Seduction and Snacks (Chocolate Lovers #1)(35)

Looking at the picture of Claire on my phone erased the confusion and questions from my mind and made me just want to concentrate on her, not ghosts from the past. I shut the engine off and got out, finally taking a good look at the building I parked in front of. I was impressed. It was bigger than I thought it would be and it looked great from the outside. I could see Liz through the front window on what must have been her side of the store, so I rounded the front of the car and stepped up on the sidewalk. I started walking towards the front door and had to stop short when a little boy went flying in front of me, arms and legs flailing all over the place.

"Gavin, get your ass back here!"

On instinct, my arm flew out and I grabbed onto the back of the kid's shirt, halting his progress of running away. A guy, probably close to fifty, jogged over to where I was.

"Hey, thanks for stopping him," he said, looking down at the boy with a stern face that would have made me cringe if I was on the receiving end of it. I let go of his shirt, confident that the little runaway wasn't going anywhere now that he'd been caught.

"Gavin, how many times have I told you that you can't just take off when you get out of the car? You have to hold my hand."

The kid shrugged. "I don't know. I was just hurryin' my ass to the ice cream store 'fore it all meltses."

I covered my mouth with my hand to hide my laugh. This kid had balls! The poor guy just rolled his eyes at the boy and let out a sigh.

"If you enjoy your sanity at all, don't have kids," the guy said to me before grabbing the kid's hand and walking away.

"Thanks for the advice!" I yelled to him as the two of them walked into the ice cream shop next door.

Liz noticed me on the sidewalk through the window just then and opened the door for me.

"Good morning!" she said brightly as I walked inside.

Everywhere I looked I saw bras, underwear and all sorts of frilly shit on hangers and displayed on tables. I could almost feel my dick shriveling up and retreating back inside my body. I didn't mind taking this stuff off of a woman, but standing in the middle of a room surrounded by this crap made me feel entirely too in touch with my feminine side.

Jesus f*ck, what is THAT?

"That's a ball gag mask, Carter. I take it you aren't into bondage?" Liz asked seriously, noticing the direction of my gaze.

"Uh, I….umm…"

Is it hot in here all of a sudden?

"Have you ever tied up a partner? Used whips? Experimented in anal play? Had a threesome? Would you say you're more of a dominant or a submissive? When was the last time you were checked for STD's?"

"What? I mean, I…."

"How many sexual partners have you had in the last five years? Have you ever been convicted of a sex crime against another human, animal or plant?"

"ELIZABETH!"

Oh thank God. I don't think I've ever been happier to hear the sound of Claire’s voice.

"I've got my eye on you," Liz whispered, looking me up and down and doing the whole two-finger point from her eyes to mine.

"Duly noted," I muttered as I walked past her and over to the doorway behind the counter where Claire was currently standing with her hands on her hips. Since she was busy staring over my shoulder shooting dirty looks at Liz, I had the opportunity to take her in unnoticed. It was unbelievable how she seemed to have gotten even more beautiful than the last time I saw her. Maybe it was because I knew her so much better than before. Her hair was up in a messy ponytail with stray pieces falling down around her face. I noticed a smudge of flour or maybe powdered sugar on her cheek and I wanted to lick it off. My dick got hard just thinking about tasting her skin.

"I'll deal with you later, Liz," Claire threatened.

"Shut your mouth and get your scraggly ass back in the kitchen where you belong, whore!"

Claire rolled her eyes and jerked her head behind her.

"Come on, I'll show you my part of the store."

She reached for my hand like it was the most natural thing in the world. When our skin touched I had a hard time forcing my feet to move. I just wanted to stand there and stare at her. Claire smiled at me and turned, pulling me gently along behind her. We walked through the storage room of Liz’s store and it took everything in me not to reach out and grab her ass. Fuck, she was wearing jeans again. This woman in a pair of jeans should be illegal. My brain didn't work when she wore jeans.

"And here is my half of Seduction and Snacks," Claire stated proudly as we left Liz’s storage room and entered her kitchen. With her hand still in mine, she led me through the kitchen to the front of the store, pointing things out to me. Where Liz’s store was all dark colors and rich fabrics, Claire's side was light and airy and full of bright colors. In the front of the store, she had three light yellow walls and one light pink wall. Behind the counter there was just enough wall hanging down from the ceiling to hold three large chalkboards, filled with all the store had to offer along with prices. Below the chalkboards, the wall ended and you could see straight into the kitchen. All around the room were framed pictures of cupcakes, candies and different sayings that had to do with her business. A pink and brown wooden sign on one wall stated “Money can’t buy happiness but it can buy chocolate, which is kind of the same thing.” and a yellow and brown one by the door read “A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand.” Aside from the warm, inviting atmosphere, the smell alone would put you in a good mood. For once, the smell of chocolate didn't bother me like it usually did. Maybe, because Claire was standing right next to me, and all I could think about was tasting her instead of the memories that scent usually brought me. I moved a step towards her and took the fact that she didn't move away or let go of my hand as a good sign.