Hit the Spot

by J. Daniels

  Her cheeks heated. “An hour.”

  “Yeah.” I pushed her back, slid my hand around her waist, and hoisted her higher up the bed. I crawled over her body and gave her my weight, forearms on the mattress and hips between hers. “Been lookin’ at ’em. Studying ’em. Wantin’ to know me,” I growled.

  Her limbs were warm against my back and hips. She pushed her hands through my hair and held it out of my face.

  “I took pictures, too,” her soft voice admitted.

  My brows hit my hairline.

  She watched this happen, pulled in a breath, met my eyes again, and added, “And a short video, which can totally be deleted if you—”

  Hand on her cheek, I slid my thumb over her lips and pressed, shutting her up.

  “Got a meet this weekend in Cocoa Beach,” I shared. “I want you comin’ with me.”

  Tori’s breaths were sharp as I moved my thumb away. I curled my fingers around her jaw.

  “Um”—she wet her lips—“where is Cocoa Beach exactly? Is it close?”

  “Florida ain’t close unless we’re flying,” I answered. “Flights already booked, but if you’re down and can’t get one last minute, we can drive. We’ll leave Friday and come back Sunday.”

  “I can’t go,” she rushed out. Her eyes heavy with sadness. “I, that’s too last minute for me to get coverage. I work all weekend.”

  “Can’t ask one of your girls to help you out?”

  She shook her head. “No. They’re all either working or have stuff going on,” she explained. “Syd’s taking Brian up to meet her mom. They’re leaving Saturday. And I know Kali doesn’t have a sitter on Sunday ’cause I’m covering for her.” Tori’s fingers tensed in my hair and gave a gentle tug. “I would love to go. Really. I wish I could.”

  “I’ll give you enough time for the next one. It’ll happen,” I shared, not wanting her to feel bad for this since she couldn’t help the conditions. They fucking sucked, but she couldn’t help them.

  “But you wanted me at this one,” she said, speaking quietly.

  “Want you at all of ’em, babe.”

  Tori’s lips slowly parted. Eyes searching, she slid her palms to my cheeks, asking, “Why?” on a whisper that sounded fragile and hope-filled and she must’ve heard it, because she blinked and smiled shakily to cover her truth. “I mean, you’re gonna win with or without me, right?” Her voice was confident now. “You always do. Jamie Carter McCade never loses.”

  “Never had my woman watchin’ me either,” I returned. “I’ll give you notice and then I’m gettin’ that, babe. And straight up? Pretty sure that’s gonna feel better than a win.”

  Her shaky smile vanished. She stared deep into my eyes.

  “What?” I asked.

  “I’m your woman,” she stated quietly, not questioning it, but as if she was repeating it for herself, hearing it for the first time and letting it settle inside her.

  “Yeah, Legs,” I said on a chuckle. “I thought we covered that.”

  “I’m your woman because you claimed me.” Her voice was louder. Quicker. Nearly panicked. Her eyes were wider. “You did it months ago. You were coming to Whitecaps to see me. Everyone knew that. They all saw you claiming me. You did it out in public in front of everyone, Jamie. And I”—she shook her head, whispering—“I didn’t do that.”

  “You didn’t do what, babe?” I asked, brow furrowed, not understanding what the fuck she was going on about.

  “Oh, my God,” she whispered instead of answering me, eyes falling away. “I screwed it up. I didn’t do it right. No one knows I’ve done it. There was no one else on that beach but us. Nobody saw me. Nobody knows.”

  She was breathing fast and talking even faster. Tori was straight up freaking out.

  “Babe, you need to relax,” I told her.

  Her eyes sliced to mine again. “Are you crazy? I can’t relax! I screwed it up!” she shouted.

  I flinched, head jerking back. “Screwed what up?”

  “You need to take me somewhere,” she ordered, ignoring me. Her voice rough and quick and demanding as her palms pressed firmer to my cheeks. “Somewhere with people, Jamie. Lots of people.”

  “Right,” I chuckled. “Get on that first thing tomorrow.” She was fucking nuts.

  Tori’s head lifted off the mattress. “That won’t do at all,” she hissed, inches from my face. “We need to take care of this now. It’s urgent.”

