Page 34 of Falling for My Best Friend's Dad
I roll my eyes. “I can use my left hand.”
She doesn’t trust me, but stands aside to watch me as I sweep the shards into the dustpan. It turns out to be an inconvenience to hold the handle using my bandage hand, but I manage it.
“Good job,” Kayla teases me before turning away.
“Wait,” I call her back as an idea possesses my mind.
When she comes back, I whisper to her ear above the bar counter, “I don’t think I can drive with my left hand though. Would you be my chauffeur after work?”
She blinks for a few seconds and then grins. “Are you making me work overtime?”
“Yes,” I say. “I also need help with showering and making breakfast.”
Her face is crimson, and her eyes turn dark. “You’re a demanding boss.”
Chapter 17
Kayla
Mike pays his check and asks, “So are you in for the hiking?”
I shake my head. “I’m sorry. I have other obligations.”
“That’s fine,” he says, looking disappointed. “Next time. There’ll be chances.”
“Yeah. Keep in touch. Congrats on the new job.”
“Thanks!”
Long after Mike leaves the restaurant, my mind keeps jumping all over the place, mostly traveling back in time. Mike was my first and only boyfriend. Ivy, Mike and I started to hang out in junior year. At first I thought Mike was into Ivy because a lot of guys were and because he was always helping her with her math homework. When he asked me to go to the Exploratorium with him without Ivy, I was quite flattered. We had our first kiss that day and dated for almost a year until the end of our senior year. He was going to Boston, and I would stay in the Bay Area. I applied and got in the same college but I decided I couldn’t be so far away from my family. Although breaking up was inevitable, I was really sad back then, and I kept him in my heart for many years.
The fact that Mike wanted me to go hiking with him stirred my old emotions. I felt like the teenage girl fell in love for the first time again. I was going to say yes to his invitation to hiking, if Richard hadn’t had the accident. Seeing his hand bleed hurt me as much as being cut by the shards. I felt guilty. Preparing the bar counter was a duty I shared with the bartenders, but today I neglected it because of Mike. And it wasn’t hard for me to guess the reason Richard broke the wine glass—he was jealous. I should’ve taken the hint when he slammed shut his laptop and scowled at us from time to time. I was too thrilled to see Mike to pay attention to Richard’s unusual behavior. And I didn’t think it was possible. Richard being jealous because of me? He hasn’t expressed any interest in me after my last “sleep over.” While I appreciate his thoughtfulness, I resent it as well, just a little.
But the look in his eyes was intense when he told me he needed my help for the night. There was raw desire and not a trace of gentlemanliness in it. It melted me right there, and it rendered Mike’s hiking proposal unattractive on the spot.
It is the reason I’m smiling like a fool to every customer I serve throughout the day. I always smile, but not like I’ve-won-a-million-dollar smile. I’m friendly to customers, but I don’t love every one of them, certainly not the rude, picky ones. Today, however, I don’t mind any unreasonable request at all.
I move my car to the restaurant’s parking lot while Richard locks up. As I move away from my car, I catch a glimpse of the Victoria’s Secret shopping bag on the back seat. I keep forgetting to take it home. Wait, I halt my steps and turn. I open the car door and reach the shopping bag. The slip is wrapped in tissue paper and is tiny. I grab the bundle and stuff it in my purse the same moment Richard unlocks his car.
“Ready?” he asks as he opens the passenger door for me.
“Yes.” I lock my car and hurry toward him, but I stop before getting into the car. “Don’t you need me to drive?”
“Not anymore,” he says. “My hand has recovered.”
“So…” I stammer. “Does it mean you don’t…”
He grabs my arm and pulls me to him. “I still need you for the night.”
His voice is thick and low, and sends a tingling sensation over my lower belly. I’m suddenly aware of his male scent. My legs wobble, and he catches me in his arms.
His warm breath brushes against my face and his intense eyes devour my body. That’s not possible, right? But why am I trembling? Why do I feel as if they two light beams are slowly burning me? My eyes fall onto his lips, firm and pressed together, inches away from me. I wet my lips and he takes a sharp breath, pulling me closer. I whimper the moment our lips touch. He’s all velvety and hot, sucking me over and over until I greet him with my tongue. Soon we tangle and play, tasting each other’s mouth greedily. His hand grasps my ass tightly and his heartbeats echo in my own ribcage. This is the most passionate kiss I’ve ever had.
When we finally disengage from each other’s mouth, I find myself pinned against the car, Richard’s hard length pressing into my belly. I’m so dazed I forget where we are. The dimly illuminated parking lot seems to be a fairyland, more beautiful than any I’ve seen in the movies. I gaze into the twinkling blue eyes above me, brighter than any star in the sky, and wait for him to claim me right there.
His breathing is laborious. His eyes glide to my heaving chest and then back to my eyes.
“Damn, Kayla. What did you do to me?” he whispers.
