Page 81 of Next in Line
His hands reach out to cup my face. “Like a fucking great day of fishing I love you,” he murmurs against my lips. He presses his hard body flush against mine, and I can feel his heart pounding in his chest.
And in one breath…he’s kissing me.
Not just kissing me, though…
Worshiping me.
He parts my lips with his tongue and dives in deep and purposeful with a ferocity to his touch that I’ve never felt before. He gives me everything he has, and I give it right back because I can’t help myself. His lips taste like a confession my soul wants to hear. My hands tighten around his waist, aching for his warmth and affection to be felt over every inch of my body as our tongues dance and our bodies grind into one another.
It’s too much and still not enough. It feels like no matter how hard he kisses me, that fear that lives deep in my belly will still be there when he’s done. The anxiety of change presses down on me, and I’m being sucked out of the moment like yanking a rip cord during a free fall.
I pull back, my lips raw as I pant out hot breaths of cloudy air. My entire body has seemingly gone numb to the cold in response to this overwhelming declaration. I press a hand to Sam’s chest. “This was so not a part of my plan.”
“Fuck your plan, sparky,” he replies, tilting my chin up so I look at him. “I can’t promise you a fairy-tale happily ever after, but I can promise you an adventure that you don’t have to fake. Hell, just waking up with you is an adventure.”
A tear slips out and freezes halfway down my face. “I need time to process this.”
He stiffens, his hands falling away from my face. “Time to process what?”
“All of it,” I huff out with a laugh. “You and me. I need to get rid of Sterling and wrap my head around what this all means.”
He shakes his head from side to side. “Bullshit.”
“What?” I ask as he jerks away from me, putting way too much cold air between us.
“I’m not going to sit here and hope that I’m next in line for you, Maggie,” he growls and narrows his eyes at me. “It won’t happen.”
“What do you mean?” I exclaim, stepping closer to him with desperation in my eyes. “If you are finally admitting to having feelings for me, why can’t you be patient and understanding?”
“Because I’m not the kind of guy who waits in line,” he roars, clenching his fists at his sides, his entire body vibrating with a flash of anger that came out of nowhere. He suddenly stalks toward me, backing me up against the wall again and caging me in with his big arms. “I’m the kind of guy who’s always in the front, and if you don’t see me, then we are wasting our time.”
“What the fuck is going on out here?” a voice states from the restaurant doorway.
I look over and see Sterling standing there with the door propped open, his eyes dark with accusation.
Sam exhales, and his lips puff out angrily as he pushes off the wall. “You need to leave,” he states in an ominous tone.
“I need to leave?” Sterling barks back, stepping out and letting the door close behind him. “I think you’re the one who needs to step away from my girlfriend.”
“She’s not your fucking girlfriend,” Sam growls as he takes a step toward Sterling.
Sterling looks at me, his eyes full of confusion.
“Yeah, I know,” Sam answers Sterling’s silent question. “I know you had the fucking decency to dump her on Christmas. And I know you called her basic. And I know you’re ten times fucking wrong for her. So unless you want my fist in your face, I suggest you leave us the hell alone.”
Sterling laughs, stepping right into Sam’s space to play up his two-inch height advantage. “There is no us with you and her. I’m her past and her future, bro. So step the fuck back.”
He reaches out and shoves Sam on the shoulder.
Sam laughs with delight. “You do not want to put your hands on me.”
“Don’t put your hands on my pussy, and we won’t have a problem,” Sterling retorts and reaches out to push Sam again.
With those words, Sam snaps.
He dodges Sterling’s hand that’s reaching for his chest, and in a quick maneuver, he manages to hold a foot out and push Sterling in the back, sending him down to the ground with a loud thud. Sterling hops back up on his feet and lunges for Sam with all the athleticism of a quarterback while Sam grabs Sterling like a prepared lineman.
Sterling rears his right hand back and sends it flying into Sam’s ribs. Sam winces at the blow, but then he yanks Sterling off his hips, and in a flash, Sam’s fist connects with Sterling’s face.
