Something Beyond

Chapter 2

The following morning I was early getting to my table. A sleepless night followed by a slow morning caused me to get to Amy's before they even opened. The early morning chill was in the air and unable to leave me to the weather. Amy let me in I was already on edge about how the day was going. After one tasty sip at possibly Amy's best latte yet I settled down enough to begin answering emails. The morning trudged on, eyestrain getting the best of me after an hour or two of nonstop staring at my screen. While pulling my computer glasses from my tote, a cup was placed on a napkin just in front of my face. My eyes followed the cup, up to a hand and to the man that had me tossing and turning all night. His smile was bright while his eyes were reserved.

"Morning," Garrett said while taking a seat in the chair across from mine. Raising a brow to him, I gave a warm smile.

"Good morning, is this for me?" I asked, pointing to the cup in front of me.

He gestured towards his cup, being eaten up by his large hand. Smiling broadly, I accepted the cup with a whispered thanks. He watched me while I tested the warmth of the drink and smirked when I moaned lowly in delight. The blast of flavor was just right, and if I didn't know any better, Amy snuck in some pumpkin flavoring not yet out for the fall. Garrett continued to watch me for what felt like an eternity.

"So, what brings you back here? Hoping to catch another disaster in the act?" I joked lightly.

His eyes lightened considerably upon hearing my words. My heart stalled at how breathtaking it was.

"If by disaster you mean hoping to catch a glimpse of your top wet and sticking to your body, then yes."

The way he said his words caused my core to clenched, but my heart lightened with humor. If it weren't for the amusement I saw in his eyes, I would have assumed he was serious. And the thought of him wanting to see me like that was equally terrifying and arousing.

"Well," I said softly while leaning forward in my seat. My top was a thick sweater with a lace-up pattern in the front. His eyes instantly dropped to the gap in the sweater that showed the small swells of my breast. My heartbeat increased at his attention. "I don't see any skittish nerds with iced lattes anywhere around. I'm afraid you might be out of luck."

A small smile quirked his lips. He leaned forward in his chair, bringing his face closer to mine. Heart beating erratically, my eyes locked with his. "I think for once, luck may be on my side," he whispered. His eyes continued to trace across my face, suddenly he frowned.

"You look tired," he added in a soft voice. Concern was evident on his face. Knowing I had dark smudges under my eyes, I dropped my gaze to the table, looking up at him from under my lashes.

"I had a hard time sleeping last night."

Lips turned down he leaned back in his chair, his eyes accessing.

"You should go home and get some rest."

Touched by his concern, I sent him a small smile, "Think so?"

"I know so."

His words caused my heart to beat faster and my face to flush. The handsome man, a stranger, was creating a swirl of emotions to arise in me. After living in a city where hardly anyone gave a damn about you or your wellbeing, Garrett was gaining major points.

"As lovely as that sounds, I have an unimaginable amount of work looming over my head. God, I don't think I've napped since college."

He gave a devilish smile, "And when was that, a year ago?"

Smirking, I shook my head, "Four actually."

His eyebrows rose high on his forehead and an astonished look on his face, "You don't look a day over 21."

A bitter feeling came over me as I recalled my mother's words from my younger years. She would forcibly stop me from smiling, claiming the laugh lines would prevent me from getting a husband one day. Years upon years of creams and serums were rubbed into my skin by her hand. She was a woman obsessed with her appearance. Her biggest hang up was her vanity. She tried to mold me into that kind of person, but my compassion for caring about things with purpose always kept me yards away from being like her. 

Shrugging, I looked down at my travel cup, afraid Garrett would see the torment in my eyes.

"Hey, I didn't mean that as a bad thing," he said softly as if he felt my emotions from across the table.

Grateful for his attempt at making me feel better, I gave him a soft smile. "I know."

He opened his mouth as if he were going to say more when a loud shrilling came from his suit jacket. With a regretful look my way, he pulled the phone out and checked the screen. A light curse sounded from his lips, "I'm sorry. I need to take this."

"Please, go!" I gestured towards him. He quickly stood from his seat and paced to the corner across from the table. I tried to focus on the work in front of me while he took his call, but all I saw within the words of each contract were impossible, hypnotizing eyes and lips. Several more minutes passed, with my eyes jumping from his and back to my laptop. Amy had briefly stopped by to tease me about Mr. tall, dark, and handsome only for me to beg her not to do it with him there. With a mischievous grin on her face, she skipped away and back to the counter. The chair across from me filled with 170  pounds of pure alpha male. The heated look Garrett sent my way only increased the flush across my face.

"Clara, I have to go. Will you be okay?"

At first, confusion filled me before I noted the teasing gleam deep in his eyes. I gave a short chuckle while nodding.

"I think I'm safe for the time being."

A small twitch around his lips told me that he found my response humorous. Standing, he glanced at my face once more before gripping his coffee in one hand and putting his phone in the other, "I'll see you soon, Clara."

"Goodbye, Garrett."

With one last smoldering look, he exited the cafe. Releasing the pent up breath in my body, I relaxed in my chair, reliving the last few minutes. While I had hoped to see Garrett again, seeing him so soon left me breathless and confused. I didn't want to read too much into the scene or be the girl waiting around for the guy. But the look Amy sent me from her coffee station; I knew the way Garrett was looking at me was anything but casual or a coincidence.