by M. Piper
After we’re seated at our table, I finally can look at her. Really look at her. Driving I could only get glances at her, but sitting here right now I’m speechless at this girl’s beauty, and she has no clue how it’s affecting me. Her long dark hair is begging to be twisted in my fist. Her eyes are batting at me like the fucking devil. Those legs, long and lean, crossed under the table and her foot every now and then grazing my leg, each time her eyes hit mine and my dick jumps. She’s a goddamned vixen.
“Why’re you starting at me like that?” She bites the straw and grins at me.
“Why’d you say we’re not good together?” I whisper, those words she said to me what feel like a lifetime ago still ringing in my ears.
“Because we’re not.” She shrugs.
“So why ask me out tonight?” I spin my water glass, wishing it was a beer bottle at this point in the conversation, but I swore to myself I wouldn’t get smashed during this date. I want to enjoy her without the alcohol, and I know I can. Alcohol makes me numb from the pain, but Mackenzie makes me feel alive, and feeling alive is way better than dying.
“Oh um…” She laughs. “I didn’t.” Her face cringes a bit and I laugh, because the look on her face is too fucking cute. How someone can go from sultry sexy to cute as fuck in an instant is beyond me, but Mackenzie does it with ease.
“You did. I have proof.” I slide out my phone and wiggle my eyebrows.
“That was my roommate.” She makes this face, and then laughs at the look on mine. “She’s convinced we needed this date.”
“That’s low, Mack,” I mutter, chuckling then raising an eyebrow at her. “So why follow through, then? If you didn’t want it?”
She bites her lip and her eyes narrow slightly at me. She’s so sexy right now I want to lean across this table and kiss her. I want to fuck her against the wall. I need to run my hands down her bare legs as they’re wrapped around me. I want it all, but I can’t have it right now and I think she can tell by the look she’s giving me.
“I never said I didn’t want it. I just didn’t ask you myself.”
Her whispered words make me smile, so I lean back in my seat, relaxed a little more and trying to adjust my dick that sprang to attention at her husky, lust filled tone.
“So we’re not good for each other, but you still want it?” I pin her with my gaze and she bites her lip again. God, I’d like to bite that lip.
“Apparently I like things that aren’t good for me,” she whispers.
The waitress appears shortly after and takes our order. I can’t put into words how happy it made me that Mackenzie didn’t order a measly salad. She’s comfortable around me. Either that, or she isn’t interested at all in me, but the looks I’ve been noticing from her all night tell me she’s a little more than simply interested.
“Tell me about yourself, Mack. Other than you like bad things.”
I watch her smile softly and glance down at her water glass. Her fingers trail around the glass, condensation beads forming and falling to the table. Deep in thought, I watch her consider what she’s going to tell me and what she’s going to keep to herself.
“Where to start,” she whispers finally, letting out a small laugh.
“How about your hometown? You’re not from here, are you?” I finish off my water glass, but my thirst won’t be quenched until I get this girl back to my bed.
“Florida. Orlando, to be exact.” She nods, smiling. “Moved here two years ago.”
“Why?” I push.
“Why ever do girls randomly move across the country to a small town where they know no one?” She raises her eyebrows in question and I chuckle.
“Menopause?”
“What!” She shrieks, then laughs loud enough for an old couple at a table near us to look at us funny. “No, you jerk. A boy, God.” She scoffs, laughing.
“You’re beautiful when you laugh like that,” I whisper. She narrows her eyes at me.
“You’re ridiculous with the compliments tonight, Ford. You can lay off them. We’ve already slept together. I know what I’m missing, so trust me when I say you don’t have to keep working so hard.”
“It’s not hard work to speak the truth, Mack.” I shrug. “Tell me about this guy, then. Where is he now?”
“Not in my life,” she mutters, her eyes hitting mine.
“Why not?” I’m pushing again, but if I’m going to go full in with this girl I need to know there’s no guy in the picture. And I need to know who to fuck up if they try to come back.
