The second class is over, I bolt and head to The Grind House. Mars is at work today and my stomach flutters at the thought of seeing him. My feet move faster over the concrete until I’m walking through the front door of the coffee shop. I glance up at the brass bell when it jingles out a soft hello.
“Welcome to The Grind House.” His voice is deep and rich. It makes everything in my body hum. The apples of my cheeks burn as I move closer to the counter.
He snares me in his gaze and my heart is now beating in my throat. He does things to me.
Bad things. But they feel so good.
I lean on the counter and rest my chin on my fist. “Are you in here by yourself?” I ask, looking behind the counter. There are stacks of paper coffee cups, lids, huge bags of coffee, and equally huge coffeemakers.
“I am. Wanna fool around?” He quirks up an eyebrow at me and I’m giggling all over myself.
Mars leans over and meets my lips with his. I can taste sweetened whipped cream on his tongue when he sweeps it across my lips. My stomach flops when his long fingers curl around the back of my neck, pulling me closer and deepening the kiss.
Flames lick at every inch of exposed skin on my body. The heat has its own gravitational pull.
Mars has his own gravitational pull.
I want to climb over the counter and let him claim me with his mouth, his hands, his cock…
A small moan escapes me at the thought and it unleashes a possessive rumble in Mars’s chest. How can one kiss cause such an inferno?
We only break apart when the bell on the front door jingles. I hurry to the bathroom so I don’t have to look the customer in the eye, and also so I can splash a little cool water on my splotchy red cheeks. Once I cool down my face, the haze clears from my brain.
I realize my phone is buzzing in my pocket. All the desire vacates my body once I see Mom’s number flash across the screen. I press the phone to my ear while pinching the bridge of my nose.
“Hey, Mom. What’s up?”
“Where are you? I know you get out of class at four-thirty. It’s five o’clock and you’re not home.”
Was she timing me?
What the fuck?
“Yeah, I um…stopped to get a latte. I’ll be home soon.” I leave the bathroom and find The Grind House is empty again. Mars catches my eye and I smile at him. He motions to my phone and I mouth the word Mom. He makes a finger gun, points it at his head, and pulls the trigger dramatically making me laugh.
“You stopped at The Grind House, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, do you want me to bring you anything back?” I try to sound chipper so maybe she’ll back off a little.
“I want you to come home so we can talk. I can always come to you if you’re too busy. Maybe I can meet this mysterious boyfriend of yours. Your father told me he works at The Grind House. I haven’t had the time to stop by and get a look at him, but I can make arrangements.”
“I’ll be home in a few minutes,” I blurt. I don’t want her anywhere near Mars. Not yet. I haven’t had time to properly brief him on his first meeting with Eleanor Emerson. Nobody should be thrown into that scenario blind.
I end the call with Mom and walk over to the counter. Mars has that sexy-as-hell smirk on his face, and all I can think about is how perfect his lips feel on mine. “Sounds like your mom is sending out the search crew if you don’t head home.”
“Yeah, she wants me to tell her all about my boyfriend.” I bounce my knuckle against my lip and Mars smiles. It’s a devastatingly handsome smile that makes my heart speed up.
“Boyfriend, huh? I like the sound of that.” His teeth find his bottom lip and my eyes focus on his mouth. I want to run my tongue along his lip. I force my eyes to his and find an escaped tendril of hair to toy with.
“I told her I was here getting a latte,” I mention.
“Are you telling me to do my job?”
“I’m totally cracking the whip,” I joke.
“All I’m hearing is that you like spankings.” The way he looks at me makes my knees weak. He moves around behind the counter with such ease while he makes my drink. I stand on my tiptoes and peer behind the counter to see what he’s doing when I see his hand moving back and forth.
He hands me the cup without a top and I smile down at the white dragonfly made of cream. “I know you’ll put the top on, but it’s still like I’m there with you.” He touches the back of my hand and I try to soak in some of his bravery before I deal with my mother.