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Should be, but it’s not.
Why does it feel so perfect, fucking her ever-loving brains out in this godforsaken place?
Is Kona turning my wheel of fate again?
I wonder.
Is there any chance Eliza Angelo could be my new beginning, rather than another heart-ripping disaster?
Hours later, I find Eliza at her fire pit, diligently working with no trace of the sex hair I left last night.
“Aren’t you suffocating out here? It’s noon and there’s not a cloud in the sky,” I say, wiping sweat from my brow.
She shrugs. “I mean, yeah, it’s hot, but I need to get this right. Eighteen years in San Diego got me pretty used to the sun.”
“How many drinks do you have ready with the peaberry brew? Including espresso.”
She thinks for a second. “Five.”
“Good. Brock Winthrope is flying in with his team tomorrow for a personal tasting. I’ll need your best batch ready.”
She nods but her face goes pale with panic.
“Don’t tell me you’re nervous? Eliza, your drinks are impeccable, and I’ll do most of the talking. You just work your magic. Present your ambrosia, and if someone has a question, answer it. Otherwise, you’ll just be standing by for your accolades.”
She manages a weak smile.
“I hope it goes that well. This is a high-end crowd and it has to blow their hair back.” She sighs. “I should probably kill the fire and start working on answers for question time. I know the presentation matters just as much as the drinks.”
“How long do you need to brew it in the morning?” I sit down beside her.
“A few hours for a big batch, if you want to showcase everything.” She looks at me with the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen. “Normally, I’d be terrified. I probably wouldn’t sleep all night. But I have to say, the past ten days have been pretty incredible.”
“No argument here.” I push a strand of loose brown hair out of her eyes. “Glad you’ve enjoyed it as much as I have. Without you, this trip would’ve been a lot less enlightening...”
Before she can ask what that means, I bring my lips to hers in a feverish kiss.
She meets me with the same passion and urgency she always does.
This is the storm I’ll miss if Seattle means different weather. How the fuck can I live without her energy, her brightness, her sugar and spice and so much life?
We spend the next hour brewing another test batch, talking and kissing.
“I’ll miss the beach when we’re gone. Same goes for the scenery,” she says.
The way her eyes sweep over me says she isn’t just talking about the unique view.
“You visit home, don’t you?”
“It’s not the same. I don’t even know if I’ll ever be on this island again. I should spend more time in San Diego, though. It’s been a couple years...”
My heart slams against my chest at the thought of this hellion being anywhere I’m not.
“You’re not going to do something stupid like leave Seattle, are you?” I whisper.
“Maybe. Maybe not.” She gives me a coy smile.
It’s jarring how my cock hardens jealously while my fist pulses at my side.
The peaberry coffee aroma is pervasive. Normally I’d welcome it, but I hate how it drowns out her scent.
Eliza ladles a steaming black liquid into a cup, blows on it for a few seconds, and sips it slowly. “Hmm. I think I like it.”
She hands it to me then.
I take a small whiff and toss the drink back with a satisfied grunt.
“Tastes like Kona. All the Hawaiian islands, actually. What is it?”
“Peaberry beans with a dab of toasted coconut and salt.”
“Salt? What made you think of adding salt? Your father’s prank?”
She looks down and smiles shyly.
“Out here, you always taste the salt in the air when the trade winds blow just right. This might be the best week and a half of my life. I thought about how I’d remember it in a drink once I’m home. If I could put Hawaii in a cup, what would that taste like? And three distinct flavors came to mind. Salt water, coconut, and coffee...”
I stare at her, mystified.
“It’s so rare to find someone with a mind just as fucking incredible as their body,” I say.
Her face heats with that redness I’ve come to love.
“Not sure about that. But I need to get this fire out so I can get started on the boring stuff for tomorrow—uh, no offense.” She stands.
I help her extinguish the fire.
She passes me, heading inside.
I catch her arm and she meets my eyes.
“I’ll see you before tomorrow, right?”
Her face lights up and she nods, leaning in for a kiss I’m too happy to oblige.
But as I release her reluctantly so she can walk on ahead of me for appearances, I know how fucking deep I’m digging my hole.
It’s only a matter of time before someone sees us together.
