Chapter 5 Carson
Holy flapjacks on a griddle. Annika Reed was a hottie in high school.
Big blue eyes that could lure a man in. Lips so plump you couldn’t help but wonder what they’d taste like.
A body that had every dude who was idiotically unafraid of her brother drooling.
But now? Now, she’s a smoke show, especially in that black sweater dress and those knee-high boots that make her legs seem impossibly long.
Brains, beauty, and a personality that’s so damn attractive, I kinda want to kick her brother’s ass all over again for fucking that shit up for us.
She’s staring back at me with this expression I can’t quite interpret. I’m not sure if she’s gonna sock me or kiss me. Honestly, I’d be okay with either option because that means she’d be touching me, and I’m damn near desperate for even a second of skin-to-skin contact.
“Thank you, Carson. That was really sweet.”
“I’ve been known to be on occasion.”
She rolls her eyes, but I don’t miss the way her lips twitch into a small grin before she catches herself.
“Alright. Let’s see what you’ve got here. Why don’t you explain to me what topic you chose, and we can work through a rough outline of the points you want to hit.”
I don’t want studious Annika back quite yet. I want to see that smile. Hear her laugh. Get her closer to me so I can see if her skin is as soft as it looks.
“I was thinking I’d title it…” I hold my hands up and slowly shift them apart, “One dick, two dicks, oh look! A new dick!”
Her beautiful eyes narrow suspiciously. “Please tell me you’re joking.”
I lift one shoulder carelessly. “What? Is it a little too on the nose?”
She heaves a frustrated sigh, and the pen she’d just picked up begins rapidly tapping against her thigh. “You don’t see the problem with that topic?”
My lips pinch together, and I shake my head innocently. “Nope.”
“So your whole concept is basically…the more dick the better?”
“Yup,” I quip, popping the p dramatically. “I’m an East Ender after all. Just like you.”
“But I don’t follow the typical East Ender belief system.”
“You’re telling me a singular dick is enough for the rest of your life?”
A light blush tints her cheeks. “It’s romantic. One person to love you for the rest of your life.”
“It’s safe.” I shift slightly, and the movement drags my knee along her thigh, pushing the material of her dress up an inch or two. The milky smooth skin that’s revealed has me biting back a groan.
Her mouth opens, then closes again, the flush deepening. “It’s not… I don’t…” She clears her throat. “Why don’t we—”
Whatever lame redirection she was going to try to pull again is cut off by the ring of the bell above the door. I can’t seem to take my eyes off her, so I see the moment she glances up, her face paling.
“Frederick, what the hell are you doing here?”
Frederick?
Risking a glance over my shoulder, I catch the man walking toward us with a smug smile that makes me want to punch him in his perfect fucking teeth. He’s wearing a tight-fitting black polo, a pair of light khaki pants, and—swear to god—loafers without socks.
Who does that?
“Hello, darling. I came to pick you up for dinner.”
One look at Nik’s face and I know whoever this man is, she isn’t happy he’s here.
“I’m not going anywhere with you. Can’t you see I’m in the middle of something?”
He scoffs, like, a legit obnoxious sound that resembles someone clearing their throat.
“Looks like you’re just playing with your little books. Couldn’t possibly be more important than eating a meal with your fiancé.”
“I’m actually in the middle of a tutoring session, you asshole. And for the record, you are not my fiancé. Never were, in fact.”
He takes a step closer, his brows furrowing so hard there are deep grooves between them.
Something inside me ignites with an insane urge to protect what always should’ve been mine.
Ours. Whatever. I try to tamp it down. Try to ignore it.
Unfortunately, I’ve never been very good at that sort of thing.
In one smooth motion, I reach over, easily lifting Nik up and out of her seat.
She releases the cutest little squeak that I plan to give her shit about later, and when I set her right in the comfort of my lap, it’s like my every dream couldn’t possibly live up to the perfectness of this moment.
The heat of her body, along with the soft give of her curves against me, has a certain part of me perking right up.
Not the time, my guy.
Wrapping my arms around her in a way that tells this dickhead she’s not up for grabs, I smirk up at him.
“Sorry. She’s taken.”
His eyebrows damn near hit his hairline. “Excuse me?”
“Did I stutter?”
He turns his angry glare on Annika. “First that loser at your apartment, and now this one who’s apparently so uneducated he needs a tutor? Really, Annika? Sleeping around was never your style, especially with such poor taste.”
