“I’m buying you a—”
“No you’re not.”
“It’s a fucking safety hazard, and if you plan on me being in here again, I’m buying a damn bed.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Fine, then you’ll wear a helmet.”
“Oh, okay.”
We stare into each other’s eyes, determined not to cave, and then she smiles and shakes her head. “I’ll buy a queen bed next week.”
“Not if it’s gonna make you short. It’s a gift, Hailey.”
“No, end of—”
“Stubborn little momma.”
“Independent,” she corrects me again.
“Sexy as hell.” I crash my mouth against hers, ravaging her sweet little mouth. Her body goes limp against me as she moans, and I pull back. “I need to get out of here before little chick wakes up.”
She stands up and pulls her shirt on, then slips into her sweats and follows me to the door.
“I wanna take you out on a date. Can I have my balls back long enough to do that?”
She grins, and it is blinding and beautiful. Even better, there is no tough exterior up for her to hide behind, so I get to see it.
“Little momma, you keep looking at me like that and I’m gonna take you right here. Sunday night. Don’t make any plans. It’s you and me—dinner, movie if you want, make out in the parking lot, and then we’ll end up in the back of the Escalade ’cause I’ll need a taste. After that, you can have my balls back; you feel me?”
She smiles and nods. No argument, no hesitation.
“Fuck me! I have to go.” I lean in and take her mouth again, then walk out with a hard-on.
That evening I pull up to her place, and Livi hops out. “I’ll go get her.”
Hailey wanted to wait until bedtime for our date, and I couldn’t blame her one bit. Besides, Livi was eager to come over and take care of little chick. Hendrix is gonna meet her here when he closes the bar, which is abso-fucking-lutely perfect. That means I can walk Hailey in and stay for a while.
Tonight, I have my balls back, and I am hoping to walk out with ’em still in my possession.
I hop out of my vehicle when I see her walk out. She isn’t wearing black today, but a light yellow maxiskirt and white blouse.
“The gentleman-like thing to say is ‘You look absolutely amazing,’ because you do. Never in my life have I seen something so beautiful. But I am also wondering if you realize I am gonna be sporting wood all night.”
She leans forward and kisses me hard, her tongue pressing lightly against my lips, and I open to her. I let her get a taste, and then I take mine. When I have no breath left in me, I regretfully pull away, leaving my forehead against hers.
“Christ, little momma,” I groan, then pull back, open the door, grab the flowers, and hand them to her. “I hope you like roses.”
“Holy shit, Morrison! That’s a lot of flowers! They cost too much; take them back.”
“I have my balls back tonight”—I open the door wider—“even though you tried to steal them just now.” I grab myself. “Yep, still there. Oh, just so you know, there are no thorns on them. I snipped them off myself. Don’t worry, though—their beauty is still protected. Safe with me, safe with you, safe—”
“Okay.” She swallows hard and looks down at them. “They’re beautiful.”
“Not nearly as beautiful as you.” I adjust myself. “Christ.”
I shut the door and see her smiling, beaming, as she smells them.
I hop in, buckle up, start the vehicle, and look over at her again. “At dinner, you’ll have to sit across from me, not beside me, ’cause I can’t promise to keep my damn hands to myself.”
She looks up from the flowers, covers her face, and laughs. “Thank you for the flowers.”
I reach over and grab her hand, bringing it to my mouth and kissing it. Her skin is soft and smells good. I can’t help myself—I give it a lick. When she doesn’t pull it away, I give it another.
She pulls my hand to her mouth and returns the kiss. Then she leans back in her seat and lets out a slow, long breath.
She’s relaxed. Fuck, she even seems to be enjoying herself. And I am . . . fucking hard.
“Mind if I show you something before we go to the restaurant?”
“Sure.”
“Trust me?”
She opens her eyes and looks at me, “Yes. Yes, I do.”
“Mouth. Please.”
After a nice, slow dance in her mouth, I sit back, feeling damn good. Real damn good. Never fucking better, actually.
I pull the car up in front of the four-story building and throw it in park.
She looks out the window, then back at me. “Is this what you wanted to show me?”
“Yep.” I open the door, hop out, and open hers. “Come with me?”
“Sure . . .”
We walk down the alley between the two buildings. Behind is a parking lot with a small garage, and beyond that is a large yard with a fence surrounding both sides and the back. It’s bigger than most in the city.