Page 3 of Say Yes

Lindsay

“Oh! I’m so sorry, Lindsay!” I barely hear Jordanna apologize and murmur something in response, faintly aware that she bustles off to continue setting up our desserts.

Electricity sizzles over my skin, sparking especially hot on my lower back where the man holding me has his hands pressed against my bare skin.

He irritated me a second ago, but now I can’t remember why. My mind is focused on the chiseled beauty of his face. His skin is a golden brown, his eyes so dark they almost match his close cropped, black hair, and mixed with his other features, I’d guess he was of American Indian descent. I know its rude to stare but damn, he’s just so pretty. I mentally grin, imagining his expression if I were to voice my opinion out loud.

When I saw him across the room, our eyes locked and attraction roared through me like a freight train, leaving a fire burning inside. Then I saw his uniform. I froze in fear of my reaction to it. My breath caught in my lungs, and if felt as though my heart stopped for just a fraction of a moment. Then the beating in my chest kick-started again becoming a rapid pounding, the fear shoved to the side by rampant lust and a dizzying need to swoon.

After a few seconds, the trance my fascination with his face seems to have caused, slowly begins to dissipate. Um yeah, it’s not just the uniform. I’m now quite aware of his hard biceps under my palms, his muscular chest, and the long, rigid bulge pushing against my belly. Whoa. This guy has the whole freaking package . . . pun intended. I can’t help wondering if he knows how to wield that thing. Something tells me he’s of an Olympic caliber when it comes to bed sports. A steady pulsing begins between my legs.

It occurs to me that I’m standing in this guy’s arms contemplating his—um—tool, and I don’t even know his name. I attempt to escape the cage of his arms, but they only tighten, keeping me even more snug against him. I try not to notice how I seem to fit perfectly in his embrace.

“Now might be a good time for you to tell me your name, major,” I say, noticing the gold oak leaves on his shoulder.

He raises an eyebrow (holy cow, that’s sexy), but I’m not sure if it’s because of my sass or my knowledge of his rank. “Colton Black.”

I suck in a shocked breath and practically choke on it, sputtering and shoving away from him. I’ve caught him off guard enough that his arms loosen and I break free. His expression turns somewhat concerned and I imagine he’s wondering if I’m an escapee from a looney bin. I’m curious what it will look like when he finds out I’m his next door neighbor.

“Are you all right?” he asks, taking one of my arms to help steady me. Holy molasses, Batman. His voice is smooth and dark, causing shivers to race through me.

“Yes.” I stand on my own to punctuate my answer. He doesn’t let me go and instead tries to draw me closer again. I resist and he scowls. Seriously? Even his angry look is sexy. But, I can’t think about that. He’s not only my neighbor, he’s my landlord. Giving in to our attraction could cause a whole heap of problems I don’t need, especially considering I only moved in two weeks ago. What if we started something, then crashed and burned? It’s not like he’d be the one moving out.

I wrapped my arms around my stomach to keep from reaching out and touching him. Who knew restraint would be this hard? I think beads of sweat just popped out on my forehead from the effort of holding back. Apparently, I grew a libido overnight and have absolutely no freaking control over it.

I smile weakly and back up a step. “I better get back to my desserts. I need to sweeten people up so they’ll spend more money, right?” I end with an awkward laugh. Could I be more lame? Let’s not stick around and find out. I spin around, but before I get very far, arms snake around my waist, warm palms rest on my belly. And, cue butterflies.

A few more servers push through the door and we wait for them to move down to the end of the table, filling the rest of the empty space. His hot breath bathes the shell of my ear. The muscles under his hand literally quiver, and I know he feels it when I hear his low chuckle in my ear. My cheeks heat and it slowly spreads to encompass my whole body. Oh wait, it’s not a blush anymore. Nope, I’ve just ruined a pair of perfectly nice panties. Dammit!

“You work for the bakery catering dessert?” he asks, curiosity coloring his tone.

I crane my neck around to look at him. “I own it.”

He groans and rests his face in the crook of my neck. I don’t understand his reaction, and I’m even more confused when I feel his hips nudge forward as his hand presses me backwards. Um . . . what exactly is it about this situation that is turning him on?

“You’ve just sealed your fate, honey,” he whispers. More shivers.

“What?”

“Sweet treats are my biggest weakness,” he explains. “But, I think my addiction to you is going to be even stronger.” His hips circle, and the damn butterflies start to dance again. “All I can think about it covering you in frosting and licking it off,” he says, his voice gravely and thick.

Ok, this fetish I can get on board—no! He’s my landlord, I remind myself repeatedly. I clear my throat and tuck a stray hair behind my ear, then try to form coherent sentences, which is proving difficult while he’s wrapped around me.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I mumble reluctantly. My stomach twists in denial, and the pulsing down below becomes almost painful, as though my pussy were trying to punish me for denying it the pleasure we both know Colton would deliver in spades.

“You may be lying to yourself about that, honey, but your body tells me otherwise.” He makes his point by kissing a bare spot of my neck, eliciting a shudder from me, which makes him chuckle.

I sigh in frustration, my body at war with my mind. “Rein it in, fly boy.” He raises his brow, and I look pointedly at his aviator badge. His head cocks to the side, probably wondering how the hell I knew his rank and recognized the insignia, not that the wings gave it away or anything. I don’t take the time to enlighten him. “You don’t understand. Whether I’m attracted to you or not is irrele—”

He cuts me off with a scoff. “I beg to differ.”

“Don’t you recognize my name?”

He slowly turns me around to face him without letting go and my hands rest on his muscled arms. Wow, those are really great. His head cocks to the side as he studies me thoughtfully. “Should I?” he asks eventually.

“I would think so, considering I’m your tenant,” I mutter with a roll of my eyes.

He raises that ridiculously appealing eyebrow again. “You live in the other half of my duplex?” I nod. A slow, slightly naughty smile builds on his face. “That’s convenient.”

I smack his shoulder lightly. “No, it’s a wakeup call. Now, I need to get back to work,” I say, attempting a dismissive tone and trying to pry his steel arms from around me.

He frowns at me for a moment but then his face lightens, and he pecks my cheek before letting me go. I should move, but instead, I find myself standing here, disappointed that he gave in so easily. When he laughs, I realize I’m telegraphing my thoughts on my face. I fight against gravity when my mouth tries to turn down in a pout.

Colton tucks my hair behind my ear and leans in close until our lips are almost, but not quite, touching. “I’ll see you at home, honey,” he purrs. He winks, takes my shoulders, and turns me around, then pats my butt to get me going.

Ummm . . . what just happened?”

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