Page 56 of Unspoken Love

As the storm raged on outside, they headed into their room and settled down for the night.

They wrapped themselves around each other. She’d enjoyed the passion he’d showed her on other nights, but tonight his movements were slow.

Every time he held her, she felt her heart slipping further from her control. It was only a matter of time before she’d stop trying to hold it back—the rush of emotions that surged with every kiss, every touch.

Tonight, it took everything she had not to cry out his name, not to cling to him with everything inside her. Somehow, he made everything feel right.

When Nate’s breathing leveled out, she rested her head against his bare chest and replayed that day.

She hadn’t wanted to tell him that nothing had improved with her implant yet and was thankful that their talk this evening was about the new tunnel.

She had sent Nate and Juliette pictures of the location of each entrance.

Nate had been excited to hear about the first tunnel and was even more thrilled to hear about this one. She didn’t tell him how they had found it—that Nate had dreamed about a woman.

Faye woke to Nate’s arm draped over her waist as the morning light filtered through the gauzy curtains. Thankfully, the storm had passed, leaving behind a perfect July day.

She gently shifted out of bed, careful not to wake Nate, and padded to the bathroom. Then she snuck into the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. The moment the scent moved through the house, Nate appeared in the doorway, hair tousled, shirtless, and rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

“Smells like heaven,” he said, voice low and rough.

She grinned. “A reward for surviving the storm.” She handed him a cup.

He leaned down and kissed her until her knees grew weak. He sighed then smiled at her. “Are you ready for some fun today?”

She nodded, “I got a new bikini in town the other day.” She kissed him. “Just for you.”

He groaned and kissed her again.

An hour later, they arrived in town. They had to park almost two blocks away from the store since the roads were blocked off.

After another hour, they made it to the town square, pushing carts loaded down with everything Clover and Lena would need to serve iced drinks.

There was even a basket of Brew-Ha-Ha bookmarks with local quotes, town facts, and coffee history on them.

They also had signs for the booth and a crate of the new Brew-Ha-Ha tote bags with slogans Faye and Jessie had brainstormed on a caffeine high a couple of weeks before. Her favorites included:

Espresso Yourself

Too Cool for Hot Coffee

Caffeinate and Dominate

I Like Big Cups and I Cannot Lie.

And one that Nate insisted on keeping: Bean There, Done That.

They came in different colors and had the Brew-Ha-Ha logo on them.

Lena, Clover, and the rest of their summer crew were already at the booth space that Nate had reserved near the gazebo, stringing red-white-and-blue bunting along the edges of the tent and tables. They helped unload the supplies, and Clover squealed when she saw the bags.

“These are hilarious! Can I grab one before they all disappear?”

“You know the rule,” Nate said, smirking. “Employees pay in compliments.”

Lena rolled her eyes, pulling on a Brew-Ha-Ha apron. “I’ll take mine with a side of iced vanilla and a compliment about your organizational skills.”

Faye laughed as Nate held out the box, and Lena grabbed one with her favorite slogan on it.