The Gargoyle Gets His Girl
She grinned. “Coffee?”
“Sure. Willa?”
“That would be great, thanks.”
Before Willa could ask him again about what kind of shifter he was, he changed the subject. “Is it true most fae have a sweet tooth?”
She nodded. “Yeah, and chocolate is definitely a weakness of mine.”
“Have you been down to that new shop, Delaney’s Delectables? That place would probably be right up your alley. Candy, cookies, cakes…it’s a sugar overload.”
“I have been. Her chocolate truffles are crazy good.”
“Do you know the Ellinghams well, then?”
“I wouldn’t say well, although I did make her engagement ring. Also, the Ellinghams are the reason I’m in Nocturne Falls. They wanted someone to set up a jewelry store, and I came along at the right time. It’s hard to say no to them.”
“Sheriff Merrow is the same way. He and I were in the same Army Ranger division, and it’s because of him that I ended up here after I got out.”
She smiled. “I made Ivy’s engagement ring too. He’s a really nice guy. Straight shooter.”
“The straightest.” They didn’t get any blunter and more up front than Sheriff Merrow.
The waitress returned with their coffee and pie. She set the cups and plates in front of them, then left them alone again with a simple, “Enjoy.”
Willa picked up her fork, her gaze firmly on the deep, dark chocolaty triangle before her. A fat dollop of whipped cream sat on top. “This looks awful.”
“Agreed. Maybe you should give me yours.”
She scowled playfully at him and wielded her fork like a weapon. “I’d hate to have to stab you on our first date.”
Our first date. Like she expected there to be more. And then he realized he wouldn’t mind that. At all. And then he said the next thing that came into his head without even thinking about it. “That would make a great story to tell the grandkids, though.”
She froze and her cheeks went bright pink.
He shook his head. “Forget I said that.” What the hell? What had he been thinking?
She stabbed the fork into her dessert and stuffed a piece into her mouth.
He studied his pie, concentrating on it with the kind of focus normally reserved for spotting insurgents and giving them both a moment to recover from his grandkids remark.
Then a soft, plaintive moan brought his head up.
Willa’s eyes were closed and her head tipped back, the look on her face one of sheer unbridled pleasure. The kind of look a man didn’t usually see on a woman’s face until he’d known her a lot longer. And a lot more intimately.
She moaned again and the sound shot straight through him, resonating in the deep places that were so rarely touched by anyone. It was impossible not to imagine her in bed.
His bed.
And judging from the looks of the male patrons around them, he wasn’t the only one. His natural instincts kicked in, and he snarled at the closest one.
The man snapped back around to focus on his meatloaf.
“Wow,” Willa said softly as she returned to earth. “I’m not sure I’ve ever tasted anything that good before.”
Nick bit his tongue. Wasn’t like anything he said right now was going to make sense anyway.
She looked at his plate. “You haven’t even touched yours.”
He just nodded, cut the point of the pie off with his fork and ate it. The creamy, crunchy, salty sweetness melted over his tongue in a way that explained Willa’s moan. The pie was damn good. Not better than sex, but pretty epic.
Of course, if Willa thought it was better than sex, that meant she either hadn’t been with a lot of guys or hadn’t been with anyone who knew how to please her.
Either way, Nick decided right then and there he was up for the challenge.
Willa let Nick walk her back to the shop, but said goodbye to him outside. No reason to give Ramona any more ammunition. She’d promised to call him when his watch strap came in and they’d exchanged numbers but left it at that. No plans for another date, which left her a little disappointed, but at the same time, taking it slow was good.
She pushed the door open and went inside, unable to keep from smiling. Two older women perused the front case where she kept the charms and bracelet beads. The special edition Nocturne Falls charm that she’d designed sat above the rest on its own little pedestal.
“Someone had a good lunch.” Ramona leaned her elbows on the counter. “Spill.”
“There’s nothing to tell. We had lunch. We talked.”
“Are you seeing him again?”
“Yes.” Ramona perked up. “As soon as his watch band comes in.”
The brownie huffed out a breath. “That’s not a date.”
It also wasn’t Ramona’s business. “Any messages?”
“Oh, yeah, a Mr. Burnside called. He said you’d know who he is. Anyway, he wants you to know he’ll be in town and would like to meet up.”
A cold shiver crawled down Willa’s spine. “What? When is he coming?”
“I don’t know. He didn’t say.”
Willa swore softly. “Take care of those customers. I need to check my email.” She ran to her laptop and pulled up her mail. Three emails from Martin Burnside.
Number one: I was a fool to think I was over you.
No, she was a fool to think this had all come to a close. She opened the next one.