Merry With A Milkman (Love Beach, Holiday Collection)

Six

six

Rhone

G ood thing it’s late and there’s not much traffic because my drive home happens on autopilot while Tegan’s words spin around and around in my brain. She’s a virgin. She wants me to be her first. Asked me to give her everything.

She doesn’t know when I suggested more, I meant forever. I will be her first lover. Her last lover. Her only lover. Both my brain and my hard dick agree. She’s mine. Forever.

Parked in my drive, I ease my death grip on the steering wheel. Maybe she doesn’t want forever and once I’ve scratched her itch, she’ll move on. She’s young and although there really aren’t that many years separating our ages, my past, my experiences could widen the gap. As deeply as the word mine is branded into my soul, if she doesn’t want me… I refuse to imagine that possibility.

Fuck, I don’t need this. I’ve got a business to get up and running. Unfortunately with everything left to do, I’m not going to be open in time for the holidays. So I’ll aim for early next year. There’s no time for a relationship. No time, but yeah, our relationship is happening. I can’t escape the fact even if I wanted to. And I don’t. All I want is her. Simple. She’s mine and I want her.

Somehow we’ll find balance.

To my surprise sleep comes easily with the memory of her tucked into her bed, her golden-red hair spread across the pillow, and her soft smile when I kissed her forehead. I wake up far from soft and after dealing with my morning wood, I head out to the farm. There’s only a couple stops on Steve’s delivery sheet, and Choco-Love isn’t one of them. I shove back the disappointment and plan to stop there anyway.

I choose a few samples from my cheese cave and consider business names as I’m wrapping them. I need to name some of the cheeses as well to indicate the type of milk base used. So many things I hadn’t considered. There will be more, I’m sure, as the process moves forward. Thank god I decided to attend that meeting.

Once the deliveries are made, I park behind the chocolate shop and study the building next door. While I don’t need that much space now, if I’m successful, there would be room for expansion later. With Tegan’s help I’m sure we could make the shop interesting, no matter how much of the building we use.

The bonus of being next door to her every day swings the possibilities far to the positive side.

A knock on the passenger window jerks me from contemplating those positives and I turn to see Noah grinning through the window. He makes a cranking motion with his fingers and I push the button to lower the window.

“Hey, Rhone. Didn’t think we were scheduled for a delivery today.”

“You’re not. I hoped to catch your sister during a not so busy time. I’ve got questions. Uh, business questions.” I point to the canvas bag containing the cheese samples. “Brought some cheese for her to taste. I’d appreciate your opinion as well.”

“Come on in. It’s been slow today, so no worries.”

I follow him into the store and to the office area. He clears off the corner of a desk. “We can do the tasting here. Hey, you got crackers?”

I chuckle at his hopeful expression. “Yeah, But we could use some water to help as a palate cleanser.”

“My wife keeps lemon water in the fridge at all times.”

“That’d be perfect.”

He leaves and I hear him direct Tegan back to the office. The bag is nearly unpacked when she wanders in.

“Oh. Noah didn’t tell me you were here.”

“I hope you don’t mind me just stopping in. I brought some of my product for you to try.”

“That’s great. Thank you.”

We stand in awkward silence staring at each other. I want to both say something about last night, and I don’t. If she doesn’t remember, my questions or comments would make no sense. Or make her uncomfortable. What if she does remember, but has changed her mind? It’s better not to start out by making of fool of myself so the silence drags on.

Noah bursts into the office and sets two large, insulated tumblers on the desk. “I’ve got to do…something. You two go ahead without me. I’m… Uh, the store’s covered, so take your time.”

He backs out and closes the door behind him.

Tegan huffs and shakes her head. “Subtle he’s not.” She turns her smile to me. “What ‘cha got for me today?”

She’s laid the ground rules. Business only. I can’t decide if I’m relieved or irritated. At least I know cheese. “I brought some cheese for you to try. Be honest in your opinion of the flavors. Hopefully while we’re at it we can brainstorm a business name. And cheese names.”

She pulls a chair to the desk. “Sounds like fun. Okay cheesemaker, what are we starting with?”

I grab the sleeve of unsalted crackers from the bag and set them beside the pile of cheeses. “Blander first. I brought a mozzarella.”

“The kind of milk you used will alter the flavor so it will be important to include that either in the name or at least on the labels.”

Nodding, I slice the small round of cheese. “As a point of reference, this is a normal cow’s milk mozza.”

“Are you using raw milk?”

“I have in the past, but it takes a special permit and labeling. Steve decided he didn’t want to deal with the regulations. There would be even more involved with the cheese. And selling across state lines is often prohibited which would lower my possible customer base. So all my cheeses are made from pasteurized milk.”

