Charmed By The Fox's Heart: Superhero Reverse Harem Romance (Cosmic Guardians Book 1), стр. 5
The thing is, I like Aris and Cael, so I’m going to have to make my character a mixture of them both I suppose.
As if my very thoughts have summoned him, Cael appears at my table. Startled, my eyes snap up to meet his.
“I brought you your mid-morning drink.” He carefully arranges it next to my laptop. “And one for our cat.” I laugh as he refers to her as “ours.” He replaces her bowl of milk with a fresh one and she lifts her head to blink up at him before going to it.
“Thanks.” I glance down at the cat-shaped foam on my drink and smile. Gently, I swirl the cup, trying to see how dark the coffee is below the design. “What is this?”
“It’s something I just whipped up.”
I lift it to my mouth to take a small sip. I’m surprised at the decadent dark chocolate flavor that rolls across my tongue with just a hint of raspberry. “Mmmm, this is delicious.”
Over his shoulder, I see Aris’s defeated look as Cael asks me what I think. “You like it?”
“It’s great. What do you call it?”
Cael gives me a handsome grin. “It’s a dark chocolate, raspberry cocoa.”
My mouth drifts open. I’m not sure how I feel about it now. “No caffeine?” I ask, unable to mask my disappointment.
He winks. “I put a shot in there for you.”
“Thanks.” I lift the cup to him. “I think this is my new favorite.”
He eyes the cat. “So how should we work out the shared custody?”
I reach down and run my fingers over her long soft fur, and she purrs even louder. I tip my head up slightly as I tease him. “There won’t be any shared custody. I’m going to keep her all to myself.”
“Well, I guess you’ll have to bring her to visit me here then.” He chuckles. “And let me know when her soccer games are so I can at least show up for those.”
I grin. “I’ll be sure to do that.” I meet his gaze evenly. “That was really brave what you did back there to save her.”
“I couldn’t allow a helpless creature to be injured while I stood there and watched. No one else was trying to help her, and I didn’t want to watch her get run over.”
I nod because I know if I had seen her first, I probably would’ve done the same as well.
“Have you thought of a name?”
“Not yet.” I glance down at the cat in my lap as I scratch her chin, smiling as she purrs. “But I have a feeling it will come to me.”
Across the room, Aris narrows his eyes at Cael as he calls out to him. “There’s a line forming back here, you know.”
Cael smiles at me again, then leans in just a bit and whispers. “If you like that drink, I think I have another one you’ll like next.”
I blink up at him, my face flushing with warmth as his teal gaze holds mine. “Thanks,” I somehow manage.
He winks, and I’m completely captivated as a faint smile tugs at his gorgeous full lips. “I’ll be back soon.”
Just like that, I’m inspired to write even more. The words practically flow from my fingertips as I furiously type on my keyboard. My hero is a handsome barista by day and a crime fighter by night. He falls in love with the writer, who spends her days at the café with her loyal cat companion, drinking coffee as she works on her award-winning novel.
“What are you working on?” a male voice practically purrs in my ear.
Slightly startled, I turn and find Cael staring down at me, his eyes sparkling with amusement as he places another cup next to my laptop. I glance at the clock, shocked that two hours have already gone by while I was typing. Instead of answering, I ask, “What’s this one?” I bring the warm mug to my nose and breathe in the delicious scent. It smells amazing.
“Cinnamon, chocolate, peppermint latte.” He winks. “If you don’t like it, I can try something else.”
Aris clears his throat and calls out to Cael from the counter, “Could you please leave my favorite customer alone?”
Cael arches a brow. “She’s not just your customer, you know. She’s mine, too.”
Aris crosses his arms. “Is that so?”
“Yeah,” Cael laughs. “Fifty-fifty, remember?”
My brow furrows as I look between the two of them. “Wait a minute… you’re the owners?”
Aris tips his chin up with pride. “The owner was selling, so Cael and I decided to buy it. The paperwork just went through yesterday.”
“Wow, congratulations!”
My gaze flicks back up to Cael. I guess that means I’ll be seeing more of him around here, and to be honest, I like that idea.
“Thank you.” Cael’s eyes are full of mischief as he leans over to catch a glimpse of my screen. He flicks his gaze back to mine. “You never told me what you’re working on.”
Slightly flustered, I open my mouth to reply but then stop, unsure of what to tell him. I’m not sure I really want him to know what I write. I know I could easily make something up, but it’s never a good idea to start a relationship—friendship or otherwise—with deception. So, I draw in a deep breath and decide to tell him the truth.
“It’s a romance novel.” I brace myself for the inevitable teasing I’ve received in the past from others I’ve told.
Instead, he gives me a curious look. “What’s it about?”
My cheeks heat with embarrassment. I’m certainly not going to tell him about my hero barista. So instead, I shrug. “You know… typical love story. Guy meets girl, and they fall in love.”
He nods. “I’d like to read it when you’re done.”
“You would?”
“Yeah.” He grins as he leans in. His warm, minty breath fans across my ear as he whispers, “I’m a sucker for romance.”
“Hey!” Aris snaps. “Would you stop pestering