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“Me, too. But we did great!” They’d done more than great. They’d had just about the best time Eva had ever had with anyone. Laughing, teasing, coming up with many more bad ideas than good as they roamed through shops sizing up people’s discards. Ames had finally convinced Eva to abandon her theme ideas, and they’d settled on buying whatever appealed and come back with a bounty.
A whimsical teapot in the shape of a camel, various board games, a painting of a graceful flamingo, inexpensive “silver” trays to hold bakery items, an A-frame sidewalk chalkboard for messages and daily specials, paper cutouts of various fresh fruits, and Eva’s favorite, an assortment of topiaries in whimsical materials—a miniature tree of shining red ceramic cherries, silk ivy shaped in a spiral, butterflies, roses, all in varying heights and shapes.
Nothing that couldn’t be changed back in an instant, but Eva was bursting with excitement.
They unloaded the goods onto the sidewalk—miraculously the rain had stopped, though dark skies warned the respite was only temporary.
Eva unlocked the shop and turned on a light in the back office, leaving the door partly open. They carted in their haul, piling it in the middle of the darkened room. “Can you see okay? I don’t want to turn on the big lights. People will think we’re open.”
“Smart.” He smiled, incredibly handsome in the dimness, his earring glinting in the low light. “It’s actually great.”
Eva nodded. She knew what he meant. There was a wonderful sense of intimacy, with the damp city still going through its motions outside the door, and their private, still world so peaceful in here.
But if she kept smiling at him like this, and he kept smiling at her like that, she was going to get wobbly again from all she was feeling.
Maybe she should turn on the lights...
“So where do you want things?” He looked around uncertainly. “I admit interior decorating isn’t really my strength.”
“Me neither. But that never stopped me.” She moved into the center of the space. “Let’s start with the bakery case.”
They lined the bottom of the white shelves with the paper fruit cutouts, then instead of the geometric white porcelain Chris had chosen, loaded in the silver trays, lowest in front, those on pedestals to the back. The effect was exactly as Eva had hoped, elegant but not stuffy, the mismatched trays keeping the display from being perfect, the fruit underneath fun and colorful.
On the long wall facing the tables, they pounded in nails and hung the flamingo, the jungle flowers and the ocean view, then stepped back.
Eva was thrilled. “Beautiful! Like they belong here! I can’t believe how great they look!”
“Mmm, yes.”
She turned to Ames. He was not appreciating art; he was looking at her in that dark-eyed predatory way that signified he was imagining them naked and wrestling.
“Ames,” she said primly.
“Yes, Eva.”
“We need to get this done.”
“Oh, I agree.” He took a step toward her, put his hands at her waist. He still looked predatory, but now his eyes held amusement, and that softness that made her feel all softened and strange. “There’s a lot we need to get done.”
Eva fought a tiny swell of panic. She’d been doing so well for so long keeping this vulnerability under control. What was wrong with her now? “I mean we need to—”
“I know what you mean.” He drew her up against him and kissed her. The rain chose that movie-worthy moment to increase torrentially, hurling itself against the door and front windows.
She was cut in two, half wanting to struggle, to regain her balance, retain her control. The other half wanted to lose itself in this feeling of surrender, of lust and growing sweetness, feelings she was starting to think were new to her, and entirely inconvenient. She was leaving soon. What was the point of falling in love for the very first time in her life with someone she couldn’t have, and who had made it clear he didn’t want someone like her for the long-term anyway?
His mouth was warm and possessive, urging her to passion. His hands roamed her back, then lower, covering her bottom, sliding under the waistband of her kelly-green leggings, then under her panties, exploring her skin. His mouth left hers to go adventuring down the side of her neck, which was probably her third favorite place to be kissed.
