Page 67 of Small Town Firsts
I’d be cutting it close, but I stopped at the taproom for some of the bourbon I’d ordered for the opening. I was pretty sure there were a few cases of Hayes’ small batch moonshine hiding in the storeroom that I could borrow from as well.
I still resembled a man who’d been on a bender, so I avoided the taproom where Kira was conducting interviews and left her lunch on the bar. I caught her attention and waved her over to the storeroom.
She gave me an annoyed shake of her head, but I waved her over again.
With an exasperated eye roll, she held a finger up for me to wait a second. Which gave me time to tuck two bottles of moonshine and a bottle of bourbon into a case of our reserve stock cider.
“What are you doing?” She whispered furiously.
“Impromptu guest at my place.”
She arched her brow at the case and crossed her arms over her perfect breasts. Damn that dress was distracting. The heatwasn’t nearly as intense as it had been for a week, but hot enough that she’d left her arms bare. “Is that right?”
I crowded her into the wall, dragging her knee up to hook along my hip. Before I could get my lips on hers, she pinched my side.
“You did not interrupt my interviews to make out,” she said, her voice was tight with anger.
“No.” I laughed when she pinched me again and I tugged her fingers up to rest against my chest. “No, I promise I didn’t. Just a handy side benefit. Christ, you are beautiful.” I braced myself against the wall, caging her in with one arm while the other roamed down her curves.
Her cheeks pinked up as she wrinkled her nose. “Don’t try to butter me up. What do you want then?”
I dipped my nose into the deliciously clean scent of her neck and nipped her ear. “Mostly just to let you know I have to break our date tonight.”
She stiffened. “We don’t have a date.”
I eased back. “Yes, we did. I was going to woo you with dinner and fuck you into oblivion.” I rubbed my nose against hers and rocked against her to remind her where we fit best. “Remember?” My fingers stole away under the hem of her dress.
Her mouth dropped open and I took advantage of her shocked face and covered her mouth. I barely got a taste before she pushed me back. “I have three more people to interview as well as a meeting with Lennon in an hour.”
So we were one step forward and two back. I shouldn’t be surprised. “Okay, okay. Sorry. I couldn’t resist mussing you up.” I slid my hand up her thigh to palm her ass and kissed her hard before gently letting her foot fall back to the floor.
“And those plans were a maybe.”
I huffed out an exasperated laugh. “You never make things easy, Sunshine.”
She ducked under my arm. “We have a lot of work to do to get ready. August will be here before we know it.”
“I’m well aware, but we don’t work twenty-four-seven. Nor should we.”
“Tell that to my checklist.”
I followed her toward the doorway before she could escape, pulling her back against my front. “And you’re not alone in getting the list done. My batches are in fermenting, so I don’t have a ton to do until they’re ready for the back sweetening I have planned.” I swept her hair back over her shoulder. “Let me help.”
“You have company. Enjoy it.”
I stiffened. “He can entertain himself if you need me.”
She turned and pressed me back into the room, glancing over her shoulder.
“Still afraid to be seen together?”
“Yes. I don’t need you undermining my authority because we can’t keep our hands off each other.”
“From where I’m standing, you aren’t having trouble there.”
Her eyebrow rose. “Are you whining, Viking?”
“No.” I grit my teeth. “Maybe.”
