Chapter 22 #2
“Rob, hi! Come to rescue my sister from herself?”
“That’s right.”
Tess smiled. “I thoroughly approve. She’s been in a frenzy the whole afternoon.”
Skye stared at her. “So have you.”
“Yeah, but I have no plans tonight, whereas you have this fine specimen waiting for you. All I’m saying is… take advantage of the situation. I’m going to leave you two and will look over the online orders we have yet to check from home. Can you close up?”
“Sure.”
Tess retrieved a small bag from under the counter, slinging it over her shoulder. She sent an air kiss toward us before leaving the building.
“When’s the last time you took a break?” I asked Skye when it was just the two of us.
Skye bit her lip. “Ummm, lunch?”
“Okay, that’s it. Let’s go.”
“You’re going to boss me into leaving?”
“Damn right I am.”
She laughed, putting a hand on her hip. “Bribing me might work better. Just don’t tell my brothers. They think I’m incorruptible.”
I stepped right into her personal space, capturing her mouth.
Fuck, how she surrendered to me, instantly parting her lips.
I coaxed her tongue, lowering my hands under her ass, pressing her against me.
I was barely holding back from sliding my hands under her T-shirt.
All I wanted to do was touch, kiss, and explore my woman.
“Mmm… that works too,” she murmured when I pulled back. “I still have to sort these out though.” She grabbed a fistful of straps from the shelf next to us.
“Put those down or I swear I’m throwing you over my shoulder and getting you out of here.”
Skye’s eyes widened. “My God, you’re not even joking.”
“Not one bit. You need to relax. Let me take care of you, Skye.”
“Mmm… I might need some more convincing. Mind kissing me again?”
“As long as you agree to leave afterward.”
“We’ve gone from bossing to negotiating. Progress.”
“Nah, I just know how to convince you.”
“That you do.”
I leaned in again, but she put a finger against my lips, shaking her head.
“Let’s go to the back. Then you don’t have to keep yourself in check.” She glanced down at my hands. They were firmly on her waist.
“Don’t tempt me, Skye.”
She smiled saucily, leading me to the back. I placed both hands on her shoulders and realized they were hunched with tension. I pressed my fingers into her flesh, from the clavicle up the curve of her neck.
“You’re tense,” I said. “More than usual, I mean.”
Sighing, she turned around.
“What’s wrong?”
“I forgot to tell you about Mom. Her procedure didn’t go as seamlessly as we hoped. She got an infection, and her eyesight is super blurry so she’s bumping into things.”
“Well, shit.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“At least she’s not in pain.”
“That’s what I think too. It’s inconvenient, but once it passes, she’ll be just fine. But for the next two weeks, she’s going to need extra care and attention. She’s always down when she’s sick.”
She was so sensitive to other people’s well-being. I hadn’t met anyone like her in my whole life.
“Mick is leaving the city for work tomorrow. Tess and I will take turns spending the night at Mom’s house for the next week, maybe longer if needed.”
My face fell. Skye’s smile dimmed when she noticed my expression, and I immediately schooled my features, wanting to reassure her. True, I’d been hoping for more time with her, but I was adaptable.
“Which nights?” I asked.
“I’ll be there tomorrow night, and Tess the evening after that.”
“So tonight, I get you all to myself.”
She nodded, still eying me warily. “Oh, by the way, I bought something for Lindsay. Don’t let me forget to give it to you. I went by Tris’s shop, and she had a bracelet that goes well with that pendant.”
“I’m sure she’ll love it.”
With everything going on, she still had made time to stop and buy something for Lindsay? That touched me for reasons I couldn’t explain. I skimmed my hands over her body, barely restraining the urge to yank off her clothes.
“Lie back,” I said.
“Bossing me some more?”
“Lie. Back.”
She did as I said, watching me intently. I pressed my fingers in her calves, moving up quickly to her inner thighs.
“I see. So you’re feeling me up under the guise of a massage. Clever.”
“I’m not pretending at all.”
“I did bring you back here with hopes for more hot kisses, but so far nothing,” she teased.
This woman was going to be the death of me.
I pulled her back to me the next second.
Her ass pressed against my thigh, but I wanted her on me.
I scooped her up, placing her in my lap, legs bent at the side.
Cupping the back of her head, I brought her closer, swiping my tongue over her lower lip.
She shuddered, clenching her hands on the collar of my shirt.
She wanted a kiss? She was going to get a whole lot more than that, because I planned to make the most of this evening and any other she was mine.
I had no idea when I’d gone from my casual, laid-back ways to wanting to maximize every moment I spent with her, but I liked the change. It felt so normal, so right, and I wanted to make sure we were on the same page.
I fully intended to pause the kiss and broach the subject, but when Skye bit my tongue lightly, popping open a button of my shirt, she completely diverted my attention.
“So, Mr. Sexy and Bossy Man, plan to make good on that promise or what?” she whispered.
“Fuck yes.”