I choke on air and she’s beating on my back with all her might within seconds. She sure does pack a punch for an octogenarian.
“I was not expecting that.”
“Come on, now. What’s a little sex talk between gals, huh? No harm in wanting some lovin’.”
I blink twice. I cannot believe this is happening.
“I suppose that’s true.”
“So, what’s this hunk look like?”
“He’s, uh, he’s tall and tan.” She nods, hanging on to my every word. “Very muscled.” Another nod. “Tattoos.”
She fans herself. “Oh, my. I do love tattoos. It’s not something us old folks grew up with, but it’s one new trend this lady can appreciate.”
“It was never something I was much into either until…”
“I hear you, sweetie.” She grabs my hand in hers. “Well, he sounds like a catch, and if he has you all wrapped inside your head like that, you hold on to him.”
“There’s nothing to hold on to. We’re just friends.”
She winks. “With benefits, though.”
My cheeks heat up again and she pats my hand before walking off.
What in the world…
I shake my head and continue on my way, only to come to a complete stop when I round the corner to go to the next aisle.
“You said tall, tan, muscled, and full of tattoos, right? Didn’t even bother mentioning my sexy grin and charm?” He tsks. “I’m disappointed, Monty.”
I’m struck silent.
There’s no way he’s standing in front of me right now. It’s impossible. I have to be hallucinating.
“Cat got your tongue?”
“W-What are you doing here?” I manage to sputter.
He lifts a broad shoulder. “Shoe shopping.”
I roll my eyes. “I know that, Robbie. I mean…how’d you know I was here?”
He takes a step my way and leans down close.
Too close.
A woodsy scent wraps around me and I find myself leaning toward him without wanting to. The smell…it’s too enticing, too warm, too man.
“What cologne are you wearing?”
His chest heaves with laughter. “No cologne. That’s probably my deodorant.”
“That’s the best smelling deodorant that’s ever existed.”
Robbie gets even closer, his grinning face now just an inch from mine. He reaches out his hand and I can feel my heart begin to beat faster and faster, already anticipating his touch—only he drops his hand at the last moment, thinking better of it.
I try not to feel defeated.
“It’s good to see you, Monty.”
“I’m not sure how I feel about seeing you, Robbie,” I admit.
“Why is that?”
“It’s a little weird.”
“Weird? How so?”
I hold up two fingers. “Two reasons. One, I’m out shoe shopping and here you are, popping up out of nowhere.”
“I already told you I’m shoe shopping too. It’s not that out of nowhere.”
“Right, so you say, yet you’re not holding any shoes.”
He glances down at my hands. “Neither are you.”
I roll my eyes and continue, “And two, I haven’t seen you since you had me pinned to a counter in a public restroom with your tongue in my mouth. It’s weird.”
His grin grows. “Don’t forget where my fingers were, Monty.”
My body lights up and I wish I were back in that bathroom with him.
I wish his lips were on mine, his hands on my body, his warm skin under my palms—
“You’re thinking about it, aren’t you?”
I am. I’m thinking about how confident and sexy I felt with his hard body pressed against mine, how perfectly my legs wrapped around his waist, the way his hands tangled in my hair and pulled with the right mixture of sting and pleasure.
I’m thinking about the way he made me quake with desire and fall apart under him, how freeing it was, how good it felt, and how badly I want to do it again.
I want him.
“Stop it,” I say out loud, partially to myself and partially to Robbie.
He chuckles, because he knows he’s right, and I stick my tongue out.
“Real mature, Monty.”
I push past him and mosey down the aisle. He follows.
“What are you doing at the mall in the middle of the work day?” I ask.
“Oh, you know, just stalkin’ ya.”
I turn around to glare at him, and he holds his hands up in surrender.
“Fine, fine. I’m getting shoes for Embody Positivity. We try to keep a few pairs at the center for anyone who needs them.”
Tears spring to my eyes and I try to look away before he catches it.
“Stop it. You’re making me out to be a hero or some shit.”
“You’re their hero, Robbie.”
He snorts. “Am not.”
“Accept it.”
“Whatever. What are you doing here in the middle of the day?”
“Trying to find something classy, cute, and sensible for work.” I grab a box off the rack and show him. He shakes his head no, so I put them back and keep moving. “Besides, middle of the day is the best time to shop. No one’s around to bother me.” I raise a brow. “At least, no one is supposed to be around to bother me.”
He smirks. “Sorry, not sorry.”
“I’m shocked,” I deadpan.
“Ah, that sarcasm—I’ve missed it.”
“You have not.”
I grab another box of shoes—this one a pair of practical flats—grab the pantyhose socks they provide, and find a seat, leaving Robbie standing there.
I’m sliding the second shoe on when he eventually saunters my way. I stand, checking the shoes out in the floor-length mirror.
“Wrong. It’s my…” He holds his hand up, counting on his fingers and mouthing I don’t even know what. “Fourth—fourth favorite thing about you.”
“What are the other three things?”
“Well, for starters, your hair.”
