A half hour later, parked in the very front of Simply Tuesday’s, John unpacked the boxes on the bed of his truck. A veggie burger for me, and a double cheeseburger for himself.
He handed me a carton filled with my sandwich and an extra large order of fries. “I figured since you haven’t had a donut in a year, a hamburger was out of the question.”
I laughed, knowing he was completely right, and headed for the back of his truck. I pushed myself up to the tailgate, my heart twisting at the realization we were completely alone, and I let my legs dangle from the side as I unwrapped my burger.
I took a large bite, horrified when the whole leaf of lettuce came with it. It spilled from the corner of my mouth, and I pushed back just as John came around to the front of his truck to join me. He leaned against the tailgate, his brows lifted as I pushed the last bits of offensive greenery in my mouth. “Sorry,” I said around a mouth full of food.
He arched one brow, and his shoulders began to shake.
I frowned, covered my lips with one hand, and put my burger down in the box. “Are you laughing at me?”
He shook his head and made a coughing noise before he finally gave in, gripped his stomach, and let his head fall back to his shoulders. “I’m sorry, I just wasn’t expecting that.”
“Expecting what?”
“For you to eat like a man,” he said, throwing his head back with laughter.
I couldn’t help it. I grabbed a fry out of my box and shoved it into his mouth.
“Hey!” he protested, but then I took another handful of fries and crammed them into his mouth again. We were both laughing now, and he pushed me to the bed of the truck, got on top of me, and held my hands over my head. His body straddled mine and he grinned like the devil, chewing and swallowing as he looked down at me.
My heart constricted, and my body tightened beneath him—neither of us was laughing anymore. I couldn’t help but think about his kiss, what it did to my body, what his body was doing to me now. I wanted more of him. More than a night at the zoo. More than one heated kiss in a hardware store. I was ready.
His eyes shifted to my mouth and my lips parted. He was going to kiss me. My heart was in my throat, screaming for him to do it already. For him to kiss me again. But this time, I wouldn’t stop it. I’d welcome it with open arms and take in every bit of him I could get my hands on.
His eyes remained on my mouth, as if he was trying to make his mind up about something. “Thanks for coming with me tonight,” he finally whispered, then his eyes lifted, meeting mine once again.
My hair rubbed up and down against the bed of his truck as I nodded. “No, thank you. I wouldn’t have missed that for the world.”
He rolled off me then, causing confusion to surge over my body, leaving me chilled where his warmth had just been. I wasn’t sure what was going on. He grabbed his food from the bed of the truck and started eating again, this time a good yard away from the truck. I tentatively sat on the edge of the tailgate, unsure what was happening between us, and took another bite of my burger.
We both ate quietly for the rest of our meal, bathed in an awkwardness that consumed the dark night, but I only finished a quarter of my burger. I was too nervous, too confused to eat more than that. He packed up his empty boxes in the brown bag then pulled his cell phone from his pocket. “Well, it’s pretty late.” He turned in the direction of my truck, and I couldn’t help my heart from squeezing with rejection.
“Did I do something wrong?” I asked.
He shook his head, keeping his back turned while I searched my brain for what he’d said in the office, wondering if I had made the whole thing up. He shoved his hands deep into his pockets and glanced over his shoulder. “We both have work in the morning, Tuesday. It’s almost midnight.”
I hopped from the bed of his truck and turned my back. I closed the tailgate, unable to keep the words from spilling from my mouth. “Less than twelve hours ago you were telling me to run from you, and now you’re running from me?” Why I felt so vulnerable I didn’t know, but my voice shook with it. I felt it in my bones, in the blood that rushed to my neck and cheeks; there was no way I could hide it from him now.
He grabbed my arms, his touch the last thing I expected, and he turned me around to face him. “You did too much right, that’s the problem.”
Tears pooled in my eyes, but I forced my chin up to meet him. “I don’t understand.”
