Page 17 of Scoop Me Up (Love in Maplewood #7)

Sam

The minute Gabe was gone, the door closed tightly behind him, I grabbed my phone and texted Cooper.

Sam: Gabe kissed me.

Cooper responded almost immediately.

Cooper: Oh my God, how was it?

Sam: Perfect.

Cooper: Should we get together to celebrate?

I laughed. Of course that would be the first thing on his mind.

Sam: I think I’m just going to watch TV and unwind for a while. Maybe go to bed early. Long day tomorrow. I still have to meet with Miles after school to sign the lease and discuss renovation needs.

Cooper: Can’t wait to hear all about it.

I texted with Coop for a few more minutes, turning the TV on and barely watching the baking show I put on. After a while, I gave up on paying attention to the TV and went to bed. Of course, I tossed and turned, thoughts of Gabe dominating my mind as I tried to sleep.

The next day, I found my thoughts constantly wandering, despite my best efforts to focus on class.

Between Gabe and the ice cream shop, I was in no shape to teach anyone anything.

During lunch, I sent an email to the parent volunteers for the read-and-math-a-thon, giving them their assignments and details about the event.

After what felt like an eternity, the school day ended and I headed to my meeting with Miles.

Miles lived on the outskirts of downtown, close to the school. When I arrived at his house, I stood on the front step, heart racing. This is really happening , I told myself. You’re going to do what you’ve always dreamed of doing.

The door swung open, Miles on the other side with a bright smile on his face, wearing khakis and a short-sleeved button-down shirt. He greeted me warmly.

“I’m so glad you were able to make it. I’ve been talking to the owner a lot in the past twenty-four hours and he’s really excited. Come on in and we’ll chat.”

I followed him to what must have been intended as a dining room, but had been organized as an office space instead.

There was a large desk to one side, a table in the middle surrounded by chairs, and a single cup coffee machine off to the other side of the room, perched on a bar that separated the office from a kitchen.

“Have a seat,” he suggested, gesturing to a chair.

Miles turned to the desk and grabbed a folder from it before placing it on the table between us.

“Here’s the lease. It’s pretty standard, but you should read it carefully anyway.

It also includes language about the renovations, which I’ll help you coordinate with the owner and the foreman. ”

“How long do they estimate the renovations will take?”

“About a month, give or take.”

I hesitated. It would only take a month? “That’s amazing. But it seems fast.”

“The soon-to-be owner is very motivated to get you into the building.”

With a frown, I tilted my head to the side. “A new owner?”

Miles gave me a quick nod. “We managed to find a buyer quickly. Don’t worry, your lease comes as a part of their purchase. You’ll be set for at least the next two years.”

I grinned, trying to suppress my nerves and excitement. I took a slow breath before speaking. “Okay. Let’s do it.”

Less than an hour later, the lease was signed and I’d made plans to meet with the project foreman the following weekend.

If everything went well, I’d be opening my ice cream shop near the end of August, just in time for the Great Maple Cook-Off, which took place in late August. It was a big festival, drawing people from all over to participate in the cooking competition, entering in a variety of categories.

And they’d all be able to visit my ice cream shop.

It wasn’t ideal to be opening an ice cream shop at the end of summer, but I knew that Maplewood wouldn’t let me down—they’d support me in any way possible, and if I could just come up with a few non-ice cream offerings, I’d be able to draw in business all winter, too.

Everything was coming together—quickly. I just had one major hurdle to clear… letting the principal know I wouldn’t be returning to school in the fall. I had to do that sooner rather than later, before he found out on his own.

I also had to find a way to cohabitate with Gabe for several more weeks without overcomplicating things. Easier said than done.

When I was done at Miles’s house, I knew my time had run out and I needed to head home to face Gabe.

I found Gabe in the kitchen again, parked in front of his laptop, the memory of the previous day flooding back to me. He glanced at me and then back at his screen before closing the laptop entirely. “You’re home,” he said softly. “I’m sorry I missed you last night.”

Swallowing hard, I nodded and put down my school bag. “We should talk about this. Like adults. But… not here.” I didn’t know if I’d be able to get through the conversation with the memory of the kiss we’d shared lingering over me in that room.

Gabe stood and followed me to the living room, where we sat on opposite ends of the couch, facing each other.

“Can I go first?” When I nodded and gestured for him to keep speaking, he continued.

“I don’t know where this is going. I don’t know where it came from.

But what I do know is, I don’t want to stop. I want to kiss you again.”

My eyebrows rose in surprise. I didn’t know what I’d expected, but his directness and assertion that he wanted to keep going caught me off guard.

“I want to kiss you again, too.” I gripped the couch cushion behind me with one hand.

“But… we’re living together, at least temporarily.

We have to be careful. Besides that, you’re leaving soon.

I don’t want to get things too tangled up. ”

He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “I get that. I don’t know what’s going to happen. But… I don’t want to hide from it. I want to take the time to figure it out.” He shifted, and as he did, his knee pressed against mine. My breath hitched and my heart rate picked up. Neither of us moved away.

The idea of taking some time to figure it out sent a thrill through me. We had weeks—several long weeks of cohabitating to figure out what we both wanted—or didn’t want. “Maybe we should set some ground rules,” I suggested.

He smirked. “Rules? Like ‘no kissing in the kitchen’? Asking for a friend.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “I was thinking more like, no making anything public. No making any major decisions based on one another. And if things go south, no hard feelings.”

He nodded immediately. “Of course.”

“And maybe no alcohol-fueled choices.”

