Page 146 of Not That Ridiculous

I flipped the latch, reached out to turn the sign to CLOSED, and someone abruptly flattened themselves against the glass door.

I sprang backwards with a strangled shriek.

Kevin jiggled the handle and knocked urgently.

We locked eyes through the glass. His were wide and wild. My were narrowed and pissed off. I reached out again, and calmly turned the sign to CLOSED.

Kevin’s eyes flicked to it, then back to my face. He shook his head.

I gave a big, exaggerated nod in reply.

“Let me in,” he yelled.

We’d been here before.

We werenotplaying a cute little game of peekaboo today.

I stuck one finger up in the air—not that one—leaned to the side and pressed the button beside the door for the security shutter.

NowI switched to the other finger.

I held it up high, like a salute, as the shutter clattered down, slats of metal cutting first across Kevin’s face and then his body.

Before the shutter had even reached the floor—I could still see Kevin’s shins and his scuffed boots—my phone started to ring in my back pocket.

I yanked it out.

Big surprise.

It was Kevin.

He’d had all day to respond to my text or return my call, and he hadn’t been in the mood.

NowIwasn’t in the mood.

I hung up, stuck the phone in my back pocket, and ignored it. I made a quick detour to snatch up a crumpled muffin wrapper hiding under one of the tables, grabbed my tray, and stalked into the back.

I remembered too late how things had gone last time we did this dance. I dropped the tray abruptly onto the counter and lunged to lock the back, but it popped open before I got there and Kevin strode in.

“Kevin,” I said before he could even start, “we can talk tomorrow but it’s been a long day and I am not in the mood. Can you please—oh my god.”

He walked right up to me, his hands framed my face, his lips hit mine, and he kissed me like the world was ending.

“Kevin,” I gasped, grabbing his shoulders. “What the?—”

He growled against my mouth and bit at my bottom lip. “Let. Me. In.”

“Can you just?—”

He gripped my jaw and pressed against my chin with his thumb, tilting his head as he did it, lips sliding over mine, demanding entry. Goosebumps rushed over me from scalp to toes and I gasped again. The second I did, he drove his tongue inside with an aching moan.

My knees weakened and he dragged me tight against his body, hooking an arm around my waist and digging possessive fingers into my arse cheek.

He lifted away to stare down at me, breathing hard. His pupils were blown and his eyes had that intense focus that made me almost—almost—nervous. His body was hard against mine, muscles hot and pumped. Presumably he’d just come from the gym. It hadn’t done much to burn off whateverthiswas. He grunted something again and lowered his head for another kiss.

I twitched away. “Wait. We have to talk. I?—”

His big arms locked around me and he lifted me off my feet. Not by much. An inch or so. Enough to cross the room and press me up against the nearest cabinet. I was completely pinned.

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