“Because he’s living with his family, a few blocks over.” She pushes out a smile and my eyes go wide.
“His family? Like his mom and dad?” I whisper, leaning in on the table.
She lets out a laugh, throwing her head back, then sighing.
“No, Ford. Family as in wife and kids.”
He’s been watching me all night like he could eat me, like a fucking wolf and I’m his prey, and it’s turned me on to the point of being happy I don’t have panties on under this dress. I can’t tell you how many times in that first ten minutes at this table I considered taking him to the bathroom just for a release. He’s that good; had me wanting for him without ever touching me.
Now he’s staring at me with wide eyes, trying to decide if I’m a home wrecker or an innocent victim. Trust me, I’ve been doing the same thing the past few weeks.
“Wife and kids, huh?” His eyebrows push together. “You were engaged to a married man?”
I sigh, because I didn’t want to talk about this tonight but here we are and honestly it feels good talking about it and getting it off my chest. “I didn’t know he was married. I met him in Orlando. We were both always so busy I just thought his constant travel was job related. I was blinded with what I thought was love. When we moved here, I was too engrossed in opening the bakery and barely had time to worry about where he was.”
“How’d you find out?” His eyes are locked on mine, the drama of the storyline pulling him in. Unfortunately, this isn’t a storyline at all. This is my real life and I fucking had to live through it. Hell, I’m still living through it.
“Ran into him at the mall a month or so back. Well…his kid ran into me.” I shake my head. “I was so embarrassed when I realized it was his kid, and his wife holding his hand, that I ran. I ran back to our apartment, emptied all my shit. Stole some of his.” I let out a laugh. “Sorry, I realize it’s not funny but this is the shittiest first date topic out there.”
“It’s not though. It’s your life. I want to know more about you, Mackenzie. The good, the bad, and the insanely difficult to comprehend.”
I tuck my hair behind my ear, thankful for our food arriving, because I’ve already told him way more about myself than I planned on. Any more small talk time and he’ll know every nook and cranny of my life and I’ll know zilch about his. He’s good at getting information out of people but not giving away anything about himself at the same time and I’m not sure if he even knows what he’s doing.
“Well, that wasn’t as painful as I assumed it would be,” I say, walking back out to his car. The bright yellow mustang sitting in the valet spot, waiting for us with the engine purring. I’ve never known a car to be so perfect for someone before. It’s hot, sexy, and wild. Just like Ford
“I don’t know how to take that,” he says, laughing as he opens my door.
I don’t honestly know where we’re going tonight. Maybe I should go home? I think I want time to myself to consider the feelings I’ve grown for this man over the past few hours. I also want more time with him. As I watch him cross around the front of the car I realize there’s no way I’m going home right now.
I need more time with him.
When dinner started, I was super nervous. I convinced myself it’d be an in and out type of evening, solely to save myself from this man. But he’s been looking at me like I’m the only person in the room all night and now that we’re back in his car and it’s just the two of us, I want us to physica
lly be the only two in the room. I want what we had a couple weeks ago, but I want it without the haze of alcohol clouding my judgment. He’s got this way he looks at me that sets my body on fire, needing for his touch. That’s never happened with anyone before. Ever.
“I just mean that I was sure you were going to be cocky and annoying all night. But you weren’t. You’re actually a pretty normal person.” With big issues hiding behind that beautiful face, but we’re not going there tonight
“Well I’m glad I blew away your misconceptions about me.” He glances over at me, hand on the steering wheel. “Wanna hit up a bar? Grab a drink? The night’s still young, Mack.”
I bite my lip, nodding. “That sounds great.”
I can’t help but smile as he pulls out into traffic and heads into town. The whole time he’s driving I just want to reach over and take his hand. I want to touch him. I shouldn’t want to. He’s dangerous, reckless, and… What are the other reasons?
Hot. He’s hot. Chiseled jawline. Lean body. Perfectly tussled hair. Holy fuck he’s hot. Magazine hot.
