Page 18 of Wild Promise

“Really?” Her eyes narrowed to an evil glare. “You’re not going to thank me? God, Melina, way to prove everyone right. You really are the ice queen.”

Becky was over-the-top dramatic, and I’d already suspected some of my coworkers thought of me this way, but I’d always passed it off with no time to worry about gossip. Still, her words stung.

I wasn’t cold. I was efficient. Well organized and professional.

And right now, completely defeated. Why would Noma want to pull their sponsorship?

A knock sounded on the open door behind me. Startled, I whirled to find Zane looking like a pissed-off superhero come to save the day. He was standing so close I could feel the warmth of his breath on my skin, and once again, my body erupted with tingles.

“Hey, firecracker,” he murmured, his expression more ferocious than I’d ever seen. “You forgot your latte.”

He held out a paper cup with the Java Junction logo and my name scrawled across it. But all I could manage was to stand and stare.

Until he pushed the latte a little closer.

I reached for it, my fingers brushing over his, and a jolt of electricity rushed through me from the contact, lighting me up and making me shiver.

His green eyes flared.

And then he was kissing me.

There was no warning. His mouth came down hot and possessive, like a lightning strike, and sent pure bliss shooting through me.

It was unexpected. Uncontrollable. Completely wild.

And when I kissed him back, so was I.

Chapter Six

Zane

Melina stormed out of Java Junction, and uneasiness crawled under my skin as I watched her go.

I’d fucked up. Again.

Only this time, I had no idea what the hell I’d done wrong.

I hadn’t expected to run into her at my favorite coffee shop, but I’d sucked up my nerves and talked to her anyway. And until the apology left my mouth, I’d actually thought things were going okay.

She’d been cautious, sure, but she’d been breathing harder than normal, and she’d leaned into me before catching herself. Even when she mentioned running late for work, she’d looked reluctant to leave.

Then I apologized, and everything went sideways.

One second she’d been flushed and breathless. The next, she was furious, running out of the café like she couldn’t get away from me fast enough.

The whole exchange left me hard as a fucking rock and feeling like a complete asshole.

She’d said something about being a charity case, and even though I didn’t fully understand what she meant, I couldn’t just let it go.

I couldn’t let her go.

So, when the barista called out her coffee order, I grabbed it without hesitation. The woman shouldn’t have to go all day without her latte—she’d ordered it, she should at least get to drink it—and I couldn’t go all day without trying to fix whatever the fuck I’d broken.

The plan was simple. Bring her coffee. Clear things up. Maybe convince her I wasn’t the complete degenerate she currently thought I was.

What I hadn’t planned to do was kiss her.

The second I walked into the office and overheard the obvious lies and straight-up cruelty pouring from Becky, something inside me snapped. Maybe I should’ve done something more appropriate than ambushing Melina with my mouth.