Deep Dive: An enemies-to-lovers billionaire romance (Deep Love Series) Lauren Winter (red white and royal blue hardcover TXT) 📖

was someone else around. Anyone. It reminds me of the first ten minutes in every horror movie before the hapless barista gets killed by the hidden monster. I shudder and twist the radio knob to a top 20 pop station. The cheerful music eases me a little.

The song is about some girl being madly in love with her fella and it makes me think of Fletcher. I haven’t seen him for over a month. I try not to think about him since I have too much going on right now. I am working full time at the cafe to save up money. I am almost done with all of my nursing school applications, and Mom is getting over another bout of the flu, so she needs extra help around the house. Even then, I think about him all the time.

I grab a rag and wipe down the cappuccino machine for the third time. Yesterday, I had to ask my boss, Charlie, for a paycheck advance to fend off my landlord. I thought he would give me a huge stink about it and then refuse. Instead, he wrote me a check for three months' worth and handed it to me with a red face. It suddenly occurred to me that Meghan may be right. He does have a crush on me.

I refused his check and asked for the original two-week amount. I don’t want to take advantage of Charlie’s kindness. Plus, I know I don’t return his feelings. Sure, Charlie is fit, easy-going, and looks like a surf god with his long blond hair and perfect abs, but he’s no Fletcher Payne. I think it’ll be awhile before I’ll meet another man who measures up to him. I sigh. I might be waiting for a long while.

The little bell on the door rings, and a chilly breeze enters. Without turning around, I say over my shoulder to the latecomer, “Sorry, we’re closed.”

“I’m not here for coffee.” A deep, sonorous voice flows into my ears. My heart stops.

Fletcher Payne is standing in front of me, with a heart-melting smile on his lips.

“What are you doing here?” I ask as I quietly pinch myself. I can’t believe he’s here. His tall figure is even more imposing than I remember. Gosh, were his eyes always this dark and dreamy?

“I’ve missed you. I want you back.” I almost want to laugh at the directness of his statements. Fletcher is always to the point. He never dances around a topic. He always says what he thinks and takes what he wants. And he always gets what he wants.

I bite down on my trembling lip. There is nothing I want more than to jump over the counter and fly into his arms, but I stop myself. Does he trust me? Do I trust him? There are only a few feet of space between us, yet I feel like there is a wide gulf in our way.

He jumps over the counter and lands flawlessly on his feet. He marches into the backroom and corners me like his prey. He lifts my chin with a tilt of his long fingers. “I’ve missed you. Did you miss me?”

I can’t find my voice, but the look on my face says it all. He smiles with satisfaction and lowers his head to kiss me.

The deep, warm taste of his mouth and the firmness of his hands on my body make me gasp out loud. I inhale his taste greedily. Of course, I’ve missed him. If you ask me how many times he has crossed my mind, I’d say once because he came and then never left.

He growls as he lifts me onto a metal table. My legs are wrapped tightly around his waist. His nimble fingers undo the buttons on my blouse. Soon, his hands are under my shirt and against my bare skin. The touch is electrifying. I moan and kiss him even harder. I don’t even know how I feel at this moment. Is this love? Lust? Anger? Or longing? Maybe all of the above.

He cups my face with his palms. His skin burns against mine. His dark eyes are bright and intense, as if he is trying to see into my soul. I lower my eyes and blush, but his thumb strokes the soft cushion of my lower lip and pushes against my teeth. I look him squarely in the eyes and nip on the tip of his digit. My tongue leaves a warm, wet trail over the tip of his thumb.

He curses under his breath.

He pushes me onto my back, and his fingers are interlaced with mine. I can feel the cool metal surface of the table under my head as he lowers his head between my legs. Remembering my recent trip to the spa with Meghan, I give a little yelp and try to close my legs.

Fletcher chuckles. My face grows hot as I can feel spurts of his warm breath on my bare nether regions.

“What do we have here?” he asks. His deep voice chuckles. “Did you get all dolled up for me?”

My face grows hotter. Then I remember how he ended things. How he didn’t trust me. And how he left me so heartbroken that Meghan had to take me to get my vajayjay tweezed and plucked. “No, it wasn’t for you.” I sit up and pull my shirt back down.

He clamps my chin between his thumb and index finger. He uses so much force that it actually hurts a little. “It was for another man? I would never let that happen. Remember what I said in the boat.”

I gulp as I remember his words. My heart goes crazy like a hummingbird’s.

“I want to be your first and your last,” he says them again. He kisses me hard and places me back down on the table.

I should push him away and jump off the table. I should walk out of here with my head held high, while he crawls behind me and begs