Read Online Red Red Rose by Stephanie Hoffman McManus - Free Book Online Page A

until there was nothing but
incoherent, romantic blather going on up there, and I don’t even know what the
hell was happening in my stomach. If I had just eaten Chinese food, I would
have been suspicious. I imagined what I was experiencing was similar to being
on speed or some other amphetamine.
    Here’s
to hoping his insides are as pretty as his outsides and this rush doesn’t come
with a major crash.
     I
didn’t even wait for him to reach the counter. “Let me guess . . . large boring
cup of black coffee?”
    The
smile that split his full lips stirred the fluttery feeling in my stomach. “Do
you give all of your customers this much grief over their drink orders?”
    “Nope.
Only you,” I grinned back. “One boring coffee coming right up.”
    “I’ll
get it,” Reggie piped up, doing nothing to hide his scheming grin and leaving
me nothing to do but stand there and make conversation with Shaw.
    “Can
I interest you in an orange muffin, or perhaps almond poppy seed?”
    “No
cinnamon roll?”
    “Sorry,
you have to get here earlier if you want to get your hands on one of those.”
    “I
see,” his grin never faded. “Then I’ll take one of the apple streusel muffins.”
    “Respectable
choice.” I grabbed the muffin from the case and handed it over the counter to
him. His fingers brushed my hand when he took it. They were rough, but I didn’t
mind in the least. Rough hands meant he wasn’t afraid to use them. I could only
imagine how they would feel against the rest of me. The way his eyes studied my
face so intently had me shifting uncomfortably.
    “Did
you sleep well last night?” he asked softly.
    My
brow tugged into a frown. “What?”
    “You
look exhausted, like you didn’t get a good night’s sleep.” He held my gaze and I
wondered what else he could read on my face.
    “Reggie,
how long does it take to pour a cup of coffee?” I called without looking away
from Shaw’s intense eyes.
    “Got
it.” Reggie’s arm reached out, the cup of hot coffee in his hand. Shaw accepted
it, but his eyes remained locked on me. I was unsure of what I was seeing in
them. I wished I could pull off that mysterious smolder. Is that even a real
thing? A smolder? Who the hell smolders? I’ll tell you who. This guy. This
impossibly impossible man who was looking at me like he wanted to take me away
and make everything else in the world disappear but the two of us.
    Something
in his expression softened. “I didn’t mean to pry into your personal life. I
just think you work too hard.”
    “I
had a day off yesterday,” I informed him.
    “Doesn’t
look like it was a very restful day for you.”
    I
breathed out and let my shoulders sag as I leaned against the counter. “You
know the missing girl, Emily Raynes?”
    “She’s
your friend, isn’t she?” I wasn’t surprised that he knew. Everyone around town
was talking about Em and speculating about what happened to her.
    “Yes.
I had a visit from the police yesterday about her case, and then I went to see
her parents. Add to that an unwanted visit from my ex, and a possible prowler
in my neighborhood, or maybe just a raccoon, and no, it wasn’t a very restful
day off.”
    “You
need a vacation.”
    “Maybe
so, but not until I know what happened to Em.”
    He
leaned in just a fraction, but it was enough that I caught the scent of
whatever soap or cologne he used, and an underlying smell that I suspected was
uniquely his. I inhaled softly, breathing in and thinking it was possibly my
new favorite smell after the cinnamon rolls.
    “You
need a man in your bed to take your mind off of things and handle those
unwanted visits and prowlers or possible raccoons.”
    I
swallowed and wanted to ask, “Are you offering?” But I didn’t. Instead I
just met his stare. “How do you know I don’t already have one?”
    “You
had one, at least a decent one, and you wouldn’t come to work with dark circles
under your eyes and tension in your shoulders. I wager it’s