II

"Go out with me." The lilting sound of his voice caught her off guard as she left the sheriff station. She turned around to find Killian resting against the wall, his body in a natural, confident stance. He looked at her invitingly.

"What are you doing here?!" She asked nervously.

He approached her, invading her personal space, his tall frame leaning slightly over her as his blue eyes burned hers. She could smell the leather of his jacket, mixed with the scent of chocolate and cinnamon. Her senses were overwhelmed by his presence and she found herself trying to control her breathing.

"I am asking you out, Swan." He said in a low voice, his hand reaching to play with a strand of her hair and tucking it behind her ear. The contact of his fingers against the skin of her ear raised goosebumps on her forearms, but she tried to quickly disguise it. "What do you say? Dinner?" He asked again.

"Killian, I don't think it's a good idea."

He sighed and looked at her longingly. "Why are you so afraid of this?"

"I'm not afraid." She contested and he looked at her sadly.

"I don't know what happened in your life, Emma, but there's something in here… you know it. You can feel it as much as I do."

She was losing herself in him, in his blue eyes and sad smile; in that look of recognition and empathy that was pulling her into him like a magnet. His eyes darted to her lips for a second before slowly leaning in…

"Is this man bothering you, lass? Do you need assistance?" The sound of a voice startled her from the daze she'd been in and she saw Killian's annoyed look at the interruption. He turned around to face the intruder.

"Go away!" Killian said in an unamused tone.

"I sail all the way from Boston to see you and this is the welcome I get, little brother?" Killian rolled his eyes in annoyance as the stranger smirked at him.

"Younger brother, and you could have warned me, Liam." He replied shortly.

Liam approached them, an amused smile on his face. "I am sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt… actually, I did." He looked at Emma earnestly. "Liam Jones, milady and you might be…"

Emma saw this as an opportunity to run away from Killian and his intense blue eyes. "No one, I was just leaving." She spun around and quickly walked away, not paying attention to Killian's voice.

"Emma!" Killian called to her without any success, before sighing and turning around to glare at his brother. "Bad form, Liam."

Liam clasped his shoulder. "I thought you two were involved…"

"Well, I was trying to get her to go out with me before you interrupted me." Killian retorted.

"I am sorry, Killian." Liam apologized before looking at his brother, his face growing serious. "It's – At least it's good to see you like this… trying."

Killian reached to hug his brother. "Welcome to Storybrooke, Liam. Let me show you the shop."

/-/

"She's the Sheriff?!" Liam choked on his tea.

"Aye…" Killian's shoulder slumped as he scratched his head behind his ear before looking back at his brother. "Go on, Liam, let me have it." He braced himself, preparing for his brother's teasing and lecturing. Liam smiled softly at him shaking his head. "No lectures from me, Killian." His gaze travelled around the little shop, taking in the air of familiarity and easiness in which his little brother seemed to be. "This place suits you, brother." His voice was slightly thick with emotion.

"It does." Killian admitted.

The bell on the door rang as Ruby entered the shop, smiling brightly at Killian. "I have your order right here," she said. "Two cheeseburgers and fries."

"Thank you, lass. How much do I owe you?"

"On the house." Ruby smiled at him before turning around and looking at Liam curiously. "Hi."

Killian couldn't help but chuckle at the awestruck expression in Liam's face.

"Ruby, this is my brother Liam. He just arrived to visit me for a few days."

Ruby smirked at him. "Welcome to Storybrooke." She turned to leave. "See you later, boys."

Killian observed how Liam took a few long strides to watch her leave. He slapped Liam on the back of head.

"Ouch. What was that for?"

Killian pointed a finger at him. "Don't." He said. "She just broke up with a bloody buffoon that did not appreciate her. She does not need you coming in with your charming attitude for a while and after that leaving town just like nothing mattered." He quickly moved towards his living quarters at the back of the store and came back carrying plates and napkins, "And I live here, Liam. It would be me dealing with the mean stares and Emma will probably find an excuse to arrest me."

