Free Bad Traveler by Lola Karns Page A

begging for a touch. Tonight, confidence soaring, he planned to do just that.
    “Thanks for waiting.” His voice caught, emerging husky. “I’m glad you came tonight.”
    “It was fun. You were great out there.” She tugged at her scarf, strands of hair caught in the weave.
    “Thanks.” When he moved closer, an irresistible strawberry scent beckoned. His hand slid underneath her hair to liberate the shiny silk from the scarf. His fingers grazed the soft warmth of her neck. With a tilt of his head, he could guide her lips to his, but a sharp intake of breath caught him off guard.
    Were his hands cold? Had he offended her? “Sorry. I—”
    “Don’t be. You surprised me.”
    What would induce that throaty gasp again? Several ideas—well, most of them—involved a distinct lack of clothing. Fear of rejection had cost him the chance to be with Gwen once. He refused to make that mistake again even though she had more reason than ever to dismiss his advances. But tonight was his night. Failure would not occur. He would make her gasp and groan even if they stayed fully clothed.
    They walked to his Jeep, and she chatted about the game she didn’t fully understand. Her efforts charmed him. Their breath made small clouds in front of them as they crossed the parking lot. Once inside, he started the engine and cranked up the heat.
    “Where to? It’s too cold to go out to the covered bridge.” Her blush was worth naming the notorious isolated bridge where romantic couples sought quality time in their cars. “We’ll avoid the sport bars, too, I think. I’m not in the mood to talk about the game. Are you hungry? We could go to Pablo’s?” He wasn’t hungry, not for food anyway, but an invitation to his apartment carried too much risk. When he told her about his injuries, she’d leave. Nothing would spoil this night, not even him.
    “Or we could go to my shop, drink some coffee or have cookies and milk. I have my keys.”
    “Perfect.” His heart thumped as he put the car in gear. No one would bother them. They would be alone in a cozy space she’d created. The absence of students left the streets virtually empty. Her gloved hand covered his for the five-minute drive. After a few turns, they parked behind the store and entered through the kitchen.
    “What will you have? Unfortunately, I have tons of inventory left from today.” She opened the back side of the display counter, revealing about a dozen or so of six different types of cookies. “I swore I wouldn’t sell day-old cookies, but I may bundle up some at a discount rate tomorrow since there are so many.” The touch of sadness in her voice made him want to whip out his wallet and buy them all up.
    “I’ll take an oatmeal raisin, a chocolate chip, and…. Are those ginger snaps?”
    “Actually, those are molasses cookies. They are spicy like a ginger snap, but different.” She stacked an assortment of cookies on a plate. “It’s my nana’s recipe. See what you think. Coffee?”
    “Don’t make coffee on my account. I’m too wired already. I’d rather have milk.”
    “Me, too.” She poured milk into a couple of mugs and started toward the corner table, which featured a plush, secondhand love seat. He followed with the cookies. A rapping on the window drew their attention to a couple outside. Gwen pointed to the Closed sign, but the couple persisted.
    He walked to the door. “We’re closed.”
    She rushed to his side, adding, “We’ll be open Tuesday at seven a.m. We hope to open in the evenings starting in late January.”
    The couple walked away.
    “I could have made a sale, but….” She sounded frustrated and tired.
    “I think we should stay in the kitchen. I doubt people will bother us if we have lights on back there.”
    A spark returned to her eyes. “If we sit on the floor behind the counter, no one will know we we’re here. They’ll think someone left the lights on by accident.”
    Sitting side-by-side on the floor, backs against