Her fingers dig into my thigh, and while it hurts like a son of a bitch, I don’t make so much as a peep.
“Really, darling, you don’t need to use them to get back at me. Come to dinner. Let’s discuss what this little act of rebellion—”
“We’re dating, fuck face. Now back off. My girl is trying to make me as smart as she is, and that’s gonna take some time, soooo…”
His eyes dart between us for a moment. “Wait. You said you were dating the other one. Olson? Ollie?”
“Owen,” she says, chewing her bottom lip between her teeth.
Shit. That’s why Owen’s been acting sketchy as hell the last couple of days. Knew the fucker was keeping something from us, but I had no idea it had to do with the beauty making things awfully tight in my shorts.
“But he…” he points to me, his eyes narrowed in accusation, “just said the two of you are dating.”
Easing her hand from its death grip on my leg, I thread our fingers together and give it a gentle squeeze. “Yes, we’re both dating her. First time in good ol’ Cedar Vale, eh, buddy?”
He sputters as a nasty shade of red works its way up his throat and into his cheeks.
“It’s okay. We do things a little different ‘round here. Don’t suppose you’ll be visiting long enough to get the full picture, but there’s nothing to worry about. We’ll take good care of her for you.”
It hasn’t skipped my notice that the entire bookstore has gone quiet, watching the drama unfold right before their eyes. Cedar Vale loves nothing more than some juicy gossip, after all. Wouldn’t surprise me if Gertie herself pops up somewhere soon.
“Look, I don’t know what’s gotten into you, Annika, but I really think we should talk.”
The unexpected feel of her arm sliding over my shoulder and casually latching onto my neck makes it impossible to hide the full-fledged erection that’s gotta be pressing up against her ass now. She stiffens, which is the only sign she’s noticed, and damn, if I don’t want to make her blush again.
“There’s nothing to talk about. I’m home for good, Frederick. What we had is over. You can go back to Milan now.”
His nostrils flare, and there’s indecision lurking in his eyes. He knows he’s no match for me, but I’m also the only thing—scratch that—one of the only things standing in his way.
“I’m not going anywhere. You were always meant to be mine, Annika Reed. The sooner you understand that, the better off everyone will be.”
Hemingway chooses that moment to come out of hiding with a cookie in his grubby little mitts, streaking past the turd waffle.
Frederick shrieks, nearly tripping over his own two feet, but he catches himself at the last minute.
This catches the feisty little racoon’s attention.
He pauses, lets out a nasty hiss, then rushes toward the back room.
“That rodent should be caught and euthanized. How can you stand to live here in such unsanitary conditions?”
Nik sits a little straighter in my lap. “He’s my pet, and if you touch him, there will be hell to pay.
Now get out of my shop. I’m busy here.” She plants a barely there kiss on my cheek, grabs my notebook, and turns to a random page.
“Okay, baby. Why don’t you explain the premise of your paper, so we can work through the syllabus to ensure you ace it. ”
When I look up at her, our eyes meet, and the need to kiss her is so goddamn strong I’m honestly astounded that I manage to rein it in.
She was always pretty, but now there’s this deeper beauty that shines through her wide eyes and kissable lips.
So, instead, recognizing the power I hold in the moment, I run my fingers along her jaw and into her hair the way I imagined doing so many times back in high school.
“You and me, books. We’re the dream team.”
The seemingly simple statement holds so much more than it appears at face value, and the way her lips part tells me she picked up what I was throwing down. Good. Because now that I’ve gotten my hands on her, no way is this girl slipping from my grasp again.
“I’ll be seeing you soon, Annika. You’ll come around. Just wait and see.”
We pay Frederick no mind, our eyes still locked on each other even after the bell chimes and the door slams shut.
I’m just about ready to go in for the highly anticipated kiss when Ms. Paige has to go and ruin my mojo.
“Oh my god, Annika. Are you okay?”
Nik fumbles out of my lap, almost faceplanting into the coffee table in front of us before she rights herself. The one plus to the situation? Her sweater dress rides up incredibly high, giving me the quickest peek of her lace-covered ass before she grabs the hem and tugs it down again.
“Yes, of course. I’m fine. Carson here saved the day. Guess I owe him one.”
She glances down at me, and I know right then and there that I’ll be collecting on that promise sooner rather than later. Just have to get with my boys and make a foolproof plan because that girl right there? She’s ours.