“Missed you, too.”
He arches a brow. “Did your mom drive you crazy?”
“No more than usual.” I tip my head back to welcome his kiss, a long, slow kiss that has us both breathing faster by the time he pulls away.
“Damn,” he mutters, his voice thick. “If I wasn’t worried that half the town and my sisters would overhear, there’s no way I could wait until tonight.”
“We could go back to my place.” I lean into him, body humming with awareness. “No customers or sisters there.”
“That’s a fucking brilliant idea.”
I wink. “Literally.”
Laughing, his hands slip down to cup my bottom, urging me closer, summoning a hungry sigh from my throat. “Are you sure you’re ready?”
“Dude, I am so ready. Past ready,” I promise. “I’m so ready I’ve been thinking filthy things about you all day long.”
His eyes darken and his fingers dig a little deeper into my ass, making things low in my body clench. “Oh, yeah? Like what?”
“Like…” I push up on tiptoe to whisper one of my naughtier fantasies into his ear. I’ve gotten to the part where we’re naked on a bearskin rug in front of a roaring fire and he’s pulling my panties off with his teeth when he groans.
“Stop.” He swallows hard. “I can’t take any more or I won’t be able to wait until we get to your place.”
I bite my lip, secretly loving that a few whispered words can affect him like this. I love this man’s good heart, but I also really enjoy making him horny. “Then grab your things, and let’s get going,” I say before adding in a softer voice, “The anticipation is killing me.”
He cups my face in his hands. “Me too. You have no idea.” He takes a deep breath, his eyes scanning my face in a way that leaves no doubt that he thinks I’m beautiful. Inside and out. “Do you have any idea how much I love you?”
“A disturbing amount,” I say, my heart soaring even as the ache inside twists tighter. “But not as disturbing as how much I want you.”
“How much do you want me?”
“Well, my panties are already wet,” I whisper, my heart skipping a beat as his jaw clenches in response. “If that gives you a clue.”
He makes that growling sound low in his throat again. “I’m beginning to think you want the whole town listening in.”
“And I’m beginning to think you’re all talk and no action,” I challenge, grinning as I back out of his arms, crooking my finger as I go. “Come on, Whitehouse. This virginity isn’t going to take care of itself.”
He blows out a long breath and rolls his eyes upward, as if praying for strength. “I’ll be down in two minutes,” he says, pinning me with a heated look that makes my entire body hum. “Get the truck ready to roll.”
“Yes, sir.” I give him a naughty salute before turning and practically skipping across the room to the door, my heart light and easy.
This is so different than I thought it would be. Before.
Before Mick, I assumed that sleeping with someone for the first time would be a serious, sober, and maybe even a somewhat scary undertaking. But nothing could be further from the way I feel right now. I’m excited, giddy, and so certain I’m making the right decision that nothing can shake my confidence. Mick already feels like a part of me, and this is only going to bring us closer.
God, I can’t wait to be that close.
As I step off the last stair leading down to the bakery, I’m so high on life and love and anticipation I don’t realize Maddie is standing next to the landing until she reaches out and grabs my arm.
“Ohmygod, you scared me,” I say, laughing as I turn to face her. But then I get an eyeful of Maddie’s stricken expression and my laughter vanishes. “What’s wrong?” I ask, scanning her up and down, my EMT training kicking in as I instantly start looking for an injury. “Are you okay?”
She shakes her head. “No, I’m not. I think you need to get Mick.”
“He’s on his way down any second,” I say, my brows pinching together. “What happened? Is Naomi okay, did something—”
“Naomi and I are fine, I just…” She casts an anxious glance toward the table in the corner where a petite young woman with silky brown hair, big blue eyes, and a sizeable baby bump sits in one of the wrought iron chairs. She stares our way with a determined, slightly too-intense expression.
“I have to talk to Mick,” Maddie continues softly as her eyes drift back to mine. “Now.”
I nod, suddenly having a bad feeling about that woman in the chair.
A very bad feeling.
Chapter Eighteen
Faith
There’s something familiar about this girl, even though I’m positive we’ve never met.
I would remember if we’d been introduced.