Page 7 of Bountiful
What did I need from a rich guy from Connecticut or New York? Nothing. Guys like that weren’t interested in the bartender except for easy sex. Which I was about to give him. In return I was getting a night offorgetfulness.
He was pretty nice to lookat,too.
I took one last glance around the kitchen, making sure nothing was left out of place. I was stalling, I supposed. A one-night stand was nothing new to me—I’d been having them since high school. But taking a risk on a stranger wasn’t usually part of thebargain.
Hopefully I’d be able to look myself in the eye in the morning. Because I wouldn’t be looking at Hot Ginger. He’d belonggone.
When I reentered the bar area, he was waiting for me, chin in hand. “You okay? You can still kick me out, you know.” He gave me a friendly smile. “I’ll only take it a little bitpersonally.”
That smile made me remember why I was doing this. Wowzers. I felt a little more alive every time he looked at me. That buzz in my chest wasn’t fear, but anticipation. The man had aseriouslyhard body that even a polo shirt couldn’t disguise. I hadn’t had a good frolic inmonths.
I was due. And he waswaiting.
“Come on,” I said crankily. Grumpiness came naturally to me. And I’d be damned if I’d let the man see that I was uncomfortable. “Let’sgo.”
A minute later I had the bar locked up tight for the night. I put my key in the other door, the one leading to my upstairs apartment. After letting myself in, I pocketed the key and flipped the lights on over the narrow little staircase. He followed me, and it was odd having company in this cramped space. The first stair creaked as I steppedonit.
This would be the awkward part. He and I both knew what would eventually happen upstairs. But first we had to get past the small talk. I’d offer him a drink. He’d say something kind about my tiny little apartment. I’d try to figure out who was going to make thefirstmove…
Suddenly, a warm hand reached out to curl around my forearm, stopping my progress up the stairs. Then another hand closed firmly around the length of my hair. It might have been terrifying except that warm lips softly kissed the skin at my neck. Goosebumps broke out all downmyback.
“Zara,sweetheart.”
“I’m notsweet,” I said in an almost normal voice, though my heart thudded as his grip tightened onmyhair.
He laughed. “Touché. But keep your cute, grumpy ass right here for a second. There’s something I needtosay.”
“Thensayit.”
A low, growly noise of approval came from somewhere deep in his chest, and I barely managed to contain another shiver of excitement. “You are a feisty one. I like that. I’m going to show you a very good time now,” he whispered. “But if there’s anything I do you don’t like, just say ‘timeout.’”
“Okay,” I rasped, a little scared and a whole lotturnedon.
“Say it for me right now. For practice.” He kissed me again on the back of the neck, his tongue touching me sotenderly.
“Time out,” Ibreathed.
His hands dropped away and he stepped back. Only cool air kissed my neck now. “That’s all you have to do,” he whispered. “I’m not having fun unless you’rehavingfun.”
“O-kay,” Istammered.
A big hand palmed my ass. “Now get up those stairs so I can get you out of theseclothes.”
Well. Small talk must be off thetable,then.
Trotting up the stairs and into my darkened one-room living space, I tiptoed over to a lamp beside the bed and switched it on. Two seconds later, he was right there beside me, giving me a nudge until my back hit the closet door. He cupped the side of my face and bent down to kiss my throat. The sound of his happy groan vibrated in my chest. “Fuck, you’re beautiful. Been wanting to taste your skin since the first time I stepped into thatdamnbar.”
I wasn’t used to hearing compliments and didn’t entirely trust them. But his lips and tongue worshiped my sensitive neck, sending shivers down my body. His breath whispered across my skin as his hot mouth placed yet another kiss on my neck. He gave a gentle suck, and I melted back againstthedoor.
My life choices were starting to seem pretty damned smart. I reached up to cop my first feel of his sculpted pecs, and he chuckled against my skin. “Find something you like? Take my shirt off, beautiful. Doitnow.”
Eager to obey, I pushed the cotton fabric up his chest, my palms indulging in every bump and ripple while his smirking eyes watched my progress. The humor in his expression made this easier. His mix of bossiness and amusement put meatease.
Apparently I was taking too long, because he reached up and opened the button at the collar of his polo, then grabbed the back of his shirt and shucked it over his head. And,wow. He was built. Even his muscles hadmuscles.
“You must spend a lot of time inthegym.”
“You have no idea. Enough talking, beautiful.” Grasping both my hands, he put them on his warm chest. Then he leaned in and kissed my neck again. Anddamn. His eager lips and bossy tongue did wonderful things tomymood.
