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“Ah, a man of good taste. One scoop or two? Cone or cup?”
“One scoop in a cone.”
They exchanged ice cream for cash and Kat stepped forward to eyeball the experimental flavors. She was one of Faith’s favorite guinea pigs because she was willing to try anything. “I’ll take a single scoop of carrot cake and cream cheese.”
“Anything for you, love.” Faith scooped a healthy portion into a cone and handed it over with a wink. “Tell me how you like it.”
As they left, Sterling ducked his head and asked, “Why did she call me Alexander?”
Kat licked her ice cream. Mm. A little sweet, a little spicy. “She likes to name people after the celebrities she thinks they most resemble.”
“Strange.”
Kat shrugged. She didn’t consider it strange anymore. Faith had quirks, just like Kat did. She looked him up and down. “In your case, I’d say she was thinking of Alexander Skarsgård from True Blood.”
He sampled his ice cream, his tongue flicking out and licking droplets before they melted down the cone. “This is good.”
“Of course it is. I wouldn’t lead you astray.”
They started walking. “Should I be flattered to be compared to this Alexander guy, or insulted?”
“Definitely flattered. I think she’s into you.”
He coughed and spluttered as though he’d sucked ice cream into his windpipe. “What?”
She smiled and patted his back, enjoying the banter that seemed to come more easily between them with each passing moment. “I’m teasing, Sterling. Unwind a little.”
He stopped walking. “I’m going to go and ask for her number.”
Now it was Kat’s turn to choke on shock. Red hot needles of jealousy stabbed into her gut. Faith was fun and curvaceous and whole. Any man would be interested in her. Not like Kat, who was used goods, both physically and emotionally.
“You—uh—”
Sterling chuckled, the sound deep and full of amusement, like music to her ears. “You should see the look on your face.”
She gaped.
“Unwind a little, Kat. I was only teasing.”
Oh. My. God.He was having her on.
She didn’t think he had it in him. She thumped his arm. “You jerk! You really had me going.”
He rubbed the spot she’d hit and grinned, his eyes alive with humor. They didn’t seem like chips of ice anymore. They were more like the endless blue of the sky on a clear summer day. Kat stared into them, unable to look away. Unable to breathe. Then she felt something cold ooze over her hand.
“Ugh, ew.” She licked the melted ice cream from her skin and was afraid to raise her head in case her cheeks were blazing. She’d been ogling him like a silly girl with a crush, and now she looked like a fool.
When she did dare to glance up, his eyes had darkened and he was watching her with parted lips and intense focus. Though the sun was beating down overhead, she shivered. He broke away first, switching his focus to the ice cream.
“How’s yours?” he asked, and it took her a few seconds to realize he meant the food.
“It’s good. You want a try?”
She thought he’d refuse, but he surprised her once again, leaning over to swipe his tongue across the top of her cone. Whoa, that felt more intimate than she’d expected.
He savored it. A blob of ice cream remained at the corner of his mouth. “I like it. You want to try mine?”
“No, but thanks. I’ve tried all of the regular flavors before.”
“I’m not surprised,” he said. “If I had that place nearby, I’d be there every day. I’d need to double my run to stay in shape.”
The fleck of ice cream was still on his face, and Kat itched to draw him down and lick it away.
That was a problem.
She wasn’t supposed to want anything from Sterling.
She was helping him. That was what she’d decided the day they’d met, so instead of giving in to her insane urges, she gestured for him to wipe it off with his sleeve and kept her hands firmly to herself.
