by J. Daniels
Yep. I was running. I had no other choice.
I weaved between tables, passing the kitchen and the counter, where Kali was still standing, and giving her a “cover me” look she read loud and clear.
I knew she saw the kiss. I was sure everyone in Whitecaps saw the kiss.
And I was still feeling that kiss, panicking because I was still feeling it and because I let it happen in the first place.
That wasn’t my only problem, because honestly? I more than felt it. I liked it. I moaned.
Sweet Jesus Christ. What was I thinking?
Shoving the door open to the employee lounge, I stepped inside, stuffed my ticket book and pen away in my tiny black apron, and began pacing the length of the lockers along the wall while shaking my hands out at my sides.
Jamie coated my mouth. He tasted like watermelon gum and regretful decisions.
And I loved it.
“Shit.” I rubbed around my lips, where I knew my lipstick had been smudged.
My heart was pounding. My limbs were shaking.
No way was I going back out there. Kali could handle my tables on top of her own. Besides Jamie, they were all finishing up anyway. Whatever tip they were all planning on leaving me, she could keep.
I’d finish out my shift in here and then I’d duck out. Avoidance was the plan.
Then the door swung open and my plan went straight to shit.
I whirled around and nearly stumbled backward at the sight of Jamie, stalking toward me like a predator closing fast on his next meal.
Oh, God . . .
“You,” he growled. “No fuckin’ way, babe, are you pullin’ that shit with me.”
“You can’t be in here,” I warned him, not that it did any good.
He kept coming like he didn’t hear me with heated eyes and powerful steps, forcing me to move back, again and again, until I was pressed flush against the lockers and Jamie was pressing flush against me, legs to legs, breasts to ribs and hard . . . holy shit, he was hard.
“Ja—” I started, sounding breathless, and then that breathless start turned into a mindless groan when he dipped lower, slid his hands around my waist, rolled his hips into me, and pressed his erection directly against my clit.
My head fell back. My eyes rolled closed. And I trembled, right there in his arms.
Worst. Mistake. Ever.
“There it is,” he murmured, his breath hot against my face as he bent to get closer. “There it fuckin’ is. You’re feelin’ it now.”
No no no no no. God . . . I couldn’t let this happen. I couldn’t.
Not with Jamie. I’d never forgive myself. He was a loser. A player. A jerk. I couldn’t do this with him.
“I’m not,” I lied, because I was feeling it. I was feeling all of it, and I was scared I’d never stop feeling it.
His lips grazed my cheek.
“You want this, Legs,” he whispered, moving closer and closer to my mouth. “I want this. Fuck, you got no idea how bad—”
“No,” I interrupted. “I don’t want it.”
Another lie.
“Yeah, babe. You do.”
He kept moving, closer and closer. We were a breath or a lie away from another kiss and I couldn’t let that happen.
“Stop,” I whispered. My voice shook.
I shook. Head to toe. My entire body was locking up. This was a genuine freak-out. I was way past the realm of panicking and into full-blown terrifying mania.
Jamie froze after hearing me. His reaction was immediate, then his lips left my skin and his hands left my waist, and at the loss of contact I opened my eyes and blinked up at him where he stood, now a foot away.
His brow was knitted tight. He was staring at me, nostrils flaring with his breaths. He looked worked up and confused and maybe a little concerned.
Concerned?
No. No way. Jamie McCade didn’t do concern for others, did he? I was certain he only cared about himself.
I blinked, waiting for him to speak. I wanted Jamie to explain why he was looking at me the way he was, but he didn’t do that. He just kept staring.
And the longer he stared, the more uncomfortable I became.
My fingers wrapped under the hem of my shorts and tugged while I chewed nervously on my bottom lip.
Jamie followed my restlessness. His gaze lowered to my hands and focused there, and I watched his chest heave with a sharp breath.
“Do not fuckin’ touch that uniform, Legs,” he growled, meeting my eyes again with heat burning in his. “No joke. I do not need you adjusting your shit right now and showing me more of you. Cool it.”
I felt my spine straighten, then I released my shorts and curled my fingers against my palms, not knowing what else to do with them. I kept my hands lowered and my back flush against the lockers.
We went back to staring at each other.
I contemplated making a dash for the door but figured I wouldn’t get far before I was being pinned between Jamie and another hard surface, and I couldn’t have that. So I stood there, looking at Jamie while thunder rolled under my skin. I was tense and anxious and still . . . still feeling that kiss.
Why did it have to be so good? And why did it have to be from him?
Then Jamie exhaled forcefully through a shake of his head, breaking the silence between us and causing me to tense further.
I braced and held my breath.
“You don’t want this to happen,” he said, more as a statement than a question, but I knew Jamie was asking me for confirmation on this. I could hear it in his voice.
Easy. I could give him confirmation. No problem. I didn’t want this to happen. I was certain I didn’t. All I had to do was just say it.
But did I do that? Nope. I hesitated.
Why, I have no idea, but it happened. And Jamie didn’t miss it either.
