Page 38 of The Pucking Grump

I should turn around, take a random box, and walk back into the view of the cashier, but I’m rooted to the spot, waiting as Blake closes the gap between us and bends his head over mine. My heart is banging in my chest.

“You know what I liked most about our first time?” he whispers.

Thinking of him swimming after me and pushing me to my hands and knees makes my pussy throb. That was my favorite part, and I still get tingles as I remember how he thrust into me.

“No,” I breathe.

He leans even closer, so he’s speaking directly into my ear. “Fucking you outdoors, knowing there was a possibility of someone seeing us.”

My heart rate speeds up even more. I’m motionless as he pulls me to him, his palms finding my ass and giving me a little squeeze.

“You like being watched.” My mouth is parched, and I force the words out in a croak. “Wouldn’t have thought.”

“Why?” He’s still unbearably close. “You like being watched.”

I rear back so fast I slam into the shelf of pastas. “No, I don’t.”

“You liked it when you touched yourself while sitting on my lap. And when you refused to cover yourself at the lake because you were hoping I’d lose control.”

I’m stunned into silence. Because there’s absolutely no way I can deny that, not when it’s a hundred percent true. He’s just pointed out something about me that I hadn’t realized before.

He crushes his mouth on mine, stealing whatever breath I’ve got in my lungs. I kiss him back, not caring about much else; our location, or how hard we’ve worked to stay hidden. I know it’s not going to happen, but already my mind is speeding with the possibilities, Blake turning me around and fucking me against the shelves of dried goods, the cashier looking at us with a mix of arousal and disdain.

Suddenly, a camera’s flash pierces through the dim light.

A shriek tears from my throat, and I instinctively recoil from Blake, my eyes darting toward the source of the intrusion. My heart sinks as my gaze lands on a hooded figure outside the store, peering in through the glass with an unsettling focus. The moment he is noticed, he retreats, leaps onto a nearby bike, and vanishes.

Paparazzi.

Blake’s response is primal, a roar of anger and protection. I’m frozen, guilt gnawing at me for exposing us, but Blake is already in motion, his instincts sharp. Grabbing my arm, he propels us into a sprint toward his jeep, my legs barely keeping pace. With a burst of adrenaline, we’re off, chasing the intruder with Blake at the wheel.

We close the gap swiftly. The man, realizing he’s being pursued, pedals with desperate energy, but Blake’s determination is fiercer. He issues another growl, the jeep surging forward, and within moments, we’re blocking the man’s escape.

In a flash, Blake is out and on the man, yanking him from the bike with a force that sends it clattering to the ground. The balding redhead with fear painted across his face meets Blake’s furious stare, realizing he’s been caught.

“Who the fuck are you?” Blake snarls at him. “How did you know where to find her?”

Stepping out of the car, I stand next to Blake, feeling frazzled. Yet, there’s a peculiar calm that washes over me, seeing his fury, knowing it’s all in my defense.

The man’s face mirrors the hue of his hair as he swallows hard. “I . . .”

“Out with it,” Blake demands, pulling him close enough to share breath. “Or I promise, your camera’s going to meet its maker.”

“Please,” the man stutters. “I was just . . . I recognized her and thought . . . maybe the photo could fetch something . . .”

“That’s gonna be a hard no.” With a forceful shove, Blake seizes the camera, pressing it back into the man’s hands. “Start deleting those photos now, unless you fancy me erasing you next.”

Under Blake’s watchful eye, the man hurriedly complies, showing the cleared camera as proof. Satisfied, Blake lets him go. The man mounts his bike and disappears. Back in the car, Blake’s concern is all over his face as he notices my state.

“You’re trembling.”

I swallow. I’m not just perturbed because of the man and the fact that I was almost discovered. Watching Blake defend me like that makes me feel . . . weird. Otherworldly.

Like I’m watching one of my own songs come to life.

I push those thoughts out of my mind. “You were right. I shouldn’t have come with you.”

“You couldn’t have known it was going to happen. I’m going to drive back to the store and you’re going to stay in the car while I get us some food.”

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