“Thanks. I got it from a starving artist auction a couple of years ago.”
“Art buff?” Glancing over his shoulder, he found she had tucked her legs underneath her as she watched him.
“A little. Cleveland has a phenomenal art museum I like to go to.”
“Maybe we can go together sometime.” The words had spilled out before he even knew he was going to say them.
“Sure. We can do that one day.”
He strode around, taking in all her photos of friends and family before making his way back over to her.
“All better?”
“Yes. Listen, I’d like to repay you for your help—”
“No need—”
“Do you like lasagna?”
He froze in place.
Could this gorgeous woman cook too?
“Who doesn’t?”
“I make a mean lasagna, if I say so myself. I can bring you a plate to show you my appreciation before you go out tonight.”
He was curious as to how she knew he’d be heading out later, but kept that question to himself.
“An offer that tempting would be hard to refuse.”
She grinned at him, and he felt as if he’d been kicked in the chest. Her smile blew him away.
“Then once it’s done, I’ll bring you some.”
With a quick nod, he walked to the door, Alana trailing behind him. Reaching past him, she opened it and stared up at him.
He held out his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Alana.”
Placing her small one into his, she grinned. “You too.”
“If you need another massage, don’t hesitate to call,” he joked.
“I’m sure I’ll be fine.” She bit her lip, and it took everything in him to keep from making his way back to her. Those lips of hers were calling to him. He wanted to taste them, to see if they were as sweet as they looked.
Walking backward through the hall and to his door, he kept his eyes on her as he turned the knob.
He’d offer her a free massage, all right.
A full body one.
With both of them naked.
“I mean it. I’m just a holler away.”
With a wink, he turned and entered his apartment, closing the door behind him.
3
Alana didn’t know whether she was more mortified of almost falling on the floor after her run with Sofie, or nearly having an orgasm on the couch in front of London.
That man’s hands were God’s gift to women.
She assumed he was a businessman, but those callouses told of a different side to him.
Just thinking of those large hands sliding along her skin sent a chill down her spine.
What would they feel like sliding along my naked breasts?
“Stop it!” she scolded herself.
But she couldn’t forget how he’d picked her up with ease and carried her into her apartment, like she weighed nothing. She’d felt secure and feminine in his arms.
Fanning herself, she stepped out of her bedroom and walked through her home toward the kitchen.
Since she had bragged about her lasagna, she was going to have to take a trip to the grocery store to get all the necessary ingredients.
After London had left, Alana had made a beeline for the shower, where she almost had a heart attack once she got a look at her reflection.
Taking her time, she showered and washed her hair.
Now feeling like a new woman, she had a few things to accomplish before getting dinner done.
Snagging a pad and pen, she went through the cupboards and fridge, taking stock of what she had. She sighed in relief when she realized there wasn’t much she would have to purchase.
With that done, she decided to get some work done. Her normal Saturday routine was to spend a few hours at her favorite coffee shop. She was working on a project in addition to her normal work requirements, and she usually spent a little of her time on the weekends to do it.
Later, she’d make her way to the store to get what she needed for their dinner date.
“It’s not a date!” Storming out of the kitchen, she gathered up her laptop and other items she would need to take with her, muttering, “I’ll ignore his muscles.”
She’d gotten a quick feel of them when he’d carried her inside.
Muscle-clad men were her weakness, but not her norm. Her past boyfriends were just as nerdy as she was.
But it never stopped her from daydreaming about men like London.
London wouldn’t be sexually interested in a woman like her. She was nothing like the women parading in and out of his apartment.
“This is just a kind gesture for not letting me fall flat on my face,” she reminded herself.
Grabbing a jacket, she hoisted her bag up on her shoulder and left her apartment.
The weather was on her side. The sun was high in the sky, its rays warming the air around her.
Pushing her glasses up on her nose, she paused at the corner of the street and waited for the light to change. Traffic wasn’t as heavy on the weekends.
Alana loved living downtown. The high-rise buildings, local events, and the community attracted her to the area.
Nodding to a few pedestrians passing by, Alana made her way to her favorite coffee shop, 216 Beans. It was owned by a friendly woman named Peggy, who by far made the best coffee in town.
“Alana!” Peggy’s warm, friendly voice called out as she entered the small establishment.
“Hey, Peggy Sue! How are you?”
With a smile, she walked up to the counter, ecstatic there wasn’t anyone in line. This time of day, the coffee addicts thinned out a bit.
“Your usual?”
Reaching for her wallet, she laughed. “Of course.” Alana was a regular, and she and the staff were on a first name basis.
Pushing her glasses up again, she turned and saw an open table near the front windows.
“Here you go, my dear,” Peggy announced, grabbing Alana’s attention.
Handing over a few bills, she eyed the cheese danishes. “These smell divine.” Peggy’s cheese danishes were famous. They were large and flaky, and the cream cheese was heavenly.
Peggy was a jolly older woman with white hair she pulled up into a bun on top of her head. Her tan weathered skin told she was a woman who didn’t shy away from laughing.
“Why do you waste your time working on Saturdays? A young woman like you should be out there enjoying life.”
Alana shrugged and took a sip of her coffee. Perfect. “I have some projects I’m working on. I figure I’ll work hard now, and play harder later.”
“Smart girl,” Peggy affirmed. “Though what you need is a beau. Someone to spoil you rotten and put a certain type of gleam in your eye.”
Alana snagged her danish off the counter, trying to keep herself from choking on her laughter.
“I’m trying, Ms. Peggy.” With that, she turned and walked toward the empty table.
If only Ms. Peggy knew how Alana had been lusting after her sexy neighbor.
Sitting down, she set up her work station and dove into the files, but a certain cocky grin kept coming to mind and breaking her concentration.
Leaning back in her chair, she grabbed her coffee and sipped the delicious java while staring out the window, getting lost in her thoughts of London. As much as she needed to work, she just couldn’t get him out of her head.