He looked back at me, his jaw clenched as his eyes bored into my soul. “I like you too much to just sleep with you.”
I inhaled, my breath shaky. “Is that what this was to you?”
He looked away, over my shoulder to the dark empty lot. “I don’t know what this was.”
“Why?”
He shook his head, chuckling as he pulled me against his chest again. “Why do you need all the answers right now?”
My body tensed and I pushed away. I was tired of the mixed signals. Tired of being some amusing little woman for him to laugh at. Yes, I was emotional, yes, I cried too damned much, but the last thing I wanted was him laughing at me. I turned away, deciding that maybe he was right, and we both needed to go to sleep. Separately!
I walked around to the side of his truck and yanked open the passenger door.
“Don’t laugh at me, John. This may be funny to you, but it’s not funny to me.” I grabbed my purse from the floor and slammed the door, realizing too late that his hand had taken the full force of the blow.
“Oh my God!” I opened the door as quickly as I’d shut it, but John doubled over, holding his hand to his chest as he walked a couple of steps away.
“Fuck.” He muttered under his breath.
I covered my mouth with my hand, completely disappointed in my lack of control. “I didn’t mean to do that. I didn’t mean―” I came closer. “Are you okay?”
He scrunched up his face and nodded, then leaned against the side of his truck, his head held back on his shoulders in pain.
I stood in front of him, my lip between my teeth as I took his hand in mine. “Here, let me.”
He hesitated, but finally relaxed and let me turn it over.
I cringed at the sight of his bloody knuckles, already bruising and starting to swell. “I’m so sorry… I didn’t mean―” I stopped because my guilt wasn’t helping anything. “I have a first aid kit in the shop.”
He looked into my eyes, and for whatever reason, something shifted between us. A mutual trust I wasn’t quite ready to acknowledge. I turned around, hoping he would follow, and he did.
My heart leapt to my throat as I pulled my keys from the zippered pocket of my purse, and my hands trembled as I unlocked the door and turned on the lights. I made my way to my office, John right behind me, and pulled the kit from the bottom drawer of my desk.
“Wait here,” I said, patting the top of the desk before hurrying to the product floor. I grabbed a container of antiseptic salve then stopped by the kitchen and filled a small bowl with warm water. When I got back to the office he was still waiting for me, sitting on top of my desk in the relaxed way he did everything.
I opened up my kit and examined his hand again. The wound wasn’t as deep as I had thought in the dark but still looked incredibly painful. I took a dampened cloth from the bowl and began to clean it. He didn’t make a sound.
“I’m so sorry,” I said again, my muscles tightening involuntarily as I dabbed his wound over and over. I was reminded of that first night at the bar, when he’d taken care of my foot and I’d run away, but now the roles were reversed.
I opened the tin of salve, took a small bit with my finger, and began spreading it across his knuckles. I could feel his eyes on me, and the same sexual tension that always floated between us filled the room. His other hand settled on my waist, gently pulling me toward him.
I knew I shouldn’t let this happen, that I should run away as I had that night, but I didn’t have the strength this time, and I let him pull me closer until his muscular thigh settled betwee
n the two of mine. My breathing deepened, but I kept my eyes focused on my task. I pulled a spool of gauze from the first aid kit and began to wrap it around his hand, while his other hand traveled down to rest on the small of my back. It was such a tiny movement, so subtle, but my whole body ignited like a torch.
I fastened the gauze with a bit of tape, closed my eyes, and pressed his bandaged knuckles to my lips. I could feel him watching me, knew we were crossing a line that could never be uncrossed, but I didn’t care. I did it again, this time letting my lips linger a little longer than the last. I swallowed, fighting back an emotion that overwhelmed me, and then I stepped away.
He caught me at my waist and lifted my chin with his finger. He tilted my face up until we were both nose to nose, and there was no avoiding his gaze. “You’re too good for me, Tuesday.” His voice was gruff, but this time he didn’t push me away. His lips came down on mine, hard and passionate, crushing my mouth with a beautiful pressure that floored me. His arms wrapped around my body, and he pulled me against his chest, supporting all my weight.
