Not Just Friends (Brookfield) (4 page)

Connor
had ordered some type of bread that went with a dip in the middle. After the
server set a small plate in front of her, Alyssa placed her napkin in her lap.
When she looked up, she noticed Connor held his hand out.

“Can
I have your plate?”

Alyssa
picked it up, handed it to him, and watched as he put a spoonful of dip on it
and a few slices of the bread before handing it back to her. She took it from
him and set it down. Had he really just made her plate for her? Was it sweet or
controlling?

She
took a bite of the bread and moaned. It was good…really good.

“I
take it you like it?” Connor smirked.

“I
do. It’s very flavorful.” Her tongue darted out and she licked what was left
from her lips. Her gaze caught Connor’s and his was locked on her mouth. Her
cheeks heated and her heart sped up.

Connor
looked away and took a bite of his own food. She let out a sigh and returned to
the bread. Not too long after that, the server returned with their meal. Alyssa
stared at the chicken in front of her. For the price, she had expected a plate
full of food, but instead, saw the smallest portions she’d ever been served. A dollop
of rice was placed next to a small medley of vegetables. The chicken wasn’t a
very large breast. It smelled good and hopefully it tasted that way as well.

Alyssa
glanced at Connor and saw his plate wasn’t any fuller.

“They
give you a lot, huh?” He chuckled. “I promise it’s good though.”

“The
appetizer was delicious. I’m sure this will be as well.” As she cut into the
chicken, she looked out the window, seeing that they were, in fact, at a
different location than when they’d sat. “Nice view.”

“It
certainly is.” His gaze was on her though, not the cityscape.

Was
he talking about her? No, not possible. She’d been reading way too many
romances and she was beginning to think she was in her own.

As
they ate, they chatted about their childhoods. She enjoyed hearing about
Connor’s. He was an only child, so he was certainly spoiled. She had a sister
and a brother. Her sister had left town and her brother worked as a local
police officer.

Alyssa
declined dessert, surprised that she was actually full. The bread from the
appetizer most likely helped with that filling effect. After he signed the
receipt, Alyssa realized it was time to leave. And the romantic evening would
be ending.

Would
she get a kiss?

* * * *

Connor
pulled up to Alyssa’s shop. His palms were sticky from the sweat pouring out of
them. He’d never been more nervous around a woman than he was with Alyssa. And
when she put on the shy side of her, it did wonders to his ego. He loved knowing
he made her stutter and forget her train of thought. The feeling was mutual.
Normally when he dated a woman, she was confident and knew just what she
wanted. But with Alyssa, he had no idea.

Should
he kiss her goodnight or wait until next Friday? The thought of waiting sucked,
but for her, he’d wait a lifetime. Well, maybe not, but he was willing to wait
until she was ready. He just hoped she would be soon.

Connor
climbed out of the car and quickly made it over to her door to open it. He held
his hand out to her and when she took it, pulled her closer. He’d loved to yank
her to him, let their bodies mold together, dip her back, and taste her. But
once again, he reminded himself he had to take this slow.

“I
had a lovely time,” he said as they ascended the stairs to her apartment.

“I
did too.” She turned at the door. “I didn’t put the book in my purse. Want me
to go get it, or do you want to come in for a minute?”

“Do
you want me to come in?”

She
bit her bottom lip and he could see the wheels turning. “Sure. It’s not like
you haven’t been in here before.”

Only
this time, he wanted to take her to bed.

Alyssa
unlocked the door and he followed her into the dark apartment. She turned the
light on. He walked in and stood near the couch. Alyssa was at her bookshelf.
She pulled a paperback from her collection then joined him with a flirty smile.

“Here.
I think you’ll like it.”

He
took the book and looked at the cover. He couldn’t help but grin as he stared
at the model with her dress halfway off her shoulders, eyes closed, mouth
parted, and a fan in hand. These covers were so dramatic. He couldn’t take this
one to work to read, not unless he found a book cover.

“I’m
sure I will if you did.” He flipped the book over and saw there was a content
warning on it. “Does this say ‘graphic sex’?”

Alyssa
laughed. “The love scenes get a little detailed.”

“How
detailed?”

“Read
it and find out.”

This
was definitely not a book to read at work.

“I
had a good time. Don’t expect next week’s dinner to be so elaborate,” she warned.

“I’d
be happy eating fast food with you.”

Alyssa’s
tongue darted out again, licking her lips. Did she want him to kiss her? Her
eyes were locked on his. He noticed her breathing had quickened. She
did
want him to kiss her. He moistened his own lips and took a step toward her.

Alyssa
also moved closer. Connor reached out and placed a hand on her tiny waist. Her
mouth parted and his heart rate sped up. To kiss Alyssa would be memorable. He
inhaled her flowery scent and panic set in. He couldn’t kiss her, not yet. He
was too scared and he’d never been scared to kiss a woman.

Releasing
her waist, he stepped back. “I need to get going. I had a great time and I’ll
be in touch this week.”

“Oh,
okay.” He could see the concern on her face.

“Have
a great evening, Alyssa.” He turned and left, not believing that he didn’t have
the nerve to kiss her. What was happening to him?

Chapter Five

The
weather outside was dreary, matching Alyssa’s mood. She was glad it was almost
time for her to close shop. The pounding rain had made for a boring day and the
rejection haunted her.

Connor
had been so close to kissing her. What happened? She’d been wracking her mind
since. She didn’t think her breath had stunk and she’d checked her teeth for
food after he left. No loose piece of barley lingered. So why had he not kissed
her?

