl have any idea how adorable she was? I tried as hard as I might to hide the humor staining my lumbersexual features, but there was no use. Laughter erupted, escaping my nose and pissing off Greta even more.
“You’re a real piece of work, Ezra!”
Now that got me to stop laughing. “Hey, that’s not fair. How do you know my name? I’m stuck labeling you with made-up monikers because you’re too cool for school and here you are bitching me out on a first name basis.”
“I can read,” she smarted.
“Huh?”
“Your name tag, genius. You wear one every day on that ugly green apron.”
Oh, duh. Here I was thinking she took the time to learn my name when in actuality an occupational hazard was to blame. “Well, in that case . . .” What? I froze, devoid of a clever comeback. What could I say to get this girl to stay a little longer and to stop hating me. I was out of pick-up lines or anything worthy of what this feisty girl was looking for.
But I was also saved by the bell, or in this case the crash of thunder that forced Greta back into my arms. The world—or our tiny Starbucks bubble the two of us inhabited at the moment—turned pitch black.
“Ezra? What the hell was that?” The sprightly, smartass demeanor I was so fond of dissipated with every second she pressed herself into the protection of my body.
Underneath a soggy shirt, my heartbeat picked up. I prayed it wouldn’t give me away, but when I finally mustered enough courage to reciprocate her embrace, I felt her shivering.
I cleared my throat of gravelly nerves and explained as if it weren’t obvious, “Lights must’ve gone out.” No shit, Sherlock.
But she didn’t retreat or retort the way I imagined she would. I relished the momentary peace and quiet between us. I closed my eyes—although there was no need in the darkness provided by the storm—and sucked in the deliciousness of her rain dampened scent. Strawberries and cream mixed with a tinge of earthy steel.
I could’ve stayed like that all night, just to get closer to this mystifying woman. Funny how in my arms she no longer felt like a stranger. She’d let down her guard; that had to count for something because nothing about Greta screamed damsel in distress. From the little I’d observed, she was meek but confident. Independent yet delicate. Damn, did I want to know more.
Against my better judgment, I cleared the silence before I took the liberty of indulging in what had become my most current craving. “You okay, sweetheart?” I hated how the endearment slipped off my tongue so cheaply. She deserved better, but was I really supposed to call her Greta when I knew damn well that wasn’t her name?
She backed away, her hands against my chest for support, and I could make out the silhouette of her face looking around the darkened room. “Yeah. Sorry about that. Not a big fan of thunderstorms.”
“Yet you braved this one to get your charger? I’m not complaining, but couldn’t it have waited till tomorrow?”
She scratched her head and then put her hands in front of her, feeling around the room. “I was on a roll. The idea of calling it a night because my Mac had no more juice seemed kind of . . . amateur. Plus, I planned on pulling an all-nighter so I thought I’d grab another latte.”
I followed her around like a lost puppy even though my eyes were adjusting to the darkness and the familiarity of my home away from home. “Aw, come on. You can admit it already, Grets. You wanted to see me again.”
She stopped dead in her trek around the opaqueness of the store, causing me to bump into her. “I should’ve known you couldn’t control yourself for more than a minute.” She huffed, then squealed a frustrated, “Ouch!” and turned back around. “Stupid chair! Don’t you have any flashlights, or candles?”
“I might,” I joked, taking advantage of her exasperation simply because I could.
“Seriously, dude? Why are you doing this to me?” Even in the dark I could tell her nose was crinkled and her hands were at her hips.
“Doing what to you?”
“Being so . . . so . . . aggressive and elusive and . . .”
“Oh, no. Don’t stop. Please continue. You seem to have painted quite a colorful picture of me.”
By this time, we’d reached the far end of the store where upholstered booths lined the wall. She plopped down on one and grumbled. “I know nothing about you.”
I sat next to her, keeping a safe distance so as not to piss her off further, although what I was about to say would surely do the trick. “I could totally change that, you know.”
Her arms flew into the air and landed in her lap with a loud slapping sound. “See what I mean!”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “You walk right into it, honey. I’m resourceful.”
“You’re relentless.”
“I never said I wasn’t.” She had no idea how much restraint I’d exhibited around her. But now I had her right where I wanted her. I might as well pull out all the stops. Go big or go home, Ezra. No time like the present. She’ll either clock you or kiss you.
Exuding my sexiest smolder, I raked my hand through my still damp hair and rested comfortably against the booth’s cushioning with my hands behind my head. “Welp, since it looks like we’re stuck here for a while, whadda ya say we kiss and make up?”
Greta remained silent, dejecting my come-on save for the heavy, irritated flow of her breathing. Her hands flew to her waist and she chomped down on her bottom lip so hard I imagined she’d gnaw through it. It shouldn’t have turned me on, but goddamn was she sexy when she was mad.
I stifled another bout of gratuitous laughter only to jump out of my skin at the sound of a crash and shattering of glass that came next. “What the fuck is going on here tonight?” I yelled, my attention darting to the source of the smash. One of the small windows on the side of the store had blown out. Out of nowhere.
Greta scooted closer, wrapping her legs over mine and anchoring me to my seat. I stared down at those bare legs—still dotted with raindrops but smooth and tempting. My hands itched to stroke them from ankle to apex. My mouth watered at the thought and I suppressed a guttural growl. I wanted her. I wanted her so fucking bad.
In that moment, the safety of the store—and both of us—should have been my priority. What I should have done was find the reason for the broken window.
But that’s not what I did.
Instead, I gripped Greta’s tiny waist with ravenous hands and lifted her off the seat beside me. In one swift movement, she was straddling me, our mouths inches apart. She didn’t speak and neither did I. The only sound filling the room was our ragged breathing and the rain hammering the pavement outside.
With one last inhalation of her sweet, intoxicating scent, I crashed my mouth over hers and nearly lost control of all sense and sensibility when she didn’t object.