His stride is long as he closes the distance between us. Confidence radiates from him, rolling off him in waves as he walks through the shop. I swear to God, not only do the women glance in his direction, but so do the men.
Who the hell is this guy?
He stops on the other side of my table, his right hand wrapped around a coffee cup and the left grabbing onto the back of the wooden chair. “Jade?”
My name sounds like it’s exactly where it belongs, rolling off his tongue like he’s tasting it.
Jesus Christ, what is my problem?
It has to be the fact that I’ve been abstinent for the last year.
“Hi,” I say softly, my brain momentarily short circuiting so the sound comes out more like a whisper. I tilt my head to the side, my eyes bouncing between his. “You know my name?”
A soft chuckle rumbles in his throat. He leans forward, the tendons in his hands flexing as he sets down the cup and spins it to face me. His eyes flick to mine and back to the coffee as he taps the tag on the side. “I think you have my drink.”
Heat immediately spreads across my face. My mouth falls open and I quickly spin the other cup to check its tag. “Matty?”
“That would be me.” He smiles, his expression warm as his eyes meet mine once more.
“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry,” I say in a rush, shaking my head as I silently beg for the floor to open beneath me. I would accidentally grab the wrong cup. And not just the wrong cup, but the one that was supposed to go to the hottest guy in this coffee shop. “I don’t know how I managed to get my name and yours confused.”
A smirk tugs on his lips. “Guess you were just thinking of me before I gave you a reason to.”
My stomach flutters while it simultaneously sinks. I’m not immune to banter, but at the same time—ugh. There’s nothingmore unattractive to me than a man who confuses his cockiness with confidence.
“Yeah, I don’t think that was it.” I shake my head at him, my expression flat. “I have a lot on my mind. I wasn’t paying attention.”
“No worries,” he says, shrugging with indifference as he takes his cup. My eyes are trained on him, slowly widening as he doesn’t stop lifting the cup until it’s to his lips. He tilts it back, taking a sip of the sickeningly sweet, piping hot liquid.
“What are you doing?” I’m momentarily horrified and equally intrigued by whatever might be wrong with this guy. “Why are you drinking that?”
His movements are slow, his throat bobbing as he swallows. His brow furrows. “What do you mean? Why wouldn’t I?”
“Um, because I already drank out of it?”
His eyes slowly search mine. “Still not understanding the problem, Sunny.”
Sunny?
“I’m a complete stranger who drank out of your drink.” I stare back at him in disbelief. How is he still not getting it? Ugh, he’s attractive and ignorant. The worst combination. “How do you know I don’t have some kind of sickness or disease?”
He tilts his head to the side. “Well, do you?”
“No.” My face contorts and I shake my head, huffing out a frustrated breath. “That’s besides the point.”
He stares at me, his expression giving nothing away before his face cracks. His head tilts back, and his chest shakes with laughter. And fuck me for loving the way it sounds. Completely and utterly free. “Shit.” He runs his hand through his hair. “I like you,” he chuckles as he looks back at me. “Can I sit?”
“Uh—”What the hell is happening?“Sure?”
Matty drags the chair back, the feet groaning across the floor. He’s unfazed by the sound and takes a seat across fromme. “Getting your cooties is the least of my worries right now,” he chuckles, leaning against the back of the chair as he takes another sip of his drink.
I reach forward, grabbing mine before I bring it up to my lips. I pause, my eyes still on him. “Did you drink out of mine?”
“No,Sunny,” he says, rolling his eyes, exaggerating his new name for me. His dark hair’s a bit longer on the top, falling just above his eyebrows in tousled waves. It shifts as he shakes his head. I wonder if it’s as soft as it looks. “Even if I did, I don’t have cooties either.”
“Good to know,” I mumble, tearing my gaze from his as I take a slow sip. The bitter liquid hits my tongue and I immediately thank the coffee gods. This is exactly what I was searching for, not an abomination of sugar and caramel like whatever it is he’s drinking.
He’s silent across from me, but I feel the heat of his gaze as he scans my face, studying and assessing like he’ll be taking an exam on me tomorrow. “You come here often?”