Tasha Kelly waited in line while the person in front of her gave their order before walking away. She was taking a break from purchasing some items off the Internet at her job. If she stayed at the computer a moment longer, she was going to get cross-eyed. However, she loved the new supply-chain software that Dylan had. Her job was so much faster now. Instead of taking about six hours to place orders, it got knocked down to a little over three.

“Ma’am, may I take your order?” the young girl asked her.

“Black coffee with cream and two sugars.”

Tasha then found a booth to sit in. She usually didn’t drink coffee in the afternoon, but she needed the caffeine to keep her going. She had a long day ahead of her with a lot of orders to fill.

Digging the romance book out of her purse, Tasha removed the bookmark and placed it on the table. She had only been reading for a few minutes when the sound of a man yelling made her stop and look towards the front of the coffee shop.

“I don’t have any cash on me. Why can’t I pay for it with my credit card? Damn it, I don’t have time for this!”

“Sir, our credit card machine is down. We can only take cash today,” the cashier informed him.

“Why didn’t you tell me this before I ordered my coffee? Is that any way to run a business?”

Tasha watched as the girl struggled to think of an answer. The man’s temper wouldn’t be so bad if he wasn’t well over six feet tall and built like a god. His white t-shirt was clinging to the bulging muscles in his arms. Dark blue jeans cupped his tight ass and the black cowboy boots only added to his sexiness. The man’s presence was intimating and hot all at the same time. She noticed everyone was waiting to see what was going to happen next.

“Are you going to answer me?”

“Sir, you order comes to $8.75.”

“Haven’t I already told you that I don’t have any cash on me? How do you think I’m going to buy that coffee?”

Tasha knew this had to end. She grabbed her wallet out of her purse and went to the front counter. She almost fainted as she stood next to the man. He smelled so good, like he just stepped out of the shower and splashed on cologne to make a woman fall at his feet. Lord, she had a weakness for good-smelling men.

“I’ll pay for his coffee.” Taking a ten-dollar bill out of her purse, she handed it to the nervous girl in front of her. “Don’t worry about the change,” she told the girl when she started to count out the change.

“I didn’t ask you to pay for my coffee,” the rude man growled at her.

Tilting her head back, Tasha’s eyes clashed with a pair of indigo eyes. Shit, the man’s face was just beautiful. A strong nose, firm lips, a dimple in his chin made him too dangerous looking to ever been consider model material, but he would certainly have a center stage in her dreams tonight.

“Sir, I know you didn’t. However, I got tired of listening to you scream at her, so I paid for your coffee.” Tasha gave the man a long look, hoping he was getting her meaning.

“Black coffee with cream and two sugars,” a guy yelled out her order before she could continue her conversation. She spun away from the gorgeous yet angry man. She picked up her drink and returned to her seat, trying her best not to look at the man watching her.

* * * *

Nick couldn’t believe that woman had the nerve to pay for his coffee and lecture him about his attitude. Moving away from the counter, he took a seat at the booth across the room from her so he could watch her.

The black shirt she was wearing stopped mid-thigh over a pair of blue jeans. It hugged her curvy body, showing off her perky breasts. Her off-black heeled boots gave her small frame some height.

He watched as she took a sip of her coffee before setting it back down and turning the page in her book. After giving her body a final appraisal, he let his gaze land on her face. Her skin reminded him of Dove dark chocolate, his favorite late-night treat. He liked how her black hair stopped at the nape of her neck and a few strands kept falling in front of her glasses. He had to admit she was one hot little number.

Richie would have a good laugh at his expense when he told him about this. He was always telling him not to let the small stuff bother him. He really had no right screaming at the girl trying to take his money. It wasn’t her fault that the machine was down.

“Sir, here’s your coffee.”

Nick glanced to his side and found the girl he yelled at earlier standing there next to him. “You didn’t have to bring this to me. I could have come and gotten it.”

“That’s okay. We aren’t that busy now. I think you scared most of our customers away with your tirade.”

“I want to apologize for my behavior towards you. I shouldn’t have lost my temper like that.”

“Oh, that’s okay,” she said, waving him off. “I’m used to grumpy people who are craving their caffeine. Enjoy your drink.” The girl spun away from him and went back to work like she had already forgotten all about him.

Nick took a sip of his drink, not flinching when the warm liquid hit his tongue. He had been through too much to let some coffee faze him. He had already made one apology, which meant that he only had one left. He looked back over at his coffee-paying woman and found she was gone.

How in the hell did she get past him without him noticing? Well, he wasn’t about to give up on apologizing to her. She would probably be back here tomorrow. He would just come back and do it then.