Chapter 21
Deputy Barista
Amy awoke to a warm, hard body snuggled against her. A leg pinned her shins, warm breath caressed her neck, and a large palm covered one breast. Shaking off sleepy cobwebs, she paused to let her sluggish brain come back on board, finally remembering where she was.
In Shane’s bed. With Shane. Oh, what a delicious way to rouse from sleep.
A happy smile curved her lips. She wasn’t sure when they’d fallen asleep, but after the day they’d both had—and their epic lovemaking session—it was no wonder they hadn’t been able to stay awake.
She should have been restless, untethered, but she’d never felt more grounded in her life. The man beside her was the reason.
The way he had made love to her … She had no words.
With his body, his eyes, his touch, he’d shown her the depth of his feeling.
He’d been slow and gentle. He’d been urgent and demanding.
He’d been and done whatever she’d asked of him.
Whatever this was between them hadn’t been about sexual gratification.
It went layers-deep, touching pieces of her soul and bringing them into the sunlight.
He’d utterly blown her mind. She had never felt so treasured.
He stirred beside her. The table lamp was still on, and she could see one eye slit open and peek at her. One side of his mouth hitched up, and he began kneading her breast as if on autopilot. “Hey, beautiful. What time is it?”
Everything about him—his deep voice, his square jaw, his big, calloused hand screamed masculinity. She was hooked.
Angling herself up, she swiped her phone. Shane’s hand stayed firmly in place, his tingle-inducing caresses unhurried. “It’s 2:17 a.m.”
She ignored the text icon with the number twenty-nine beside it.
She’d muted the sound a while ago so she hadn’t heard the tones.
But it had to be Micky, and she didn’t want to think about him right now.
Thoughts of him only stirred up depressing memories, and she didn’t want them encroaching on this peaceful, pleasant place she shared with Shane.
Should she have been awash in guilt for sleeping with Shane so soon after leaving Micky?
No doubt. Hopping from one man’s bed to another’s wasn’t in her playbook, but she was unable to muster a single sliver of shame.
Instead, she floated on a fluffy cloud of bliss.
Maybe because being with Shane was right.
“Oh good,” he mumbled. “Plenty of time.”
She slipped back down, her head sinking into the pillow, and turned toward him. “Plenty of time for what?”
“For this.” Hoisting himself up on one elbow, he slid the covers from her torso and latched on to a nipple.
The scrape of his stubble over her sensitive flesh made her toes curl.
He flicked and sucked, the pressure exquisite and perfect.
Oh Gaia, the way the man used his mouth!
The sensation arrowed straight to her core, and she could feel herself gush.
She craved having him fill her, having him move inside her all over again.
He had ripped the lid off her Pandora’s box—sexually speaking.
He tended to the other side with the same amount of devotion, then kissed his way down, stopping at her belly button. He wasn’t going there, was he? She lifted her upper body, bracing her weight on her elbows, ready to head him off.
His talented tongue dipped into her navel, and goose bumps skittered across her skin. Then he raised his head and fiddled with her stud. “Is this a butterfly?”
“No, it’s a coffee pot. I bought it for myself to celebrate either the second or third anniversary of the store’s opening.”
A grin spread across his handsome face. “Should’ve guessed. That’s perfect for you. Do you ever change it out?”
“No, this is the only one I’ve got.”
He continued examining the bit of whimsy. “Hmm. Would you ever want to switch it up? If I got you something different, I mean.”
She part smiled, part frowned. “Like what?”
He shrugged his shoulder. “I don’t know. I’ve never shopped for a belly ring before.” He tilted his head, and his eyes bored into hers. “Do they make any with names on them?”
The question puzzled her. “You mean, like ‘Amy’?”
“No, I was thinking of one that spells ‘Shane’ or ‘Deputized.’” His lips curled up wickedly.
“You’re getting a belly button piercing?”
“No,” he laughed. “This would be for you. Or maybe I can find one that says ‘Mine’ on it.”
She swallowed a gasp. Seriously?
He frowned. “Shit. Sorry. Didn’t mean to get carried away. I don’t want to give you any weird possessive or creeper vibes.”
How sweet is that? “Yes, I would wear one like that,” she blurted. Was it jacked-up that she wanted him to … stamp her?
His easy grin returned. “On one condition.”
He was so adorable she couldn’t help but return the grin. “And that is?”
“I get to put it in.” Sin practically dripped in his melted-caramel-brown eyes. Still looking at her, he lowered his head and teased the stud with the tip of his tongue, causing flames to dance low in her belly. God, he was sexy!
