What the Heart Knows (2 page)

“A kiss.” He felt heat rush to his cheeks the moment the words left his lips. Had he really just said that?

Her jaw dropped as she blinked.

“I’m sorry. Did you just say a kiss?”

“I did
,
Juniper Bloom.”

They locked gazes and he wondered how old she was, and if he’d finally lost what was left of his sanity.
It was one thing to enjoy a conversation and a bit of harmless flirting. What he was doing now went beyond that.  Who was this woman to cut through his grief like a knife and allow him to remember what happiness felt like? The sensation was exhilarating. Right or wrong
,
he decided to ride it out until she shot him down. If only for tonight he would
know joy
.

“Deal, you have three tries.”
             

Her swift agreement surprised and further excited him.

Oliver nodded as he leaned back and studied her. Her eyes were those of an old soul. She’d seen a lot of things in life, and that lead him to believe it was writing of some sort.

“Is it a novel?”

“Strike number one
,
Oliver.”  Her full lips curled up into a smirk.

“Poetry?”

“Strike number two, you might want to take your time before you ask that last question.”
He scratched his head and leaned back as he
examined
her
once more
. In spite of her youthful appearance, Oliver sensed a deep being. One he felt as if he’d met before. He’d always heard of déjà vu, just never experienced it firsthand, until now.

“A journal entry?”
he asked.

“Close, but no cigar.”

“What are you writing then?”

“A list,” she said.

“Of things you need to do?’

“Sort of.”

His interest was piqued, but he backed off, sensing her reluctance.

“Since I lost, what do you get?”

The tension faded from her body as she smiled. It was fitting that she’d have her secrets
‘c
ause Lord knew he had plenty of his own.

“How about three questions?”

“Shoot.”

“What brings you into Cupa? You seemed sort of sad when you came in.”

“It’s the anniversary of the death of a loved one
,
and I just didn’t feel like going home to an empty house.”

“Oh my God! I am so sorry
—
”

“It’s okay, you didn’t know.”

“My curiosity often leaves me with my foot in my mouth.”

“I bet it’s also led to a slew of interesting stories,” he said.

“Baristas are kind of like bartenders that way.”

“You are incredibly easy to talk to, and you still have two more questions.”

“What do you do for a living?” she asked.

“I’m a photojournalist.”

“Like for a newspaper?”

“I could work for one, but I opt to go the independent route and do freelance. It gives me the ability to pick and choose what I work on.”

“That is very cool,” she said. “I bet you’ve seen a lot of different places.”

“Are you interested in travel?”

“It’s high on my to do list.”

“Is this the mysterious list you were working on earlier?” he asked.

She gave a quick nod before she narrowed her eyes.

“
I thought it was my turn to ask questions.”

“You’re right.” He raised his hands in mock surrender. “Proceed.”

She leaned forward over the bar and his throat went dry as the white t-shirt pulled tight across her full breasts. It’d been such a long time since he admired the female form. Shit! It’d been even longer since he touched a woman.  Saliva filled his mouth, and he swallowed
,
feeling like Pavlov’s dog.
Jesus
,
was he that hard up?

“Has your mood improved since you arrived?”

“By leaps and bounds.”  
Yes, he was.

His eyes lowered and locked on the full lips a hair
’
s breadth away from his own. Juni seemed so fresh and unspoiled. He wanted to sample a bit of her goodness. This woman must be a siren, because regardless of the voice in his head screaming all the reasons this was wrong, he leaned forward to press his lips against her own. It was a simple press of two mouths together until she gasped.  He took advantage of the invitation her open mouth provided, and resigned himself to a spot in hell.  It was the anniversary of his wife’s death and he was making out with a stranger.

He til
t
ed his head for a better angle and moaned when her unique flavor tantalized his taste buds. Juni was ripe like fresh fruit with a dash of honey and some familiar tang he couldn’t pinpoint. A growl rumbled in his chest when her hands came up to cup the back of his head, and she returned his kiss with a passion that set him on fire. This did not feel like a first kiss. It seemed like a return home.  He jerked away, confused by his emotions and ashamed that he was making out with someone else to divert his attention.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that,” he said. She glanced up at him with glazed brown eyes. Her fingers were placed lightly on her lips.

“Why not? Are you seeing someone?”  The horrified look on her face made him smile.

“No, but you don’t seem the type to do casual, and you don’t know me from Adam.”

“Not everything in life makes sense.”  She leaned against the counter with what could only be called a dreamy smile. He envied her lighthearted take on life.

“There’s a connection between us I haven’t found with anyone else. What that means, I’m not sure yet.”

“How old are you?” he asked.

“Twenty-
f
ive
.
How old are you?”

“Thirty-
f
ive, thirty-six in a few more weeks.”

“You didn’t deny the connection.”

“No, I’m not the type of man who kisses random women he comes across.” 

She smiled full out, and he knew right or wrong, there was no way he could simply walk away from her.

