While Justice got to work, I admired the cafe. It was decked out in what looked like manly garage style. Corrugated metal on the walls, shiny red shelves, stained concrete floor. All the drinks had names like Red Line Latte and Checkered Flag Cappuccino. It was downright charming.
There were a handful of early morning coffee drinkers seated at the small round tables scattered throughout the place. Every single person was looking at me like they were really not happy to see me.
“How do you feel about maple and bacon flavors, darlin’?” Justice called from the gleaming espresso machine.
“I feel great about them. Especially if they come in a cup the size of a bucket,” I assured him.
His laugh echoed through the place and seemed to relax the rest of the patrons who went back to ignoring me.
The front door opened, and I turned, expecting to see Tina.
But the man who stormed inside was definitely not my sister. He looked to be in more dire need of caffeine than I was.
Hot would be a decent way to describe him. Hot as hell would be even more accurate. He was tall enough that I could wear my highest pair of heels and still have to tilt my head up to make out with him—my official categorization of male height. His hair was in the dirty blond range and was cut short on the sides and swept back on top, which suggested he had good taste and reasonable grooming skills.
Both of those criteria landed high on my List of Reasons to be Attracted to a Man. The beard was a brand-new addition to the list. I’d never kissed a man with a beard
and I had a sudden, irrational interest in experiencing that at some point.
Then I got to his eyes. They were a cool blue-gray that made me think of gun metal and glaciers.
He strode right on up to me and stepped into my personal space like he had a standing invitation. When he crossed tattooed forearms across a broad chest, I made a squeaky sound in the back of my throat.
Wow.
“Thought I made myself real clear,” he growled.
“Uh. Huh?”
I was confused. The man was glaring at me like I was the most hated character on a reality TV show, yet I still wanted to see what he looked like naked. I hadn’t exhibited such poor sexual judgment since I was in college.
I blamed my exhaustion and emotional scarring.
Behind the counter, Justice stopped mid-latte creation and waved both hands in the air. “Hold on now,” he began.
“It’s okay, Justice,” I assured him. “You just keep making that coffee, and I’ll take care of this…gentleman.”
Chairs pushed back from tables all around us, and I watched as every last customer beelined for the door, some with their mugs still in hand. None of them made any eye contact with me on their way out.
“Knox, it’s not what you think,” Justice tried again.
“I’m not playing any games today. Get the fuck out,” the Viking ordered. The blond god of sexy fury was rapidly plummeting lower on my sexy checklist.
I pointed at my chest. “Me?”
“I’ve had enough of your games. You got five seconds to walk out this door and never come back,” he said, stepping in even closer until the tips of his boots brushed my exposed toes in their flip-flops.
Damn. Up close, he looked like he’d just stormed off a marauding Viking vessel…or the set of a cologne commercial. One of those weird artsy ones that didn’t make any sense and had names like Ignorant Beast.
“Look, sir. I’m in the midst of a personal crisis and all I’m trying to do is get a cup of coffee.”
“I fucking told you, Tina. You are not to come in here and harass Justice or his customers again, or I’d personally escort your ass out of town.”
“Knox—”
The bad-tempered, sexy man-beast held up his finger in Justice’s direction. “One second, bud. Looks like I gotta take out the trash.”
“The trash?” I gasped. I thought Virginians were supposed to be friendly. Instead, I’d been in town barely half an hour and was now being rudely accosted by a Viking with the manners of a caveman.