Bad Taste in Men (Clover Park, Book 3) Contemporary Romance (The Clover Park Series)

by Kylie Gilmore

  Her knees gave out, and he held her up, his hands on her bottom, holding her in place, using his tongue and lips and teeth to bring every nerve ending to life. She closed her eyes as the hot water ran over them, already on the brink.

  He stopped and looked up at her. “Open your eyes, Rach. Look at what your friend is doing to you.”

  She shook her head and kept her eyes shut.

  His lips grazed over her sensitive nub, and she jerked, her nerve endings raw. “No more unless you look.”

  She forced her eyes open. He smiled and returned to kissing her intimately. His red hair in stark contrast to her dark curls, his muscular arms holding her up. He sucked hard, and she saw stars, crying out his name. He kept going, wringing every last drop from her until she had absolutely nothing left.

  He rose and kissed her then, and she clung limp and sated to his warm body. He picked her up, set her outside the tub, and wrapped her in a towel.

  “Stay right there,” he said. “Wait for me.”

  She nodded and heard him whistling as he washed up in the shower. She stood in her towel, the small medicine cabinet mirror completely fogged up. She wiped the mirror off and put her glasses back on. Her hair hung in a wet, tangled clump. Her lips were rosy, cheeks flushed, eyes shining. To distract herself from why she was actually waiting in a towel, she took out a comb and eased the tangles out of her hair. Once finished, she leaned over the sink to wring the extra water from her hair.

  The water in the shower shut off.

  “Don’t move,” Shane ordered.

  She froze, bent over the sink. “Uh, Shane?”

  The towel was ripped from her body. She bolted upright and turned. Her eyes trailed down of their own accord. Her cry of protest died in her throat.

  He dried himself with another towel. “I told you not to move.”

  He turned her and pushed her back in place, bent over the sink. She shivered at the vulnerability of the position, but still she waited.

  He opened the medicine cabinet above her head and pulled out a condom. She heard the rustle of the wrapper and waited to feel the first hard thrust. Instead he banded his arm around her waist and pulled her upright.

  “I’ve got a better idea,” he said.

  He lifted her, carrying her out of the bathroom and into the bedroom.

  “Shane! You don’t have to carry me everywhere. My ankle’s fine.”

  “You like it.”

  She shut her mouth because she did. He knew her well, too well. She’d let him in, seeing her for who she was as a close friend, and now he was using it to his advantage in this new intimate territory. She’d never felt so vulnerable and yet so turned on. He set her down in front of the dresser with the full mirror mounted above it.

  “Spread ’em,” he said as he pushed her not ungently down over the dresser. And God help her, she did. He entered her slowly, letting her body adjust to him, and her breath caught at the sight of them in the mirror, the contrast in their coloring, he a shade lighter than her, his red hair to her dark brown, the flushed, breathless look on her face, the fierce expression on his.

  His hands entwined with hers, pinning them down. He met her gaze in the mirror. “Would your friend do this?” he asked with a hard thrust.

  “N-no,” she gasped.

  He kept going, pounding into her from behind. Despite the roughness of what felt more than anything like a claiming, she felt an intense spiraling building in her again. His hands released hers only to slip knowing fingers through her slick folds. She bucked backward at the touch, still raw from his earlier ministrations, and he slipped deeper inside. She gasped. His fingers became more demanding, increasing the pressure with every hard thrust. She whimpered incoherently, closing her eyes over the intensity.

  He gave her a little shake. “Watch,” he ground out.

  She watched as he both took and gave to her. The climax hit her suddenly, shocking in its intensity, and she screamed.

  He murmured sweet praise; then he pumped fast and hard. His teeth clamped on the side of her neck, and she panted, feeling positively animal as he held her in place for these last shuddering thrusts. He groaned, stilled, and they stayed like that for a minute, he covering her. His lips rested in a gentle kiss on the spot where his teeth had been.

  He rose and carried her back to the bed, settling on his side next to her. He stroked her hair, her cheek, down her side, his hand coming to rest on her hip.

  “We are not just friends,” he told her. His blue eyes watched her intently, probably waiting for her to argue.

  She couldn’t.

  She simply gazed at him in wonder, dazed by the contradictions in the man at once gentle and yet so…not forceful, she’d never felt like he’d used his superior strength against her, more like in charge. She flushed again, remembering.

  He gave her a knowing smile, seeming pleased with her dazed state, and kissed her again, gently, lingeringly. Then he got up, got dressed, and left.

  She spread her arms out on the bed and let out a deep, supremely satisfied breath. Her mind for once not racing from one thing to another on her long list of things to do. Wow. Just fucking wow.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Rachel opened Book It a little late that day, not even caring that it was late. It was a Tuesday, the first day of school, and she didn’t anticipate many customers until the weekend. Luckily, Tanya had come through, opening Something’s Brewing Café right on time.

  She stopped by the café to get herself a latte and check in with Tanya. “How’d we do this morning?”

  Tanya smiled. “Good. Not as good as four hundred cups sold, but we had a nice morning rush. Word got out, I guess.”

  “How much did we bring in?” Rachel asked.

  “I don’t know.”