I bark out a laugh and spin his way, deciding this pair isn’t for me. “That is not number one,” I say as I slide past him and head toward the bench to take them off.
“Is too.”
“Is not, Robbie. It can’t be.”
“And why not?”
“Because it’s ugly. It’s—”
He grabs my hand and tugs me his way without much effort, effectively cutting off everything I was going to say next. I let out a gasp as I crash into him, and the memories of the last time we were this close slam into me.
I can’t breathe. He’s too close, feels too good.
He drags me back over to the mirror, turning me until I’m looking at our reflection.
We look ridiculous standing here together, his arm curled around my waist, my hand clutching his.
I’m so pale compared to him, my skin untouched and pristine. He’s a walking wall of artwork. He towers over me, and that’s saying something because I’m tall for a girl. The top of my head barely brushes his chin. I’m wearing another knee-length skirt, a pale blue t-shirt to match, and a short-sleeved button-up cardigan over top. He’s in jeans and a polo.
There’s nothing about us that’s alike. We don’t have a thing in common.
Yet, I can’t deny how good it feels to be in his embrace.
“There is nothing ugly about you, Monty.”
“I have—”
“Nothing,” he insists. “Don’t argue. Just accept it.”
I close my eyes and we stand here. He doesn’t let me go, and I don’t try to leave.
I can feel his gaze raking over me and I love how it makes me feel. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about Robbie in the past few weeks, it’s that he doesn’t hold back, and he’s not doing so right now either. His gaze slides over every single inch of me, slow and leisurely.
I’m eager to open my eyes, wondering what he sees, but I don’t. I’m enjoying the wait too m
uch. The anticipation is making me antsy, and good things come to those who wait.
“God, Monty, I wanna touch you again, so bad.”
I want you to touch me too.
“I haven’t been able to get you out of my head since we met. You don’t know how many times I’ve stopped myself from asking for your address, from calling you just so I could hear that rasp of yours again.”
“My voice isn’t raspy.”
His lips collide with my ear as he whispers, “It is when I’m making you come.”
I nearly drop to my knees, not expecting those words.
His grip tightens around me, and the hard length of him presses into me from behind. Brazenly, I swivel my hips, pushing against him…against it.
“Fuck,” he mutters.
Then we’re moving.
My eyes fly open as he tugs me down the aisle. The heat from the summer air licks at my skin when he pushes open the door and navigates us outside.
I don’t say a word the entire time. I’m too curious…too excited.
He’s speed walking and I’m uncertain where he’s leading us until we round the corner and the loading bay comes into view.
He tucks us into the shade, my back resting against the brick wall as his arms come up to cage me in. His eyes drop to my parted lips and he watches me with rapt attention.
His breathing is labored, and mine is no better. His eyes are wide, pupils dilated, and his tongue snakes out to wet his lips.
Finally, our eyes lock. The connection is so intense I want to look away. I need to look away, but I don’t. I can’t.
Because I know what’s coming next, and I don’t want to miss it.
“I’m going to kiss you, Monty. Fair warning.”
He waits for my protests, but he’s not going to get any.
He smashes his mouth to mine, and it’s just as good as it was before.
No, it’s better.
I’m not sure how it’s possible, but it’s true.
Robbie’s hands slide into my hair as he draws me closer and pushes me away all at once. I don’t even care that my favorite sweater is rubbing against the dirty building or that there will probably be pilling from it.
In this moment, the only thing that matters is Robbie’s lips on mine, how soft and hard they are, how perfectly they fit my own, how stupid amazing it feels when he sucks my lower lip between his and bites down just the slightest bit.
I need more—more kisses, more contact, more of everything.
Somehow, he knows it. His hands are suddenly under my bottom and he’s lifting me into his arms. My legs lock around his waist.
“That better for you, Monty?”
I gasp at the contact and nod. I can now feel every inch of his arousal against me.
He chuckles. “That’s what I thought.”
He trails kisses from my collarbone to just under my ear as he thrusts his hips into me. His…python rubs against all the right spots, and I do my best not to moan.
Me—moaning as a man presses me against the wall of some building at one in the afternoon, his mouth on my neck, my legs wrapped around his waist, his erection teasing my clit.
Who have I turned into?
“Goddammit, Monty.” He exhales against me. His hands grip my ass tighter and I can tell it’s taking everything he has to not take this any further. “You’re killing me.”
“You’re the dying one? Are you serious right now? You’ve been rubbing against all my favorite places for the past several minutes and I’m completely tied up in knots over here.”
I pull back and he grins at me. “You really going to complain about that?”
I roll my eyes and pull his head closer. “Shut up and kiss me again.”
And so he does.
This time he’s swift to sweep his tongue into my mouth and I’m lost…lost in this kiss, his touch, and the dirty words he keeps muttering.
There’s this soft patter taking over, and I swear it’s my heart trying to hammer out of my chest.
“Ahem.”
That sounds out of place.
I’m too lost to care.
“Ahem. Excuse me.”
