“And if your ‘Tommy’ were doing his job properly, your body wouldn’t be so hungry for mine right now,” he continued, his voice barely above a whisper. At the same time his words registered, his palm pressed against her lower back, bringing her firmly against his hips, and she felt his hard length press into her middle. She gasped in shock, at his words, at his boldness, at the feel of him hard against her. His nose nudged her temple, his lips moving against her high cheekbone, directly next to her ear, and it made goosebumps flash across her entire body. “I’d love to get my mouth on those pierced nipples you think you’re hiding beneath that dress. I’ll bet he doesn’t even play with them. Hmm? Does he make you come? Or do you fake it to make him feel better about himself? I guarantee you wouldn’t have to fake it for me, darlin’. Your body knows it, too.”
This time the gasp that escaped her was a confusing mix of arousal and outrage, and she pushed against his chest hard enough to force him to let her go or cause a scene. Her eyes went wide when she caught sight of a sandy brown head across the room, his brown eyes fixed on her and the man that had been holding her entirely too close. And what was worse, this jackass had probably known all along Tommy was standing there watching. And for how long? What had he seen?
“Fuck you,” she snapped heatedly, risking one last look up into those eyes before she turned on her high heels and walked off the dance floor, leaving him standing there in the middle of the room.
Striding toward Tommy, she slid her arms around his shoulders and leaned into him for a deep kiss, sinking her tongue into his mouth. He kissed her back, wrapping his arms around her waist possessively. This kiss was so different from all their other kisses. This was heady, primal, and she felt it all the way down into her belly. An approving growl rumbledthrough his chest into hers as he curved his tall frame around her, pulling her even deeper into the kiss. His hips pressed into hers, and a gasp tore through her at how hard he was against her. Her body was on fire.
Pulling away to breathe, she raised her eyes to his. But they weren’t the soft, honey brown she was expecting. Instead, she was caught in that storm-cloud, gray-blue gaze that could only belong to one man… Mr. Steal-Your-Girl Kasey.
Shauntelle Kendall woke with a start, her body jerking like she’d been about to fall in her sleep. Her eyes adjusted slowly to the inky darkness of the room while her heart hammered out a heavy cadence in her chest. Her body was flushed, tingling all over, her lower body aching with a need that would not be soothed.
Sitting up, she scrubbed her hands over her face, pushing the long braid she kept her hair in at night over her shoulder. The sheet was a tangled mess around her long legs, and she struggled in the dark to extricate herself from them. Swinging her legs over the edge of the bed, she stood, crossing the room to the door, unmindful that she was in nothing but a pair of skimpy boy-short underwear and a loose fitted men’s t-shirt.
Padding down the short hallway to the bathroom, she stepped inside and flipped the light on, staring at her reflection in the sudden brightness of the room. Steve, the tortie cat she’d adopted from the shelter several months ago, weaved around her ankles, meowing, demanding her breakfast.
It was the same dream. Over and over again. For months. She grunted at her reflection as she splashed cold water on her face and corrected herself; a year. It had been a year of this stupid dream.
And it was always Kasey that she was kissing, not Tommy. Tommy,her boyfriend. Her fiancé.
Then, hanging her head sadly, she sighed and corrected herself again;no, her ex-fiancé.
Grabbing the hand towel hanging next to the sink, she blew out a heavy breath, forcing the thoughts away. She couldn’t think about that right now. It had been seven months since they’d split, but the pain still lanced through her from time to time.
Leaving the bathroom, she made her way into the tiny kitchen, prepping a large pot of coffee to percolate. She added an extra scoop of grounds just for a little extra kick, then switched the toggle to turn it on. When the little red light didn’t come on and the usual gurgling sound of the water beginning to run didn’t sound off, she swore under her breath and checked to make sure it was plugged in and that the breaker hadn’t been flipped. She unplugged it and plugged it into a different outlet, but nothing happened.
“Dammit,” Shaun muttered sourly, letting her shoulders drop in defeat. She had made the mistake of choosing the least expensive coffee maker she could find at the time, and it was living up to its cheap ticket price. Her sister Jodi had told her to splurge on a better quality one, but Shaun was stubborn.
She could just hear Jodi saying “I told you so” and grimaced.
It was going to be a rough morning if there was no coffee.
Murder seemed highly probable.
Making her way back to her bedroom, she dressed quickly, shoving her legs into the same tight jeans she’d worn the day before that were still in a heap on the floor. Pulling the loose t-shirt over her head, she tossed it into the laundry basket in the corner of the room. She rummaged through the dresser until she found a sports bra and squeezed into it, adjusting her breasts in the tight confines of the material. Tugging on a lightweight, long-sleeved hoodie, she grabbed up a Detroit Tigers baseballcap and put it on her head to contain the flyway’s that had escaped her braid throughout the night.
As she drove, the sky began to lighten on the horizon, painting the sky with golden light, which highlighted the leaves that were in full autumn color. Everything was bathed in deep reds, bright oranges, and golden yellows of mid-October in northern Michigan.
A new coffee maker was on her list to buy today—the only item on her list—but this was an emergency situation, so gas station coffee would have to do for now.
Pulling into her favorite gas station convenience store, she climbed out of the truck and headed inside. As the door shut, she heard a car horn blast from the road.
“Hiya, Frank,” she called, and he grumbled a curt hello back. She grinned; Frank was a grumpy old coot and had been the night cashier here for ages.
Pursing her lips, she eeny-meeny-miney-moe’d which basic convenience store coffee blend to choose, settling on a dark roast that looked like it had been left to sit for a while, which meant it would be a little burnt and strong as hell. She poured a large cup full and brought it to her lips, her entire body wiggling with anticipation at the first sip. It burned her tongue, and she hissed in pain before taking another hedonistic sip.
Shaun reached for a lid and capped it carefully, cautious not to let any of the precious liquid slosh over the edge of the cup, then turned to head toward the cashier counter.
She was brought up short when she ran headlong into a tall, unyielding body, and she watched in dismay as her coffee fell from her fingers, the Styrofoam cracking down the side of the cup as it crashed to floor. The lid flew off, sending hot coffee splashing all over the tiled floor and soaking her shoes and the bottom of her jeans, as well as sloshing over a pair of well-worn work boots that were standingfartoo close.
“Oh you have got to be shitting me—” she snapped in annoyance, the scathing retort falling off her lips before she could stop it, because honestly,who stands that close to someone else?!Planting her hands on her hips and raising her eyes to the face of the man she’d run into, her eyes went wide, and she shook her head in disbelief.
She had rotten luck this morning, butthis?The universe was clearlynotplaying fair.
“No. Nope,” she muttered darkly, backing away as she growled in exasperation. “You.”
TWO
“Me,” he said, and that smooth, sexy drawl met her ears, just like it had done in her dream. His mouth tugged up at one corner into a smirk. Her lips pulled back over her teeth in a snarl at that stupid, cocky grin. She wanted to slap it right off his smug face.
