Page 22 of Mitch

His lips against mine were soft and lush, and as sweet as a literal cream puff.

A deep groan escaped him, igniting me like a firework on the fourth of July.

I took his groan as permission to go further, slipping my tongue into his mouth as I pulled him by his hips, moving him closer, brushing my hardness against him.

“Fuck,” I whispered, feeling lightheaded as his tongue responded in unison.

The sounds of Will announcing last call rang out, and shattered everything.

Penn broke away, his eyelashes fluttering as he opened his eyes and immediately stiffened once more, pushing away from me.

“Oh fuck, I’m so sorry. I?—”

“It’s okay, I?—”

“I have to go,” he blurted, anxiety taking over.

Fuck!

I pushed too hard, I?—

“Penn...”

“I... I’m sorry. Thank you for the drinks, but I need to go. I needto go...” he said, and then he took off like a bat out of hell.

All I could do was watch as he found Archie, and then they headed out the door.

“Fucking asshole!” I snarled, chastising myself as I punched the damn Love Meter machine. It went off with a whir, buzzing and vibrating.

“Shut the fuck up!” I snapped as the meter sounded off, hitting the “Scorching” setting.

“There you are,” Cade said as he found me nursing my sore fist.

“Wes and I are headed out. Was wondering if you needed a ride home? I know you came by yourself, but I don’t think your brother will care if you leave the car here overnight,” he said softly.

I cursed silently, feeling the effects of my alcohol and my shame.

“Yeah, I could use a ride,” I said as he settled his hand on my shoulder.

“And maybe while you’re at it, you can dig my fucking grave too.”

CHAPTER 10

Penn

My head was killing me.

I guessed when you didn’t go out drinking all that much to begin with though, it was probably ten times worse than you remembered.

Archie, however, was absolutely fine. Or at least, he appeared to be as he waltzed into the shop with a carrier of sweet-smelling coffee.

“Good Morning, Pennington,” he sing-songed, making my headache throb and my eye twitch.

“What’s so good about it?” Igrumbled as he set the carrier down behind the counter before heading to grab his apron.

While I’d been away at school, Archie and my dad opened the shop most days, but now that I was home, my dad had taken a step back. He and my mom usually came in later now, around mid-morning. Which meant, for the time being, Archie and I had the shop to ourselves.

Archie pulled out a coffee cup and handed it to me with a raised eyebrow.

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