  Rachel moved to the register to check for herself. She smiled. “Good. We’re doing good.”

  “Shane’s new delivery boy is cute,” Tanya said.

  At the mention of Shane, Rachel ran hot all over. Geez, he wasn’t even here. Just the mention of his name had her near orgasm. She needed to calm herself.

  “Oh, yeah?” she said casually. “He mentioned he hired someone to do the morning baking.”

  “His name’s Ron,” Tanya said. “I like that name. It’s strong. He delivered it himself too.”

  “Cool.” Rachel bought herself a maple blueberry scone. “I’ll be next door. Let me know when you go on break.”

  “Will do.”

  She sat on the cushioned stool behind the counter, a little sore from last night and this morning’s activities. The reminder sent another hot flash through her. She took a bite of the scone. It was effing delicious. Damn, Shane was talented. She had to stop thinking of him. Just because the man knew his way around a woman’s erogenous zones didn’t mean he got to take up so much headspace.

  She got her laptop and worked on some accounting from yesterday’s revenue from the bookstore and the café. She smiled. It was really gratifying to see Book It turn a profit like that. Too bad Janelle hadn’t stuck around to see that happen. She missed her friend, but she knew she could only blame herself. She shouldn’t have used Janelle to keep Shane at a distance.

  Stop thinking about Shane!

  She was turning into one of those pathetic, lovesick fools. Next thing you knew, she’d be picking out monogrammed towels and doodling their initials in hearts. She headed to the back storeroom. Keeping busy was key. She went through the shelves and made sure everything was organized and all inventory accounted for. An hour passed pleasantly with nary a thought of Shane. She breathed some relief. Okay, so they weren’t just friends.

  Shane’s voice came back to her, Would your friend do this? She went damp at the memory. He’d driven his point home. Big time.

  She needed fresh air.

  The buzzer rang on the back door, and she saw red hair through the window. Her heart started pounding. She took a deep breath and opened the door.

  “Delivery,” a new delivery guy sai
d. Not Shane.

  Disappointment washed through her.

  “Right over here, thanks,” Rachel said, directing the delivery of six boxes of books.

  By the end of the day, Rachel had worked up to a pretty good freak-out. She was feeling too much too fast for Shane, and it was scaring the crap out of her. She texted Liz to stop by after work. The Clover Park Elementary School was only a couple of blocks away from her store.

  Thankfully, Liz showed up right on time before Rachel had a chance to call Shane and beg him to remind her how they weren’t just friends.

  “Hey, Rach!” Liz called as she breezed in. She carried a large purse and a second large bag full of papers.

  “Hey. How was the first day of school?”

  “Great! I love meeting the new crop of kids. This promises to be a great class.”

  “Awesome.”

  Liz wagged her finger at her. “Tell me. You look wound up as tight as I used to be.”

  Rachel tugged her friend to the small back office and sat down at her desk.

  Liz perched on the edge of the desk. “So-oo?”

  Rachel grimaced. “I slept with Shane.”

  Liz clapped. “Yay!”

  Rachel scowled. “What are you so happy about?”

  “I love you both, and I was hoping you’d get together. Everybody was.”

  Rachel’s stomach did a few flips. “Everybody?”

  “Well, you know. His family. And friends. We all knew he liked you.”

  She crossed her arms and hugged herself. “I, uh, don’t know what to do now.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, like, what now? He’s my…” Shane’s voice came back to her. Would your friend do this? She got another flutter low in her belly. “He’s my business partner.”

  Liz waved that away. “And you work well together. So how was it?” She giggled. “No, don’t tell me. He’s my brother-in-law. I can’t even think about him that way. Just tell me, did he blush when you got naked?”

  Rachel flushed. Shane had been the furthest thing from blushing, much more sensual than she’d ever imagined. His obsession with good food, always rhapsodizing about the fragrant scents and flavors, should’ve given her a clue, in retrospect. She got another hot flash just thinking about the way he’d insisted on tasting every inch of her.

  “He’s fucking amazing,” Rachel admitted.

  Liz laughed. “Omigod, I’m so happy for you.”

  “So what do I do? Should I try to go back to strictly business? You know how important it is that we make the café work.”

  Liz smiled. “The café’s already working. Just have fun, Rach. You’re way overthinking this.”

  Rachel exhaled sharply. “I guess.”

  Liz beamed. “Wouldn’t it be so cool if you were my sister-in-law?”

  Rachel broke out in a cold sweat. “Liz!”

  “Sorry. Forget I said that.”

  They chatted a few more minutes, and then Liz left to take Hagar for a walk. Problem was, Rachel couldn’t help overthinking it. She’d never been so terrified it wouldn’t work out. She didn’t like Shane having that kind of power over her. Better to end things sooner before they both got in too deep. Someone would get hurt. Like her.

  ~ ~ ~

  Shane stopped by the café before closing to check on everything. He hoped Rachel wasn’t running scared after their night together. Last night and this morning had been everything he’d imagined and more. He’d thought of little else today, and giving her space had been just about the most difficult thing he’d ever done. But he knew her and knew she needed time to get used to this new side of their relationship.

  “Hey, boss,” Tanya called. “Can I get you something?”

