And to this day, she still hasn’t given up.
“Why don’t you just tell her to find a new salon?”
“Keep your psycho friends close…” She shuffles toward Vogueish. “Later, broski.”
I reach past her and pull the door open. “We’re good, right?”
“Always.”
I turn around and look above the coffee shop. Her curtains are finally open, and I take that as a sign. I’m not waiting for an invitation any longer. I jaywalk across the street to the back of the building.
The back door is unlocked, and I make a mental note to talk to the manager of Caffeine Bean so that doesn’t happen again. Ihead up the slim stairwell that’s identical to mine. When I reach the small landing outside Annie’s door, I knock harder than I mean to.
“It’s me, Annie. Open up.”
“You don’t need to yell,” she says by way of greeting.
“You were taking too long.”
“It took me like ten seconds.”
I shrug as I make my way inside. “Like I said.”
“I see the years haven’t taught you more patience.”
“I’ve been very patient, sweetheart,” I counter. “I haven’t seen you for days.”
She rolls her eyes. “You have a life, Ben, and you’ve gone above and beyond. I don’t want to be more of a burden. You don’t need to check on me. I’m a big girl. I’m fine.”
It’s on the tip of my tongue to refute, but something occurs to me. “You’re not scared anymore, are you?”
She crosses her arms across her chest, right under her breasts. “Not really, is that bad? Should I be scared?”
“No.” That’s my job.
“Then why did you ask?”
“Because when you weren’t scared, you’d get sassy. And right now, you’re throwing a lot of attitude at me. You’re acting different today, and I like it.”
She bites the corner of her lip, then releases it slowly. “Iamstill the same person.”
“No. I don’t think so.” Angling my head, I let my gaze roam over her—taking in every inch of the hourglass shape of her body, barely covered by a pair of skimpy shorts and a form-fitting tank top. Not sure if I like her better in this red set or the purple one, but dammit all to hell, she’s sexy in both. “You are definitelynotthe same.”
A pretty blush stains her cheeks. “I’m not?”
“Un-uh.” I grab her waist and pull her close, then wrap my fingers around the back of her neck. She blinks up at me, and I gaze down at her. “Your eyes are even more green. You cut your hair,” I say, sliding my fingers through the silky strands. I trail my finger down her spine and across the exposed skin at her lower back, then press her even closer, chest to chest. “Your breasts are bigger, so round, perfect…I can’t fuckin’ wait to get my hands on them.”
She’s trembling but frozen to the spot, and I’m afraid I pushed too fast. This is what I was afraid of. But then she pushes up on her toes and slams her mouth against mine.
This time, I don’t push her away.
I tilt my head, trace my tongue across the seam of her lips, andfuck. So good, too good. She wraps her arms around my neck and opens for me, shyly touching the tip of her tongue against mine. She suddenly pulls hers back, then covers her mouth with her hand.
What the hell? “What’s wrong?”
“Morning breath,” she mumbles.
My shoulders shake with a silent laugh, and I reach up to pull her hands away. I kiss her nose, then her lips ever so slightly. “For future reference, I don’t care about morning breath.”
