Chapter 20
20
S he’s such a little flirt. I don’t think she realizes how much she’s teasing me. I will blindfold her, spank her, and give her everything she wants—but I’m not saying that now, and definitely not here. Squeezing her ass, I remind myself we still have dinner.
Hovering behind Anna, I lean down so my lips are at her ear. “You’re killing me,” I breathe. “But you need to be a good girl until we get to dinner.”
Her nervous giggle is priceless. Holding her hand, we walk out of Main Street Makers Studio. I’m not escalating this right now, even though I want to. She’s holding my arm with her other hand, nuzzling into me as we walk. I kiss the top of her head, feeling so happy with how the first part of our date went.
As I reach for the door handle to open it for her, she grabs my hand, pulling it behind her waist. “I want to kiss you,” she says, looking up at me.
Say less. I lean down, kissing her, and she releases my hands, wrapping hers around my neck. The connection between us is impossible to ignore, and this kiss is quickly escalating. My hands squeeze her ass as her tongue crosses mine—she has such a great ass. Anna arches into me. I slide my hands under her denim jacket and squeeze her sides, loving the feel of her exposed skin. Pressing her against my truck, we’re full-on making out on Main Street, and I don’t care. I don’t want to stop. She pulls my hair and—fuck, we might need to stop. This could get out of hand quicker than it has. Patience. There’s a time and a place.
“We need to eat,” I say, barely breaking our kiss.
“No.”
I laugh, gently wrapping my hand around her neck and pulling back to meet her eyes. “We need to eat, little bunny.”
Her blue eyes give me a sad, puppy-dog look. She wants to keep going, and I do too. But not now.
“Get in the truck,” I say, releasing her neck and opening the door for her. As soon as she’s in, I jog around to my side, smiling. I climb in and shut the door, then lean over, resting my hand on her thigh. “Are you going to be able to keep your hands off me at dinner?”
She raises an eyebrow, her smirk deepening. “Are you?”
“Probably not.” I move in closer, my lips grazing her neck. She shivers under my touch, and I pull back enough to meet her eyes.
“Do you know what I really want right now?” she asks, and I’m ready to give her anything.
“What?”
“A greasy cheeseburger.”
I lean back in my seat contemplating what we should do. “I was thinking about taking you somewhere nicer, but eating burgers in the truck and making out sounds like a better idea.”
“I agree.”
Her smile, her face—I’m obsessed. “Come here.” Grabbing the back of her neck, I pull her into me. Kissing her deep, I still can’t believe all of this started because of me being Buttons the Bunny. Pulling back, I rub my thumb along her jaw. “So beautiful. Let’s go eat. I can’t have you starving on my watch.”
I start the truck and pull out onto the road, playing with her fingers as we drive. The flirty looks we exchange—I want Anna. More than the sex that’s bound to be life changing, I want her to be mine.
She points to a drive-thru, and I pull in. Once we’ve ordered and grabbed our food, I park the truck in the lot. The smell of fries and burgers fills the cab. I pull a fry from the bag and hold it out to her. “Open.”
She parts her lips enough for me to pop the fry into her mouth. “So sexy.” I watch her chew, my mind wandering to less innocent places. I lean in for a quick kiss before she hands me a fry in return.
We fall into an easy rhythm, sharing fries, stealing kisses. It’s intimate but casual—and so carefree.
“When’s your birthday?” I ask between bites of my burger.
“November 7th,” she answers, taking a sip of her drink. “Why?”
“Oh.” I glance at her, amused but still a little nervous about our age difference. “You’re really mature for twenty-two, you know that?”
“I guess.”
“Compared to me … I was living in bars when I was twenty-two.”
“I’ve heard you and your friends used to get up to a bunch of stupid shit.”
“We did. Way too much.”
She shifts in her seat, facing me. I check her out—she’s so beautiful. “Are you a ‘waiting until marriage’ kind of girl?” I’m more than a little curious.
“No!” She swats my arm.
“I didn’t want to assume anything.”
“I’m not a virgin if that’s what you’re asking.”
I chuckle, loving how offended she is. “I wouldn’t care either way.”
“Well … I’m not.”
I smirk and take a bite of my burger, now even more curious about her.
“Have you ever had a serious relationship?”
“Yeah. I think six months counts as serious,” she says softly. “We said we loved each other, but I think what I want doesn’t align with most twenty-something guys.”
“And what do you want?”
“In a perfect world? I’d like to be married and have a baby by twenty-five.”
I reach over and squeeze her hand. “I like the idea of having three years of you all to myself,” I flirt.
She smiles, then presses a fry to my lips. “You think you’re so smooth, huh?”
I could be ready for all of that in three years.
“Anna Clark, I’m falling for your sassy little ass.”
“You think it’s little?”
“I think it’s fucking perfect.”
She bites her lip and looks down. “What about you? What’s your timeline?”
I shake my head. “I don’t have one.”
“Right, Peter Pan.”
“I mean, I do want kids eventually, but I’m not in a rush.” Feeding her another fry, I love this moment. “You know … most people would probably find this conversation inappropriate for a first date.”