"Alright, stop. I will not do anything to jeopardize your life in town, brother."

"Thank you." Killian said.

/-/

Emma had been avoiding the shop for the past few days. She'd instructed Henry to come directly to the station when he was finished helping Killian stock shelves before walking him home without glancing in the shop's direction. She sighed, frustrated at the paperwork in front of her. The knock on the doorframe brought her back to reality and she found Killian smiling at her, a travel mug in his hand.

"Killian…"

"I just brought you this… You have not been by the shop and I – I" He placed the mug on her desk. It was then when she noticed the tattoo on his right forearm.

"Who's Milah?" She asked raising an eyebrow at him and she watched him swallow hard, something painful flickering in his eyes.

"She was my wife." He said in a strained voice.

"Are you divorced?"

She watched as he smiled sadly, a weak smile that did not reach his eyes. "Widower." He said in barely a whisper, before clearing his throat and looking at her, his eyes almost welling with tears. "Right, I just wanted to bring you this, that is all. Have a nice day." He said quickly retreating before she had a chance to say anything.

She took a sip of the hot cocoa, and for the first time, it had a bittersweet taste.

Killian stood silently behind the counter in his shop, lost in his own thoughts. Liam thought about saying something, but he decided against it, settling for just providing silent companionship. Killian watched how Liam's eyes wandered towards the front yard of Granny's; where Ruby was busy cleaning tables. He noticed how his brother's face lifted in a hopeful smile and ran his hand down his face in frustration.

"Fine." Killian said before reaching for a little box and wrapping six chocolates in it. "These are her favorites. Go." He gave the box to Liam.

"Are you sure brother?"

"It doesn't make sense for both of us to be moping around in here. It seems you actually might have a chance, so…" Killian shrugged as he looked at his brother. "Just get out of here."

He stood there by the window, watching his brother quickly make his way towards Ruby. The bell on the door startled him as he watched Emma enter the shop.

"Swan…" He smiled.

"I – I wanted to return your mug." She said placing it on the counter. His hand reached for it, his fingers grazing hers. She looked at him as their hands melted together.

"I'm sorry." She whispered and he nodded.

He looked at her, a soft plea in his eyes, "My brother brought his boat here and I'd really love to take you sailing, Emma."

She smiled at him, "Are you going to tell me why you usually don't charge for your chocolates?"

He raised an eyebrow at her, "Perhaps."

/-/

She breathed in the sea air and enjoyed the wind on her face as she looked at the outline of the town. They had been sailing for a while and Killian had decided it was time to drop the anchor. She turned around to see him carefully spreading the food over a blanket.

"Come here!" He called as he grabbed the thermos that he'd brought and poured the liquid into mugs.

She went to join him. "Let me guess what you brought: Chocolate?" She smirked at him.

"You know me so well." He teased her as he handed her a mug. "There's your favorite hot chocolate with cream and cinnamon." He pointed at the little array of chocolates on the blanket. "White chocolate truffles, milk chocolate filled with Nutella, dark chocolate and hazelnut and chocolate covered strawberries."

"Wow. This looks incredible." She admitted as she took a sip of her hot chocolate. "So, why don't you charge?"

"You don't stand on ceremony, do you?" He lifted an eyebrow at her and she shrugged. "Fine." He sighed, scratching behind his ear. "I don't usually charge because I don't need the money. Liam and I had – have – a very successful sailing company in Boston."

"You have a sailing company in Boston but you opened a chocolate shop in Storybrooke?"

"After Milah died, I needed a break from my life, I just – I just couldn't go back to doing everything as I used to without her being there. I – I needed things to change, to be different, and just keep on moving…" He played with a loose strand on the blanket. "So I traveled around, studied chocolates and just kept on going from place to place, experimenting with flavors and getting to know people, making a connection with them through their favorite chocolates. Somehow, I ended up here." He looked at her. "And I met you… Hot chocolate with whipped cream and cinnamon on top." He smiled at her.

