Chapter 20
Clinton
As I roll into the parking lot, I see Vivian, Reese and Sadie huddled up on the sidewalk outside of the bakery’s front door. The cupcake shop’s awning is hanging on by one hinge, swaying back and forth in the brisk autumn wind. At the sound of my motorcycle, Vivian spins around gracefully and her cheeks go pink. The force of her big, black eyes on me is like a punch to the chest. I’m still not used to how pretty she is, no thanks to her unexciting choice in clothing.
I barely take my eyes off of her as I roll to a stop and dismount my bike. Pulling my helmet off of my head, I tuck it under my arm and approach them.
“Morning, ladies.” My gaze slips down her body and memories of last night fill my mind. The thought of her on her knees, taking my cock between those pink lips as I pulled on her thick hair. The memory of my cum rolling down between her luscious breasts. My cock turns solid, throbbing for more of her. And from the lust in her eyes as she watches me, I can tell that she wants more, too.
“Hey Clinton,” Reese says. Her gaze moves knowingly between her sister and me. He lips slant with a wry smile. “I’m gonna finish getting set up for the day.” She grabs Sadie’s arm and takes slow steps backward toward the bakery’s door. The two giggling women disappear inside.
Vivian runs her tongue nervously over her lips. “Hello again.”
“Hello again.” I step up next to her and fold my arms over my chest as I look up at the wrecked awning. “What happened here?” Her eyes turn that way, too.
She heaves a sigh. “Looks like the wind picked it up and knocked it around last night,” she says.
“Looks like it.” My attention moves over her profile. The thick, glossy hair, the slope of her nose, the pout of her lips.
“Of course this happens on the day when my brother and brother-in-law are out of town.” She hooks the fingers of one hand around the back of her neck. Her other hand is banded around her belly. “I’ve gotta go call someone to come fix it before a passerby reports it to the police and I end up with even more trouble on my hands.” She gives me a little smile and turns toward the bakery’s door.
Fuck, I don’t want her to go. I want to spend more time with her. I’ve got a craving to have her close. “I can fix it,” I volunteer, hoping I don’t sound as desperate as I feel.
With a hitched brow, she glances at me. “You can fix it?”
I chuckle low. “Of course I can fix it.”
“You’re not a carpenter,” she points out challengingly.
Grunting roughly at the affront to my masculinity, I pin her with a stare. “I can fix it, Vivian.” I pull my wallet from my back pocket and flip it open. “Would you like to verify my man card?”
Slapping my wrist away, she laughs. Such a pretty laugh. “I don’t need to verify your man card.” Her eyes move into the barbershop where Cruz is already hard at work on a buzz cut while the other customers watch sports highlights and talk trash. “You already have three people waiting in the waiting area.”
I shrug a shoulder. “Well, they’ll wait. That’s what the waiting area is for.”
As her giggles die down, her eyes lock with mine in a long, earnest stare. “Fine. If you can fix the awning, I’d appreciate that.”
“Sure. Just give me a minute to grab some tools.”
With a wide grin on my face, I leave her on the sidewalk and rush into the barbershop to grab the rusty, old toolbox in the storage closet. When I snatch up the ladder, my cock twitches as memories flood back. I see the way her eyes light up too as I lean the ladder against the side of the building. She’s definitely thinking what I’m thinking.
Vivian stands on the sidewalk, handing me tools as I screw and hammer the awning back into place. Within half an hour, the thing is all tacked up and good to go. And the look on her face as I climb down the ladder—the fluttery eyelashes, the pink cheeks, the dreamy grin like I’m her very own personal hero—that’s what makes it worth it.
“Thank you,” she says in a voice that’s low and sultry. She steps up close to me, so close our bodies are almost touching.
My eyes focus on her lips. Her pretty, sexy mouth. “You’re welcome.” I’m aching all over to taste her. Last night when I tried to eat her pussy, she stopped me with vehement insistence. She probably had a bad experience with that. Probably a careless ex-boyfriend who didn’t know what he was doing when he had that pussy in his face. Sloppy motherfuckers! They ruin it for the rest of us. Anyway, I’m going to get her sitting on my face. In time.
I’ll have all of her. Every inch. In every position. She may not realize it yet, but I have every intention of making her mine.
“Hey…” she says hesitantly with her eyes glittering up at me as she twists her hands in front of her. “It’s my birthday on Saturday…”
I cock a brow. “Okay, then. I’ll check my schedule. I’m sure I can pencil you in for some birthday sex if that’s what you’re getting at.”
Giggling, she slaps me on the chest. “That’s not what I’m getting at.” She chews on her bottom lip, looking nervous. “My sister insists on taking me out to dinner with ‘friends’.” She scowls as she draws quotes around the word. “Her friends…Sounds like you’ve got a lot on your schedule. Too bad because I’d love to invite you along.” Her foot pivots left to right as she grinds the toe of her shoe into the pavement.
“You asking me on a date, Sunflower?” Her sudden shyness is amusing. And cute.
“Can you not make this weird please?” She’s getting redder by the second. For a traditional woman like Vivian, asking a man on a date is probably a major paradigm shift. Look at you, stepping outside of your comfort zone, Ms. Hartley. I may be an asshole, but I won’t let her off the hook so easy. Watching her squirm is quickly becoming one of my favorite things in the world.
I inch closer. “I’ll be your date on one condition?”
“What?” Her voice is all breathy, full of lust.
“I get a kiss. Now.”
She gasps softly, her eyes wide with disbelief. She glances around the street for any spectators. She stumbles a step back when her gaze hooks on the window of her cupcake shop. Her sister and Sadie are behind the counter, doing a horrible job of pretending to mind their business. Vivian fumbles with her words. “I think…I think…”
But I don’t give a fuck who’s watching. I cup her chin in my hand and brush my lips over hers. She groans from deep down. That only stokes the fire and greed in me. Because Vivian needs a man who will take control, someone who will make her feel safe and wanted in a world where she feels so insecure. So I kiss her. I purse my lips against hers and kiss her like she’s the most beautiful woman who ever walked this earth. She is. And I don’t want her doubting it anymore.
When I tunnel both of my hands into her perfectly crimped hair and move my lips across her cheek and down her jaw, she doesn’t fight me off. Instead, she wraps her arms around my waist and presses her body to mine. She feels so good. The tip of my tongue darts out, sliding along her sweet, long neck. If I don’t stop myself, I’ll eat her alive.
Pulling back takes all the strength I can muster. I do it reluctantly. My pulse roars and my breathing is heavy as I lean my forehead on hers. “What time do I pick you up on Saturday night?”
“Seven.” The wispiness in her voice makes my cock twitch.
“Good.” I grab the ladder and tools before walking toward the door of my barbershop. “And Vivian?”
Her expression is still hazy as she watches me. “Yes?”
“That birthday sex I know you want? It’ll be epic.” With a smirk etched on my mouth, I let the door swing closed behind me.