“Is this our first date?” she asks skeptically. “I thought the bar was our first date.”
“The bar was a date with Buttons, not me.”
“Mmm,” she challenges. “I think this is our second date.”
“Whatever you say, little bunny.”
She takes a bite of her burger, chewing thoughtfully. “So, how did you end up owning a boat rental company?”
I lean back, admiring her, ready to tell her anything and wanting to know everything about her too. “I started as a captain in high school—just driving drunks around the lake during the summer. It was good money, so I kept it going. Eventually, I got involved in everything—maintenance, operations, all of it. When the owner wanted to retire, we worked out a deal. Every year, I own more and more, and in five years, I’ll own it outright.”
“That’s pretty cool.”
“Yeah, it’s been good. He’s been a great mentor.”
“What’s the biggest tip you’ve ever gotten as a boat captain?”
“A grand.”
“What? How?”
“They wanted to fuck on the boat.”
“No way.” Her jaw drops. “Did you watch?”
“Would you have watched?”
She laughs, but the tone … “You’re a naughty, little bunny.” I lean in and she meets me, kissing me sweetly. “I drove the boat … What’s the most you’ve ever been tipped at La Nonna?”
She bites her lip.
“More than a grand?”
“Three grand.”
I whistle. “Damn. Did you go on a date with the guy?”
She swats at me, laughing. “No! I gave him a fake number.”
I pull her in for another kiss, feeling the heat between us ramp up again. “You’re too cute.”
“You’re …”
“Don’t be a brat.”
“You like when I’m a brat.”
I bite my tongue. We’re not playing that game. “I like when you’re yourself. I like how witty and funny you are.”
“I like that you can keep up with me.”
I grumble before whispering, “Taunting me is turning me on.”
She blushes then chuckles.
“Overall, you do well at La Nonna?” I ask, needing to tone down the flirting. I’m not sleeping with her tonight.
“Better than most of my friends.”
“This summer,” I start, thinking about how we both have jobs that cater to tourists, “it’s going to be tricky.”
“Why?”
“We’re both going to be busy, but at least we’ll be busy on weekends.”
“I think you’ll find time for me,” she flirts.
“I will,” I say, pulling her in for a delicate kiss. “That was hard on my ex.”
Anna perks up. “Tell me about her.”
“Why?” I ask, surprised.
“I’m curious.”
“We dated for a couple of years.”
“And?”
“She wanted to lock it down, but I wasn’t ready.”
Anna arches an eyebrow. “And now?”
“For the right person, I could be ready.” We hold a heated stare. “How do you know you want marriage and kids already?”
“I just do. Plus, I’m like my nephew’s second mom, and I love it.”
“So, stay-at-home mom?”
“Without the fifties sexism and financial domination.”
I laugh. “You’ve thought about this.”
“A lot.”
“I don’t usually talk about these things, but you’ve got me curious now. What do you mean by financial domination?”
“If I’m not going to generate income, then your money is our money—the end.”
Smirking, I love this. “Are you sure you’re twenty-two?”
“Are you sure you’re thirty-four?”
“No.” I chuckle. “So, did I do a good job with this date?”
“Yes.”
“Let me take you home.” I start the truck, noticing the look on Anna’s face. It’s like she’s sad. “Baby, what’s that face about?”
“You’re done with me already?”
I tap my phone to check the time. “Three hours isn’t enough for you?”
She nudges her shoulder into mine as I drive toward her apartment. Anna leans over, her hand sliding across my jeans, and I tense. I grip the steering wheel tighter as her hand starts rubbing me over my jeans.
Anna fucking Clark.
I narrow my eyes. “Are you teasing me, or are you serious right now?”
She giggles, and I bite my lip. While I’m not complaining, I know tonight’s not the night for that. I stop her hand, interlacing her fingers with mine.
“Not tonight.”
“Why not?”
“Little bunny, you are not giving me road head right now.”
She pouts playfully. “Why not?”
“Trust me, I fucking want it, but … this is special.” We hold a long stare before I look back at the road. “When we go on a road trip, though,” I chuckle to myself, “you can.”
“Oh yeah? Where are we going?”
Naughty. I never would’ve guessed she was this naughty. I love it.
“We should go somewhere in the next couple of weeks, before Memorial Day for sure,” I suggest, wanting to take Anna on so many more dates. “Where do you want to go?”
She thinks for a second. “I hear southwest Michigan is pretty. I’ve never been.”
“We’ll go,” I promise. “My schedule is flexible until Memorial Day, so let me know when you can get away for a few days.”
“A few days? Like three or four?”
“Yeah.”
She smiles, but her face clouds with a bit of hesitation. “I’ll have to talk to my sister. I help them out a lot.”
“I get that. My youngest sister might be able to help out too.”
“Megan’s really protective about who watches Cam, but we’ll figure it out.”
We’ll figure it out.
And just like that, I’m making future plans with her. I’d been so on the fence about asking Anna out, I never really considered what would happen if it went well. Tonight is perfect, and I want so much more.