When we get to the bar and he orders for the both of us I feel like I should say something about letting me choose, but it actually felt nice not having to decide what to get.
“Thank you,” I say to him as he carries the glass full of amber liquid over to me. I take a sip. Stella Artois Cider. “This is amazing.” I smile. “How’d you know what I like?”
“I watched you order a cider the other night. Just took a chance, I guess.” He winks and takes a swig of his beer. “So now that we’re not in that fancy, stuffy restaurant,” he whispers, leaning back in his seat. “I’m not going to be your rebound.”
His blunt words make my brows furrow.
“I’m not looking for a rebound,” I whisper, crossing my legs and grinning when his eyes flick down to them. He bites his lip and narrows his eyes at me.
“So what is this, then?” He brings his glass to his lips and pins me with his gaze.
“This is fun. Right? Isn’t that what you like? All fun?” I shrug and try to shake off the feeling that this is turning into more than just a good time the more time I spend with him.
“I like a lot, Mackenzie. Including you.” He rubs his jaw, watching me. “Do you remember me? From last year?”
A soft smile appears on my face and I nod slowly.
“I remember the girls telling Eric about you hitting on me. I remember how livid he was. I remember wondering what it was about you that was so appealing.” He smirks at my words and leans back in his chair.
“Go on, please,” he says and I giggle.
“That’s it. I wondered, I considered. Then I stopped.” I shrug. Everything I was told about the man…it’s like Eric was just trying to brainwash me.
“Are you saying you won’t consider a relationship with me?”
“Ford West doesn’t do relationships.” I laugh, throwing my head back. “Good one.”
“Who told you that shit?” He leans on the table, eyes glaring at me. “Because they’re fucking wrong,” he whispers. “I only do relationships with girls I’m into. There haven’t been any girls I’ve been into for years. Then you walked in and well, here I am,” he says, leaning back and holding his arms out. “So let’s do this again, shall we? Will you consider a relationship with me, and not just rebound fucks?”
“I’m not—” I stop short when Eric walks through the door, a new bimbo on his arm who’s definitely not his wife. Ford notices the pause and he turns in his seat to see where I’m tracking Eric across the room. He doesn’t say anything right away, he just watches. Probably wondering why I can’t stop watching this man who just walked in. Eric knows how to own a room, that’s for sure. He also knows the ins and outs of being a douchebag. My stomach churns at the thought of seeing him here tonight and I feel the color drain from my face.
I turn back to Ford, who’s looking at me almost amused and kind of annoyed.
“You need me to leave?” His eyebrows shoot up and I notice him glance behind me.
“No,” I whisper. “I’m fine. It’s fine. We’re good. Totally fine,” I stammer, grabbing the beer in front of me and taking another gulp. A large one. That sends me into a coughing fit hard enough to bring tears to my eyes.
Ford’s hand rests on my elbow and when I flick my eyes to him he’s got his eyebrows pushed together.
“Do we need to leave?” he whispers, his eyes searching mine and all I can do is stare back in astonishment.
He’s not pushing about Eric. He doesn’t even know the man, but he’s not pushing. He’s being completely understanding that a hot guy just walked through the front doors of the bar with his date for the evening, and I couldn’t stop staring at him.
“Mackenzie?” he asks again.
“Uh…” I do. I want to get out of here. “Yes. Please,” I whisper, blinking a few times.
I don’t want to run, but I’m having too much fun with Ford tonight to be bothered with running into Eric. This place isn’t big. I’m sure he’s already realized I’m here.
“Okay. I’ll pay the bill,” he says, then presses his lips to my forehead as I sit and process what’s happening. Ford’s being sweet. He’s not being cocky. He’s not beating that dude to a pulp because I looked at him. He’s not being a dick at all. He’s being understanding and he’s blowing everything I’ve ever heard about him out of the water. I’ve been warned away from him by so many people since I’ve been here. Hell, the first time I met the man he was trashed and wearing some stupid ass shirt. I was ‘engaged’ at the time and thinking my life was set so when he approached me I still remember the look on his face when I turned him down. It was like the man wasn’t used to being turned down. I couldn’t get him out of my head after that night, and it wasn’t too long after I started suspecting something with Eric. When I ran into Ford again a few weeks ago, I remembered how much his mere presence affected me last year, and I took the chance with him.