I wound my arms around his neck and didn’t hold anything back. I gave him everything, wanting to take everything of his in return.
His tongue pushed into my mouth, filling me with the delicious taste I longed for. He felt so good, smelled so good, tasted so good…
I stepped closer, wanting every part of my body pressed against him, every part of his body pressed against me. He pulled away, just enough for his mouth to trail down my cheek.
“What are we doing?” he said between kisses.
I shook my head, letting my head fall back to give him better access to my neck. “What do you think?”
He groaned. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
I swallowed, not exactly sure what he meant, and pushed back so I could look into his eyes. “Why do you think you’ll hurt me?”
“I don’t know.” He stared at me, his breath as heavy as mine.
I looked into his eyes, sensing a confusion I wished I knew more about. It may have been selfish, but I wanted a piece of him. Even if it was only one night, I wanted it. “Just be honest with me, John. That’s all I want from you.”
“Promise?” His eyes grew darker, searching my face with uncertainty.
I swallowed. “I promise.”
He pressed his forehead to mine, but I felt his reservations. I trailed my hands down his back, causing his muscles to flex in reaction to my touch. “Maybe you’ll be the one who’s hurt by me. Did you ever think of that?”
His shoulders fell forward, and his lips came to rest at the crook of my neck.
I pulled in a breath and repeated the words he’d said to me in the office. “I want to stop fighting this. You make me feel good, and I make you feel good. We don’t have to think about more than that.”
He remained quiet, but I could feel him begin to relax. “Tuesday…”
I pushed my finger up to his lips, not wanting to hear another word. “Shhh…” I wrapped my arms around his neck and replaced my fingers with my mouth. “I don’t want to talk anymore.”
A deep groan filled the back of his throat, and he picked me up, flipping me around until my backside hit the top of the desk.
He shoved a stack of papers to the floor then pushed me backward until my shoulders were pinned to the hard surface. My hair spilled over the side, and his eyes bored into mine.
He only stared at me, while his hand trailed down the center of my body, lifted the hem of my shirt, and pulled it slowly up my abdomen and over my head. He bent down, pressing his lips against my collarbone, and I gasped. My body quivered with the sensation I’d wanted from the moment we met.
His kisses were like torture. A sweet, incredibly seductive torture I wanted more of. I let my head fall back, taking in the feel of his mouth against my skin. I couldn’t believe I was letting this happen. That I was entering a relationship with no guidelines, with a man who was all wrong for me.
My hands trailed up and down his back, my chest rising and falling quickly as his warm breath found my mouth. His kiss was firm, his heavy body hard against mine, and I lifted my hips to shove my underwear and skirt to the floor.
I was ready to end this torture, ready to have him inside me. I reached to the buckles of my shoes, but quickly decided against it. I didn’t have time for straps. I didn’t have time for buttons either. I took both sides of his shirt and pulled as hard as I could. Buttons flew in every direction, and he stopped moving. He met my eyes again and lifted his brow. I pushed his shirt over his shoulders, completely turned on by the way he watched me. I yanked his sleeves down his arms until he was free of them, pressed my lips to his chest, and began working on the fastening of his pants. Before long, I had shoved them to the ground.
He took a condom from his wallet and rolled it over his length. He pushed me back to the desk, looking down at me with an expression that was both hard and soft. “You should be made love to on a bed of fucking roses.” He yanked me down to the edge of the desk, his face heated. “But for some reason, you chose me.”
He pushed inside me, and the force of his entry made me hold onto the desk. I knew when we stopped fighting this there would be passion, but the animalistic way we reacted to each other left me winded, yet begging for more.
His breath was hard, his eyes focused as he thrust into me again. He looked into my eyes, as if I was the one thing he wanted most in this world. That he would live for me, die for me, protect me. Then his hands trailed up and down my body, and I arched my back.