  “Middle of the night. You forgettin’ that? Where we gonna—”

  “It’s urgent!” she cried.

  “It can wait, babe. Whatever the fuck it is.”

  “No it can’t!” Tori argued. “I need to claim you in front of people and you need to take me someplace where I can do that! I want everyone knowing, Jamie. Everyone. You’re mine and I want them knowing!”

  I blinked. That weight that was pressing on my chest threatened to crack bone and crush me beneath it. “Fuck me,” I muttered, staring deep into her eyes.

  “See?” Her head dropped back down. “Now do you really want to wai…oh, okay. You don’t.”

  She giggled when I pushed to my knees then to my feet off the bed, taking her with me as I stood.

  “Might wanna mention when somethin’s urgent, babe. Save us the back-and-forth shit,” I teased as I hurried her out of the room.

  * * *

  Tori was tapping her foot impatiently and surveying the inside of The Seaside Diner, arms crossed over her chest, wearing a scowl and looking ready to flip the fuck out on someone.

  I was standing back, also had my arms crossed over my chest, wasn’t giving a fuck about anyone else in the room but her, and couldn’t scowl ’cause I was too busy keeping my laughter quiet so she wouldn’t hear. All bets were off if she did flip the fuck out, though. I was cracking up if I saw that.

  “Unbelievable,” she mumbled, lifting her hand in the air, then letting it drop to her thigh before turning her head to look at me. “There’s five people here. And I’m counting the waitstaff.”

  “One a.m., babe,” I reminded her. “What are you expectin’?”

  “Enough people to fill a canoe would be nice.” She sighed, shoulders sagging. “There’s nowhere else we can go?” she asked.

  “Head west and hit a different time zone,” I suggested.

  Tori stared at me for a breath, contemplating this, then shook her head and rubbed at her sleepy eyes with her knuckles. “No. That would take hours. And we’d probably end up getting somewhere at one a.m. and be stuck going to a diner with five people in it.” She dropped her hand and looked at me. “I don’t know. I guess this will have to do.”

  I smiled, liking how this was bothering her. She wanted this place packed. Tori was wanting everyone to see us together. I felt like I’d been wanting that my entire fucking life. Couldn’t remember not wanting it.

  “Whatever you wanna do, babe,” I said. “Either way, I’m gettin’ somethin’ to eat.”

  Her brow furrowed. “What? We’re not eating,” she argued.

  “We’re eatin’.”

  “No, we’re not. I’m claiming you and then we’re going back to bed.”

  I shook my head, smiling.

  Tori brought her hands to her hips and shot me a challenging look, head tilting and lips pursed.

  “Babe, don’t make me force your ass into a booth,” I threatened. “Gettin’ somethin’ to eat since we’re here, I’m hungry, and I know they got good biscuits and gravy. Good pancakes, too. Gonna sit and eat and you can claim me while we do that. Then after we’re done eatin’, we’re getting back to bed. But I’m eatin’ first. Food smells good and you ate all my Pop-Tarts.” I smiled bigger when her eyes doubled in size. “You ever eat here? Biscuits made from scratch.”

  Tori blinked and gathered breath through her nose. “I had one Pop-Tart, Jamie,” she snapped, tipping forward for emphasis. “And the other one is still in the pack. I left it for you.”

  “Sweet of you,” I murmured, mouth lifting.


  “Oh, I’m regretting it. Believe you me,” she shot back, going even heavier with the attitude.

  Laughing, I shifted my attention to the waitress when she walked over and stopped at the podium. “How’r ya’ll doin’? Just two?” she asked, grabbing menus.

  “Yep,” I answered, stepping up and putting my hand on Tori’s back.

  I was preparing to force her ass into a booth.

  “Great. Right this way.”

  “He’s with me,” Tori rushed out, halting the waitress as she was turning to lead us.

  I stopped moving, stopping pushing Tori forward. My chest went motherfucking tight. Fuck.

  The older woman’s eyes widened in question. She kept her smile. “Pardon?” she asked, looking from me to Tori.

  I looked down then, too, turning my head and meeting eyes that were shining, full of beauty for me and want for this moment. She was excited and sure and calm—this wasn’t scaring her. It was like Tori had been saying this shit daily to herself and out loud for months.