I watched his face soften as he registered my uncertainty, then panicking because once again, I’d been had, I quickly threw out a firm and decisive “no.”
I was too late.
“Bullshit,” Jamie spat, calling me out. “And straight up, babe, that’s bullshit I don’t fuckin’ need. You want this just as bad as I do and last time I checked, you weren’t wasting your time on that worthless motherfucker you called a boyfriend anymore, so what the fuck?”
Jamie knew all about what happened with Wes. I put it on him the night I attacked Wes’s car with Syd, Shay, and Kali in tow. Jamie made me tell him.
Then he slashed Wes’s tires.
I wasn’t going to think about that right now, though. No way.
“Wes doesn’t have anything to do with this,” I hissed, feeling my anger awaken at the mention of that asshole.
“No?” Jamie’s eyes narrowed. “Then explain to me, babe, why you’re fightin’ me instead of lettin’ this shit happen.”
“Maybe because I don’t want it to happen. Did you ever think about that?”
I was on a roll with the lying at this point. All in. There was no turning back.
“Christ, you’re fuckin’ delusional,” he grated, crossing his arms over his chest. “I kissed you. Yeah, I’m owning that shit, but you sure as fuck kissed me back. I felt it. You fuckin’ felt it. That kiss might’ve been instigated by me but you were a flick of my tongue away from soakin’ that hot-ass uniform of yours and don’t even try and deny it. Then I get back here, and the second I let you feel my cock, you’re burnin’ up for me again. You want this to happen. You want me, but guess what? Time’s up, Legs. I get enough pussy and I’m done waitin’ around for yours.”
My mouth fell open.
I didn’t believe a word he was saying. No way was he through with agitating me. It was his life’s mission. I was sure of it.
“Oh, really?” I asked, gripping my hips and glaring.
“Yeah, babe, really,” Jamie shot back.
He looked his fill of me then, letting his eyes skim my body slowly as if he was looking for the last time.
“Shit,” he murmured to hi
mself before lifting his gaze. Then he turned away without another look or glance, crossed the small room we were in, and pushed through the door.
I blinked after him, frozen in place as I waited, and waited . . . and waited for Jamie to march back in and go at me again because that’s what he did.
He was relentless. Committed.
No matter how many times I’d told him over the past nine months that I wasn’t interested, he still came at me.
And now he was gone. Done. Over it.
And I was . . . disappointed?
What? No! No way. Never.
God, it must’ve been that kiss. It stripped my brain of blood flow and I was no longer thinking straight.
I needed to get out of here. Regroup. Reevaluate. Rethink some things. And I could. According to the clock on the wall, my shift was over.
So I grabbed my stuff out of my locker, punched out, left the employee lounge, and waved to Kali as I walked past where she was standing by a table, telling her to keep the tips she was holding out for me and brushing off her look of concern and the Jamie she mouthed.
As usual when it came to that topic, I was a vault. Always and forever.
But just because I wasn’t willing to talk about Jamie didn’t mean I wasn’t replaying everything in my mind that had just happened between us.
That was absolutely what I was doing.
As I reached my car, swung the door open, climbed inside, and tossed my purse onto the passenger seat, gripping my keys and reaching to start it up, my head was swimming with images, my mouth was saturated with Jamie’s taste, and my attention was focused solely and completely on the man I never wanted to think about as I shifted into reverse and backed out of my parking space.
Then I heard a deep voice hollering out as my bumper knocked into something.
Hard.
But not hard hard. It was more like a jolt. Or a firm shove.
That was my story.
“Shit!” I gripped the wheel with both hands and stomped on the brake with both feet as I whipped around to look out the back window.
At first, I didn’t see anything. Then, slowly, a hand came up and slammed down on my trunk, followed by the top of a head coming into view, covered with sandy blond hair that looked more disheveled than usual.
“Oh, shit,” I whispered, focusing on his eyes next as he pierced me with them, blue like ice and holding more anger than I’d ever seen in a pair of eyes.
Jamie slowly straightened fully, and when he did finally stand tall, he bellowed a heart-stopping “WHAT THE FUCK?” so loud my windows rattled.
I shrieked and shifted the car into park, then opened the door and jumped out in a blur of limbs and long hair.
“Are you okay?” I asked immediately with panic tightening my voice as I moved closer to examine Jamie for injuries.
His shorts were covered in dust and dirt, but other than that, he appeared unscathed. He was standing, not hunched over. He wasn’t wincing or rubbing any parts of him. And there weren’t any cuts or scrapes on his body from what I could tell.
I looked into his eyes as I reached the back of the car.
“I didn’t see you at all. Is anything hurt? Are you hurt?” I asked.
“Stay the fuck away from me,” Jamie growled, holding his hands up and slowly retreating. “You crazy-ass bitch. Do not fuckin’ come any closer.”
I flinched, halting my steps. “What? Did you just call me a bitch?”
