Chapter 68
“Hi, I’m Hope, and I’ll be your waitress.” Her voice was sweet and melodic, and I imagined it screaming my name. Her eyes scanned the table, a fake smile plastered on her face, but there was a flicker of recognition when her gaze landed on me.
Her breath hitched, pupils dilated, lips parting as I stared straight at her. The intense feelings that had taken all control at the church came surging back, and I gripped the edge of the table, jaw locked tight.
“Hello, Hope.”
Her eyes fluttered as I said her name, and she no longer seemed to be able to stand still.
“Umm, our s-specials today are the turkey melt, clam chowder, and two-dollar draft beer.” Her cheeks flushed. “Can I get you anything to drink?”
My cock got so hard, begging to be closer. What was it about her?
“You.” I couldn’t help myself. It was the truth.
Her eyes widened, and she nabbed her bottom lip between her teeth just as she’d done the other day.
Dex broke in, reminding us both where we were. “We have a tab going at the bar-can you get us a bucket of Dos Equis and some limes?
That’d be great.”
She blinked and looked at Dex, who was trying not to laugh. “Right, will do. Are you ready to order?”
“Not yet.”
She stared, stuck for a moment. “Oh, okay, I’ll just… I’ll be back with the beer.”
I couldn’t take my eyes off her as she walked away, and I almost launched out of my seat when she looked back at me.
“Wow. What the fuck was that?”
I turned back to Dex and flexed my hands into fists, attempting to keep myself in place. “That’s what I’ve been trying to figure out for days.” I glanced back over at the bar where she collected our order.
“I’m beginning to believe your talk about deadly sins. You might die if you don’t get your cock in that girl!”
My jaw clenched. “Not funny, man. I’m two dick pulses away from finding her and fucking her right now.”
He held his hands up. “Sorry, sorry. You didn’t see it from my perspective, though. Talk about intense.”
“Let’s change the subject.”
“Okay… So, Monica?”
I twisted my head in an attempt to crack my neck. Even her name couldn’t subdue the fire. It only ignited another kind-hatred.
“She’s doing shit on purpose to piss me off. That boxing class isn’t the beginning, and I don’t see it being the end.”
Even his face dropped. “Yeah. She’s moved some of my clients as well. My girl is threatening my balls if I don’t start bringing in more money.”
An idea I’d been contemplating popped out of my mouth before I even thought about actually saying it. “If I leave, you’re coming with me, right?”
My sudden topic switch stopped him mid-sip. “You thinking about opening your place?”
The beer arrived, but I didn’t even notice when someone brought it by because she didn’t deliver it. I downed the one I was working on, then popped the top off the next. It was half gone in seconds.
Dex didn’t say anything.
“Thinking. I can’t do it now, but when my mom’s better.”
He grinned. “You’re gonna decimate Monica, aren’t you?”
I finished off the second and pulled out a third. “Yup. I get a large portion of the money from those classes. If she thinks I’m just going to let her push me out, she’s very wrong.”
“You practically built that place. Hell, I was your client when you opened.”
I held my bottle up and smirked. “And look at you now.”
After the third one on an empty stomach, I started to feel good, and my muscles relaxed. That was when she returned-my siren.
She avoided me, looking at Dex instead as he ordered us an appetizer and pizza-the same thing we ate every time. The intense reaction I had to her crashed over me as it had never waned with her farther away. It crippled me. Every muscle tensed to keep me in place.
If she looked at me, there would be no way to stop myself.
From what?
That was the million-dollar question. All answers involved her skin against mine in some capacity-the more, the dirtier, the better.
Her hand shook as she scribbled our order, eyes looking down as they rotated toward me. She didn’t make it past the height of my chest before her lips parted and she stopped.
“The pizza will take about an hour, but I’ll get the appetizer out shortly.”
“Thank you, Hope.” My voice was harsh, thick, my dick twitching when she licked her lips.
I had something for her to lick. It had her name and hers alone on it.
The thought stopped me cold. The realization took hold, my fever for her burning me from the inside.
She had to be the one to get me off. Only her touch, her lips, her pussy would do. Until then, I would continue down my maddening spiral into hell, lust consuming me until there was nothing left but a devil bent on taking her.
“You’re so fucked.”
