Page 2

Maeve had taken it upon herself to introduce us to everyone who’d worked to make the cafe this new, better version of itself, and damn me if that worker of Struan Fox’s didn’t intrigue me.His name was Kjartan.

Bowed down with the weight of the world, he still stood tall and proud, his feet planted a little wider than his broad shoulders, as if to anchor him to the ground. Deeply rooted, unbreakable, a pillar of strength…

I was so lost in thought that I completely missed that the man crossed the room and flinched like an asshole when he suddenly appeared in front of me.

“Hello,” he rasped with a faint melodic Suaitan lilt and gave me an apprehensive nod.

Shit, I bet he thinks I’m prejudiced about Orcs.

“Hi, what can I get you?” I asked him in a breathy voice.

By Zephyr, keep your head on!

“Whatever is easiest for you to prepare.”

“What?” I gaped at him.

“You have a lot to do.” Kjartan gestured at the jam-packed room behind him. “I’ll drink whatever is the least trouble for you to make.” He shrugged his shoulders, stretching his shirt out even more, and I feared for that fucking garment. I wanted to switch places with it, wanted to be plastered to his thick chest and—

Stop it!

I glanced around to see if we were by ourselves. Most people had been served and had settled around the room.

“No, I don’t think that works for me.”

“No?” His dark brown eyes narrowed on me, the long braid flopping around his shoulder as he tilted his head.

I hated how insecure he seemed. I was barely half his size. If anything,Ishould be unsettled byhim.

“You made sure Scales & Steam looked great,” I explained. “The least I can do is make you a nice cup of coffee.”

The muscles in the planes of his face relaxed. “You want me to have a…”

“A nice cup of something you’ll enjoy, yeah. Let me walk you through the menu, okay?”

His gaze dropped to my chest for a moment and hung on my corset before he turned back to my face. His green cheeks had a dusky brown tinge.

How is he so adorable?

Kjartan nodded. I explained the different drinks we had and loved how his eyes lit up as I mentioned theBrewtiful, an iced latte with raspberry syrup. It sounded weird but was one of the best drinks we offered.

Not that I’m partial because it’s my recipe. Nope, not at all.

“That sounds good, yes,” he said in a stilted tone. “I will try this.”

“OneBrewtifulit is, gorgeous,“ I said with a grin, then felt my cheeks heat as well. “Come over here to the other side, okay?”

Chapter 2

Kjartan

The delicate silver-haired man called me “gorgeous”. I bet it was just a way of selling more, but it unsettled me.

You are being stupid, Kjartan. He’s already been paid. He was just being nice.

I hated that my standard feeling towards strangers was still mistrust, even after all these years.

I moved over to the side he indicated and watched him work behind the counter. He floated so gracefully between the coffee machine and the fridge, I wasn’t sure if he was dancing or not.