Chapter 2 – Mindy #3
My brows pop up. “Oh, we’re on a date now? I don’t remember even being asked.”
Joe chuckles. “Well, the waitress did say you’re my girlfriend.”
Nodding my head, I pretend to think about it. “Well, who am I to defy Waitress Law?”
“It would be unconscionable.”
“Preposterous,” I reply, fighting a smile.
“Completely uncivilized,” he shoots back.
God, this man makes me feel… something. A nice dose of giddiness, a hint of nervousness, and a whole lot of unfiltered need. And the cherry on top of my emotional sundae is curiosity. I want to know Joe.
“What’s your biggest fear?” I ask.
“Not being successful,” he says immediately, and then he looks almost chagrined at his admission.
“At work?”
He nods. “I’m supposed to take over my family’s business when my dad retires. It’s a lot of pressure, and I don’t want to fuck anything up.”
He doesn’t offer more about his occupation, and my brain tries to decide exactly what his family’s business is.
It seems important to him, so it’s probably a small business like a family-owned restaurant or hardware store.
My mind decides on the latter. Don’t ask me why because there’s a certain refinement in the way Joe carries himself, but the inner workings of my brain aren’t always logical.
“I want to own my own bakery one day. I’ve been working to save up for it.”
Joe looks excited about the idea. “I would be your best customer. I try to eat healthy most of the time, but I always crave something sweet in the mornings.”
“Good. I’ll open it up right beside your hardware store.”
He rears his head back in confusion. “Hardware store?”
I wave my hand. “Or whatever your business is. My mind went immediately to a hardware store for some reason.” I giggle and pick up one of his hands, kissing his fingertips. “Maybe because you have big hands. They look very capable.”
His smirk tells me he’s thinking of all kinds of capable things his hands can do, and none of them involve hammers and drill bits. Stroking his knuckles down my cheek, he fills his next words with innuendo. “Maybe you’ll find out later.”
“Check, please!” I tease, pretending to call for the waitress. I notice she doesn’t miraculously appear like when Joe lifts his finger.
He laughs and threads his long fingers between mine. “So we’re just Hardware Joe and Baker Minnie,” he muses.
“A match made in small business heaven.”
Joe hesitates like he wants to say something, but with an almost imperceptible shake of his head, he seems to dismiss it. “And what’s your greatest fear, Minnie?”
With my free hand, I pick up my drink and take a sip before replying. “Crickets.”
His laugh is rich and warm, like expensive coffee. “Crickets? Like the bugs?”
I shudder. “They are the most disgusting creatures ever. They’re so… crunchy. I don’t mind hearing them chirping, but if I see one, I legit freak out.”
“So am I to assume you won’t be serving chocolate-covered crickets in your bakery?”
I glare at him. “Are you trying to make me barf?”
“Definitely not.” He leans forward and presses his mouth to mine. “I don’t want tonight to end, Minnie.”
“I don’t either,” I admit against his lips.
Joe pulls back a little, his brown eyes holding mine. “I have a room at the, uh, the Hampton Inn. Would you like to come back with me?” When I swallow hard, he rushes to add, “Or we could just go grab something to eat if you want.”
“I’ve always been too chickenshit to have a one-night stand,” I admit. “I think I watch too much Dateline because I’m convinced I’d be found dead in some random hotel room.”
His lips twitch. “What if I promise not to murder you?”
I narrow my eyes. “That sounds exactly like something a serial killer would say.”
He puts on an expression of mock offense. “You think Hardware Joe would hurt you?”
A giggle escapes from my mouth, and his eyes fall to my lips. “Well, you probably do have a nice selection of hammers and tarps.”
He kisses me again, searing my brain as his hand lands directly on my upper thigh. “I need more time with you, Minnie, somewhere quieter. We don’t have to go back to my room if you don’t want to.”
“There’s an all-night restaurant down the block. Why don’t we start there and see where it goes?”
Joe squeezes my leg, looking boyishly happy and not like a rogue murderer at all. “Whatever you want. Do you need to tell your friends where you’re going?”
I nod. “I’ll go find Caroline and let her know I’m leaving with someone who’s definitely not going to leave me dead in a hotel room.”
He grins and stands, helping me out of the booth. Jesus, he’s really fucking tall.
“I want you to feel safe with me, Minnie. Can you share your location with Caroline?”
I look up at him, feeling more at ease. “Yes, we have location sharing.”
“And if you do decide to go to the hotel with me, you can take a pic of the room number and send it to her. That way it can be traced back to me if there’s some kind of unfortunate… accident.” He widens his eyes comically on that last word, and I laugh.
“Now I’m really worried,” I say, though I’m not. He pulls me closer by my hips, and his big hands seem to fit my curves naturally.
“I can assure you, there will be no need for a coroner at the Hampton Inn tomorrow morning.” His teeth sink into his bottom lip. “Though we might have to call for an ambulance.”
My brows shoot up. “An ambulance?”
Joe dips his head and kisses his way across my cheek, his breath hot against my ear. “You’ll probably need IV fluids for extreme exhaustion because I plan to wring multiple orgasms from your body all fucking night long.”
Multiple.
Orgasms.
Hoo boy, I’m in so much trouble. Because I know in my heart there’s no way I’m not going to spend the rest of the night in this man’s bed.
“You’re what?” Caroline shrieks, her brown hair swinging around her shoulders as she high-fives me. “Fuck yes, girl!”
I’d totally abandoned our previous table when I blindly followed Joe to the booths, but luckily it had still been available when Caro and Brayden returned from dry-humping on the dance floor.
“I know. I never do stuff like this.” I glance around. “Where’s Brayden? I don’t want to leave you alone if he left.”
She shakes her head. “No, he just went to the restroom and then to the bar to get us some more drinks. That waitress is horrible, by the way.”
I don’t inform her that same server had been quite attentive when I’d been with Joe. “And you’re okay if I leave with him?”
Her hand strokes down my arm. “Of course. I want you to have fun, Mindy. Now which guy is it?”
I point toward the bar. “The one cashing out right there.”
She gawks at the tall form with his back to us. “Dayum, nice ass. And he’s super tall.” Her eyebrows wiggle up and down, and she links her pinkie with mine. “Here’s hoping he’s just as big everywhere else.”
“Oh jeez. If he is, he’ll probably break me in half.”
“I am worried about one thing,” she says, furrowing her brow and reigniting my worry. Caroline leans closer to me and hisses, “What if he’s going down on you and gets a mouthful of cobwebs from your poor neglected vagina?”
I snort out a laugh and smack her arm. “You’re such a bitch.”
“And that’s why you love me,” she says with a smug grin. “Now go and get your freak on.”
That sends a little thrill of excitement down my spine, and I give her a quick hug. When I turn to go back to Joe, Caroline stops me with a hand on my forearm.
“You said this Joe guy is here for a bachelor party?” When I nod, she asks, “And you’re sure he’s not the groom?”
Shaking my head, I laugh. “No, it’s his brother. I’m sure Joe is probably a groomsman or something.”
“Good. Let loose and have some fun tonight, Mindy. You deserve it.”
There’s a pep in my step when I see Joe find me, a smile crawling across his face. My friend is right. I do deserve to have some fun.
Now let’s hope Joe can follow through on his multiple orgasm promises. Hell, it’s been so long for me, I’d settle for one.