Still Fine at Forty by Dakota Madison Read Free Book Online Page A

The atmosphere was even cozier than it appeared from outside and I immediately felt at home. Whoever had decorated the place had taken great care in every detail. There were shelves of antique coffee pots and tea pots from a variety of different countries and eras.
    Not to mention the fact that they were baking because the place had the aroma of fresh cinnamon buns. The smell almost made me hungry again.
    An older couple sat at a table in the far left corner. They a ppeared to be deep in conversation. The remaining eight tables were empty. A young man sat at the counter eating a sandwich of some kind.
    As I tried to decide which table to sit at, I glanced over and noticed the server behind the counter was staring at me. My jaw dropped when I recognized it was Cody. He didn’t smile or even nod, he just stared at me with laser intensity. It made me wonder what he was thinking.
    As I approached the counter, he didn’t take his searing brown eyes off of me. His intensity was a bit unnerving.
    I gulped when he continued to stare at me. Even though we had the width of the counter between us, I could still feel heat and pure sexuality radiating from his body. There was a tenable connection between us that seemed to get stronger with every encounter.
    “What would you like?” he asked, not taking his eyes from mine. I could see a mischievous grin forming in the corners of his mouth.
    What a loaded question, I thought. Can I just order you, pre ferably to go? If I was Mel, those words would have been already been spoken.
    “What types of herbal teas do you have?” I asked.
    “Mint, chamomile, orange, cinnamon spice. The cinnamon spice is my favorite.”
    “The cinnamon buns sure smell good,” I said. “But I just had a big dinner.”
    He had a strange expression on his face. Was it a look of disappointment or was I reading too much into it?
    “I went to dinner with my friend Melanie,” I explained. “And her boyfriend, Marvin.”
    He raised an eyebrow. “And you didn’t have a date?”
    I didn’t want him to know I had been with another man, but I didn’t want to lie, either. “They tried to set me up with someone.”
    “Well, a beautiful woman should always have a date on a Saturday night,” he said. “But I’m guessing the date didn’t go very well.”
    “Why do you say that?”
    He gave me a sexy grin. “Because you’re here with me and not with him. I guess he wasn’t able to close the deal.”
    “And that’s something you think you can do?” I couldn’t b elieve the words had slipped from my mouth. I had never been so bold and daring, especially with a guy.
    “There’s no thinking about it,” he replied. “I know I can.”
    He looked at me with so much raw sexual desire, I nearly passed out.
    Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted the young guy at the end of the counter wave his arm to get Cody’s attention.
    “Excuse me,” Cody said and headed over to attend to the young guy.
    I let out the breath I hadn’t even realized I was holding. Was I really flirting so shamelessly with a much younger Jeep tour-guide and coffee shop attendant?
    I saw the young guy hand Cody several dollar bills then hop down from his stool at the counter and exit.
    Cody came back to where I was standing and gave me his full attention once again.
    “Have you decided what you want?” he asked. The question seemed so innocuous on the surface, but the way he asked it and its intended double meaning sent shivers through me. I want you, was all I could think, and it was true. There was something about this man that completely consumed me. I barely knew him, but he felt so familiar to me. He completely intrigued me and frightened me to the core.
    “The buns are tempting,” I said. “But I’d better resist. I think I’ll stick with some cinnamon spice tea.”
    He leaned in as close as he could with the counter between us and whispered, “I really think you’re missing out by not giving my buns a try. Maybe you’ll