Evers & Afters (Dare With Me #2) - J.H. Croix Page 0,10

while Diego did errands wasn’t turning out to be my best choice. It was nice to get out of the house, but I wanted to be able to move around more.

Of course, staying back home had me feeling more helpless. I wasn’t going to feel better about my situation until I had my cast off and could at least get out and about on my own. I was beyond relieved that I was dealing with a broken left ankle. At least I’d be able to drive as soon as I had the cast off.

I drained the coffee, tracing my thumb over the label—Red Truck Coffee. Why did I have to go and have a crush on the girl who made the best coffee in town? It was inconvenient.

As if I conjured her by thought alone, when I glanced out the passenger side window, I saw Cammi coming out of the grocery store. Her arms were overloaded with bags. She was aiming in my direction, and I presumed she was parked nearby. Although her coffee truck was distinct, I didn’t actually know what she drove personally.

In another moment, she was stopping at the small SUV parked beside us. She hadn’t even seen me yet. “Oh, shit!” she exclaimed when she dropped a bag of groceries. A cloud of white flour puffed in the air.

Without thinking, I climbed out of the truck, grabbing one of my crutches out of the back to keep my balance. “Let me help,” I commented.

Cammi looked up at me from where she’d knelt down. Her hair was dusted in white. “Oh, hey, Elias.”

I felt my lips kicking up at the corners. Cammi didn’t seem all that upset about dropping flour and getting it all over her hair. Looking down at the ground, I saw the flour was a lost cause. The paper bag had split wide open with flour spilling all over the pavement. “Let me get some of your bags,” I said.

Cammi started to protest, “Elias, I’ve got it. You’re on crutches.”

She must’ve seen the frustration on my face because she corrected quickly, “Okay, here you go.” She handed over one armload of bags.

Holding those in my free arm, I opened the back door, depositing the bags on the seat there. When I turned back, she was brushing her hand over her hair. She looked up. “How bad do I look?”

“I think it’s kind of impossible for you to look bad, Cammi,” I answered honestly.

Her cheeks went pink, and I suddenly became aware we were standing right beside each other. Electricity sizzled through me, awareness and my need for her sparking to life instantly.

I tore my eyes from hers for a moment, and they landed on the flour on the ground beside our feet. As my eyes lifted again, I realized she was still holding some grocery bags in her other hand. Without thinking, I reached for them. My fingers brushed hers, and streaks of fire chased over my skin just from that subtle touch.

“I’ve got these,” I murmured, my voice coming out gruff.

Her fingers uncurled from the handles, and I took the bags from her, putting them beside the rest in the back. When I looked back toward her, she said incongruously, “I have a dustpan in the back.”

I wasn’t sure what that had to do with anything, and I wanted to tell her I would get it, but I seemed frozen. I could see the flutter of her pulse along the side of her throat and heard the whisper-soft intake of her breath. My eyes fell to her mouth and lingered on the little dimple on her bottom lip. My need to kiss her was fierce.

Chapter Six

Cammi

Elias stared down at me, his eyes like dark chocolate. He searched my gaze quietly. My cheeks were burning hot, and my pulse had gone crazy. I tried to take a breath, but air was in short supply. Which made absolutely no sense, seeing as we were standing outside on a windy, late winter afternoon. There was more than enough fresh, crisp air, but I couldn’t seem to get more than a shallow breath.

I felt his eyes dip down to my lips and unconsciously slid my tongue across them. His gaze whipped back up to mine, almost incredulous. “Did you really just do that?”

“Do what?”

I was pretty sure Elias actually growled. He tore his eyes from mine, leaning his head back to stare into the sky as he took a deep breath. My eyes were drawn to the