Page 11 of Suddenly Mine
“Not like this,” he replied, taking a sip. “You get some amazing coffee. I’ve practically survived on Kapeng Barako.”
Merry raised an eyebrow.
“It literally translates as ‘manly strong coffee’,” he said with a laugh. “But hey, they let me drink it anyway. There’s salabat, too, which is crushed ginger and brown sugar in hot water. Tastes like Lysol, if you ask me, but it’s great for a bad stomach.” He rubbed his stomach, shaking his head. “Which was every day for about a year, until I stopped eating the oxtail stew.”
Merry laughed, feeling herself relax a bit more. It had been a long time since a conversation had come this easily. Christian was bright and funny and quick to laugh at himself. Not to mention the kind of gorgeous that made it hard to think straight. Did he have no flaws?
“What were you doing over there?” she asked, just so that he wouldn’t think she was staring absently at him.
He opened his mouth to answer, then paused. “This and that,” he said, and the way he looked to the side, rather than meet her eye, set off an alarm bell. Had he been doing something bad out there? Maybe even something illegal?
That’s the flaw, she told herself.He’s been in prison, and now he’s on the run, hunted by crime lords from Asia.
Christian cleared his throat. “Mostly the same as here — kind of keeping stuff clean, building work, odds and ends, you know.”
“Like a caretaker?” she asked, genuinely curious and slightly relieved. “What took you over there in the first place?”
He took another sip of his drink, licking cream off his lip. Merry absentmindedly licked hers, too, drawing her bottom lip between her teeth, her heart fluttering up into her neck.
“I’m sorry,” she said, catching his eye and feeling him draw her in. “I ask too many questions.”
“No, not at all.” His gaze darkened. “It’s just been a while since I’ve sat down face to face with . . . with anyone, really. It was a lonely life over there, nothing but work. To be honest, I moved out so long ago I can barely remember. I just wanted to get away, find a space to do my own thing without my family crowding around me and judging my every move. Does that make sense?”
Merry nodded, taking a beat before replying, the hot chocolate finally cool enough for her to take a sip. “It’s why I ended up in New York, all alone. I’m from Nebraska originally.”
“Lincoln?”
“Omaha,” she said. “My folks are still out there looking after my sister. We get on fine, but there just wasn’t enough there to keep me excited. I moved here three years ago after I left university — thelocaluniversity, I should add. Now there’s loads to keep me entertained, but I can’t afford to do any of it.”
“That’s New York for you,” he said. “How long have you been at Carroll’s?”
“Just a few months,” she replied. “I was looking for a change. I graduated in media from Nebraska — go Huskers! — and figured I’d get a job out East, but then nothing really happened and I ran out of cash working badly paid newspaper jobs, and here I am. It’s an okay place to work, I guess. Most of the people are nice.”
“Except for that woman,” Christian said, playing with his half-empty cup with hands that kept drawing Merry’s attention. “The dragon lady.”
Merry laughed. “Mrs Cradley, yeah.” She shook her head. “She has seriously got it in for me.”
“She’s just jealous,” said Christian.
“Oh, pffft.” Merry waved his words away, her heart beating faster.
“Oh, come on,” he said. “She’s seen how hot you look in a Santa hat. Not everyone could pull that off.”
Merry’s cheeks exploded, and so did Christian’s, turning a wicked shade of Christmas robin red. He twisted his fingers around his cup and Merry wished she could swap places with it.
“Uh . . .” His brows furrowed. “Sorry, that probably came out more intense than I meant it to.”
“It’s really okay,” she replied, croakily. “It’s been a long time since anybody called me hot. I didn’t dislike it, though.”
She really didn’t dislike it. And if Christian fancied telling her she was hot on repeat then it wasn’t something she would ever get tired of hearing. He looked at her, studying her, and although his mouth opened again, showing off his perfectly imperfect front teeth, nothing came out. Merry gave him a quick grin as the waitress appeared.
“Can I get you folks anything else?” she asked, winking at Merry. “Or are you both heading home?”
I wish, Merry almost said. She shook her head, and so did Christian, and the woman retreated with a knowing smile.
Merry reached for the last of her drink, the warmth of the cup radiating through her fingers. The last thing she’d expected when she’d peeled her frozen backside from her window this morning, was to think about going home with someone tonight. But the way Christian had landed in her lap three times in one day was addictive.
“So,” he said, “apart from Mrs Cradley, the staff are okay, yeah? What about the management, the ones right at the top?”