Page 29 of Grounds for Love

“Okay!” Blake yells to my back. “Glad we could chat. I’ll see your boat is taken care of.”

Had I turned around, I surely would have seen a wide, pleased grin decorating my asshole brother’s face.

In less than five minutes, I throw my truck in park in front of Uncommon Grounds and storm in the door. I don’t even notice the ten-deep line waiting to order or the other five waiting to pick up their order, or the two couples sitting and enjoying their order. All I see is Jenni behind the counter. My heart finally starts to beat once again just from being in the same room her. She looks so good, but I can tell by the purple smudges beneath her eyes that she’s not been sleeping any more than I have. Where is the smile that makes the corner of her eyes crinkle? Where is the laugher that makes everything a little bit better? This has to stop now.

I raise my voice. “You aren’t going out with any of those assholes.”

The murmurs and conversations in the coffee shop silence. Jenni looks up from the cup of coffee she’s making and our eyes connect. For a split second, she’s happy to see me and then the daggers start to fly. “You really want to do this here?”

I throw my hands up and scowl. “Why the hell not? Everybody in this town will know about it within the hour anyway.”

Her jaw tightens before she shouts back at me, “Fine! You don’t have a say in who I go out with, Rod Murphy.”

I hold her angry gaze and I can taste her in my mouth. “Yes, I do, and I’m telling you that you aren’t going out with anyone else but me.”

She scoffs and shakes her head in disgust. “Why in the hell would I go out with you again when you disappeared after we…” She pauses and glances around the room at everyone’s rapt attention. “Well, you know what I mean.”

I know exactly what she means and I’ll be making amends for the rest of my life.

“Because I love you!” I roar. “I didn’t have regrets and it wasn’t a mistake and that scared me shitless.”

She doesn’t skip a beat before yelling back, “I love you too! And I was every bit as scared as you were. What we did was beautiful and I will never have regrets. But you were wrong to say those things to me.”

My voice is loud and clear. “I was dead wrong to say them and I’m sorry I hurt you. If I could go back and do it over, there would be a much different ending.”

Her gorgeous lips twist, flatten into a scowl, and she raises her tone. “I apologize for what I said too, but you made me so damn mad. I didn’t mean it and I’m sorry.”

My chest is heaving as if we’ve just gone a few rounds in Shyanne’s MMA cage as I snarl, “Then it’s settled. You’re mine.”

She rolls her eyes and it’s the most adorable thing. “I guess it is and you’re mine,” she snaps and steps out from behind the counter.

“Fine,” I growl and take a menacing step forward. Nobody better get in the fucking way.

“Fine,” she barks back and takes a step in my direction.

Then we storm towards each other, our bodies collide, I grab her face, and my mouth crashes down on hers. Her lips are soft and welcoming and I thrust my tongue inside as she opens for me. She tastes sweet like one of those girly caramel lattes. Her fingers thread through my hair and I grasp her ass and pull her tight against me.

God, it’s been so long since I’ve been this desperate for a kiss. I need to be inside her. Now.

I don’t wait around for her to change her mind. I don’t hear Joy yelling that she’s got the shop or the cheers, catcalls, or applause as I leave the coffee shop with my lips still on Jenni’s. I’m taking this woman home and going to prove to her why we’re better together than apart. And then I will grovel.

Once I have her in the passenger seat of my truck, I force myself to leave her lips. Our foreheads touch as we both fight for breath. I’m afraid to say anything, but the desperate look that passes between us says it all. She needs me just as badly and that only makes my cock harder.

“My house,” I manage to get out and she nods fiercely.

Neither of us say a word on the drive. I stop in front of the house, not bothering to park in the garage, and I pull her out of the truck and carry her into the house and straight up the stairs.

The front door may close behind us—it may not—I don’t care. All I care about is getting to the bedroom and doing what I should have done that night. I’m going to make love to her, cherish her, and give her all the reassurances she needs to believe how much I love her. Only her.

Beside the bed we frantically tug each other’s clothes off. She shivers and I wrap my arms around her. She buries her face in my chest and exhales. I tilt her chin up, kiss the tip of her nose, and softly ask, “Let me love you, Jenni?”

She smiles and nods. “Yes. Make love to me, Rod.”

I gently lay her down on the bed and the love in her eyes reflecting back at me takes my breath.

Can I have this?

Do I deserve someone like Jenni?

No, but I can’t let her go.

I lean over and trail my knuckles over the soft skin of her shoulders and breasts. “You’re so fucking gorgeous.”

Her gaze runs over my body and my cock hardens even more from the blush rising on her face. I raise a brow and ask, “You like that, don’t you?”

Her eyes latch on to my dick. She swallows and stutters, “You…you’re big.”

“Keep it up, baby, and this might be over before it starts and I’m pretty set on taking my time and loving every inch of you.” The mattress dips as I place a knee on the bed.

Her gaze shifts from my dick to my eyes and she gives a short, enthusiastic exhale. “I can get on board with that.”

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