Double Dare by Melissa Whittle Read Free Book Online

his eyes, speared a bigger piece. His teeth sank into the food and scraped the fork. Tobias’ mouth closed around what was left of the pastry. He sighed deep in his chest, licking the utensil clean. Would he have the same reaction if he bit her inner thigh? Lips? And then lick her to make sure nothing was missed? She made a soft, barely audible moan. For the first time ever, Emma was envious of a fork.
    “I don’t know if this is a cake or a brownie.” He didn’t sound confused. He sounded filled with need. “Is there more?”
    The question did more than please her, it ignited a fire along her skin. This man was potent. Emma doused the sensation, knowing she had to get a hold of herself.
    “There’s more, but how about you make me a coffee first? Though I hate to admit it, my friend is right. I’m a soft sell. Maybe we can still come to an agreement about what you have in mind. I have no problem helping a newcomer with potential.”
    Most businesses crashed and burn within two years and Tobias’ hadn’t. He even had enough money to open a new branch, but that didn’t mean this one would do as well. The e-mails they exchanged lent her a view of him. This man had a sharp-edged mentality to business. He didn’t do anything without seeing all the angles, pitfalls and disasters. Moreover, he had the means to go at it. The situation gave him a slight upper hand and the choice to turn her away. Why wasn’t he? Damned if she didn’t want to work with him more.
    “All the frills?” Tobias asked as he moved behind the counter.
    “What are the frills?”
    “Whipped cream, and a dash of cinnamon or chocolate shavings?”
    “Chocolate.”
    Between brewing a tall cup of coffee, he attacked the Late Night Tennessee. Except for the moments where he stopped long enough to enjoy her concoction, he kept in motion grinding fresh beans, adding water slowly to the complicated looking percolator, and then getting a cup prepped for the coffee. Stop, enjoy, shake his head on a sigh, and then back in motion.
    It put her in a trance, the hypnotic way he moved with grace and focus, so when he finished the Late Night, his voice broke the spell. “Does Abigail work for a company or is she solo?”
    “Both. If things are slow or boring, she picks up side work.”
    Artfully, though his movements were precise, he stacked the whipped cream before putting on the finishing touch of shaved chocolate. He set the cup between them, and she picked it up.
    “You don’t seem nervous.” She wondered what would put nerves into his solid, six foot plus frame. “My first sip is going to decide me, you know?”
    “I know.” He shrugged. “You’re the one who seems nervous.”
    She was. If the coffee tasted like sludge and sawdust it would disappoint the hell out of her. He had magnetism and a focus that had convinced Emma everything he put his mind to came out exactly as he envisioned.
    If the coffee sucked it meant he had a huge ego. Why did it matter? This would be a business relationship, if that. He wasn’t talking about seeing her naked or their chance meeting this morning. Ok. So, maybe, it bugged her he cared so little. It was a blip. She was a blip. Even naked.
    Maybe it mattered because he intrigued her interest, and when was the last time a man had captured her curiosity? After three years of only an occasional date or the even rarer night of sex, she missed the push and pull of being attracted to a man. That’s why it mattered for his coffee to be not just good but excellent. Didn’t mean it would go further, but it mattered that he met at least this expectation.
    With trepidation she took her first sip. The brew went down smooth and slowly blossomed over her taste buds. By the fourth sip, she had to give the man credit for not bragging. He didn’t need to.
    “This is really good coffee,” she said.
    “Thank you.” He straightened. “Now can we please go get more of whatever you fed me?”
    His words hit her Achilles’