Bare Pleasures

She still seemed undecided, like at any moment she would shove away from the table and bolt. Lex made the decision for her. He poured a cup of tea for her and one for himself. The tea, fragrant with ginger and chamomile, steamed against his face, the same tea he’d scattered all over the floor earlier. “So what happened back there? Your girlfriend bail on you?”

He smiled with relief when Noelle only looked amused as he sipped the tea. Her internal shrug, just before she reached for her own teacup, was almost comically obvious. “Margot isn’t my girlfriend, although she can be as overbearing as the worst kind of wife.” She tilted her head, her forehead wrinkling. “I’m actually a little surprised she just left me here. Half the time I swear she thinks I’m some naïf wandering through the deep, dark woods about to stumble into danger at every turn.”

Naïf. Lex smiled at the word. He had the sneaking suspicion that Margot’s opinion of her sister’s proximity to suicidal cliff jumping was very far from reality.

“I’m sure you’ll set her straight soon enough.” Lex took another sip of the tea and nodded in approval. “This is good. I’ve never tried this blend before.”

“You come here a lot?”

He grinned. “You’re asking if I come here often.”

“Oh my God. Your ego is large, isn’t it?”

She was perfect, really. Lex chuckled. “Not my ego, no.”

Her lips twitched again. She was restrained, even in her amusement. It made him want to pull out all the stops to make her laugh, even make a fool of himself if that was what it took.

“Sir, your taro smoothie.” A young girl appeared at Lex’s shoulder. He thanked her and took the tall glass, which was filled to the top with the lavender smoothie and had boba resting like dark pearls at the bottom.

Once the girl left, he slid his glass across the table toward Noelle. “Try this. Your mouth will thank you.”

She shook her head. “In a minute. I’m not sure I’m ready for a mouth-changing experience.” She held the tea under her nose, steaming her face with the fragrant blend and closed her eyes for a moment. “This is what I came here for. I’ve been trying to convince Margot to come here forever. Then the day I finally get her to come, she gets called away on a mystery errand.” She sipped her tea, and the taste of it on her tongue seemed to make her smile. “Figures.”

“Well, it’s my lucky day,” Lex said. He reached for one of the sandwiches and took a big bite. “Mmm. Definitely my lucky day.” And he made sure he conveyed with his eyes just what part of the day’s good fortune he was truly grateful for. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” she said, after swallowing her tea. “I think. I’m not really into being considered a prize in this scenario.”

“Not a prize. Just interesting company for a guy who’d otherwise be having a lonely day.”

He suspected an admission of loneliness might resonate with her and make her open up to him in a way that bold flirtation wouldn’t. Deliberately, he did not think about just how else he wanted her to open up for him.

You’re celibate. Control yourself.

Under the table, Lex pinched his thigh until the image of her spread across his bed and open to his every desire disappeared. But, damn, it was hard. He was hard.

“I think you’re trying to play me.” Noelle blew across the surface of her hot tea, her lips pursed and her eyes perceptive. “But my sister threw me to the lions today so I might as well play with one. Right?”

Lex wondered again why Margot thought her sister needed a fake lover to heal an old wound that he sensed was on its way to being mended already. This woman was strong. And she was breaking down every one of his defenses.

“I wouldn’t call myself a lion,” Lex managed with a smile. “Just a friendly pussycat.”

Noelle made a disbelieving noise. “Have some more tea,” she said. “It’s getting cold.”

They finished her pot of tea and his glass of taro smoothie, sharing their different experiences of the tea shop—when they’d first discovered it, who brought them, their favorite thing to eat or drink there. At first, Lex asked these questions to distract himself from how breathtaking she was, how knee-weakeningly sexy. Then it was because he really wanted to know about her and was pleased that, although Margot was the one who told him about the tea shop, he liked it nearly as much as Noelle seemed to, having visited it twice before the day Margot had arranged for them to meet.

Because he was Jamaican, tea was part of his everyday life. He drank a hot cup every morning and sometimes before bed. The different varieties at the shop exposed him to new flavors he’d never tried before. He’d already bought a few ounces of different teas to drink at home.

“If you’re ever curious enough to try a few select tea blends,” he told Noelle while smiling around the last small bite of the sandwich, “you should come over to my kitchen. I have some tea from here that you might like. In case you’re ever fiending for a cup when they’re closed.”

Noelle almost grinned, Lex could tell. “I’ll keep that in mind,” she said.

“Please do. It’s a very sincere invitation.” Lex winked at her, feeling a bit silly. But her brief look of amusement made it worth it. Noelle made him want to say and do the most ridiculous things just to see that sparkle in her eyes.

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