LATE NIGHT KISSES Page 6

  “You’re welcome. Get into the car.”

  “I also want you to know that I’m not inviting you into my house just because you’re taking me home. I don’t want you getting your hopes up.”

  He smiled.

  “I’m serious,” I said. “I mean, I’m sure sex with you is phenomenal, but—”

  He lifted me up mid-sentence and placed me onto the passenger seat. Then he buckled the belt for me.

  When he returned to his side and cranked the engine, I realized we weren’t in his squad car. We were in a decked-out Audi R8 with custom white and red trimmed seats.

  “They must pay cops a lot of money in Cedar Falls,” I said softly.

  “It’s triple what I made in any of the metro cities,” he said, smiling. “Which is quite ironic since I do three times less work. I also own twenty percent of the stock in my brother’s tourism company, so that helps.” He leaned toward the backseat, picking up a bouquet of white and red tulips, my favorite. “I bought these five minutes before you called me to cancel.”

  “Thank you.” I blushed as I pressed my fingers against the petals. I said nothing as he drove through the snow-covered lanes, keeping my gaze forward, even though I could sense him looking over at me whenever we approached a stoplight.

  The sexual tension between us was thicker than ever, and I wasn’t sure how to address it.

  It wasn’t until we were a few minutes away from my house that I thought of something to say.

  “Do I still owe you four dates?”

  “You’re now up to five.” He looked over at me. “At the rate, you’re going, you’ll be up to twenty by the end of the week.”

  “Well, since the party I’m catering tomorrow doesn’t require me to stay the entire time, I think I can go out with you around seven. Since I’m being forced to date you, that is.”

  He laughed. “Let’s aim for eight, just in case.”

  “Fine. Since I have to see you multiple times, can you admit that you made up most of the answers on your personality test? Might as well tell the truth at this point.”

  “You don’t think we have anything in common?”

  “Besides living in Cedar Falls and loving sarcasm, no,” I said. “I don’t typically go for guys like you.”

  “That’s probably why you’re still single.”

  I rolled my eyes as he turned onto my street. “For one of my answers, I wrote that I loved to read books.”

  “As do I.”

  “I read mostly romance books.”

  “And?” He smirked. “I’ve read plenty of those. Eight in the past week.”

  “Did you read them for help in the sex department?”

  “I’ve never needed help with that,” he said. “For the record, I like all books, and a real reader can appreciate any genre.”

  “I wrote that my ideal Saturday was staying in bed while watching Netflix and drinking tea.”

  “My ideal Saturday is not being bothered, so that’s the same thing. Anything else?”

  “I’ll print out my answers and bring up more tomorrow.”

  “I’d rather you didn’t.” He parked in my driveway and looked at me. “I’m extremely attracted to you and vice versa. You want someone to make you come while devouring your pussy finally, and I’m going to enjoy every second of that. Just like I’ll enjoy making you scream out my name while I’m fucking you against something other than a bed.” He pressed a finger against my lips. “Before you claim that these things don’t count, tell me the name of any other guy who was willing to chase you down for a second chance.”

  “You mean, blackmail me for a second chance,” I whispered.

  “Same thing.” He raised his eyebrow. “Name one guy.”

  I couldn’t.

  “I thought so,” he said, stepping outside. He opened my door and pressed his hand against the small of my back as he walked me to the steps that led to my front door.

  He stepped back onto the porch landing, making it clear that he wasn’t expecting an invitation.

  I fumbled for the key, pushing it into the lock.

  “There’s a reason I can’t invite you in,” I said softly, wanting to do the exact opposite. “As a fellow romance reader, you should know that the couple has to go on at least one date before sex.”

  “I do know that.” He looked amused. “But just so we’re clear, finger-fucking the heroine on her job and letting her know she won’t be able to walk after I finish owning her pussy with my mouth is fine. Correct?”

  My cheeks reddened, and I struggled to get a single word out. I could only nod.