He leaned in. “It wasn’t alcohol that made me want to kiss you. I think I've wanted it since we met. Alcohol just made it easier for me to take action. I knew exactly what I was doing.”

My breath hitched, chest squeezing. “Really?”

His voice dropped to a whisper. “I wouldn’t lie.”

“I’ve wanted to since we met, too. I just didn’t think it was possible.”

The air was thick with tension. Gabe’s tongue darted out as he licked his lips slightly. “Turns out, it was.” A silent moment passed between us. “Now what?”

“I don’t know.”

When he spoke again, his voice was hoarse.

“Can I kiss you again?” I nodded, and the moment I did, Gabe surged forward, crowding into my space until we were touching.

I yielded, dropping back against the arm of the couch.

One of his hands moved to the back of my neck, pulling me in.

I let my knees fall apart and Gabe slotted one of his between my thighs.

When our lips met, my thoughts stuttered to a stop, my brain unable to comprehend anything besides Gabe’s body on mine, the fireworks exploding inside me, the butterflies in my stomach. I inhaled deeply, breathing in his soft scent.

I couldn’t stop the noises that came from me, the soft moans slipping from my throat, as I moved my hands to his lower back, easing my fingers up until I reached soft bare skin. Gabe groaned and rocked down, pressing his body against mine as if he couldn’t get enough.

He broke the kiss, moving his lips to my jaw and to the sensitive spot below, causing me to shiver and moan louder, my breath catching in my throat. Gabe scraped his teeth along my skin and I wanted more. I dug my fingers into the tight muscles of his back, pinning him against me.

My cock ached to be touched, but I fought the urge to rush things or to imply that I wanted more.

I wanted Gabe to make his own decisions about us, not falling into a lust-fueled haze and doing things he wasn’t ready for.

As he kissed me again, he rocked his groin, pressing into my thigh, his erection obvious against me.

We kept kissing, breathless and desperate to get more and more of each other, like teenagers who couldn’t get enough.

When we parted, Gabe sat back against the couch cushions again, breathing hard, lips shining and pink.

His cheeks and chin were red-tinged from my stubble scraping his face as we’d kissed.

It took a lot of self-restraint not to lunge across the couch and beg him to take me then and there.

He grinned at me as he caught his breath. “I think I’m going to like staying here.”

I let out a startled laugh. That wasn’t at all what I’d expected to hear, but I wasn’t going to complain about the sentiment. “I think we’re both going to like you staying here.” My stomach twisted in a different way, not lust or desire but hunger. “But maybe we should eat at some point.”

His grin widened. “That sounds like an excellent idea.”

“What do you want for dinner?”

His eyes darkened and his eyebrows rose quickly.

I rolled my eyes. “I meant food.”

“Oh, in that case… I don’t know.”

“Would you be up for having dinner out? As friends. Not as if we’re taking this public.” I felt the last part was necessary to clarify, given the rules we’d come up with.

“I could not possibly care less.”

“Sparky’s it is.”

Gabe stood and gestured to his outfit, the khakis and button-down that, presumably, he’d worn because it was a workday. “Let me change first.”

“Yeah, of course. Take your time.”

He didn’t take long, emerging from the guest bedroom— his bedroom—in jeans and a T-shirt. Even in casual wear he looked good enough that it took a remarkable amount of self-control not to pull him back onto the couch.

“Ready?”

I took a deep breath and smoothed my shirt. “As I’ll ever be.”

We made the short walk to Sparky’s, but it took a few minutes for us to warm up to each other again, to settle into a conversation that didn’t involve our mutual desire for each other.

Soon enough, we relaxed into it and we were talking about our days, Gabe telling me about a business he was working with, me telling him about school.

“Oh, I have good news, actually. I signed a lease today for the ice cream shop.”

Gabe stopped walking, smiling brightly at me. “Seriously? That’s amazing news. I’m so proud of you for chasing your dreams.”

I rubbed the back of my neck, a little embarrassed by the praise.

“Thanks. I have to meet with the foreman to arrange the renovations this weekend.” I was quiet for a moment.

“I also think I’ll need to find investors.

I have the money for the lease, at least for a little while, thanks to my Frozen Fest win, but I’ll need ingredients, marketing, supplies. So much.”

“I can invest,” he blurted.

I frowned and shook my head. “That’s not necessary. I’ll find someone.”

“Sam, it’s perfect. I’m looking for a business to invest in. I was just working with Miles to find something. You need an investor. Let’s help each other.”

It sounded too good to be true, and I wasn’t willing to risk the potential fallout. “I can’t let you do that. What if things go south between us? Or what if my business fails? Or any number of things? I don’t want to overcomplicate things.”

He nodded and shrugged one shoulder. “I think you’re being stubborn, but okay. I won’t push.”

A few moments later, we were at Sparky’s. As we entered the diner, the volume of chatter dipped for just a brief second, but during that time, it felt as if every pair of eyes was on us. My stomach fluttered with nerves—what if people could tell?

Sage looked at us with narrowed eyes, expression skeptical. With a smirk on their face, they grabbed a couple menus. “Table for two?”

I nodded, face heating, and Sage sat us in a booth, putting the menus in front of us. “We have our date night special going on right now,” they said, a suggestive gleam in their eye as they pointed to a section of the menu that described the deal.

“Thanks,” I murmured as Sage stepped away. Under the table, I stretched my legs out and rested one foot against Gabe’s. I ached for more but at the same time, prayed nobody would notice a thing.