Page 16 of Love at First Slice
“Because…” I hesitated and sighed.Fuck it.I’d never known any other way than to be completely honest. “It’s because when you mentioned liking that blanket, my first instinct was to make sure to order something like it so when you come over, I had you covered.” Her breath hitched, and my cock liked the sound of it. I leaned closer. “This is probably too much, too fast, but you feel this. I feel this.”
“Mark—“
“Even the way you say my name, the way it sounds coming out of your mouth,” I groaned as my forehead touched hers. “You have any idea how much I want to kiss you?”
“You do?” The surprise in her voice wasn’t what got to me; it was the hint of innocence. I stared at her again. She had an innocence about her that made me look at her deeper and deeper as I tried to figure out how old she was.
“There’s that look again,” she whispered, her voice a little thicker as those honeyed eyes dropped to my lips. “How old are you?” she asked, and I blinked.
Fuck. What if I was too old for her?
What if she was too young for me? I knew she was over eighteen but… “I’m forty-one,” I announced, feeling like I was on pins and needles for the whole second it took her to process what I’d said.
“Forty-one,” she repeated and then, to my surprise, giggled.Fucking giggled.
“Something funny, little girl?” I asked quietly, daring myself not to fucking blink. She shook her head.
“I’m twenty-eight.”
“You are?” I asked, thankful as hell. Thirteen years between us. Was that too much for her?
“I am. How old did you think I was?”
“I’m not sure. I just know…” I swallowed hard. “A man my age shouldn’t be sitting this close to you and sure as hell shouldn’t be thinking the things I’m thinking.”
“Really?” Her eyes lit up instead of being alarmed. Jesus, my girl didn’t seem to have an ounce of self-perseverance. “Lucky for us… you’re not just any man, are you?” If Abby thought there would be any kind of chance of her escaping from my clutches, my claim, she’d just sealed her fate with those little words.
“I’m not?” I asked as I stared at her for a moment too long.
“You’re a principal. You’re all about doing the right thing, no?” She reminded me of what I did, but, Jesus Christ, between the way my cock throbbed and my hands ached to hold her, I couldn’t focus. “And you punish those who don’t listen?”
“Abby,” I warned, but her laughter sounded like a bell around me.Punish those who didn’t listen.Fuck, did Abby have a bratty side that needed to get straightened out? I shifted on the patio furniture trying to subtly adjust my hard cock.
“What?” she asked innocently, but it was that bright gleam of interest in her eyes that gave her away. “I’m just playing with you.” She winked confidently. My hand rose from behind her and cupped her face. She stilled.
“I’d reprimand you if needed. Take… disciplinary action to straighten out the issue and hope you learned from it in the future.” I had no idea why the fuck I was goading this fucking subject. Roleplay had never been my thing, but I had feeling that was about to change. Shit. I should have been asking her about her favorite color and food, not threatening to bend her over my desk and teach her a lesson she’d beg me to teach for the rest of our lives.
“Reprimand,” she repeated, rolling those pretty, full lips against one another. They were painted a pretty, brownish-orange shade I wanted to kiss right off. “Too bad I never have to reprimand anyone at my job.” She laughed nervously, andjust like that, the subject changed. I stroked her face, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
“What’s the wildest thing you’ve ever had to deal with at work?” She scooted closer before lifting the blanket and letting the end of it drape over my leg.
“That’s easy.” She smiled brightly while sharing all about a corporate retreat where she found the HR director and the CEO of the company in a storage closet in a very compromising position.
“It was…” She made a face, and I chuckled.
“What was the most stressful?” The light in her eyes slightly dimmed.
“This summer, we had a wedding that was supposed to take place by the lake. Everything was going great. The planning had been… seamless. Looking back, I should have realized it was too easy. I mean, it was the easiest wedding I’ve ever helped put together.”
“Uh-oh.”
“I know,” she huffed, leaning into my hand as I stroked the apple of her cheek. “That should have been my first clue something bad was going to happen. At the rehearsal, things were a little off, but nothing horrible, you know? Just… tense. Between the groom and the best man. Then the bride was… I don’t know, she was a little melancholic, but I chalked it up to cold feet.”
“Shit.”
“The day of the wedding, the ceremony is about to start when suddenly, no one can find the groom. I mean nowhere, Mark. We looked for him everywhere at the resort.”
“Shit.”