  “Well, seeing as though you’ve only read about these things in the fictional world instead of experiencing them in the real one, I don’t think we should rush, but I also don’t think we should use the romance books as a guideline.”

  He didn’t give me a chance to respond to that. He stepped closer and covered my mouth with his, kissing me as I’d never been kissed before. He didn’t pull away until I was damn near breathless until I was seconds away from begging him to come inside anyway.

  “The hero is allowed to do that at this point, right?” he whispered.

  I nodded, still struggling to catch my breath.

  “Good.” He planted one last, toe-curling kiss against my lips. “I’ll see you tomorrow at eight.”

  “TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT” CRÈME BRULEE

  6 egg yolks

  6 tablespoons white sugar

  ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

  2 ½ cups heavy cream

  2 tablespoons brown sugar

  CHRISTINA

  I ROLLED OVER ON MY mattress the next morning, taking a few more seconds to revel in thoughts of Nathan kissing the hell out of me the night before.

  “The hero is allowed to do that at this point, right?”

  When I finally opened my eyes, I caught sight of my alarm clock and screamed.

  The “morning” was long gone, and it was already three o’clock in the afternoon. Eight hours past the time when my alarm was supposed to sound, and six hours past the time I was supposed to be setting up for the annual Cedar Falls Festival.

  Panicking, I stumbled out of bed and took a quick shower. I dressed in an oversized sweater and leggings, not caring that they didn’t match.

  Grabbing my purse, I pulled out my phone and saw dozens of text messages from my top baker.

  Lori (Top Baker): The bakery is locked. Where are you?

  Lori (Top Baker): Are you on your way????

  Lori (Top Baker): Mayor just called asking about some changes. Can you answer your phone?!

  Lori (Top Baker): WHERE ARE YOUUUUUUU???!!!!!

  Shit. Shit. SHIT!

  I rushed downstairs to find my car keys and saw Amy sitting at my kitchen table. Looking as unbothered as ever, she was stuffing a bite of pancake into her mouth.

  “I could’ve sworn we had a deal,” I said. “Whenever you come over and spend the night on the eve of my important events, you’re supposed to make sure I’m awake on time. I know you worked late last night, but you still promised to wake me up at seven.”

  She blinked.

  “Like, you know how important today’s event is for me,” I said, forcing my feet into boots.

  “Oh, I do know.” She smiled. “I put condoms, mints, and a change of clothes in your car already. I’m looking forward to hearing all about your night with the officer. I bet he’ll make you come more than once. What do you think?”

  I didn’t have the energy to tell her what I was talking about. I grabbed my coat and keys from the rack, stepping outside on the porch.

  It took me all of two seconds to realize that my car wasn’t here.

  What the hell?

  “I thought you said you placed stuff in my car.” I stepped into the house again. “Where is it?”

  “It’s at the festival already.” She placed her hands on my shoulders. “No need to panic, Christina. I got you.”

  I gave her a blank stare. Whenever s
he said, “I got you” that meant shit was seconds away from hitting the fan. I grabbed her car keys from the rack and jumped into her Honda, speeding all the way downtown.

  I parked my car in the loading zone—right under an array of twinkling lights, and sprinted to the courtyard where the event was taking place.

  I braced myself for chaos and confusion, for angry glares and harsh words from my staff, but when I opened the doors, I saw them laughing around a colossal chocolate fountain.

  The oversized gingerbread men were already frosted and standing guard on the adorned sweets tables, the candy-colored lights were strung high above the completed ten-foot dessert towers, and the custom beverage bar we’d designed months ago was all set with holiday rums, hot chocolates, and endless blends of coffee.

  As my staff took turns dipping strawberries into the chocolate, a small group of police officers carried cakes to the center table.

  “Good thinking, Miss Ryan.” My top baker patted my back. “I’m really sorry about all the text messages I sent. I didn’t know you’d already asked some of the cops to help us with this.”

