Page 18 of A Coffee Away

I grinned. “Thank you.”

Our beepers vibrated at the same time.

“I’ll go get my burger and grab a table.” He walked away.

The girl at the food truck whistled. “Wow, that was intense.”

I paid, unable to form a rational thought as Esteban called to me from the table he chose.

“Want a fry?” Esteban asked when I sat.

I shook my head. “Fried food and I don’t get along.”

He frowned. “But aren’t wings fried?”

I shrugged. “Yeah. I don’t get it either, but with wings, it’s different.”

He chuckled, then took a bite from the fry he just offered. “Is there anything else that makes you sick?”

“I’m lactose intolerant, but you already know that.” I bit into a wing and moaned. The rich taste of chicken mixed perfectly with the sweet guava dip.

Esteban cleared his throat, then tapped his IPA beer bottle. “And how about beer?” He sipped some.

“Yeah. But I prefer stouts.”

My pulse jumped as Esteban stood.

“I’ll be right back.” He walked to the burger truck, paid, and looked back at me for an instant before taking a bottle from the guy.

Something fluttered beneath my ribs. Did he just…?

“Here, a stout.” He picked up his bottle and raised it. “Salud. To new beginnings.”

I clinked mine with his, then we both drank. Its smooth, chocolaty taste spread across my tongue, and I closed my eyes. There it was—the tinge of coffee hidden beneath the robust beer. It was the thing about stouts that I couldn’t resist. Its body. Its richness.

“God. I haven’t had one in a while. Thanks. I’ll repay you later.”

“You repaid me just now.” Esteban leaned back, taking a long swig from his beer.

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

He shook his head. “The way your face softened as you took that first sip was enough for me. It’s the first time since I met you that I saw a real smile. A true, satisfied one. No problems. Just pure relaxation and ecstasy in a single mouthful.”

Something in his tone made my pulse rise.

I needed to steady my thoughts because Esteban stirred them in a way no one ever had. A way that made me feel wanted. Special.

I set the beer down and dipped a celery stick into the ranch before taking a bite. “This is so good.”

“Can I try one?” Esteban asked.

I was about to push the plate toward him when he grabbed my hand and closed his mouth over the celery I was just eating, brushing his lips over my finger.

I froze as he closed his eyes and moaned.

“It’s good.” He wiped ranch from the corner of his mouth and sucked his thumb.

Heat surged within me, running straight to my cock. Fuck. “So where do we go next?”