I raise my hands up to push him away, but he is immovable.I really need to work on my upper body strength.
“Tell me you understand,” he demands. His voice is quiet but it has taken on a dangerous tone that is both unsettling and attractive. Not quite sure what to do with myself I start nodding.
“Okay, okay. No rides with strangers,” I stutter out. Holt is inspecting my face as if I have some code written on it.
“I promise,” I say again. His hands move from the counter, skate up my sides, and cup my face. The move is so quick, I gasp in surprise.
“Good,” he states quietly and then leans forward and kisses my forehead. My hands come up to grip his forearms. Before I can say anything, Holt steps back. The space between us feels empty and I am having trouble coming to grips with everything that has happened this morning.What does this all mean?Before I can take a deep mental dive to analyze, Holt is backing away.
“I’ll flip the open sign on your door, while you fill the case,” his words float over to me and I realize that it is time to get to work.
Chapter 12
Holt
My soul may have left my body briefly when I heard her say she could catch an Uber ride. Before I knew it, I was practically on top of her. I had to make her understand. She couldn’t put herself at risk like that. My body marginally relaxed when I finally got her to verbalize that she understood.
Once the customers started coming in, I would head out to take care of a few things, and then I would be back. Piper doesn’t realize it, but I can’tNOTworry about her. It isn’t anything that I can control.
I unlock the front door and flip the closed sign to open. No one is out there yet, but in about 10 minutes there will be a steady stream of customers until about 8:30. I feel like it is a safe bet that as long as there are customers around, Piper will be safe.
Just to be sure, I plan on having Carter come over for a bit. He can sit in the corner and do some work until I can get back here. I make way back to the kitchen area. I can’t help but admire Piper’s full figure. My hand twitches with the urge to reach out and feel her, to pull her against my body and feel her curves. Her softness to my hardness. My mind flashes back to this morning, when she was pressed up against me.
She hasn’t heard me enter her space yet, and I take advantage of it. I watch her move through her tasks smoothly. Her lack of nerves gives me a glimpse into the real Piper. She spends most of her time masking her personality. Trying to make herself seem smaller. Worrying about how people see her.
I have spent most of my of my life learning how to read people. Piper thinks she hides it well, and maybe to some people she does. Not me. I quietly move towards her. She still doesn’t hear me.We have to work on her situational awareness.I step into her space and she freezes.
“Make some noise when you enter a room,” she grumbles, cutely. She tries to shift away from me, but I don’t let her get far. I swipe my hand down her back and rest it as close to her ass as I can get, without actually touching it.
“I flipped the sign, the lights, and started the fireplace. I also turned on the coffee pots out front. You should be ready to go,” I say to her. She whips her head around so fast I’m afraid she is going to pull a muscle. Her eyes are wide.
“You didn’t have to do all that,” she starts to say. She freezes when I rest my hand on her soft cheek. I rub my thumb back and forth.
“I wanted to,” I state simply. I don’t elaborate, and I don’t give her any other reasons. I grab the tray with the muffins and start heading out to the display case. I hear her follow behind me.
“I’m going to head out in a few minutes, but I will be back to give you a ride home,” I reassure her. Before she can argue the bell above the door rings and in walks her first customer. I step aside and let her work, knowing she is in for a busy morning. I make a mental note to try to find her a part-time employee as soon as possible. I pull out my phone and shoot a text to Carter.
Holt: Can you set up shop today at Piper’s? I’ll explain later, but I need eyes on her.
Carter: 10-4.
Well, I guess that is it then. I decide to hang around for just a bit longer. Seeing that she is still tied up with another customer.
Chapter 13
Piper
I am relieved to occupy myself with customers, but I can still feel Holt’s eyes on me. My neck prickles with awareness.
“I’m going to head out,” Holt says lowly in my ear. I jump about 10 feet in the air. I didn’t realize he was that close.
“Jesus,” I hiss. He chuckles and puts his hands on my waist to steady me. I tense and inhale sharply, but he keeps his hands in place for a moment. Long enough that I relax marginally.
“I’ll see you in a bit,” he says and kisses me quickly on the temple before leaving through the front door. I stand there stunned. Mouth agape. I am shaken out of my stupor by a throat clearing.
“Piper, dear, can I get my usual,” Mrs. Salter—one of my elderly patrons— asks me. She is smirking at me and her slightly cloudy eyes are dancing.
“Nope. Not a word,” I warn her. I don’t need anyone else putting ideas in my head. This is twisting me around like a pretzel.
