Chapter 1 -

Bethany Adams looked at the flyer that was in her mail slot and sighed, Steve's Sports and Collectibles was having another autograph signing. Three WWE superstars this time, last month it was a Hall of Fame baseball player and before that a local favorite football player. At least they had the decency to let the other shop owners on the block know this time. The coffee shop, bakery and pizza place would make a small fortune that day, but her little yarn shop, Heart Strings, would be deserted. She had two women who worked with her, both middle aged with grown children who just enjoyed the time around the shop and helping the customers select the perfect yarn and the perfect pattern for the perfect projects. She was thrilled with the success of her little shop, but every time Steve's had an event, she lost an entire day of business as the fans would line up outside her door and block her entrance all day long. She decided to give her tiny staff the day off and she would remain open just in case but planned on catching up on inventory.

Antonio Cesaro, Daniel Bryan and Alberto Del Rio were dropped off at the back entrance of Steve's Sports and Collectibles for their meet and greet session, it was their third appointment of the day and they were already exhausted. Being the company's three top champions, they always drew quite the crowd, their hands already ached from the previous autograph session. They could hear the buzz of the fans who were waiting out front and groaned, the crowd sounded rowdy and they could tell there wasn't much security.

The signing was every bit as unorganized as they anticipated, the three men were exhausted as they made their way back to their car. They stepped out the back door and froze dead in their tracks, there were at least 20 people swarmed around their car, there was no way they would be able to get in and make a quick getaway.

Beth strolled into her shop a little later than usual, she knew from experience that the fans would be lined up outside her door bright and early, so there was no way any of her customers would be able to sneak in before the bedlam started. She was dressed in a pair of faded blue jeans worn out at the knees and black tank top with a hoodie over it. She kicked off her shoes and slid her feet into her slippers as soon as she entered the back area.

She was still in her back store room organizing her inventory, she had just finished admiring a shipment of gorgeous hand dyed wools that she had to log and price before she set up a display in the front. She had the back door open to let in some fresh air and the radio on to drown out the noisy fans outside. She climbed up on the ladder to put away the giant box of personalized shopping bags when three massive men came running into her back room. She yelped in shock, felt the ladder start to wobble as she struggled not to drop the box on their heads and she lost her balance and went tumbling down into a pair of very strong and very muscular arms just as her box crashed to the floor.

"Sorry, we didn't mean to startle you," the man said smiling. She looked at him and was completely speechless, his voice was soft and he had an accent, she couldn't place it, but it was definitely European.

"Amigo, you can put her down now," the dark haired one said chuckling.

He gently let her down and the furry one said, "I'm sorry we barged in here, we were doing a meet and greet next door and our car is completely blocked in by crazy fans."

Beth somehow managed to find her voice again, "Ahh so you are the superstars that Steve brought in for this month's meet and greet."

"Bonita, you do not know who we are?" The dark haired one asked.

She shook her head, amused by the stunned looks on their faces. "Well, then I guess I'll start," she said, "My name is Beth and you are standing in the stock room of Heart Strings, my yarn shop. Your little meet and greet shut me down for the day so I am getting caught up on inventory."

"I'm Daniel Bryan," the furry one answered, "My Mexican friend is called Alberto Del Rio and your knight in shining armor is the Swiss Superman Antonio Cesaro."

"Well, you are welcome to hide out here until the crowd gets bored, but one of you is going to have to put that box on the floor up on that shelf," she said pointing to the top shelf.

"It would be my pleasure, mi amor," Alberto said taking the box and climbing the ladder.

She shook her head and went to start a pot of coffee, "You guys look wiped and I could use a break. Coffee sound good? If not, I have tea as well."

The three men all agreed that coffee sounded perfect. Antonio couldn't take his eyes off her as she walked across the room, those jeans fit her like a glove hugging her in all the right places and her long brown hair was twisted up into a messy bun secured with a stick. And she smelled delectable, a combination of scents he couldn't put his finger on.

Bryan punched Antonio in the shoulder, "Man, quit drooling. Go talk to her or something. Use that European charm on her," he said breaking him out of his trance.

"Can I help you with anything?" he asked, his voice sent chills down her spine.

She looked up at him, and had to struggle not to get lost staring into his brown eyes. "Um, yeah, there are some mugs hanging over the sink there."

"You have quite the coffee set up back here for a yarn shop," he said admiring her top of the line cafe stand.

"Oh yeah, we have craft and coffee nights, I'm perfectly happy with regular old coffee, but some of the others really like cappuccino and fancy stuff. And of course, I always have herbal tea, never underestimate the power of a good cup of tea."

"Regular old coffee is perfect, although I can't resist an espresso every now and then." he said smiling.

Beth showed them to what she called her "Craft Corner" where she had cozy mismatched chairs and couches, "This is where we do our group crafting, please, have a seat."

They sat down with their coffee and waited for the crowd to get tired of waiting for the three men to reappear outside. They chatted comfortably, with the three men teasing each other and Beth giving them tips for local restaurants and bars. The men spent a lot of time in the area, with Antonio currently living about a half an hour away in Tampa. Beth had no idea there were so many wrestlers living and training so close to her home. Finally the noise outside died down and the coast was clear. Daniel and Alberto thanked Beth for the coffee and headed out to the car, Antonio hung back.

"Do you have one of those coffee and craft nights tonight?" He asked.

"Oh no, not on a Friday night! No one would come." She said gathering up the dirty mugs.

"Maybe you are free for dinner?"

She looked at him wide eyed and stuttered a little before answering, "Um, yeah, of course, I mean, sure that sounds great."

"Excellent, let me drop Daniel and Alberto off at their hotel and I'll pick you up in an hour or so?"

"Sounds perfect. I live upstairs so, I'll be here."

"Dinner was great, Antonio, thanks so much," she said as he walked her to her front door. She was flabbergasted by how chivalrous he was - he held the car door for her, pulled out her chair at the restaurant, and even hooked his arm so she was resting her hand on his very well developed biceps, she had to resist the urge to feel up his whole arm. The whole evening was like something out of an old romance novel or a black and white movie.

"I have to fly up north for a few days, but I will be back in Tampa next week. Can I call you when I am in town?" he asked.

She nodded her head, "Absolutely," she said looking up at him.

He put his arm around her waist and leaned down and placed a sweet kiss on her lips. She smiled and he pulled her closer, kissing her more passionately as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He dragged the tip of his tongue across the seam of her lips and she instantly parted them, allowing him to explore her mouth with his tongue. She stood up on her tip toes, pressing her chest against his and deepening the kiss, moaning into his mouth. After a few moments, he reluctantly pulled away so they could both catch their breath, he twirled a strand of her hair around his finger.

"Good night, Prinzessin. Thank you for a wonderful evening." He said as he released her.

"Um, good night, and thank you," She stammered.

He watched as she unlocked her door and went inside, she peeked through the blinds and watched him get back into his car. Did he really call her Prinzessin? She was swooning like a teenager.