  His eyes went to the display case, where he took a quick inventory of what sold and what didn’t. “I’m good, thanks. Busy today?”

  “This morning we were.”

  He walked behind the counter and checked the two coffee machines, the espresso machine, the grinders, and the carafes. He poured himself a cup of light roast from a carafe and tasted a slight bitterness. “How long has this been sitting here?”

  “Since noon?”

  “After thirty minutes, you have to dump it and make a fresh pot. The coffee has to be freshly ground and freshly brewed, otherwise they might as well buy coffee at the gas station.”

  “Sorry.” Tanya dumped it in the sink.

  “It’s okay. Just for the future.” Shane wandered to the back and scanned the shelves of the storeroom. Looked okay. He checked the restroom. Paper towels were crumpled on the floor. Not good. He threw the paper towels in the trash can and washed his hands, making a mental note to hire a cleaning service for a nightly cleanup. They couldn’t have any health code violations. It was the kiss of death for a food business.

  He headed over to Book It. Rachel sat at the register, twirling the end of her braid while she read a thick book. He got closer. Crime and Punishment. Feeling guilty?

  “Hey, Rach.”

  She startled. “Make some noise when you come in. Geez, you’re like a cat.”

  “I know.” He went behind the counter and kissed the tender spot below her ear, noticing the slight red mark on her neck from his love bite that morning. He liked that he’d marked her. She was his. He stroked a hand up and down her back.

  She shook him off. “Don’t do that here. It’s weird. Main Street has a front-row view of my entire store.”

  He ignored her protest, turning her on the stool so her back was to Main Street and pulling her into his arms. He kissed her with all the pent-up passion he’d felt every time he thought of her today. Her book slipped from her hand and hit the floor with a loud thwack. He kissed her until she wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned into him, pliant and willing. He pulled back to look into her eyes.

  She placed her fingers over her lips and stared at him wide-eyed. It was a good look for her. Shock and awe. Not to mention what it did for him. He wanted her again, and her apartment was right above the shop.

  “Upstairs?” he asked.

  She dropped her hand and scowled. “No, we’re not going upstairs! I have to close out the register and make sure the café is ready for tomorrow. Tanya has to leave a little early today.”

  “I’ll help you.”

  She gave him a squinty-eyed look that meant she was getting mad. This whole seduction thing wasn’t going like he’d hoped.

  “I thought we agreed,” she said sharply, “you supply the food and drink, I run the café.”

  He raised his palms. “I just offered to help. It’s my shop too.”

  “Ooh! I knew you were going to throw that in my face.” She stomped off to the café.

  He followed close behind. “I’m not throwing anything in your face.”

  “You can go, Tanya,” Rachel said. “I’ve got it from here.”

  Tanya grabbed her purse. “Okay, I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

  Tanya left, and Rachel started checking the supplies under the counter.

  Shane followed her. “I’m just saying I have a vested interest in the place, so I want to help out. And by the way, I’m calling a cleaning service to make sure the bathroom is cleaned every night. We don’t want any health code violations.”

  She stood and headed to the storage room. “That’s too expensive. I’ll do it.”

  “You’ll clean the bathroom every night?”

  “Yeah, I do that at Book It.” She grabbed a box of stirrers.

  “Rach, I don’t want you to have to do that. I’ll get a service.”

  She whirled and pinned him with a flinty-eyed stare. “Last time I checked, I run the place. It’s in the contract you signed. Therefore, I clean it if I want to.”

  It was classic Rachel. They’d gotten too close, and now she was all prickly defense.

  He stepped closer. “You seem tense.”

  She backed up. “I’m not tense.”

  He took the box from her hands and set it on t
he shelf. “You were very relaxed last time I saw you, but now…” He ran a finger down her cheek, tipping her chin up, right where he wanted her. He ducked his head, easing in for a kiss.

  She turned her head away. “Shane, I can’t do this.”

  He kissed her jaw instead, kissing his way up to her ear. She pushed at him, and he stopped, biting back a breath of frustration.

  Her eyes flashed. “Just because we…you know doesn’t mean I’m going to marry you!”

  Whoa. That had come out of nowhere. She was thinking about marriage? After one night? He must have made a mighty fine impression.

  He bit back a smile. “I don’t recall proposing.”

  She waved a hand in the air. “No, you didn’t. Forget I said that. The point is…”

  Her voice trailed off as he slid the band off her braid and unwound her hair. He slid his fingers through the silky strands. She shivered, and he took that as a good sign. He kissed the column of her throat, tasting as he went. Loving her taste and flowery scent. She let out a soft moan.

  He pulled back and took her hand. “Let’s go. We can come back to clean up.”

  She shook her head. “I’ve got to get things ready for the morning. You-you should go. Okay? Just go. Please. I can’t work with you and-and…” She waved her hands. “Just go.”

  “Rach,” he said gently. “Don’t push me away. We’re just beginning. Like starting a new chapter.” He felt good he’d thought up a book metaphor, something she’d appreciate.

  Her eyes were wide and panicky. “Then what? More chapters, the end?”

  “Why are you thinking about the end when we’re just beginning?”