“Yeah, bitch, I did. You heard me,” he spat, brushing himself off. “You ran me over. What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“I . . . what?” I blinked rapidly. “I didn’t do it on purpose!” I shrieked, appalled by his accusation. “I didn’t see you! I thought you left!”
Jamie gestured over my shoulder.
“I’m parked right the fuck next to you! Where the fuck was I going without my car?”
My eyes went round.
Slowly turning my head, I registered the vintage Jeep that Jamie was always driving if he wasn’t riding his motorcycle, parked right beside my Volvo.
Well, shit.
“My mind was on other things! I wasn’t paying attention,” I confessed, which was true. Both counts. I looked back at Jamie. “You know it was an accident. I would never intentionally do something like this. Not ever.”
“Yeah, right, ’cause you gotta lot of love for me,” he argued, heavy on the sarcasm.
“That might not be the case but I wouldn’t hit you with my car!” I insisted. “I’m not crazy!”
He stared at me for a beat, jaw twitching, eyes flashing, and breathing heavy. Jamie didn’t look convinced. Then he pushed a hand through his hair and shook his head, murmuring, “Figures I fall for psycho pussy,” under his breath as he reached into his back pocket and tugged out his phone. He looked down at the screen.
My gazed hardened. Psycho pussy? Um, no. I don’t think so.
“I am not psycho pussy, and I know what you’re doing.” I pointed at him when he lifted his head. “You’re mad I shot you down and bruised your precious ego and now you’re planning on making up lies about me.”
“Bruised my ego? Bitch, I think you did more than that when you ran my ass over.”
“I did not run you over! God! Stop being so dramatic!”
Reaching behind me, I felt for my phone in the back pocket of my shorts, fished it out, dialed Syd’s number, and grinned right in Jamie’s face when I pressed the phone to my ear a good two seconds before he did.
He flipped me off.
I flipped him off back, then spun around so he couldn’t see the tremble in my lip I couldn’t figure out or explain.
I was on the verge of tears.
Why? Because I’d tapped him with my car?
“Your girl’s bitch of a friend is certifiable, man,” Jamie said behind me. “Fuckin’ straitjacket shit. No joke.”
“Hey, Tori,” Syd said in my ear.
“It was an accident,” I said quickly, fighting against nerves and nuisance and this weird, unsettling hurt I couldn’t shake. “Okay? It was an accident, and if he says differently, he’s lying. I would never purposely do something like that.”
“What are you talking about?” Syd asked. Her voice was heavy with confusion.
“She ran me over with her fuckin’ car. Can you believe that shit?” Jamie spat, each word feeling like a knife sticking into my back. “Tori. Yeah, I’m serious, brother. That bitch is crazy.”
I pulled in a breath.
Not because of the crazy. Or the bitch. I was oddly immune to those names at the moment.
No. I pulled in a breath because Jamie called me Tori. He never called me Tori in places I could hear.
Until now.
The hurt I couldn’t explain somehow grew denser and spread through my bones, weighing me down. It was the strangest thing. I didn’t understand anything I was feeling except for the regret. That I understood.
I really didn’t mean for this to happen.
Honest.
So I held on to that emotion and wrapped my heart in it as I glanced over my shoulder, met Jamie’s eyes, and confessed my truth to Syd.
“I sort of hit Jamie with my car.”
But my other truths involving Jamie? Those stayed locked inside.
I was never letting them out.
Hit the Spot is Available Now.
To my #1 supporter and favorite hero of all time, Mr. Daniels. You give me so much to work off of. Writing love stories is easy when I have you. Thanks for being mine.
To my family, I love you I love you I love you. Thank you for believing in me.
To Beth Cranford, thank you for everything. Your early feedback is always appreciated. I love the time and care you take with my stories. I couldn’t imagine the Bama Boys without your influence. You’re the best.
To Lisa Jayne, thank you. I loved having your ear with this one. I know Luke is your main man, and I am so happy you were on board with this.
To my readers—my die-hard #
certifiedbamagirls and the ones who are just discovering this series, thank you. Nolan will be getting his own story. It’s coming. Promise.
To all the amazing bloggers, thank you for sharing my words. I’m forever grateful.
To my agent, Kimberly Brower. Thank you for always checking in on me and for your continued encouragement.
Dani, thank you for all your help with this release.
And to everyone in my corner—my family through friendship and all of my supporters, I’m so lucky to have each and every one of you. I’ll never be able to say that enough.
SWEET ADDICTION SERIES
Sweet Addiction
Sweet Possession
Sweet Obsession
Sweet Love (Coming Soon)
ALABAMA SUMMER SERIES
Where I Belong
All I Want
When I Fall
Where We Belong
What I Need
So Much More (Halloween Novella)
All We Want
Say I’m Yours (Coming Soon)
DIRTY DEEDS SERIES
Four Letter Word
Hit the Spot
Bad for You
Down too Deep (Coming Soon)
J. Daniels is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over a dozen romance novels. When she isn't writing or reading, she can be found eating cupcakes with her husband and two kids.
Daniels grew up in Baltimore and resides in Maryland with her family.
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