Page 10 of Call Out
“Sorry? What for? No wonder you’ve got a certificate. I’d pass you for that CPR method.” I chuckle, propping up onto my elbow. If I get up now, she’ll see the hard-on trying its hardest to devour her. This girl is honey and sunshine. My stomach sinks.Am I ready to let someone in?
“That was reckless and irresponsible,” she says breathlessly, scooting backwards. “Someone could’ve walked in on us.”
“It was just CPR.” My boots scuff over the linoleum floor as I prepare to stand.
“CPR? Uh—it was more like making out. I’m not in the habit of canoodling with strangers.” Viv jumps up like a wildcat, startled and on high alert.
Canoodling. This girl has her own language, and it turns me on. “Viv, that wasn't reallycanoodling.”
“Yes it was,” she argues. A thin line creases her smooth forehead. “Tongues were involved, and there was nowhere in my training manual that recommended that behavior.”
Once I’m towering over her again, I stare down at her flushed cheeks and heaving chest. She reverses into the counter, hitting her ass when she can’t retreat any further.
“It wasn’t a proper kiss,” I counter.
“W-w-well...” she stutters. “It felt like a proper kiss to me.”
I stalk forward, penning her against the cabinets with my arms. Black pupils dilate and contract. In a flash, my hands lift to cup her jaw, and I cover her mouth with mine again. Only this time it's needy and hungry. Her hands land on my chest, not to push me away but to curl around my t-shirt and yank me closer.
The slight groan she tries to suppress almost kills me. My heart rate takes off, and my pulse pumps faster. I struggle to keep my head screwed on. She deserves better than a dirty fuck in a breakroom. Before I lose control, I rip my lips away. “I’ll be late for work at this rate.”
Her lashes lower, and she draws her lips between her teeth. A simple nod replaces her words. As I step back to grab my jacket, Viv exhales in a gust. Slotting my hand into the pocket, I check the missed call on my phone. It’s not Johnny or the dispatch center. Another unknown number without a voice message. That’s the fifth call this week. The last time I answered an anonymous call, the asshole hung up the second I said hello. It’s grating on my last nerve. I jam the phone into my back pocket and sigh. “Thanks for the tea, Viv. My shift starts in half an hour, so I’ll get going.”
Glancing over my shoulder, I find her staring right at me, arms folded in a self-hug and sadness darkening her pretty eyes.
“I’m running late,” I confirm.
“I get it.” Her chin lifts, and her gaze jumps to the doorjamb. “Nonna was right,” she mutters. “Goodbye.” The temperature between us drops from tropical to polar.
“Everything okay?”
“Wonderful,” she replies with a forced smile, like she’s trying her best to sound happy.
“Who was right about what?”
The phone buzzes again, and Viv clamps her mouth shut. I drag it out and tap to answer. “Hello?” It disconnects immediately. My arm tenses, choking the phone to resist a hot-tempered toss. “Fucker!” I growl under my breath.
Her voice cuts through my angry cloud. When my eyes meet hers, they’re narrowed and unfriendly. “I’ve got work to do.” She pushes past me. “Show yourself out.”
“Wait.” I reach for her elbow, but she’s too quick. Viv marches off like nothing happened between us. But it did. She threaded together all my tiny wishes of a fresh start—with someone new. “Can I see you again?” I shout after her.
She spins around to face me, still moving backwards. “No. I don’t date biker guys.”
“But you kiss them?”
She shrugs. “You kissed me.”
I jostle my jacket in the air. “You kissed me back.”
A black mound of glossy fur darts past her legs and heads straight for me. The cute pug sits at my feet, barking for attention. I bend down and scoop her up.
“That’s my guard dog. Be careful, she might bite you.”
“Really?” I laugh.
Viv stifles a smile and smooths out her skirt. “Weren’t you leaving?”
I was, and I should. My pet peeve is tardiness, and yet I’m struggling to walk away when I sense she’s upset about something. I close the distance and offer her a heartfelt smile. “Dinner?”