He grew more intent on his ministrations and began working his way down.
“Um, that’s not a good idea.”
“Why?”
“I should wash first.” Oral sex wasn’t anything she was generally treated to, and gah! She must have smelled like ripe fish by now.
“Don’t think so. Now be a good girl and lie back.
Or watch if that’s your kink, like you watched me while you tortured me, you evil woman.
” The smoky look in his eyes and his provocative words zinged, turning her nipples bead-hard.
Oh Lord! This was a whole other side to Deputy Shane. And she liked it.
Maybe he’d be willing to pull out the cuffs later …
She lay back and closed her eyes as he spread her legs and slotted his broad shoulders between them. Then he draped her thighs over those square shoulders, grabbed her ass, and showed her just how magical his tongue truly was.
When Amy awoke the next time, it was to a jangling noise that scraped across her eardrums. Ack! Her alarm. She fumbled for her phone, unsure where it was. A paw reached over her and dangled the offending device in front of her face. She snatched it and jabbed at the five-minute button.
“Are we snoozing?” came Shane’s muzzy voice.
“I’m snoozing. You should sleep. It’s early.”
“Sleep is for sissies,” he yawned. After he’d delivered two more orgasms that had sent her into orbit, they’d crashed with him spooning her, his strong arms enfolding her boneless body.
They were still in the same position. One of his hands rested on her hip, and the other toyed with her hair.
His sculpted bicep currently doubled as her pillow.
“We’ve got what, five minutes?” he muttered.
“Yes, and then I really have to get up if I’m going to open the shop in time.”
“I’m already up.” He rocked his very stiff erection against her while a wry chuckle rumbled through his chest.
She couldn’t help but laugh. “Yes, you are, and I would love to take advantage of you being ‘up,’ but there’s not enough time.”
He let out an extended sigh. “Well, we have enough time for cuddling.” He pulled her a little closer, tucking her into his body, his fingers splaying across her belly. Oh, he felt sooo good.
She melted against him and drifted. All too soon, the alarm blared at her.
“I hate your phone,” he grumbled.
With a giggle, she kissed his mouth and slid out of bed, gathering up her bag as she headed for the bathroom.
“Need me to scrub anything?” he called.
“Not right now. But you can later.”
He rolled onto his back, and she caught him grinning when she stole a glance over her shoulder. “Can’t fucking wait.”
When she emerged from the bathroom, he was up and dressed, and the bed had transformed back into a couch.
“You’re not sleeping in?”
“I told you I was coming with you this morning,” he announced. “I’m your deputized barista.”
“You were serious?”
“Absolutely. You need help for the morning rush, right?” He spread his arms wide. “I’m at your disposal.”
“But you didn’t get much sleep,” she spluttered.
“Neither did you.” He waggled his eyebrows. “I was there, remember?”
Oh Gaia, do I ever! The exquisite ache between her legs would remind her for the rest of the day.
She gathered up her phone and her day pack. “It’s your day off,” she reminded him.
“Yeah, and I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be.”
She stopped and gawked at him.
“Just so you know, I’m only doing it for the coffee.” He winked at her, and she burst out with a laugh.
“Then you may have all the coffee you can hold.”
They drove separately—she needed to get back over to her apartment and sort her new life—arriving at Mountain Coffee’s parking lot long before the sun was even a threat to lighten the sky. Soon it would clear the peaks, and its rays would paint neon pinks and oranges in stunning brushstrokes.
“You always start this early?” he asked as she unlocked her back door.
“Pretty much. Or I let the morning shift in before I head back home. But that’s unusual.”
“Nobody else ever opens?”
“Hailey sometimes. Noah’s done it for me too.”
He nodded, seeming to tuck away this tidbit of information.
While he wasn’t familiar with the back end of a coffee shop operation, Shane took direction with a whistle on his lips and a spring in his step. How he could be so cheerful while running on two hours of sleep, she had no idea.
“Someone revved my engine this morning,” he teased when she asked him. A flush of satisfaction crept up her neck.
They talked as they worked side by side, something she definitely wasn’t used to. This was mostly a solo operation, though she would have loved to have a helper at her side on a regular basis. But it never seemed to work out that way.
He hefted a heavy container of milk into a hopper. “What motivated you to open this place in this particular town anyway?”
She topped off bins of beans for grinding. “My cousin and I drove through after college graduation, and I fell in love.”