The Winter King Read Online Free PDF Page A

to be older too, and more
established. There were plenty of people inside; she could see them
through the foggy glass, conversing and laughing.
    “ I hear you can’t get a
better cup of coffee in Seattle,” the man said, turning back to
her. “Can I buy you a fresh one?”
    Poppy felt the heat of a blush infuse her
cheeks, knowing that the evidence of her last cup of coffee was
splayed across the sidewalk.
    “ That honestly sounds
really nice,” she admitted. The throbbing at the base of her skull
was ever-present, low-grade but there, aching for its continuing
caffeine fix. “Let me just clean up my mess really
quick.”
    The man didn’t even hesitate. He strode to
the middle of the street, picked up her lid, then made it back to
the sidewalk to pick up her paper cup before she could. He tossed
them both into a nearby bin, then opened the front glass door of
the coffee shop, gesturing for her to enter first. “After you.” He
smiled.
    He’s beautiful and he’s a
gentleman and he wants to buy me coffee, she mused as she entered the shop and the scent of fresh, hot
coffee assaulted her desperate senses. It smelled even better in
here than it did in the roastery.
    “ Thank you,” she
murmured.
    He entered behind her and moved them toward
an open table against the window. The atmosphere in here was
different than it had been in Starbucks. The people weren’t here to
study. No one was on their cell phone or computer. They sat across
from each other and made eye contact. Somehow, despite the lack of
expensive fire places and huge, copper-piped roastery, the
atmosphere was warmer.
    Almost immediately after sitting down, the
two were approached by an employee of the establishment. “What can
I get you two?” she asked, and Poppy was very impressed at her
professionalism. Mainly, in the fact that she wasn’t out-and-out
staring at the man across from Poppy. He was so handsome, it was
hard for her to imagine people not staring at him. She was trying
very hard not to do so herself.
    “ Just something hot,” Poppy
replied honestly. And nervously. “Just hot coffee.”
    The stranger chuckled.
“We’ll take two cappuccino’s ,” he said gently. Then
he leaned forward and said, just loud enough for the waitress to
hear as well, “It’s the cappuccino’s they’re famous
for.”
    Poppy grinned. “That sounds
wonderful.” And it did. It really did.
    The waitress smiled and left, and the
stranger turned his attention fully on Poppy. She felt herself
shrinking beneath that gaze. It was too intense.
    “ You want to talk about
it?” he asked softly, lacing his fingers together on the
table.
    She blinked. “About what?”
    “ The bad day you have so
obviously had.”
    She smiled self-consciously. “You really
aren’t interested in that. And besides, I don’t even know you.”
    He watched her closely for a moment, and the
gods only knew what he was thinking. And then he said, “My name is
Kristopher.” He paused, tilting his head just a little to the side
as if to study her even more closely. “What is yours?”
    She swallowed hard. Her throat suddenly felt
tight. “Poppy,” she said. “Actually, that’s not exactly true. It’s
Persephone. But everyone calls me Poppy.”
    Something glinted in the depths of his
bottomless pools-for-eyes, and he said, “Persephone, the young
goddess of spring who is abducted by the cold and hard god of the
dead and taken into a world where there is no sun, thereby
releasing winter upon the world in her absence….” He smiled a
mysterious smile.
    “ Yeah, everyone knows the
story. I’m not sure what my parents were thinking. They’re not even
Greek.”
    But that mysterious smile only deepened. “I
think it’s very fitting.”

Chapter Five
    Poppy frowned. “Fitting? How’s that?”
    But their drinks arrived just then, and
Kristopher turned to the waitress, taking both cups from her
outstretched hands. He thanked her and turned back to Poppy,
holding one of them