Page 14 of A Simple Love

“You had some sauce on your face.” A sly grin travels over his lips as he licks his clean and then takes a bite of his sandwich. I’m frozen mid-chew, paralyzed by the flirting and teasing he just started. I finish chewing and then swallow hard, thinking about how I could return the favor.

This time as I dip the chicken finger into the sauce, I make sure to absorb too much so as I drag the food to my mouth, a glob of it falls on the part of my chest exposed in my tank top. Mike watches me the entire time, his eyes becoming even darker as he sees the sauce slide down my tan skin, my ample cleavage on display enough to tease him and increase his reaction.

“Vic, you’ve got a little something… right… here,” he stutters as he motions to his own chest in the area in which my mess adorns mine.

“Darn. Look at me, so clumsy,” I tease him, his face never changing. He seriously looks like he might pounce on me from across the table, which just builds this excitement in me I’ve never experienced. I feel like we’re both playing with fire here, the tension so palpable, you could slice right through it and it would only sprout two more heads.

“Aren’t you going to help me out again?” I bat my eyelashes at him, surprising myself at the coy little game I’m playing, but proud that I feel bold enough to meet him match for match.

He clears his throat before leaning over the table, his thumb doing the work again, gliding along my chest as my heart beats faster and my breath quickens at his touch. His eyes never move from the area he’s sliding his thumb over, cleaning up every drop before he sits back down and licks his finger again, his tongue peeking out at me in a tease. Jesus, tonight turned around really quickly.

“Why, thank you for your help, Mike.” My smile is anything but angelic, his grin matching my own devious energy before we both finish our meals in silence.

Mike gathers our trash as he stands. “So, how does it feel not having to go to school now? You must love it, all that free time to do what you want?”

I peer up at him before twisting so I’m straddling the bench. “Actually, I’m kinda bored,” I shrug, which only makes him laugh in return.

“Really?” He hoists the tray, ready to dump it after awaiting my response.

“Yeah. I mean, I’ve been used to being so busy for so long, always somewhere to be or something to do every day. Now, I literally feel like I’m sitting around picking my nose.”

Mike laughs wholeheartedly before reaching down to palm my cheek. “Enjoy it. Soon, you’ll have a job to go to every day. I rarely get a day off anymore since starting my business. My boss is a real hardass.” He winks at me before turning to walk away and dispose of our trash.

“I guess being your own boss would suck in some respects then, huh?” I ask him as he returns, his walk so sexy it makes that buzzing in my body return. His blue jeans hug his strong and lean legs, his shirt so perfectly fitted to his toned torso, his hair and eyes defining dark and handsome. It’s exhilarating to allow myself to fully appreciate Mike for the downright sinful man that he is now. I’m relieved that I never allowed myself to ogle him before because thinking about his body all daydefinitelywould have been a distraction to my studies.

“Yeah, I mean if I take a day off, then I’m not making money. Not that money is everything. But quite frankly, I haven’t had a reason to take a break from my work.” He pauses, grabbing my hand to pull me up so we’re standing, our chests brushing against one another. “But I have a feeling I might have found something worth sacrificing a day in the shop for.” He kisses the back of my hand, his full and plump lips drag across my skin as my whole body throbs at the touch. I watch his eyes close as his lips meet my skin, the hairs on my neck standing up as he lovingly consumes my hand. If the feel of his lips on my hand awakens my body like this, I can’t imagine what it will feel like when our lips meet one another.

He doesn’t let me respond before he breaks the moment. “Are you ready to dance?”

I peer over his shoulder towards the dance floor, a handful of couples already bouncing and two-stepping to the music.

“Let’s see what moves you’ve got, Mr. Kelley.” I grab his hand and lead him to the dance floor, anxious to feel his hands all over my body. The heat of the summer night feels like child’s play compared to the scorching connection simmering between Mike and me. This date is shaping up to be more intense than I ever thought it could be.

Chapter 10

Mike

Who knew buffalo ranch could be so fucking hot? When I saw Victoria purposely drip that sauce on her cleavage, I about lost my mind. My dick stood at attention, my hands were itching to smear it all over her skin and lick off every drop while I laid her flat on the table, my tongue finding every nook and cranny on her body that I could make writhe under my touch. But then I would have been putting on a show for everyone else, and when I finally get Victoria Baker beneath me, it will be for my eyes only.

My woman has proved to be bolder than I gave her credit for. The sexual tension between us is astounding, a challenge I feel I started that night back at the bar. I know my behavior that night was abnormal for me, and now, I’m seeing this side to her that is so different from the reserved version she portrays to everyone else. Believe me, I’m not complaining though. It’s so fucking hot and makes the promise I made to myself to go slow with her all the more difficult to uphold.

My hand in hers, I let her guide us to the dance floor, weaving in and out of picnic tables until the clap of our boots on the hardwood signals our arrival. Turning to face me, her smile is stretched wide, her eyes shimmering in the soft glow of the lanterns above us, and her hips instantly start swaying to the beat. Luke Bryan’s ‘Country Girl (Shake it for Me)’ is blaring through the speakers, the crowd all swaying along to the anthem for ladies everywhere to dance with a passion. I smile back at her as I watch her lose control to the music, her hair whipping from side to side down her back, her blue jeans displaying her perfect curves in front of me, her confidence in the way her body moves all the more reason for me to remind myself to calm down.

I find her hips with my hands, pulling her into me so our pelvises are touching, the grind of her soft to my hard urging my dick to wake up again. Before she can feel what her body is doing to me, I grab her hand and spin her out away from me, before pulling her back in, her chest pressing against my rib cage now, causing her cleavage to rise in her shirt. I sneak a peek before meeting her eyes again, grinning down at her as her eyes narrow. Damn it, I got caught.

“I saw that, Mike. Not so subtle,” she teases me, which makes me tighten my grip on her hips as we continue to move.

“Sorry.” I apologize on a shrug before I lean down to whisper in her ear. “But it’s kinda hard not to appreciate your body, Vic.”

Her head turns to meet mine, our faces merely inches away from each other before she drops her gaze and does a slow once over of my body from head to toe, and back up again.

“I understand completely,” her smile so mischievous, I fight the urge to crush my mouth to hers.

Suddenly, the song changes to ‘H.O.L.Y.’ by Florida Georgia Line, the ambiance alters significantly. The teasing and grinding from before is replaced by slow and melodic harmonies and caressing of skin. My hands find her waist again, hers landing on my shoulders while I enclose her between my forearms and my chest. I dip my forehead down to rest on hers while we sway to the music and the words.

“Is this living up to five years’ worth of waiting, Vic?” I whisper as I guide her around the dance floor, they feel of her in my arms more than perfect.

She breaks our connection to look up at me. “It’s better. Thank you, Mike. I guess I’ll never understand why it’s taken this long for us to get here, but I’d say it was worth the wait.” I sense her confliction between enjoying our moment now and revisiting the past.

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