CHAPTER 4
JOSS
The only thing that has been keeping me sane for the last few hours of this fantasy extravaganza has been getting glimpses of Syndal through the crowd. Sometimes people will move just right, their wings and fake swords and padding parting perfectly, and I’m able to see her again. And again.
It has been a tease. And a taunt.
Syndal is gorgeous in the best ways possible. Her beauty is simple, real, and indulgent, just like her sweet treats.
There’s something about her. I don’t fully understand it, but I learned to trust my gut when it matters the most. I’m positive this is one of those moments in life when your future is holding its breath and waiting for you to choose a path.
It’s been difficult as fuck not to stand in the corner near her table and watch her. But I’ve also been trying to do my job, if for no other reason than to ensure Syndal’s safety.
The thought of something happening because I let my guard down makes my stomach twist uncomfortably.
I could say her red hair has been catching my attention, a shade that is just a little too red to be natural. A lot of women couldn’t pull off the color, but there’s something about Syndal which makes the unnatural color feel totally right. I don’t understand it.
Fuck, I don’t really understand anything I’ve been thinking and feeling since the moment I approached her table and she turned toward me. I noticed her hair as I was approaching her along with the lush curves of her body.
My cock twitches behind the fly of my pants at the thought of her curves, which I can’t see right now but desperately want to. She’s fucking voluptuous; it’s the only way to describe her.
I know she’ll be soft, so fucking soft, pressed up against me. I want to feel the way her tits would pillow against my chest. Or the way her thick thighs would cradle me with my hips wedged between them. Or the way her ass would jiggle after slapping it and leaving a pink handprint behind.
Fuck.
The thought is almost too much for me. I let out a low groan as the crowd shifts again and I’m unable to see her anymore.
Taking the opportunity, my eyes dart around to take in the people around me.
As if the universe knows that part of my mind is elsewhere, there haven’t been many issues at today’s event.
I’m grateful.
Because I’ve been able to really soak up every moment of having my eyes on my woman.
And she is mine. I knew it when I walked over to her table and saw her with a big smile on her face as she talked to her customers.
The light coming from her and bathing everyone around her was impossible to ignore.
I would have kicked my own ass for never taking the time to meet the woman with the treats sooner. If only I had, then I wouldn’t have been knocked on my metaphorical ass when I got close enough to really see her.
Then I couldn’t look away.
And I didn’t want to.
I still don’t.
My feet shuffle closer to her as the crowd swells around her table again. I could say it’s because I want to make sure that there aren’t any issues, but it’s not why I move closer.
Someone is going to flirt with her, slip them their number, or ask her out. I want to be there when it happens.
The caveman inside of me, the one I wasn’t even aware I have, hits his fits against his chest. He wants me to close the distance to my woman and pick her up until her legs are dangling and her fingernails have to dig into my shoulders as she holds onto me.
I would take her far away from all these people and lock her away so I’m the only one who can enjoy the light which shines from her so effortlessly.
But I know she wouldn’t like it.
It only took a few moments of watching her to see just how much selling her treats means to her. She loves everything she makes and only wants others to enjoy them. I don’t need her to say it because it’s written all over her face.
Joy.
Pure fucking joy washes over her features every time someone chooses a treat from the display. The pride that rolls off of her, along with the hope, is intoxicating. I want more.
I shuffle even closer and the crowd shifts again to allow me to see more of her. My hands tingle with the need to trace her curves. The need to memorize them slams into the center of my chest.
What is this woman doing to me?
When I woke up this morning, she’s the last thing I thought the day would bring. I have a need to claim Syndal and make her mine, while embedding myself so deeply into her life that she’ll never find a way to get rid of me. Unhinged? Maybe a little but I’m more than okay with it.
Fuck, she’s gorgeous.
She scrunches her nose as the customer she’s helping walks away. I can’t say I blame her considering the fantasy he’s cosplaying involves a lot of blood and fake cuts. I don’t know if he’s a character or just a vibe, but it borders on grotesque.
And he’s not the only one.
Syndal glances around as if she can feel the weight of my gaze on her but can’t figure out where the feeling is coming from. Before she can turn fully in my direction, a woman dressed as a fairy, complete with gauzy wings, stops at the table and starts to look over the treats on display.
I’ve already eaten the things I bought and my mouth waters with the thought of more sweet goodies. My woman has a way with treats. It was more than just some chocolate; there was love there. I could taste it.
“When the hot cocoa bomb opens up, you just mix it and it’s ready to drink,” Syndal explains. She leans in closer to the fairy with a huge smile lifting her pouty lips. “The best part of these cocoa bombs is that there’s silver and gold glitter in them.”
“Glitter?” The fairy woman practically squeals the word.
Even though I kind of want to cover my ears as the woman hits a note right below that of a dog whistle, I feel like I can’t move. My woman is that entrancing. The soft way she’s looking at her customer along with the pure appreciation on her face is something to see.
She should have a shop somewhere. Then people could go in and treat themselves to something sweet. So much more of her joy would spread then. There is no doubt in my mind that she would treat everyone with kindness who entered her shop.
It’s obviously her calling.
When the fairy woman steps away, I can’t help myself and take advantage of the lull in people walking by to step back up to her table. She looks up at me and does a double take, her eyes going wide as her brain registers who is standing in front of her.
