CEREAL DATER (The Way To A Man's Heart)

"You’re talking like you’re making a business deal," she giggles, and she turns to me, smooths down her hair, and puts on the most serious expression that she can muster.

"I don’t think this is how I would normally run a business meeting," I reply, but I extend my hand to her. "But if you’re willing to make that deal, then I am, too."

"I think I am," she agrees, and she slips her hand into mine.

Her eyes light up as soon as we touch. I know just how she feels.

There is something so impossibly good about the feeling of her skin against mine – it catches me off-guard, even now, even though I’ve fucked her six ways to Sunday already.

"Then we have a deal," I reply, and I pull her towards me, and plant my lips against hers once more.

Chapter Six

Lucky

"Come on, you got this!" Honey assures me, as she ties the apron around her back and grins at me from the other side of the counter. I chew my lip.

"I could still just... take another day here, get it all set up," I suggest. "Go out later–"

"You’ve got me here for a reason," she reminds me. "So you can go off to Maui with this guy and have a little fun! You deserve it, all right?"

"All right," I reply, though I am not sure that I entirely believe her right now. I have packed and unpacked and packed my bags again at least a dozen times, and I am still not sure that I’m doing the right thing.

I can’t believe that I agreed to something so spontaneous, but after a night of being pleasured every which way by that gorgeous man, I didn’t feel like I could say no.

That’s an excuse. I didn’t want to say no.

I want to go to Maui with him, to have this exciting little tropical vacation – how long has it been since I took some time off? Forever.

And I might as well do it in style now that I have the chance.

"Is that him?" Honey exclaims as she points to the car drawing up outside. My heart flips as I watch Landon get out – it's him, all right, and he looks better than I even remembered. He is driving some crazy-fancy car, and I remember what he said about paying for the staff while I was away. He must be rich. Really rich.

I don’t need him to pay for my last-minute employee though. Honey jumped at the chance to help out when she heard what was on the line. She’s moved back to town officially now, since she and Hank got married, and she at least knows the ropes of this place well enough to handle it while I’m off doing whatever it is I’m doing.

"Yeah, I think so," I confess, and I grab my purse from the counter as he lifts a hand to greet me.

"He’s cute!” she exclaims. "You go and have fun. And don’t worry about this place, I promise I’m not going to set it on fire while you’re away–"

"Honey!” I scold her, and she laughs and waves her hand at me.

"Go on, get out of here," she orders me, and I lean over the counter to give her a quick hug before I head out the door for good.

He greets me with a kiss on the cheek, and I feel the soles of my feet tingle with excitement as he touches me again. Everything about him, in the daylight, is even more striking than I remembered, and I know that I have made the right choice to go with him.

"You look gorgeous," he murmurs into my ear, as though the words are meant only for me, and then he opens the car door and gestures for me to get inside. I do, admiring the expensive leather interior and fancy dials in front of me.

"So, we driving all the way to Maui?” I ask.

He chuckles, flicks on the radio to fill the car with the warm hum of music.

"I thought we could travel in style," he replies, and he reaches over to slide his hand onto my thigh as we pull away from my café. I glance over my shoulder one last time, but I don’t feel the pang that I thought I would.

In fact, if anything, there’s just excitement there – the excitement of what is to come next. What I am going to experience with him.

We chat on the way to the airport, and he tells me about his business, buying and selling commercial real estate. It sounds serious, and I can’t even imagine having that much pressure on you at all times like that. But he carries it well. Cool, calm, collected. Confident. One of the many things I like so much about him.

When we arrive at the small airport, I’m stunned – I've never so much as been on a plane before in my life.