Double Shot Read Online Free PDF Page A

Sadie pushed away from the wall and spun around. “What time is it?”
    “Nine-ish. We’ve been pretty dead tonight so I was going to—where are you going?”
    “Paul!”
    Sadie took a few seconds in the tiny back bathroom to make sure she wasn’t a complete mess. Her hair had come out of the tiny ponytail she’d thrown it into earlier that day. The blue V-neck T-shirt she’d put on after her nap was a little rumpled but was acceptable enough. Her jeans wore the occasional smear of dried batter and rubbed-in flour where she’d cleaned her hands.
    “Shit,” she muttered and tucked what she could of her bob behind her ears.
    Ian’s reflection joined hers in the mirror. “You’re gorgeous.”
    “I don’t know why I’m freaking out. He’s had a decade to notice me. I can’t imagine he’ll clue in now.” Hell, she still wasn’t sure she wanted him to notice her. Though finally getting knocked out of her lust-driven limbo would be a nice change.
    “He’s an idiot if he doesn’t know how beautiful you are. I can go be all brotherly on his ass and threaten to beat him up or something. Tell him he needs to do right by you, or something lame like that.”
    Sadie turned around and caught Ian in a hug before he had a chance to escape. “Sometimes I love you.”
    “Sometimes I love you too. Come on. We better get out front before Paige scares the new guy too much.”
    Paige was in fact giving a young man named Mitch a lecture on how the security system worked and how if she caught him touching it she’d kill him. Only two customers remained, speaking in hushed tones as they hunched over their table.
    Letting out a huff, Ian set to polishing the silver on the espresso machine. “Maybe we should cut the hours down Thursday nights permanently. We’re never busy after eight-thirty.”
    The bell above the door had them both turn to greet their new arrival. Sadie was only a little disappointed when it wasn’t Paul.
    Ian waved Paige and the new kid away and greeted the customer with a grin. “Welcome to Pulled Long. What can I get for you?”
    The man’s brown hair fell across his forehead, partially covering his startling blue eyes. His gaze flicked from Sadie to Ian and back, before he blinded them both with a movie-star grin.
    “I’ve walked this same route every day for over a year now and I swear this is the first time I’ve noticed this place.”
    Ian flicked his towel over his shoulder and moved to stand directly in front of the other man. “I’m thrilled you finally found us.”
    “I have to ask. Pulled Long? Sounds a bit naughty.” The customer winked at Sadie, but she could tell his attention was locked onto Ian.
    “Dual meaning. It’s both our last name and a barista term. It has to do with getting the most caffeine from an espresso shot by letting it run through longer. It can screw up a coffee if it’s done wrong though.”
    “And you do it right?” Blue Eyes smirked.
    Ian shrugged, toying with the edge of his towel. “Every time.”
    Sadie turned to busy herself with the pastry trays, suddenly feeling as though she was interrupting a moment between the two men. Not that she was about to disappear into the back room. She’d never seen Ian this taken with a man this quickly before in her life. This was good teasing material for at least a month.
    Blue Eyes smiled again. He was older than Ian for sure. Maybe even older than herself. “Would I offend you if I ask for a straightforward coffee? While I’m tempted to try for a long pull, I’d like to sleep sometime tonight.”
    Ian chuckled and licked his bottom lip. “No offense at all. Do you want room for cream?”
    When Ian turned his back to pour the cup, Sadie caught a glimpse of a blush. She pulled out the last slice of banana bread and threw it into a bag. “I was about to throw this out. Could I interest you in taking it home instead? On the house, seeing as this is your first time here.”
    Blue Eyes directed the full force of