I leaned forward and slammed my head against the table. “I think I need some air.”
“You need something, but air isn’t gonna help you.”
My eyes were glued to her as she moved around, noticing how she avoided looking in my direction. She recognized me from the church. Was she embarrassed?
Curiosity added to my already insane attraction, and I wanted to know why.
Why was she avoiding me? Why did I need her so much? Why her?
Why couldn’t I stop wanting her?
By beer six, an appetizer, a passed hour, and my obsession avoiding me, I was pissed in both the British and American sense. I batted the newest empty bottle around the tabletop until Dex’s hand slapped down on it.
“We came here to drink, watch the game, and have a good time. Your moody, hyper-sexed-up ass is fucking that up.”
“We also came to take a load off.”
“Not get a load off.”
I flipped him the bird. “Keep it up, and you aren’t coming with me.
I’ll leave your ass with the bitch and the prissy boy.”
He smirked and passed me another beer. “Nah, you need me too much. I’m better looking.”
“Hell, no.”
“It’s true. The girls at the gym did a poll.” He flexed his muscles and grinned. Corn-fed Indiana farm boy with blond hair and blue eyes. Add in the body he spent too much time on and the tattoos, along with his ultra-friendly personality-he could be hotter than me. I’d never admit it to his ass though. It amazed me his girl put up with him.
“That’s because you’re always taking your shirt off and flirting with every female that walks in. Monica always got mad when I looked at another woman.”
“I still won.”
I shook my head. “I demand a recount.”
A shudder rippled through me right before Hope arrived at our table with our pizza in hand.
“She’ll settle this.” I pointed to her, shocking her enough to look up at me.
Her fucking doe eyes were a gut punch. I imagined them looking up at me with her mouth around my cock.
Dex shook his head. “Yeah, she’s not a good judge.”
“What?”
“Huh?” Her brow scrunched up, lost to the conversation I’d thrust her into.
Mmm, thrust.
My hips flexed, and I fought the incredible urge to touch her, to lean forward and lick her skin. Losing my inhibitions with her around was a bad combination.
Dex turned to her. “We’re having a debate on who’s hotter, but I already know who you’ll say.”
Her brow scrunched, and a clarity I hadn’t seen moved through her.
“What does that mean?”
“Are you going to tell me you’d say me after the eye-humping that’s been going on between you two?”
Her mouth and eyes popped open as she stared at him. I wanted to give him shit for calling us out, but I’d become transfixed by her parted lips. The image of running my cock head against them before pushing into her hot mouth was squashed when she turned to me with an angry pout and attempted glare, then walked away.
“Thanks, man.”
He dished out a piece of pizza, grinning as he eyed it. “Truth is tough sometimes. Just seeing if your little obsession can handle it.”
I looked in the direction she went and sighed. “I don’t know if she can handle me.”
“There is that. You’re gonna have to fuck her before you can get to know her.”
I pulled a piece onto my plate and tossed some crushed red peppers on top. I sighed. “This didn’t turn out to be the relaxing night I’d hoped for.”Property © of NôvelDrama.Org.
He tipped his head back and laughed. “That’s ’cause your dick isn’t being touched by that girl of yours.”
My brow furrowed. “She’s not mine.”
“Yet.” His smile fell, and he let out a hard breath. “In all seriousness, the chemistry is obvious. I wasn’t kidding about you fucking her before seeing if there’s something more permanent than the lust that’s pouring out of you.” He pulled the last beer out of the bucket and popped the top. “And instead of being the third bad thing to happen to you in such a short time, she could be the one good thing.”
Two questions went through my mind with his comments. Was he right about a good thing, and was I capable of handling all of that?
A half-hour later, I patted my overly stuffed stomach and had a nice buzz going on. I texted Cassie to pick me up in about thirty minutes. There was no way I was going to attempt to drive. I knew my limit, and I hit it two beers and four pieces of deep-dish pizza ago.
Hope remained scarce while we ate, and refused to even look at us when she dropped off the check. I blamed Dex for embarrassing her.
When she reached for my credit card, I grabbed her wrist and pulled her toward me to whisper in her ear. “I’ll be back for you.”
A blush spread on her face as she looked at me. She licked her lips as she pulled away.
I continued to stare at her, my body buzzing. “I am so fucked.”