Excuse you, sir.
Wait…
I wrench my mouth from Robbie’s, whipping my head to the side to find a man standing there, arms crossed over his chest and eyebrows raised into his hairline. He looks pissed.
Robbie’s still peppering kisses down my neck, my fingers are still threaded in his hair, and I’m just now thinking I should push him away.
“Robbie…”
“You’re right, we should go back to my place. I agree.”
“No, Robbie.”
Finally, he lifts his head from my neck and locks eyes with the stranger.
His stare turns cold and he gives the man a sinister grin. “Enjoying the show?”
You can see the guy’s confidence begin to waiver with the way Robbie’s looking at him, and I can’t say I blame him. It’s scary, and Robbie’s massive.
“I don’t want to cause any trouble. I’m just here for the girl.”
Robbie unhooks my legs from around his waist and sets me on my feet. The movement is swift and easy, like my weight is nothing to him.
“Want to try that sentence again?”
The guy gulps and plucks at the lanyard around his neck. “I, uh, I’m from Shoe World. I’m going to need you to come with me, ma’am.”
“W-What? Why?”
His eyes slide down to the flats on my feet.
The shoes I was trying on.
The ones I didn’t take off before Robbie dragged me from the store for an impromptu make-out session.
I stole.
I stole.
“Oh my cats!” I smack my forehead a few times. “I can’t believe I’d be so stupid. I-I…I have never stolen anything in my life. I’m so sorry. Please don’t arrest me. I’ll pay for them. I…”
Robbie’s laughter breaks through my plea and I spin his way with a glare.
“You! This is all your fault!”
“My fault?” he argues. “How could this possibly be my fault?”
“Because you…you…y-you…”
“I, I, I what?”
He stands there with his cocky grin, hands on his hips, waiting for me to give him a good reason.
“That! Right there. Just…you.”
He laughs again and I know I’m being stupid, but now he’s being annoying and that’s irritating me even more.
“Stop it, Robbie! You did this with your charm and good looks and spouting all that ‘you’re so beautiful, Monty’ mumbo jumbo and then kissing me…again!”
“First off, that wasn’t ‘mumbo jumbo’,” he says, air quotes and all. “You are beautiful. Right?” he asks the Shoe World employee who’s still standing there, looking rather confused.
“Very much so.”
The blush steals over my cheeks. “Th-Thank you.”
“Second, are you telling me I’ve finally won you over with my charm and we can move forward with our plan?” He waggles his brows, like I needed a clarification that he’s talking about banging.
“Robbie!”
“Monty!”
“You are insufferable!”
“Right, that’s why you can’t stop kissing me.”
“I can’t stop because you keep starting it,” I insist.
“Uh, excuse me…”
“You can’t stop kissing me because you like it—big difference.”
“I do not!”
His grin grows because he knows that’s a lie. “You dirty, dirty liar.”
“Um, miss?”
“Robert!”
“Montana!”
“Ma’am?”
“What?” I screech at the interruption.
The moment I realize what I’ve done—yelled at this poor man who’s just trying to do his job—I’m pressing my skirt straight and patting my hair down. I clasp my hands in front of me and give the mall employee my best smile, desp
ite being annoyed with myself for letting Robbie and his stupid charm get the best of me—again.
“I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t mean to yell. Obviously, I’m out of my mind right now.” I wave my hand Robbie’s way. “This is not normal behavior for me, but that’s no excuse. If you’d be so kind as to escort me inside, I’ll hold my head high and take my punishment without any complaints.”
“I just need you to pay for the shoes, ma’am.”
“Oh.” I will myself not to blush. “I-I…I can do that.”
With one last glance at Robbie, the employee nods. “If you’ll come with me, please.”
I fall in step behind him, only sparing Robbie one last look before I’m carted off to buy the most uncomfortable shoes in the world because he just had to drag me outside in them.
“Fine. We’ll call it a draw…for now,” Robbie says with a wink.
Stupid charm.
8
Monty
Python: I’m not sorry about kissing you again.
Me: I don’t want you to be sorry.
Me: But, I mean, you DID ditch me at the store after YOU made me STEAL. You can be sorry for that.
Python: I’m not sorry for that either. It was funny.
Me: You’re oozing charm right now.
Python: It’s a gift.
Python: I also feel like I should say that I wasn’t stalking you…that much.
Me: I know…I think.
Python: So we agree then? I wasn’t stalking you?
Me: What kind of question is that?
Python: I don’t know. Ignore me. I’m tired. I’ve had a long day.
Me: I saw you three hours ago!
Python: Hey, a lot can happen in three hours!
Me: And what happened that has made you so tired?
Python: I was attacked.
Me: WHAT? When?!
Python: Earlier today. I was minding my own business, just trying to get some work done, and BOOM, attacked.
Me: Attacked how? One of the kids at EP?
Python: No, it wasn’t one of them.
Me: Then who? A parent? TELL ME, ROBBIE. I’m worried!
Texting (The Complete Series Page 48