  “He’s mine. He’s with me,” she repeated, voice so fucking sure. She looked back at the waitress as her arm slid around my back to my waist and held tight. “I just wanted you to know that. And everyone, so if you have an intercom system I could use? I don’t want anyone missing it in the back.”

  “Jesus,” I mumbled. I bowed my head and held my laughter inside my chest.

  “Oh, well, we don’t have one of those, but that’s very nice, dear,” the waitress replied. “You got that love inside you, it’s best to share it. I don’t think anyone would mind if you made a quick announcement, that is, if you’re feeling inclined.”

  I looked at Legs again, brows lifting and face stuck in a grin. That shit was permanent.

  She looked back at me, tipping her chin up and wearing the sweetest fucking smile I’d ever seen in my entire life. “I’m gonna do it,” she whispered excitedly.

  “Babe,” I murmured, and that one word, fuck, that one word held so much feeling and meaning and promise—for her and for us, and she felt that.

  Sucking in a breath so full it felt like she was draining all the air straight out of me, Tori turned her head to face the room, rolled up onto her toes, squeezed her fingers into my side, and did it.

  My woman claimed me in front of five people at 1 a.m. in the middle of a diner, saying I was hers and everyone needed to know it, and informing those five people to spread the news around after giving out our names, which really had the waitress smiling and looking pleased to be working that night and a witness to this announcement.

  Nobody else seemed to give a fuck. The two construction workers sitting at the counter or the old man sitting alone at a booth. The cook didn’t seem to care either.

  Didn’t matter, though. That didn’t stop Tori from saying it. Didn’t stop me from feeling it either.

  It did, however, still prove to be not enough of a crowd for her, and Tori made that known when she dug her phone out of her back pocket and sent out a mass group text after making that announcement.

  “What’d you say?” I asked her after she tucked her phone back into her pocket.

  “Same thing I just said. That you’re mine and I’m yours and I’m claiming you. And for them to spread the word.” She smiled big.

  “Who’d you send it to?”

  “Everyone on my contact list.”

  My brows lifted.

  Tori got a text from Sunshine exactly one minute later. I didn’t know what it said but figured it was something good since Tori was smiling reading it and replying. Shortly after that, I got a text from Dash.

  She’s crying her eyes out and won’t go back to sleep. What the fuck?

  Then he sent me another one.

  Heard the news. Happy for you.

  Aside from those two getting on us, the phones had been quiet.

  “You’re incredible,” I whispered against her cheek.

  With her legs thrown over one of mine, Tori leaned into me, giggling and sucking pancake syrup off the side of her thumb.

  We were sitting in a booth with enough food in front of us to feed a small army.

  Turned out, claiming me worked up one hell of an appetite. After skimming the menu, Tori ended up ordering more food than I did.

  “I’m so awake now,” she murmured, licking her lips, smacking them, and setting her fork down on her plate. “Can this be our thing?” she asked.

  “What?”

  “Breakfasts at midnight. Here. Always here.” She turned to look at me, reaching out and taking hold of my face. “I don’t ever wanna sleep again,” she whispered, grinning through her sugar high.

  I smiled and spread my hand across her stomach. “Told you the food was some good shit.”

  “It’s not the food.”

  I stopped smiling.

  Tori stared at me for a breath, then she pinched her eyes shut, swallowed, shifted closer while keeping hold of my face, and when she was practically in my lap, opened her eyes and her mouth to give me something else, something important, I could tell, but her words were halted when our waitress walked over.

  “How’r we doin’?” she asked kindly.

  Tori bowed her head and grumbled under her breath. Her hands fell away.

  Laughing, I slid my arm around her and gave her a squeeze. I kissed the side of her head, then looked up at our waitress, answering, “We’re good.”

  “Can I get ya’ll anything else before the kitchen closes? Our cook’s about to head out.”

  Gasping, Tori’s head shot up. Her eyes were panicked as she stared into my face.

  “Babe, I think we’re good. You still got another stack of pancakes,” I told her, thinking she was freaking out about the kitchen closing.

  My woman could eat. I fucking loved that.

