“Absolutely,” he replies with a smile. I wait as Lexi finishes the transaction and arranges for the painting to be shipped to her home in Minneapolis.
As we walk away, I say, “You have good taste. That is beautiful.”
“It’ll always remind me of my time here,” she says. “I’ll hang it in my office. I have a story brewing that takes place on your island, and I’ll stare at that piece as I plot. It’s perfect.”
I want to ask more. I want to help her brainstorm her plotline and read it as she writes.
I have no right to ask for any of that so I just nod and gesture to the shop across the street that has a line out the door.
“That’s the first Starbucks café,” I inform her. “It’s always packed, but we can go get something if you’d like. You can say you’ve been to the original place that started it all.”
She wrinkles her nose. “It’s very…peopley over there.”
“Yeah.” I chuckle, and if my hands were free, I’d tuck a piece of her hair behind her ear. “Is that a no, then?”
“I can get Starbucks anywhere. I’m not fighting that crowd for it. But thanks anyway.”
I nod, and we walk in comfortable silence back to the SUV.
“Are you going to work at the pub again this evening?” she asks.
“I am, yes. You don’t have to come with me if you don’t want.”
She stands by as I load the car with our market finds. “I don’t mind. If you don’t.”
I raise a brow. “You really want to spend another evening at the pub so soon?”
“I liked it,” she says. “I know, it surprises me too because I like quiet, and I enjoy being alone. I get neither of those things at the pub, but I like your family, and watching you in the kitchen was fun. I could even be your sous chef, if you’d like. Unless you’d rather I get out from under your feet and leave you be for the night, which I totally understand.”
“You’re welcome at O’Callaghan’s anytime, Lexi. Of course, I’d like you to come.”
She smiles. “Okay. I’ll come then.”
Her arms are still full of flowers. She held them back when I offered to lay them on the back seat. Her eyes look almost violet as she grins up at me.
“Is there anywhere else you’d like to go or see?” I ask.
“I think we can head back to the island, if it’s all the same to you,” she replies. “I’d like to get these into some water, and maybe read for an hour or so before we go to the pub.”
I nod and open her door for her. “Your wish is my command, my lady.”
She wrinkles her nose and sits in the car. Before long, I’ve pulled the SUV onto the ferry, and Lexi and I are standing on the deck. I even talked her into leaving the flowers in the backseat, assuring her that they would be safe in the shade.
She takes a deep breath. I know the ferry makes her nervous, and I’m just relieved that she didn’t ask me to drive three hours out of the way to avoid it.
Lexi’s hands grip the railing tightly, her knuckles turning white from the pressure.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
“Fine.” The answer is short and strained, and I know she’s not fine.
I instinctively reach out and rub circles on her back, and she relaxes at my touch just a bit, but her grip on the railing doesn’t loosen.
“What do you enjoy doing?” I ask, trying to make conversation.
“I write. That’s about it.”
“You have literally no other hobbies?”
“I read,” she says. “I take walks. In the summer, I like to ride my bike.”
“That’s a hobby. Some people are voracious about cycling.”
She shrugs a shoulder. “I wouldn’t say I’m that. But I prefer it to driving in the summer. We get a lot of snow in Minneapolis, so I like to get fresh air the rest of the year. And riding around Lake Harriet is beautiful.”
“Not a snow person, huh?”
“I know, it’s weird, right? I like the cold, but I hate the snow. I’m an odd duck, Shawn.”
I frown and nudge her sideways to face me.
“You’re not odd at all.”
She laughs, sending shivers through me. “Yeah, I am. But it’s okay, I accepted it a long time ago. I figure it’s the artist thing.”
We hit a spot of choppy water, and she bites her lip.
“I’m sorry the ferry scares you.”
“We’re almost there, right?”
I don’t have the heart to tell her that we’re only halfway into our journey. I brush a lock of hair off her cheek and let my fingers linger on her jawline.
“You’re a beautiful woman, Lexi.”
She blinks rapidly, and before she can reply, I lean in and cover her lips with mine. I’ve been dying to kiss her pouty lips for days. The light brush I intended quickly turns into something much more when she grips onto the sides of my shirt and leans into me, our bodies pressed together from hips to chest. I’m always in a constant state of low-grade arousal around this woman. Even her temper turns me on. But against me like this, with our mouths tangled, it turns to full-on arousal in two-point-six seconds.
She purrs low in her throat, and I accept the invitation, sinking into her. My hands dive into her soft hair, and I nibble the side of her mouth.
“Delicious,” I whisper before plundering her once more. I don’t give a fuck that we’re surrounded by people. Now that I’ve tasted her, I don’t know that I can ever stop.
But she plants her hand on my chest and takes a small step back, and I reluctantly let her go.
“Well, then,” she says before she swallows hard and stares out at the water. “I wondered what that would be like.”
“Me, too.” I blow out a breath and grip the railing before I pull her back to me.
“It was way better than I expected.”
I let out a soft laugh. “Yeah. Me, too.”
She grins up at me. “But we’re professionals, remember? We work together.”
Fuck that. I want her in my bed. Now. I want to taste every damn inch of her delectable little body. I want to make her sigh and whimper and pull my hair as I give her the best orgasm she’s ever had.
But I just nod and do my best to keep a straight face. “Right. Sure.”
She nudges me with her hip. “Don’t pout.”
“I don’t pout,” I reply. It’s true. I don’t. “I also usually get what I want.”
“Oh? And what is that?”
I look down at her and lean in to press my lips close to her ear so I can whisper, “You. Naked. Beneath me.”
Her cheeks flush beautifully.
“Most likely not going to happen, Mr. O’Callaghan.”
I grin. Challenge accepted.
It’s busy, even for a Saturday night, so I’m relieved to have Lexi in the kitchen with me. She’s proven that she’s not underfoot at all, but rather a huge help. She knows her way around knives, the stove, and works quickly.
Efficiently.
I should have known her work ethic would be impeccable, even when she’s not being paid for her services.