He moved again, this time slower, gentler, and I lifted my hips, forcing my body downward, pushing myself harder against him.
The way he made love was raw, open, exposed. He eased his way out then pushed inside me again. Watching me, taking me, in so many more ways than one. I sat up, needing his body closer to mine.
He wrapped his arms around my shoulders, supporting my weight when I curved my legs around his waist, taking every delicious stroke as his body moved with mine. We were one, rocking, moving, grinding until I pulled in one last breath, and let my body shatter to a million tiny pieces in his arms.
He rocked with me a few more times, faster and faster until I felt his release. We both collapsed back on the desk, my body taking all of his weight.
“Wow.” My breaths came hard and broken.
He only nodded, pressing his forehead into the crook of my neck. The room was a thousand degrees but I didn’t care. I looped my arms around his chest, squeezing him tighter as my body continued to roll with release. We stayed like that for a few minutes, just breathing, skin to skin… nothing else between us.
He kissed me one last time then pushed from the desk and excused himself to the restroom.
I rolled to my side, watching him pick up his clothes from the floor. My brows furrowed, and I sat on the edge of the desk when he closed the door. I wasn’t sure what I should do now. Normally after sleeping with a man, we were in a bed. We’d cuddle for an hour and maybe go for round two, but he’d taken his clothes to the bathroom with him.
I found my top in the middle of the room and pulled it over my head. In the heat of the moment, I never once thought about how awkward this moment would be. The immediate after-sex awkwardness we were in now. I pulled the rest of my clothes over my body, picked up the stack of invoices from the ground, and began piling them neatly on the desk.
He’d been honest with me from the beginning, so why was I so nervous?
The office door creaked open a moment later, and I knew it was him, but I wasn’t sure what to say. Thank you? That was great? Nothing sounded right, so I decided not to say anything at all.
He came to stand behind me then brushed my hair from my shoulders and kissed my neck. “You okay?”
I nodded, his touch taking my breath again, giving me back a bit of the confidence I’d had only a moment before. “You?” I turned around to face him.
His brow creased, and he shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. “I’m
fine. Better than fine.” His eyes shifted to the desk and his lips lifted at the corner. “I was thinking, maybe we should keep this between us. Not tell the guys about what’s going on.”
My stomach twisted a little, even though it made perfect sense. They were his employees and didn’t need to know about our whatever this was relationship. No one needed to know. But his request still stung.
I cleared my throat and forced a smile I didn’t feel like giving. “Yeah, that sounds fine.”
His brows furrowed. “I didn’t mean it like that.” He gripped the back of his neck and shook his head.
I turned to straighten the papers again and swallowed. “No, it’s a good idea. No one should know. It makes total sense.” I picked my bag up off the floor.
“I just thought it would be easier if they didn’t know. That’s all.” He looked over his shoulder, clearly as uncomfortable as I was. “Do you need anything else before we go?”
I cleared my throat again, not sure how we’d gone from wild sex in the middle of my office to this awkward exchange. “Oh no. That was it.” I chewed my inner cheek and looked down to his injured hand. “How does it feel?”
He made a fist then clenched and unclenched a few times before answering. “Fine.” His eyes met mine again. “Thanks.”
A minute later, we both stood outside Simply Tuesday’s and I locked the front door. I twisted the keys around my fingers then turned to face him.
His hands were shoved deep into his pockets, and he was frowning again. “I had a good time tonight, Tuesday.”
I nodded and hitched my bag higher on my shoulder. “Me too.” I licked my lips, and looked toward my truck. He made me feel like I was in eighth grade and he was the boy I had a crush on. Not the grown up woman who should know that this was a bad idea...
He stepped toward me, making my heart jump to my throat. He lifted one hand and ran it along my cheek. “I’m not leaving until your truck starts. That’s the most I can offer you and still sleep at night.”
Waiting for Tuesday: Suspicious Hearts Book Two Page 13