Page 30 of Honeyed

Alana’s quiet moan down my throat snaps me out of the haze, and I break away swiftly, meeting her shocked blue pools as our noses brush. Her irises flit back and forth between mine, like she’s trying to find the meaning of why that kiss morphed into something neither of us could control. Like wildfire, sucking us in and destroying everything in its path.

“Woo!” August fans her face with embarrassment while Leona whistles and stares at the ceiling.

“We get it.” Mr. Claus rolls his eyes angrily as he stomps out of the store, and two customers who must have come in while we were making out start to slow clap with grins on their faces.

Alana wipes her mouth with the back of her hand as her cheeks turn bright red. I try to clear my throat and stick my hands in my pockets to adjust my rock-hard cock without it looking obvious, but I think I fail.

I’m in such deep, deep shit.

There is absolutely no way things will ever be normal between us. I mean, I guess I knew that when I asked her to marry me. But it’s unlocked that thing inside me that could always put distance between us. Having to touch and kiss her in front of other people to prove our genuine connection has opened up a world of shit for me. Like I won’t be able to stop if she wants to try this in private.

“I, uh, better get to work.” She shuffles her feet and runs a hand through her midnight waves.

“Or have a cold drink.” Her mother winks at her.

“Mom,” she mutters like she’s humiliated.

Meanwhile, my heart hasn’t stopped galloping, and I can’t seem to stop my fingers from reaching out for her. “I’ll come back to your office after dinner service starts, okay?”

“Ew, I don’t need to know what you’re doing to my sister back there.” Evan walks out of the kitchen with a grimace on his face.

“Christ,” I grumble as I head for the front door, needing some air.

Leona’s chuckle hits my back as I walk out.

But my backward glance reveals Alana, still standing in the same spot I left her, her eyes on me as her fingers dust over the lips I just thoroughly kissed.

13

WARREN

On Friday afternoon, I arrange for some of our part-timers to cover the afternoon and beginning of the weekend dinner rush so that I can surprise Alana with something.

“You ready?” I ask as I rap my knuckles on her office door.

“Just finishing up the last of this giveaway campaign.” She taps on her keyboard distractedly, chewing on her full bottom lip.

Today, it’s the color of blood-red oranges, and I wonder what her lipstick would taste like if I took it off with my mouth. Since making Alana my wife, my dirty fantasies about her have intensified. Whenever she talks, I’m distracted by the way one side of her mouth tips up. As she comes down the stairs of our joint house in the morning, I can’t help that my eyes trace every inch of muscle on those long legs. Sitting on the couch together watching a show has become torture, just hearing the little reaction noises she makes to a storyline.

Of course, all these hidden obsessions were hard to manage before we were married, but at least then I didn’t have to be around her twenty-four seven. Now, she’s legally mine to touch and hold. Yes, I’m well aware that sounds creepy and like I don’t care about consent, which I very much do. It’s just that under the eyes of the law, we should be doing what all married people do.

“What’s the giveaway again?” I clear my throat and sit in one of the fuzzy white chairs she has on the other side of her desk.

Alana always has something or other going on with the marketing of Hope Pizza. Sure, we drum up good business by word of mouth, but Alana is responsible for the people who come far and wide for a slice. She’s the one who started getting us into news segments and publications. A couple years ago, our pizzeria was chosen as the host spot for an episode of a food competition show, and the influx of customers after that was insane. That had all been Alana’s doing. She’s the one who comes up with PR strategy, social media budgets, creates graphics for the ads, etc. I know her parents were tough on her, but that’s how I know she’ll be successful with this new store. The woman has more hustle in one pinky than more of us have in our whole body.

“Giving away a free dinner for two, plus a magnum bottle of our best wine. All they have to do is follow us on all socials and tag a friend. The post has three hundred comments so far and I just posted it two days ago, but I wanted to ad boost it so that it gets more traction. Our social presence is good, but I’m trying to draw more newsletter signups, so all these people will be blasted the link all week as this giveaway goes on. Because I’m persistent as hell.” She grins like she isn’t the business devil.

“You’re an evil genius.” I reach across the desk and high-five her.

The contact makes my skin spark, like it normally does, and I can’t stop thinking about our kiss at the pickup counter the other afternoon. Judging how she was trying to scoot closer to me on the couch in the living room last night, I think she hasn’t forgotten either.

“Where are we headed anyway?” She still doesn’t look up, keeping those gorgeous eyes glued to her last task.

“You’ll see.” I try to contain my smirk.

That has Alana’s head lifting, a loose lock of hair drifting in front of her eye. I want to tuck it behind her ear badly but know this isn’t the time or place to explore the itch to touch her.

“Being tricky today, are we?” she teases, closing her laptop and gathering her things into the oversized camel-colored bag she always carries.

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