“Good for you for checking all the regs and making a wise decision. Any safety concerns a food oriented company can mitigate is good both for the company and their customers.”

“Even your chocolates?”

“Yeah, there’s always a chance of microbial growth if roasting is done improperly. That’s why we have exclusive arrangements with small family farms in Ecuador. They don’t use any pesticides or other chemicals and roast to our specifications. And we do frequent checks on any beans we have in storage.”

“There’s always something to watch out for. Steve is in frequent contact with his organic feed suppliers.”

She nibbles the cheese. Pauses and closes her eyes a few seconds, then takes another bite. Fascinated, I watch the small movements of her jaw, how her throat moves when she swallows, how the shape of her lips shows her enjoyment. Opening her eyes, she nods. “Very good.”

“Now, try the sheep’s milk version.”

“Hmm. It’s really smooth and slightly sweeter. This would be really good with a fresh tomato sauce.”

Next I spread a soft goat cheese on a cracker and hold it out to her. Instead of taking it with her fingers, she shifts, and watching my face, uses her mouth and tongue to capture the bite. We remain frozen for a long moment, her lips barely brushing my fingertips as she chews. Every touch drives sensation straight to my dick. My physical response is instant and I shift to ease the pressure.

She licks her lips and I barely hold back a groan. This woman is driving me wild.

“This one is tangy. Earthy. With a hint of mushroom at the end. That’s a goat cheese.”

“You have an excellent palate.” How I got the words out in a normal voice is a mystery.

She grins. “I know. Helps when Noah and I are developing new flavor combinations. My taste is more sensitive than his. It’s one thing I can do better than him. Business startup is another. Let’s talk names while you feed me more of your delicious cheese.”

My brain is stuck on ‘my taste’ and ‘delicious’. I’d give just about anything to discover how delicious she is when I taste her. When she gives the waiting samples a serious glance, I attempt to combat my sex brain by prepping a trio of cheddars. I tap the cheese knife against my tiny cutting board. “I want to keep everything simple. So customers know I sell cheese.”

“Easy. Call your business Landon Cheese. Or pay tribute to your milk source with Landon Dairy Cheese. I like the sound of that. Would your brother agree?”

“Steve’s hard to read sometimes. Change and being in the public eye is difficult for him.”

“Maybe if you frame the possibility as more recognition for his work with varied animals in an organic setting.”

While she tastes the cheddars, I consider the suggestion. Landon Dairy Cheese is simple and feels comfortable to say. I’ll work up the courage to bring it up to Steve tomorrow. Maybe it will help us rediscover the friendship we had as kids.

“Now for the cheeses. Again we need to keep the name simple.”

Did she notice how she said ‘we’? Feels damn near perfect to me. Refusing to consider the word being simply a generic term, I nod.

“Customers don’t want to guess what they’re buying or have to figure a product out once they get it home. If the cheese is cheddar, call it cheddar. However, since you have more than one cheddar, it would help to indicate the milk source somehow. For instance,” She lifts one of the tiny blocks of cheese. “This one is richer and creamier. I know from my own experience with Steve’s milks this one is from a cute highland cow. It has more butterfat. So maybe call it Highland Cheddar.”

She’s right of course. “You’re amazing. How do you do that?”

An elegant shrug lifts her shoulders. “I have a talented tongue.”

I don’t know if she meant her statement to be a sensual tease but my mind immediately goes there. Her tongue on my body would be…

“You’re staring,” Tegan whispers.

“Yes.”

“I’d prefer it if you’d kiss me.”

Dear god, I’ll give her whatever she wants. “Yes.”

Cupping her cheeks in my palms I close the distance and gently press my lips to hers. Sharp sensation jolts through me then I’m lost in the soft movement of her lips. Her warm, smooth skin against my palms. The light pressure of her hand on my shoulder. The taste of her. Of her kiss.

If I wasn’t already completely head over heels for this woman, this kiss would convince me that she’s mine.

A discrete knock at the door makes Tegan pull away and I feel the agony of loss. She pats my shoulder. “Oh, yes. A kiss is much better than staring. Come on in, Noah.”

The door opens to a narrow crack. “Sorry, Tee. But there’s a customer with a question about the Scottish Tablet I can’t answer.”

“I’ll be right out.”

I stand with her and steal a much too brief kiss. Her expression is wistful. “This shouldn’t take too long.”

“Go, sweetness. Business before—” I draw out the silence before I finish the statement with a promise I hope she understands. “Pleasure.”