Page 11 of Cautious

He pulls away from the parking lot, so I clip my seat belt into place.

“You know, I could have had my car with me.”

“Trust me, I would have noticed if that giant booger was in the parking lot.”

Well, I can’t argue with that, now can I?

Blake

I pull up outside my offices. She doesn’t have anything perishable in the back, so there is no reason for her to hurry home. What I don’t know is why I’ve decided to bring her here.You like her close,a little voice whispers. I shut it down, not ready to read too much into this thing between us yet.

I’ve known her less than twenty-four hours, and I’ve already tongue-fucked her on her doorstep and in the front seat of my car. I can’t remember the last time I felt so out of control.

“Where are we?” she questions as I turn off the engine.

“These are my offices. It’s bring-a-hellcat-to-work day today,” I claim, straight-faced.

“Haha, you are just hilarious,” she sasses, not waiting for me as she climbs out on her own.

“Next time, wait for me to get the door,” I order when she makes it around the car, placing my hand on the small of her back as I lead her inside.

She frowns. “Why?”

Can’t she ever just do as she’s told?

“Because my grandmother would have my ass if she found out I didn’t use my manners.” And that’s no lie.

“Really?”

Something in her tone has me looking down at her.

“So, she wouldn’t take kindly to you picking me up, throwing me bodily over your shoulder, and then fornicating with me in the parking lot of the local mini-market?” she probes.

“Who’s fornicating? Wait, is it still called fornicating, or is it just Netflix and chillin’ now?” Marcus asks as he strides out from the back with a file in his hand.

Callie’s mouth drops open as she tilts her head up to look at Marcus. Marcus is a big guy, the tallest of all of us, with jet-black hair, dark green eyes, and an intense aura about him that draws attention wherever he goes.

“Callie, this is Marcus. Marcus, Callie. She just moved in next door to my grandmother,” I tell him as he smiles the smile that has women flocking to him.Keep it up, fucker.

She stares at him, not blinking, not saying anything for a moment, making Marcus look at me in question.

“Callie?” I nudge her, wondering what happened to chatty Cathy.

She places her hand over the side of her mouth, hiding it from Marcus’s view, but she doesn’t quiet her voice when she speaks. “I’m trying to remember the politically polite way to tell a hot stranger they have food in their teeth.”

“You think he’s hot?” I growl, not liking the idea one fucking bit.

“I have eyes,” she says with a laugh like that answers everything. Maybe I need to kiss her again.

“Oh, shit!” Marcus chuckles, grabbing a bottle of water and swilling his mouth before smiling at her once more. “Better?”

She steps closer to look before nodding. “Yep, all gone. Don’t worry, Popeye, it happens to us all.”

“Popeye?” I question, looking between them. So now Marcus has a nickname too? Yep, definitely need to kiss her and remind her who she belongs to.

Wait. Where the fuck did that come from?

“Popeye seems like a good name for a man with spinach in his teeth,” she answers with a shrug.

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