  “No, um…” She looked behind her, saying, “We’re good. Thank you.” Then when the waitress moved away, Tori turned her head around to look at me again. “I need to tell you something,” she said, gripping on to my faded black Hurley tee.

  I looked down at her holding-tight hands and then back into her face. “This serious?” I asked, brows lifting.

  “It is.”

  “You scared to tell me?”

  She nodded, swallowing before admitting softly, “I’m just worried it’ll mess things up. And God, I don’t want that. I don’t want to go backwards.”

  I felt my mouth twitch. “Don’t gotta worry about that,” I promised.

  She shook her head, letting her eyes fall away. “That’s sweet, but you don’t know what I’ve done.”

  What she’s done?

  Jesus.

  Now I was starting to get worried.

  “Babe, just tell me. It ain’t gonna mess shit up.”

  Fuck it. Whatever it was, I was so fucking deep at this point, she could plot to have my ass killed and I’d give her a pass.

  Tori heard me promise this, looked at me, nodded, then closed her eyes again, so tight this time it made little wrinkles pop out next to them. “Up until very recently, I’ve been having Stitch do stuff to your food,” she admitted.

  Immediately, I started grinning. Not smiling. Fucking grinning. And not knowing when Tori would open her eyes again, I held that grin for a breath and then wiped it clean from my face.

  “I was trying to get you to stop coming to Whitecaps,” she continued, eyes still pinching shut. “And I thought maybe if you got sick from the food, you’d stop coming, but then you weren’t getting sick and so I just kept doing it out of spite and ’cause I liked you but I didn’t want to like you. Same with messing up your order all the time. It was stupid and childish and I’m so, so sorry. Please don’t be mad at me.” She peeked one eye open, then the other. “I’m really sorry, Jamie,” she repeated, shifting closer again. “I don’t think he was doing anything besides dropping it on the floor for five seconds. Honest. I think that was it. I had Syd requesting it, too, but then she started liking you and wanting us to be together, and I think she stopped requestin
g it once that happened. But every time I waited on you, I would do it.” She brought her hands up to my shoulders, my neck. She leaned her face an inch away from mine. “I know I’ve probably messed this up,” she continued, voice trembling. “You have every right to be mad and hate me and—”

  Not being able to hold it in any longer, I dropped my head back and roared with laughter.

  “Um, Jamie?” Tori’s hands put pressure on my chest.

  “Nine months,” I choked out, eyes watering so bad I had to wipe underneath one. “Nine fuckin’ months I’ve been eatin’ food that’s been dropped on that dirty-ass floor and you’ve been arrangin’ that? Are you fuckin’ with me?”

  Tori’s brows drew together. “No,” she whispered. “I’m not fucking with you. I did that. I arranged it. It was called the Loser Special. That was my idea, too.”

  I burst out laughing again, propping my elbow on the table and sticking my face in my hand.

  The Loser Special?

  This was fucking fantastic.

  “Jesus,” I mumbled, wiping underneath my eyes again. “Even had a name for it. Goddamn, babe.”

  “I don’t understand how you’re reacting right now,” Tori said, her voice soft and worry-filled.

  Hearing her and the stress in her tone, I tilted my head, lifted it, and looked into her face. She wasn’t crying, but she didn’t look far from it.

  “Legs,” I murmured through a laugh, lowering my hand to the table. “What the fuck?”

  “You’re laughing,” she whispered. “You’re laughing and you should hate me.”

  “Why the fuck should I hate you?”

  “’Cause I was awful. I’ve been awful. I’ve done awful things.”

  “Could’ve found out about that months ago. And you could’ve kept doin’ it. Straight up? Wouldn’t have mattered. I still would’ve been showin’ up and lickin’ my fuckin’ plate clean.” I flashed her a smile, laughing still. “Jesus,” I mumbled. “You think I’m gonna hate you after hearin’ that? Do you know what you just gave me?”

  “I just admitted to messing with your food and enlisting other people to help me do it,” she replied.

  “You just admitted to wantin’ me so bad, you knew the only way we weren’t gonna happen was if you fuckin’ killed me,” I returned, reaching around her, grabbing hold of her hips, and sliding her closer until her ass was pressing against my thigh again. I leaned in, getting in her face. “You’re right about that, babe. I’d have to be dead.”