  I didn’t ... “What’s left to do?”

  “Chocolate drizzle on the welcome candies, but you always insist on us doing that an hour or so before the event begins so ...” She tapped her chin. “Nothing, I guess. Oh, and here you go.” She handed me my car keys. “We only got the supplies we needed out, so no worries.”

  “Thanks. What time did the cops start getting here?”

  “Right after I sent you a few texts.” She lowered her voice. “The new deputy—Officer Benson, I think, took charge and let me direct whatever we needed to get done. Between you and me, he’s the first man who’s ever made my panties wet at first sight.”

  I laughed. “Is he still here?”

  “No, but he’s close.” She pointed to the side exit doors. “He’s across the street at the hardware store. Do you know if he’s seeing anyone by chance? Like, is he available?”

  “No, he’s dating someone right now,” I said, heading for the exit. “Text me if you need anything else.”

  I made my way across the street and into the only hardware store in town. I walked through rows of wrenches before I saw Nathan standing in front of the salt and pepper haired manager.

  “Do you know what 9-1-1 is for, Mr. Clarkson?” he asked. “Like, do you have any idea what calling that number means?”

  “It means that a percentage of my money pays for the cops’ salaries and I can call it as many times as I want to.”

  Nathan rolled his eyes and handed the man a pair of reading glasses. “Glad I could help you find these and save you from the potential ‘emergency’ of you making a mistake on the cash register.”

  “I appreciate your heroics, Officer.”

  “Are there any other emergencies?” he asked. “Is your toilet clogged?”

  “Yeah, it is. You want to help me fix that, too?”

  Nathan shook his head and looked away from him. Then he smiled as his eyes met mine.

  “Please hesitate to call if you lose your glasses again,” he said to the store owner before walking over to me. “Something wrong?”

  “Not at all.” I’d never wanted to fuck someone on the spot so badly before right now. “Did one of my junior staff call you about helping with the setup?”

  “No, your sister did.” He slipped his arm around my waist and led me outside. “She called an emergency when you wouldn’t wake up.”

  “What?”

  “Your sister said you’d kill her if you missed setup, and even though we tried to wake you up, we couldn’t. So, I decided to help.” He paused, laughing. “It was the closest thing to a real ‘emergency call’ I’ve received since I started working here.”

  “You’re kidding, right?”

  He gave me a look that let me know that he wasn’t.

  “Well, thank you for everything,” I said, noticing that he wasn’t leading me back to the festival but down the sidewalk. “If there’s ever a way I can pay you back for this, let me know.”

  “There is.” He smiled, stopping in front of his squad car. “Since the setup is done and you don’t need to be here when the event starts, you can start paying me back the fifteen dates that you owe me.”

  “We’re up to fifteen dates now?”

  “If you fight me on this, we’ll be up to twenty-five.”

  “Shouldn’t I put on some decent clothes first?”

  “No.” He ran his fingers through my hair. “You won’t need clothes at all ...”

  THREE HOURS LATER, Nathan parked his squad car near the top of Cedar Mountain, right next to one of the luxury ski-resorts that overlooked the town. He turned off his headlights as a steady snow fell over the buildings, as the Christmas lights twinkled in the distance.

  From here, the town looked like a perfect, picturesque postcard, and for the first time, I understood why someone would spend two thousand dollars a night to see it in person.

  “So, per your inappropriate wish list,” Nathan said, pulling my red card out of his pocket. “This is the first thing most tourists see when they come to Cedar Falls.”

  “Did you bring me up here to try to convince me to fuck you tonight?” I said. “I must admit, all the small, romantic touches you’ve done so far are almost making me consider.”

  “First of all,” he said, looking over at me, “I’m definitely going to fuck you tonight. Bringing you up here has nothing to do with that. Second of all, for someone who claims she still needs to consider it, why has your hand been rubbing my cock through my pants for the past half hour?”

  Laughing, I blushed as I moved my hand away. I picked up the newest set of flowers he’d bought for me from his dashboard.