"Which one is your favorite?" She asked.

"Oh no, Swan. I won't tell you my secrets. You'd have to guess." He whispered before reaching for one of the chocolates and getting closer to her. "You have to try the Nutella ones." His fingers carefully placed the chocolate on her mouth, fingers grazing her chin as he watched her close her eyes and savor the chocolate inside her mouth. He could barely restrain the need to taste those lips, as he'd been fantasizing to do for weeks. He needed to be closer, wrap his arms around her and lose himself in her eyes. The sound she made sent him to the edge as he carefully caressed her cheek, tilting her head closer to his. When she opened her eyes, he saw his desire mirrored in her green eyes and he leaned in to press his lips to hers, groaning when she welcomed him. Her tongue darted to meet his. The taste of chocolate and cinnamon and her made his blood boil and he grunted as he felt his body aching for her touch. He breathed her in, pulling her towards him.

He didn't know how long he kissed her, but when they finally pulled apart, her lips were swollen and her hair disheveled. He smiled softly at her before looking at clouds gathering on the horizon. He sensed the wind picking up as well.

"We should head back." He said, "There's a storm coming."

It started to pour shortly before they reached the docks, so Killian sent Emma to the cabin below deck as he steered the boat. He finally came down after docking the boat, raindrops falling from his hair, his eyes carrying a mischievous glint as he shivered a little. Their eyes locked and in an instant he strode to her, his lips sealing against hers, giving in on the pent up feelings he's been carrying for weeks. The need to touch, to caress, to explore, to map every inch of her body with his hands, to memorize every scar, every freckle, every spot. To uncover the recipe that would make her shiver against him, that would make her whisper his name against his ear, panting and breathing heavily. His hands anchored her hips against him as he pressed her against the nearest wall. His lips trailed kisses down her jaw, her neck, her collarbone and she gasped as he pressed insistently against her, his hand reaching underneath her shirt to press his palm flat against the skin of her stomach. She moaned and she could feel his smile against her skin.

"You feel so good, love." His hand moved up and down her ribcage to play with the fabric of her bra. His fingers softly caressing her breast over the fabric, making her whimper against him. The sound of his voice is intoxicating, his breathing against her skin causing every inch of her body to heat until it's almost unbearable. Her hands caressed his back, pressing him tighter against her as she relished the way her body reacted to his. She wanted to get lost in the feeling of him, in his body moving against hers, and not think about the consequences…

Consequences. There are always consequences.

The thought brought back memories that quickly sobered her from the daze his body had caught her in. She put her hands on his chest and pushed him slowly. "Killian… we have to stop."

He quickly pulled away, his eyes almost black with desire, and he ran his hand through his hair as he took a deep breath. "Aye, I –I"

"This was a mistake." She said, and she saw how his eyes shifted to confusion. "We – we shouldn't be doing this, any of this." Her heart beat frantically in her chest, her mind reliving images of a hurtful past, of being left behind. She was never enough, they'd all left her. Eventually, he will leave her.

"Swan, if I went too fast, I am sorry." He apologized but she waved a hand dismissively at him.

"It's not about this." She said. "I can't do this with you. I can't go through this again."

"Emma, whatever you went through before, I am not that person."

"Everyone leaves eventually, Killian." She sighed, tears coming to her eyes. "One day hot chocolate with whipped cream and cinnamon on top will bore you. One day you'll be done grieving and realize that you can move onto bigger and better. That you'll want to go back to your life in Boston. And I'll be here, picking up the pieces of my heart like I did the last time a guy barged into my life with sweet talk and heated gazes."

"I'm not him, Emma." He stated firmly.

"I can't take the chance that I am wrong about you." She said before reaching out for the stairs and leaving him there, standing in the middle of the cabin.