And my God, I do not regret it.
I watch as he walks back over to the table and smiles, holding his hand out.
“Let’s get out of here,” he says in a low tone, holding tight on to my hand as I stand up.
“I’m sorry,” I say finally when we make it outside.
He gives my hand a gentle squeeze and smiles softly at me, his goddamned dimple showing even in the dark night. As we walk the few blocks to the car, the skies open up and the rain starts pouring.
“Fuck!” he laughs, pulling his leather jacket off his shoulders and holding it over my head. I can’t stop laughing as we run to the car. It’s cold as hell out here with the rain hitting us and though he thinks he’s covering me, I’m still soaked.
“Oh my God,” I laugh when I see the car. Pushing him off, I book it for the Mustang and grip the handle, trying to swing it open. “Ford, open the car!” I shriek, hopping in place to keep myself warm.
He’s smiling from ear to ear, jacket flung over his shoulder, and he’s taking his sweet old time getting to me. Not that it matters. I’m enjoying this look on him. Happy, wet, so fucking sexy.
He doesn’t say anything as he approaches me. His presence is enough. He drops his jacket on the top of his car and his hands rest on my hips, pulling me to him before he moves them to the car.
“Looks like you’re trapped,” he says, smirking. “Do you know how sexy you look right now?”
“About as sexy as a drowned rat?” I grin. “Now can we please get out of this ra—”
His lips slam in to mine and stop me from finishing my sentence. Pressing hard, his body pushes me back against his car and his tongue darts out, tasting mine. He kisses me like he’s starving for more. Like he can’t get enough. I kiss him back, exactly the same way because I can’t. I’m starting to think I’ll never get enough of him. The rain continues and his hand swipes my hair back before griping it at the base of my neck. He growls, pulling on my hair and forcing a gasp out of me. Tugging my head to the side, he’s controlling me enough
to give him access to trail nibbles down my neck. My hands grab onto his belt loops and pull him harder against me. His erection in his pants makes me wetter than I already am.
“Ford,” I pant and blink away a stream of rain that’s falling down my forehead. “I’m soaked.”
“Mmm, fuck yes you are,” he hums, removing one of his hands from the car and sliding it up my skirt to grip my ass. “Holy fuck, Mack,” he groans. “No mother fucking panties?” he growls, dipping his head and slamming his lips to mine again. I moan, and when he slides his fingers inside me, the sensation of being fingered in a public parking lot with the rain falling on us is too much.
I whimper, biting my lip because it feels too good, and he smirks at me.
“Let go, Mack. No one’s out here, no one can see us,” he whispers, the palm of his hand pressing against my clit as his fingers stroke the only spot inside me that will make me come harder than anywhere else.
“Holy shit,” I pant, realizing what’s about to happen. “Oooh fuck,” I groan, grinding on his hand and letting my head fall back against the car. He takes the base of my neck in his grip and attacks my jawline with his lips. The rain hitting my face, Ford’s lips on my neck, and his hand fucking me in this parking lot all bring on the most explosive orgasm I’ve ever had. I moan loud, letting go of all reservations and let the orgasm flow through my entire body. My hands grip onto his arm and my legs shake. When I feel the telltale sign of what he just did running down my leg, I take a deep breath and rest my head to his shoulder, trying to control these feelings inside me.
“Holy shit,” he pants, his hand working me hard as I drip all over it. “Oh fuck, Mack,” he says, smiling wide as he uses his other hand to bring my head up to look at him. “You just fucking squirted on my hand,” he says, eyes wide and smile bright.
“I did,” I chuckle, trying to regain my strength to stand myself up again.