bonus for them. And whoever had the privilege of creating those children with Lily would be one lucky bastard sharing her bed every night.
Griffin blinked. Where had all of that come from? His plan was for one hot night with Lily. Nothing in the plan included thoughts about sharing a bed long-term and making babies. In fact, he needed to be absolutely certain she had condoms so there wouldn’t be any chance of babies. He needed to get back on track.
The neighborhood coffee shop with the outdoor tables and heaters beckoned from the corner. A yellow neon sign told him it was called Harvey’s Hangout. With barrels of red geraniums defining the space and red umbrellas anchoring each wrought-iron table, the place was appealing, although Griffin was more interested in privacy than appeal. This spot offered no privacy whatsoever.
Two of the four sidewalk tables were occupied by couples. Romantic couples, at that, despite the lack of privacy. One pair was simply holding hands across the table while they talked, but the other couple had scooted their chairs close together and looked as if they might kiss at any moment.
Griffin thought that might be a good thing. Watching other people kiss could flip some switches for Lily, and he wanted that. Coffee, with its jack-you-up qualities, wasn’t going to help much. Wine would have been better, but a quick check of the chalkboard menu told him he didn’t have that option here.
“If you’ll grab a table, I’ll get our order,” he said. “Do you want anything besides coffee?”
“No, thanks. But a tall mocha cappuccino would be great.”
He tried not to put any significance on the fact that he always ordered the same thing. “Whipped cream?”
“A little.”
There it was, a grown-up version of the hot cocoa he used to love as a kid. It was what he always ordered when he had coffee in the evening. So Lily liked the same kind of coffee drink and the same kind of dog. So what? That didn’t mean they were compatible, that they had similar goals in life.
Lots of people probably liked mocha cappuccinos and golden retrievers. And had great bodies with a killer metabolism. It was natural that he wanted to undress her and have sex with her all night, but the relationship didn’t have to mean more than that.
He didn’t want to make it into more than it was. That had been his parents’ mistake, and he didn’t plan for history to repeat itself. He just needed to scratch this one, persistent sexual itch, and he’d be good to go.
The coffee shop smelled terrific. He’d been in dozens of coffee shops, and he couldn’t remember ever being surrounded by so many heartwarming scents. Coffee, chocolate, steamed milk, cinnamon, hazelnut, and vanilla all combined to give him a sense of rightness and well-being.
He gave his order to the nerdy guy behind the counter whose name tag identified him as Thomas.
“You must be here with Lily,” Thomas said.
“Yeah.” Griffin discovered a certain pride in admitting that. She might not be right for him long-term, but she was the kind of date a man could feel good about because she was . . . okay, he’d just admit it to himself and try not to feel like a shallow bastard: She was extremely hot. When men looked at Lily, they thought of tangled sheets and slick, naked skin.
As did Griffin, but the more he considered the nerdy guy imagining Lily like that, the less he liked it. All things considered, Griffin had no right to be possessive about Lily. He was in for the short haul.
That meant not caring who else was interested in the lovely Ms. Revere. Thomas wouldn’t stand a chance, anyway. He was too young, and not at all Lily’s type.
“She always orders this,” Thomas said. “I almost started making it when I saw her out there, but since she’s here with someone else, I thought she might change her mind.”
“Guess not.” Griffin recognized the adoration in Thomas’s eyes. Poor lovesick kid. Griffin tried not to feel smug. But
Griffin blinked. Where had all of that come from? His plan was for one hot night with Lily. Nothing in the plan included thoughts about sharing a bed long-term and making babies. In fact, he needed to be absolutely certain she had condoms so there wouldn’t be any chance of babies. He needed to get back on track.
The neighborhood coffee shop with the outdoor tables and heaters beckoned from the corner. A yellow neon sign told him it was called Harvey’s Hangout. With barrels of red geraniums defining the space and red umbrellas anchoring each wrought-iron table, the place was appealing, although Griffin was more interested in privacy than appeal. This spot offered no privacy whatsoever.
Two of the four sidewalk tables were occupied by couples. Romantic couples, at that, despite the lack of privacy. One pair was simply holding hands across the table while they talked, but the other couple had scooted their chairs close together and looked as if they might kiss at any moment.
Griffin thought that might be a good thing. Watching other people kiss could flip some switches for Lily, and he wanted that. Coffee, with its jack-you-up qualities, wasn’t going to help much. Wine would have been better, but a quick check of the chalkboard menu told him he didn’t have that option here.
“If you’ll grab a table, I’ll get our order,” he said. “Do you want anything besides coffee?”
“No, thanks. But a tall mocha cappuccino would be great.”
He tried not to put any significance on the fact that he always ordered the same thing. “Whipped cream?”
“A little.”
There it was, a grown-up version of the hot cocoa he used to love as a kid. It was what he always ordered when he had coffee in the evening. So Lily liked the same kind of coffee drink and the same kind of dog. So what? That didn’t mean they were compatible, that they had similar goals in life.
Lots of people probably liked mocha cappuccinos and golden retrievers. And had great bodies with a killer metabolism. It was natural that he wanted to undress her and have sex with her all night, but the relationship didn’t have to mean more than that.
He didn’t want to make it into more than it was. That had been his parents’ mistake, and he didn’t plan for history to repeat itself. He just needed to scratch this one, persistent sexual itch, and he’d be good to go.
The coffee shop smelled terrific. He’d been in dozens of coffee shops, and he couldn’t remember ever being surrounded by so many heartwarming scents. Coffee, chocolate, steamed milk, cinnamon, hazelnut, and vanilla all combined to give him a sense of rightness and well-being.
He gave his order to the nerdy guy behind the counter whose name tag identified him as Thomas.
“You must be here with Lily,” Thomas said.
“Yeah.” Griffin discovered a certain pride in admitting that. She might not be right for him long-term, but she was the kind of date a man could feel good about because she was . . . okay, he’d just admit it to himself and try not to feel like a shallow bastard: She was extremely hot. When men looked at Lily, they thought of tangled sheets and slick, naked skin.
As did Griffin, but the more he considered the nerdy guy imagining Lily like that, the less he liked it. All things considered, Griffin had no right to be possessive about Lily. He was in for the short haul.
That meant not caring who else was interested in the lovely Ms. Revere. Thomas wouldn’t stand a chance, anyway. He was too young, and not at all Lily’s type.
“She always orders this,” Thomas said. “I almost started making it when I saw her out there, but since she’s here with someone else, I thought she might change her mind.”
“Guess not.” Griffin recognized the adoration in Thomas’s eyes. Poor lovesick kid. Griffin tried not to feel smug. But
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