Take it, the voices in my head encouraged.
I cleared my throat. “You can have the store in two years, once my lease is up.”
He ground his teeth in frustration. “Why? Is it not enough? I’ll double it.” He crumpled the check in his fist. “A quarter of a million dollars, if you clear out by this weekend.”
My heart thudded in my chest. If I worked twenty more years, I’d never see that much money. I could get a house, pay off my credit cards, and start up a store. I opened my mouth to tell him he had a deal.
Then Millie Carter came in and the jingling bells broke the spell. Millie flinched at seeing such a large man looming over me. Cringing against the wall, her big brown eyes filled with tears. Millie had been abused by her father, her brothers, her boyfriends and her husband. When her husband died in a storm off Montauk, she realized she didn’t have to be anyone’s punching bag anymore. She had been a loyal customer ever since. I really saw a difference as she bloomed into her potential. And she did it because of this store. Still, she had triggers. And whatever energy she was sensing between Rory and me had sent her to that dark place.
Not on my watch.
Reaching up, I grabbed the back of Rory’s head and kissed him on the mouth. He froze. I slipped my tongue into his mouth, rapping him on the teeth with the stud in my tongue until he opened up. Slitting my eyes, I saw Millie slump in relief and take a shuddering breath. I stood up on my tiptoes to deepen the kiss. Rory was frozen in shock, but I kind of liked that. Dragging my tongue over his, I smiled when Millie recovered and puttered around to the back of the store.
It’s okay, Millie. He wasn’t threatening me.
I was about to release Rory when he tangled his fingers in my hair, deepening the kiss. My eyes flew open in shock and then fluttered closed in bliss. Wow. Rory Parker could kiss once he got his wits back. Slanting his lips over mine, his hot mouth branded into mine while our tongues dueled. My fingers bunched in his shirt as pleasure shot down to my toes. The bells jingled again and I sprang away from him, looking down. Suddenly, I was too shy to meet his eyes. He wasn’t supposed to have turned the tables on me. The couple who had come in had their noses in their guidebook, so they hadn’t witnessed me Frenching one of my customers.
“Well?” Rory said, his breathing audible.
I forced myself to look into his scorching brown eyes. I felt like purring. “I’ll think about it.”
Tossing a twenty on the counter, he scooped up the book. “Keep the change. I’ll be back later for your final answer.”
He had an incredible backside. I savored the taste of him in my mouth and found that I was looking forward to seeing the billionaire douchebag again.
Love stories you’ll never forget
By authors you’ll always remember
eOriginal Romance from Random House
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