  During the three-hour drive, he’d stopped at several of Cedar Falls’ top tourist sites and walked through them with me. We admired the seventy-five foot Christmas tree that rivaled the one in New York’s Rockefeller Plaza, took a quick stroll through Christmas Tree Lane, and much to his annoyance, ate dinner at Christmas Every Day, the number one diner right outside of town. (Well, he wasn’t annoyed until residents started walking up to him and asking about some type of “Pets Are Part of Our Family” thing.)

  We even stopped at a few upscale stores where he bought the four hundred dollar standing mixer that was on my wish list, along with six sets of designer pajamas, new lingerie, and slippers, and he refused to let me pay him back.

  As more city lights twinkled below, I unbuckled my seatbelt and stepped out of the car, moving closer to the red rails that surrounded the edge of the mountain.

  “Can you take a picture of me with the town in the background?” I held out my phone as Nathan stepped out of the car.

  “Of course.” He stepped back and snapped a few shots.

  “Would you like me to get both of you in the picture?” A passerby stepped behind Nathan. “

  “I won’t post it on my personal Facebook page,” I said softly. “Don’t worry.”

  “It wouldn’t matter if you did post it.” He smirked. “You only have fifteen followers.”

  I laughed, and the stranger snapped the shot right then and there.

  “Thank you so much,” I said as he returned the phone to me. I flipped to the picture and smiled at the final frame: Nathan looking as if he was about to kiss me mid-laugh.

  “Any other pictures you want to take?” Nathan asked once the stranger walked away.

  “No, this was it.”

  “Good.” He smiled. “Go get in the back seat of my car.”

  “What?”

  “You heard me.” He trailed his finger against my bottom lip. “Now.”

  I stood still staring at him, not making a move.

  A slow smile spread across his face, and he laughed as he picked me up and tossed me over his shoulder. He carried me to the car and opened the back door, placing me onto the seat.

  Moving next to me, he shut the door and kissed my lips—rendering me utterly speechl
ess.

  “Take off your clothes,” he whispered, pulling away from my mouth.

  I took off an earring, still not thinking straight, and the sound of his low, sexy laughter filled the car.

  Sliding closer, he grabbed the hem of my sweatshirt and pulled it over my head, tossing it to the floor. He traced the lace lines on my red bra before unclasping it, then he leaned forward and sucked my right nipple into his mouth, caressing my breast with his other hand.

  Kissing his way up to my neck, he whispered into my ear. “Do I need to help you take off your pants, too?”

  “No...” I moaned as he tugged at the string on my leggings, shutting my eyes as he asked me to take them off again.

  As if he knew I was still too stunned to function, he positioned me on the seat—my back flush against the leather, and slowly pushed my pants to my ankles.

  He yanked off my panties in one smooth motion, tucking them into his back pocket like he did before.

  Keeping his eyes on mine, he unbuttoned his shirt—tossing it to the floor. He slid his hands against my thighs and draped my left leg over his shoulder.

  “So,” he said, pressing a soft kiss against my inner thigh. “Tell me the top thing that was on your wish list again.”

  “I believe there was a standing mixer and a pair of new slippers.”

  “Stop fucking with me.”

  “There was also lingerie on there.”

  “You know what I’m talking about.” He blew a kiss against my clit. “Say it.”

  “I want someone to—”

  “No.” He pressed another kiss against my thigh. “Say it like you’re talking to me.”

  I let out a breath as he gave me a “Don’t fuck with me” look.

  “I want you to devour my pussy for hours—”

  “Without you asking...” He finished the sentence of my first wish. “And what else?”

  “Control my body with the strokes of your tongue.” I paused. “And beg me to come in your mouth.”

  “Good girl.” He draped my other leg over his shoulder, and looked at me one last time. “Please come in my mouth....” He buried his head against my pussy without another word, sucking my clit between his lips, making my back arch off the seat.