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Amelia rolled her eyes. “Fine.Whenhe asks me out, how do I show him that I’m interested? How do I make sure he doesn’t just ghost me because he doesn’t feel a spark?”
Leo’s jaw tightened. His hand curled into a fist for a beat, then he pushed himself off the window and turned to face her. He seemed to come to a decision and gave her a deep nod. “Okay. Let’s do a little role play. I’m Ben the Barista.”
“You can just call him Ben, you know.”
“So, I’m Ben the Barista, and you’re you. We’ve met up for a drink, and I’m telling you about my stupid job making coffee.”
“Leo,” she chided, the corners of her lips curling. “Be nice.”
“Blah, blah, blah…something about latte art. I’m great even though I didn’t have the balls to ask you for your phone number, and I probably spent three days stalking your photos online before sending you a one-word message.” He waited expectantly, then rolled his wrist at Amelia. “Now, go. Your turn. What do you say to that?”
Amelia looked at him like he was insane. “What? You haven’t even said anything for me to respond to.”
“Wrong,” Leo replied, lifting his index finger. “All you need to do is find an excuse to touch me—my arm, my hand, whatever—smile, and ask questions. Guys love talking about themselves. Ask me a question about coffee beans or grind size or whatever.”
Amelia tilted her head. A cool breeze floated through the open window, ruffling the ends of her hair. Leo had shifted closer at some point, so she could smell the fresh scent of his soap. He obviously had a bone to pick with Ben, but she might as well play along. In a flat voice, she asked, “How do you know what grind size to use for the coffees you make?”
“Well, that depends on the freshness of the coffee bean and what you’re using it for. Pour-over coffees need a slightly coarser grind, and—”
“Wait. How do you know this stuff?”
Leo clicked his tongue. “That was the perfect opportunity for you to pretend to be fascinated by every word coming out of my mouth, Amelia.”
“Flirting is insane.”
He huffed, tilting his head from side to side. “True.”
“It seems really fake.”
“Sometimes it is.”
She bit her lip. “I’m not sure I like that.”
He reached over and gently touched her forearm. “What about you? Tell me about your business.”
A little buzz of warmth emanated from the place where he’d touched her skin. Her heart beat a tiny bit faster. What had he asked her, again? Oh. Right. “Well, a couple of years ago, I was working as a data analyst for a health insurance company, and I felt really restricted by some of their policies. I thought I could do a better job for my clients if I struck out on my own, so I…” Her eyes widened. She looked down at her arm, then up at Leo. He was grinning. “What the heck!”
Laughing, Leo flicked his fingers toward himself. “Your turn. Hit me.”
“What, just touch you and ask you a question?”
“Sure.”
He wore a navy button-down shirt tucked into dark-gray fitted pants. The top few buttons of his shirt were undone, and his collar was slightly crooked. With fingers that only trembled the slightest bit, she reached up and adjusted his collar. With a start, she realized she’d done the exact same thing the first time they’d met. She gulped and asked, “How many brothers and sisters do you have?”
“Just the one brother,” he answered, body leaning toward hers as she pulled her hand away. “Marlon’s two years older than me.”
“Are you close?” She looked up and met his eyes.
Leo shrugged, eyes darkening. “Close enough. You?”
“Just Maggie.” Her voice came out breathy, and Leo shifted closer still. The moment hung between them, and words fled from Amelia’s mind. What was she supposed to be doing? Asking…questions… What questions?
All she could see was the fading sun warming Leo’s skin and his green eyes burning as they met hers. He made a quiet, rough noise in his throat and slipped his hand onto her waist to tug her closer. His head angled and dipped, and Amelia knew they were going to kiss again.
She parted her lips as her pulse pounded through her body, drawing her awareness to all the places she wanted Leo to touch. Arm tightened on her waist, he brought his free hand up to cup her jaw. His hand was so big his fingers spread over the side of her neck and jaw, thumb coasting over her lips as he tilted her head up.
When Leo spoke, she felt his breath on her lips. His voice was a low, erotic rumble. “You are the most—”