Sitting
on the barstool behind the counter, she knew why. He didn’t like her that way
and she had to face it. It was time to get over this little Connor fantasy
she’d been having all these years. Connor would
never
like her that way.
And she had misread several things last evening. No wonder he’d hightailed it
out of there. He hadn’t wanted to hurt her feelings.

There
was no use staying open. She was in a crappy mood and the rain wasn’t going to
stop anytime soon. With the sun starting to set, it was going to get nasty out
on the roads with the melting snow. She left her stool and locked up.

Normally
she walked through the store and made sure everything was in order. But
tonight, she didn’t care. She flipped the light switch down and headed up
stairs.

Alyssa
entered her apartment and Zoe greeted her right away, like usual. She scooped
the kitty up and the furball purred in appreciation. “You always know when
momma needs you.” She nuzzled her face into the fur.

Like
most cats, Zoe only stayed in her arms for a moment before she jumped out and
led Alyssa to the food bowl. After Alyssa filled the bowl, she opened the
freezer and took out another frozen dinner. Just as she was about to pull the
lid back, a knock sounded on her door.

She
opened it to find her brother Cody.

“What
are you doing here?” She stepped back so he could enter.

“I
was driving by and saw you closed early. I wanted to check on you.”

Alyssa
returned to her meal, pulling the lid back. “We were dead from the weather. So
I closed early.” Placing the meal in the microwave, she turned to Cody. “Want
one?”

“Hell,
no. How do you eat that crap?”

She
laughed. “It beats fast food.”

“You
really need to get out more and away. You have an assistant. Put her on the
schedule more and get a life.”

Alyssa
rolled her eyes. Her brother was one to talk. His life was pretty boring as
well. “If you’re here to lecture, leave. I’ve had a bad day.”

Cody
leaned against the counter. “Yeah, I heard you had a date last night. Didn’t go
well?”

“Who
told you?”

“Hot
Ava told her husband, Seth, my boss. And, well, he told me.”

The
joys of a small town. “Like I told her, it wasn’t a date. We’re just friends.”

“When
she said it was Connor Phillips, I about spit my drink out. He’s a bit out of
your league and a player, from what I’ve heard. How do you know him anyway?”

The
microwave dinged. Alyssa removed her meal. After grabbing a fork, she sat down
at her kitchen table. “He likes to read. So he’s in the shop a lot.”

Cody
took a seat next to her. “It worries me.”

“What?”

“That
you’re going to get involved with him and get hurt.”

“But
isn’t it my choice?”

“To
get hurt? I guess so, but as your big brother, I don’t want to see you heartbroken.”

She
swallowed a noodle and set her fork down. “Connor and I are friends. That’s
it.”

“Where
did he take you last night?”

“The
Sun House.” She attempted to say it as though it was no big deal, but she knew
there was a slight squeal in her tone.

Cody
groaned. “You don’t take friends to The Sun House.”

“It’s
nothing more. Besides, I gave him a chance to kiss me and he didn’t. He’s not
interested in me that way.”

“What
do you mean you gave him a chance?” Cody raked his hands through his hair. “And
then the guy doesn’t even take it. You’re a real catch, you know.”

Alyssa
laughed. “Yeah and you’re bipolar. One minute you don’t want him near me and
the next you’re upset he rejected me.”

“Yeah,
well, I don’t like hearing that you wanted him to kiss you. Friends don’t
kiss.”

She
rolled her eyes. “Can we stop talking about this?”

“I
think we should.”

Alyssa
returned to her meal. Cody mainly gave her small talk after that, but she had a
feeling he was fuming over this Connor thing. That’s what big brothers were
for, she supposed.

* * * *

Connor’s
eyes were wide and his mouth was open. Had he really just read that? Did that
woman really just drop to her knees and pleasure that man? And had the author
really gone into such detail? Wow, women were kinkier than he thought!

Connor
set the book Alyssa had loaned him aside, needing a break and a cold shower.
Scenes like that didn’t happen in the books he usually read. He wondered…if
Alyssa was reading books like that, she must get turned on, and since she lived
alone, that only meant one thing.

He
groaned as his erection grew. The thought of her pleasuring herself was going
to throw him over. His hands ached to touch himself.

Fifteen
minutes later Connor returned to his living room after a shower to help soothe
his needs. He couldn’t believe how turned on he’d gotten from a book and images
of Alyssa in his head. He wasn’t sure he could finish the novel without going
to her and having his way. Take things slow…did she know what she was doing to
him, giving him a book like this?

Porn
was visual, but this was detailed. He picked up his cell phone and sent her a
message.

I’m
going to lose this bet. I don’t think I can finish the book.

He
sat down on the couch and waited for her response.

Aw,
how come? –A

He
grinned and couldn’t believe what he was about to type.

It’s
too graphic for me.

You’re
kidding, right? – A

Man,
he wished he was.
No.
He imagined she was sitting at her house laughing
at him, but he didn’t care.
Looks like dinner will be on me again.

No,
it’s okay. You tried, so I’ll still treat you. – A

Connor
shook his head. There was no way he was going to let her pay for dinner. But
for now he’d let her think he was.

* * * *

It
was Friday and once again Alyssa stood in front of her mirror. Only this time
she was already dressed in a pair of jeans and a light pink sweater. Underneath,
she wore her sexy panties, feeling silly for it.

Connor
had been very active in her life all week. She hadn’t seen him, but he texted
her daily. She did her best not to get her hopes up, but it was hard. She was
feeling a little less rejected by him. But the talk between them never went
toward a relationship. It was friendly. Right now they had something in common:
books. And that was it. They didn’t talk about much else. And there was no
going bet for dinner after this week. Which meant next Friday night, they
probably wouldn’t be dining together.