“Joss,” she murmurs. My name has never sounded better coming from anyone else’s lips. I desperately want to hear her say it again.
And again.
Then I want her to moan it while I bury my cock inside of her wet pussy while my hands grip her curves and hold her against the hard plane of my chest.
My cock is more than down for all of that and throbs like he’s begging to be let out. But I don’t want to rush this.
It’s been a while since I’ve been with someone. You can blame Dori for that. Why would I want to get involved with someone? I trusted Dori; hell, I thought I loved the woman. And she screwed me over.
I’m in no hurry to experience that bullshit again. But I know things with Syndal would be different. I’d make sure she never left me, first and most importantly.
My heart starts to pound in my chest at the thought of what I’m about to do. I’m out of practice with this whole asking a woman out thing, but I can’t let this chance slip through my fingers. Not when she’s the first woman I’ve met in a long time that I’m actually interested in.
“Syn,” I whisper and her eyes flash with lust before she swallows hard and shakes her head.
“How was your treat?”
She’s not asking out of obligation or to fill the moment of silence between us. The eagerness in her voice tells me she genuinely wants to know the answer.
“It was, to date, the most delicious thing I’ve ever put in my mouth.”
My eyes rake down her body, and I pull my bottom lip between my teeth as I do without even realizing what I’m doing. Fuck, I just know her skin would be sweeter than chocolate. And soft. She’ll be so fucking soft.
As she blinks up at me, her cheeks turn a pretty shade of pink. Her lips are parted as if they’re begging to be kissed. I want to. Fuck, I want to kiss her.
And pull her lush body against me.
And twine her bright red hair around my fingers.
And hear her moan for me.
I swallow hard and will myself to stay in control. It’s something I’ve been good at for most of my life, and I’m just hoping it doesn’t fail me now.
Control.
Don’t grab the woman and scare the hell out of her. You want her. Don’t make her run.
“Oh,” she breathes out, “I’m glad.”
As I clear my throat, I realize my palms are sweaty and my hands are shaking. When was the last time I was this nervous?
I shouldn’t even be nervous.
Syndal wants me. It’s written all over her face and in the way her body reacts to me. My eyes dart down to her neck where I can just make out the way her pulse flutters with the beat of her heart.
She wants me.
She’s going to say yes.
I hope.
In a move fueled by panic, I pull my phone out of my pocket and hold it out between us like an offering.
She glances at it and then back up at me with confusion written all over her face.
I can practically feel the press of the people around us and their desire for my woman’s chocolate treats.
There isn’t time to waste here and yet, I’m frozen for a second.
When I get my shit together, I blurt out, “Can I get your number?”
“My number?” She says it with complete bewilderment in her voice while her eyebrows pull together as she looks up at me.
“I don’t understand. Why do you want my number?
” The confusion clears from her face, and she lights up before she exclaims, “Oh! Do you want to place an order? I have a card and it can all be done online.”
She reaches for one of her business cards on the table and I grab her hand before she can touch it.
The moment our skin touches my knees go weak and I almost drop to the floor as an electric current shoots through me.
A small gasp falls from her lips and her pupils dilate, clearly feeling the same thing I just did.
Holy shit.
What the fuck was that?
Will it happen every time we touch?
Why am I craving it now?
“I loved the chocolate, Syn, but it’s not why I want your number,” my voice is a deep rumble. She’s totally clueless, and it’s as frustrating as it is adorable. “I’d like to call you to finalize the details of our date.”
She rears back slightly as her mouth opens and closes a few times. She squeaks, “What details of our date?”
Unable to hold back any longer, I close the distance between us and get just a whisper of how good it would feel for the curves of her body to be pressed against me. It’s not nearly enough.
“Sorry,” my voice is husky, “I’m fucking this all up. I’d really like to take you out on a date. A proper date where I pick you up, we go out and get over the awkward first date feelings while having an amazing night together. It’ll be the start of something special; I just know it.”
I almost wince at how fucking earnest I sound, but I’m not going to start out whatever this is with my woman with lies. No fucking way.
The moment between us stretches for just long enough that I want to fidget. But I hold myself steady. Just when I think she’s going to say yes, her head tips back and the sound of her laughter wraps around me. As much as laughter isn’t what I was going for, I do love the sound of it.
“Joss,” there’s admonishment in her tone, “you don’t need to take me out on some sort of pity date to get chocolate.”
She reaches over and snags something off her table, but I don’t take my eyes off her. She presses it into my hand, but I still don’t look away.
Fucking hell, she’s gorgeous and she doesn’t even know it.
She shakes her head like I’m just the silliest thing she’s ever come across, and my heart sinks. She thinks I’m messing with her, but I’m fucking serious. My jaw clenches and I have to fight against my instinct to grab her and pull her against me.
Before I can tell her just how serious I am, some guy in a costume I don’t bother to look at walks up and Syndal’s focus shifts towards him. As much as I want to stand there until she gives me her number, I force myself to walk away.
When I look back at her, she’s looking at me with a look of amusement on her face. She gives a little wave before giving all her attention to her customers.
That did not go how I wanted it to go. My stomach clenches with unease while my resolve hardens.
I’m not going to give up. I just hope that it’s not too late when I get the chance to see her again.
It’s not just her sweet treats I’m addicted to; it’s her and I’m going to need to satisfy the craving sooner rather than later.