Page 87 of Three Pucking Ex's Brothers

I would understand. If she says no, she doesn’t want to hang out or go on a date with me, I would totally understand. She did just get out of a relationship and seems to be going through something.

But I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t be disappointed.

Something tells me she won’t, though. I don’t know if it’s wishful thinking or if it’s just false confidence. Maybe self-preservation? But whatever it is, I hold on to it.

I know she likes a caramel latte best, if only because I’ve heard her say it in conversation before. I’m not much of a coffee drinker, I prefer tea over coffee any day, so I grab myself a hot chai and grab her a caramel latte and then I grab a small bag of pastries—because I’m not sure which one she likes so I grab all three Danishes they have at the Cool Cat Café.

The whole drive to the salon from the café takes barely fifteen minutes, but it feels like an eternity, and when I arrive, I see Nora’s car in the parking lot, so I know she’s here. I don’t see many other cars, but it’s still early, barely a quarter to ten, so the shops bordering Hairtopia might not all be open yet.

Here goes nothing, I tell myself as I grab the coffee carrier and the bag of pastries and get out of my truck. The cool air kisses my face, a balm to my soul as I try to focus on my footsteps and not the swirling, uneasy feeling in my stomach.

I carefully balance the bag of pastries in my arm and open the door, the jingle sounding to let the shop know someone’s arrived.

“Be right with you,” Nora calls out from behind the counter. I look around, but I don’t see anyone else. Pam—the owner—who’s my mom’s stylist and close friend, is usually in early, but I don’t see or hear her.

I glance at the stations, noting that they’re all bare, so it doesn’t look like anyone else is here yet.

“Take your time, I’m just?—”

Nora’s gaze finds mine as she looks up, her eyebrows raising.

“Tommy?” she breathes, and I swear the sound of her voice goes straight to my dick.

I shift my weight because that’s not what I need right now. I knew I should have masturbated this morning in the shower, but I was too excited about my plan to focus on my dick.

All I wanted was to get here.

To see Nora.

To ask her out on a date.

“Good morning,” I say awkwardly as the image from her photo rushes into my brain, making my dick jump in my pants.

Think unsexy thoughts, think unsexy thoughts…

“I uh…” I swallow nervously, all the confidence I’d somehow mustered now dissipating. “Thought you could use some coffee? Maybe a Danish?”

I hold the carrier out. “Caramel latte,” I say like an idiot. “I got you one.”

Nora’s bright blue eyes sparkle at she looks from the cup to me.

“I love caramel lattes,” she says softly as she plucks the cup from the carrier. “They’re my favorite.”

I feel my body start to heat as she looks at me; then she takes a sip of the coffee and moans in delight. I swear, it’s the sexiest thing I’ve ever heard. When she was on the couch with Russ, those moans made me come, and now, here…my mind wants to conjure up all sorts of different ways I could get her to make that sound, not all of them sexual, but…

Most of them are sexual, if I’m being honest.

“I know,” I say softly. “I know lots of things about you.”

I realize how creepy that sounds, so I try to recover with, “Not that I’m like, obsessed with you or anything, I just…pay attention to things. Details.”

She takes another sip of her coffee, and I set the carrier down on her counter, if only to offer her the bag of Danishes.

I don’t miss the blush in her cheeks.

“It’s okay, I know what you mean.” She smiles.

“However, I don’t know what kind of Danish you like, so I got all three and figured you could pick which one you want,” I say, opening the bag. She peeks inside.