Juni was the first good thing to happen to him in a long time; and if he were a glass
half
full type of man
, h
e’d take the fact that he’d met her on this particular day to be a sign.
Great, I really am losing it if I’ve turned to new age mumbo jumbo to explain what’s going on.  I’m extremely lonely and Juni is gorgeous, sweet, and by some incredible stroke of luck, attracted to me. Why shouldn’t I go with the flow? Tonight is soon enough to return to my depressing reality.

“What time do you get off?” he asked.

“In about thirty minutes, do you want a touch up on your coffee?”

“Sure.” He observed her as she refreshed his drink. She had the long, slender fingers of an artist, and her movements were easy and graceful. A Zen
-
like calm seemed to roll off her, and he wondered what she did to achieve it. Was she one of these new age, healthy food and yoga types? Or had she been through something that had shaped her attitude?

She replaced his cup of coffee.

“So, are you going to ask me?” she asked.

“Ask you what?”

“To do something when I get off work,” she said.

“You don’t hold your tongue
,
do you?” He was amused by her frankness.

“I learned a long time ago life’s much too short to live with regrets and what ifs.”

Oliver drew his eyebrows together as he turned her words over in his head. She had a story, but it was too soon to ask her what it was.

“Are you sure you’re only twenty-five?” he asked.

“I’m what you’d call an old soul.”

“I can see that.”

“You have that same look in your eyes,” she said.

“What look?”

“The one that sa
ys
you’ve seen more than you should have.”

He shrugged, relieved when she moved on to small talk.

Juniper couldn’t help but wonder if the handsome ash-blond haired man who sat in front of her was a fig
ment
of her overactive imagination. Nordic gods with angular jaws, porcelain skin, and broad shoulders didn’t just walk into Cupa and proceed to kiss her senseless. From the moment she’d locked gazes with his jade green eyes an electric current had sparked inside her
,
and she been pulled toward him like a magnet. It wasn’t like her to flirt or let a man charm her, but there was something about him that was different. 
As if you have any real experience with a man
. She mocked herself mentally, and refocused on the mirror she stood in front of. He’d ask her to dinner when she got off her shift, and really she had no choice but to say yes.

With one last fluff of her curls she grabbed her purse and walked out of the back office.

She returned to the bar and Oliver stood from his stool. “Okay Jenny, I’m out of here,” she said.  “Have a good shift.”

The brunette smiled as she shot a curious glance at Oliver.

“Thanks
,
Juni
.
Enjoy the rest of your night,” Jen said.

Jenny flashed her
a
look that said they’d talk later. Juni gave a quick nod of agreement and hooked her arm in Oliver’s. The rain had become a light drizzle.  They paused in the entryway of the door. She slipped on the hood of her zip up and glanced up to meet his gaze. She was tall for a woman at 5’10
”
, but Oliver must be about 6’3
”
. It was nice to feel almost petite for once.

“So where are we headed?”

“I’m not really familiar with this area, so I’m open to suggestions.”

“There’s a great pizza place a few stores down,” she said.

She hoped the casual atmosphere would keep things from getting too intense. Not to mention she’d watched enough disappearance shows to know better than to go too far with a virtual stranger.  She wouldn’t deny the attraction between them, but that was no reason to charge forward full speed ahead. To be honest the extreme emotions frightened her. Every girl dreamed of meeting the one, and simply knowing.  The reality of the imagined event was mind
-
blowing. 

“Sounds good to me.”

He held the door open for her as they left the shop, and walked down the sidewalk. Their arms brushed as they ambled underneath the store awnings to stay out of the drizzle.  Her body tingled and her breasts grew heavy.
If it feels that good when he brushes my arm
,
I wonder what skin
-
to
-
skin contact in other areas would feel like. 
Her naughty musing made her smile down at the ground. Oliver brought out a wicked side she could grow to like. They reached Pete’s Pizzeria and found it just as empty as Cupa had been.

“I love this place
.
I
t’s like a step into the past,” Juni said.

They stepped inside the door and she smiled at the wooden booths with fire engine red vinyl cushions, and red and white checkered table clothes. The red candles placed in the middle of the table with the classic glass shakers that held red pepper flakes and parmesan managed to be charming with just a hint of cheesiness.

“I see what you mean,” Oliver said. They took a booth in the back of the restaurant. A few moments after they settled into their booth a waitress in a red polo with Pete’s logo on the right breast and black jeans appeared. 

“Hi guys, my name is Katie, and I’ll be your waitress for the day. Can I start you off with something to drink?”

“I’ll have a Coke,” Juni said.

“Same.”

“I’ll be right back with those drinks,” Katie said. She flashed them a smile as she spun on her heel and walked off to the drink station.

“Are you hungry, or should we just get a snack?” he asked.

“There’s no way you can come to Pete’s and not try the pizza.”

“What do you like on your pizza?”

“Just cheese and pepperoni.”

“Good, that’s usually how I order mine.”

Katie returned, dropped of
f
their drinks and took their order for a medium pizza with pepperoni and cheese.

Once she left a silence fell over the table as they studied each other and smiled.

“So tell me more about yourself,” he said

“What do you want to know?” she asked.

“Will you hit me if I say everything?”