Page 80 of Candygrams

“You smell good.” He backs up like him sniffing me, getting so close -closer than I let anyone else but family- is just an everyday occurrence. “Did you put some kind of perfume on before you came here?”

“What?” He drags me into a corner of the library that no one is occupying causing my heart to trip up and beat a little faster. Was I wrong about my reading of what kind of person he was? Is he going to do something I’m going to have to kick his ass for?

“You didn’t smell this way this morning, ba…Tandy. Did you put perfume on? And what kind is it? Because you smell delicious. Like a big delicious cookie.”

He drops my hand and sits in a chair where a backpack is already sitting on the top of the table. I don’t think he realizes burying his face in someone’s neck is taboo -especially when you don’t know that person. When he describes the scent, I immediately recognize what he is smelling on me.

“I…work at my sister Bonbon’s bakery and candy shop when someone calls in sick or they need more help than they have. Cookies are probably exactly what you are smelling on me.”

“Your sister’s name is Bonbon?” He looks up at me while simultaneously pulling out the chair next to him.

“No.” I sit without thinking. “Her name is Bonnie but the two girls she co-owns the shop with call her Bonbon because she’s really good at making cakes and cookies and…”

“These other girls, do they have themed names too like Cookie or…?”

“Yes. Candy’s real name is Candace and Lolly’s real name is Lilly. You can figure out what they are good at or why they got their names. No Cookie though.”

“And you work at the place too?” I nod for him. “So what is your nickname?”

“Well,” damn, he is really listening to me and not just trying to be nice, “I don’t have one.”

“What are you good at?”

“I fill in for Bonbon when she needs me to. I bake sweet things.”

“You should be called Taffy.”

“Why? I don’t work with Taffy.”

“Yeah, but it fits with the whole B for Bonbon and Bonnie, C for Candaice and Candy, and what was the other one?”

“Lilly but we call her Lolly.”

“Yeah, yeah, Taffy fits. I’m going to start calling you Taffy. You’ve got to have a cute nickname, and you won’t let me call you sweetheart or baby. So, Taffy it is!

I’m pretty sure I said no nicknames at all, but Taffy is better than sweetheart, I guess. I let it go so we can focus on why we are here and not the fact that I still might be thinking of Rip leaning into me and getting so close. I don’t need to be thinking about that at all.

Chapter Six

Rip

I asked Taffy to meet me at the football field so we could go over some of my work in between breaks. The bonus is that I get to introduce her to the rest of my teammates and then she’ll have even more protectors on campus.

“Who’s the hottie in the stands?”

I immediately shot a look over at two of my teammates as they call attention to my…well, not my girl but she is MY tutor, damn it. And I don’t want any of them to get the wrong idea and hit on her.

“Now there’s a woman I wouldn’t have a problem signing my name on. Think she’ll let me do it on her boob or her hip?”

“Banner, keep your fucking eyes off her! She’s not for you!”

Everyone I’m on the field with turns to look over at me.

“Does that mean she’s yours, Rip?”

Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!

“She’s my tutor AND my friend and I don’t want you hitting on her. I especially don’t want you acting like an ass to her.”

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