Page 13 of Boss Me Around

I can’t help it. Now that I know Starling wants to kiss me as much as I want to kiss her, other women’s lips hold no appeal.

“A kissing booth, how fun!” a familiar voice chirps as I pull away from Carolina’s lips.

I turn to see Starling standing a few feet away, as if manifested by my unruly thoughts.

But my thoughts clearly have nothing to do with this. Even my sexually fertile imagination isn’t inventive enough to summon Starling in full Sex Princess regalia.

Fuck, she looks…incredible.

The silky blue-green dress hugs her curves and brings out the sparkle in her emerald eyes, her hair is pulled up in complicated coils I’m dying to bury my fingers in, and whatever she’s got on under the dress is doing something fantastic to her breasts. The creamy white mounds bounce lightly on her chest as she laughs, making my mouth go dry as she says something about cooties that I can’t decipher through the lust haze.

“Oh, I agree,” Carolina says, nodding seriously. “Absolutely a cootie-spreading gig. That’s why I’m only kissing on the cheek or with closed lips from now on.” She reaches out, giving my arm a familiar squeeze. “But Christian’s special. Ex-boyfriends get the full kissing booth experience.”

“You two used to date?” Starling’s brows lift as she glances my way.

“We did,” Carolina says as I continue to gape at Starling in her princess outfit like the simple man beast I am. I do a good “savvy human who’s been around the block” impression, but at heart, I’m like most men—easily bowled over by a gorgeous girl with incredible cleavage.

“But don’t worry about it,” Carolina continues. “If you two are dating, I have no interest in getting in the way. Chris and I broke up over a year ago and I’m with an amazing guy who’s all about commitment.” She shrugs one bare shoulder. “But Victor’s a pilot and gone on a trip this weekend, so he couldn’t be my first customer.” Her dark eyes flash as she adds, “And he doesn’t mind if I kiss another man every now and then. He’s actually kind of into it. When we go dancing, he likes it if I start making out with someone else, just so he can barge in and act mad about it after. Then we go home and have amazing makeup sex.”

She blinks, biting her lip as she glances between Starling and Nora, Barrett’s neighbor, who I’ve only just realized is standing behind Starling. “Is that oversharing? My sister says I have an oversharing problem, but I just want to be sex positive. It’s weird that Americans are still so squeamish about sex. Right? Like, corporations can use it to sell everything from socks to lip balm to tractor parts, but we can’t talk about it in public without being embarrassed? So weird.”

“I can see that,” Starling says diplomatically. “But Christian and I aren’t dating.” She beams a smile my way. “I’m his boss. At least for a little longer. He’s taking a job in Minneapolis.”

“Oh, wow,” Carolina says, shifting her focus my way. “That’s amazing! I adore Minneapolis. I’d move there in a heartbeat if I could afford it. But teaching yoga doesn’t pay enough for city living. Still, I love what I do. What’s better than helping people breathe, be in the moment, and feel good in their bodies?”

“I love your classes,” Nora says. “I’ve been meaning to get back into a regular practice, but I always find an excuse to work instead. One of the hazards of working from home, I guess. And Gram gets anxious if I’m gone when she wakes up in the morning.”

“That’s okay,” Carolina says. “There are lots of things you can do at home, and I have some free mini classes on YouTube. You want the link to my channel?”

“Christian, could I talk to you for a second?” Starling nods toward the booth next to Carolina’s, where a woman is making pottery with a foot-pumped wheel under a brightly colored tent.

“Sure,” I say, my mouth finally deciding to work again. Saying goodbye to Carolina, I leave her chatting with Nora about yoga and step behind the pottery tent with Starling. “What’s up?” I ask, willing myself not to let my eyes drift below her stubborn little chin.

I will not look at her cleavage.

Or at least I won’t let her catch me looking at her cleavage…

Fuck, I knew I should have stayed home today. But Matty wanted me to film his jousting match so he can work on his form and Melissa is down a server at the banquet tonight and needs me to bartend. I figured I might as well come early and wander around the fair. I was hoping it would keep my mind off Starling and my as-yet-undiscovered-skunk-crime, but clearly luck is not on my side.

“How’s Bella settling in?” Starling asks, flinching when I shush her. “What?” She glances over her shoulder, then back at me. “There’s no one around.”

“It’s best to be careful,” I whisper, glancing over my shoulder, too, just to be safe. “I don’t need a run-in with the law right before I start my new job. I’m sure Katia wouldn’t want a felon working at a shelter for vulnerable women.”

Starling gives a little roll of her eyes. “Oh, come on. I told you last night. You aren’t going to be a felon. Even if you got caught, illegal possession of a skunk is a misdemeanor, not a felony. And so far, no one has even noticed that Bella’s gone. They probably won’t until Sheila gets back on Monday. And thanks to the camera outage, Bella’s disappearance is a mystery that will likely never be solved.”

“Says the woman who isn’t harboring a fugitive,” I mutter.

“Well, not currently,” she counters, “but I’ve been in your shoes. When I first brought Kyle to my dorm, I had to sneak him up to the roof two or three times a day so he could play and use the bathroom. And he was big and loud and not sure if he trusted humans. Don’t even get me started on the challenges of coaxing a wild turkey into an elevator.”

“And you got caught,” I remind her. “And kicked out of the dorm.”

Her nose wrinkles. “Semantics, caused by tattletales, and irrelevant to your situation. You won’t get caught. Bella is already domesticated, she adores you, and a skunk doesn’t need nearly as much room to roam and flap as a fully-grown male turkey. You’re both going to be fine and live happily ever after.”

“Assuming I can find a house with a fenced-in yard in Minneapolis.”

“You’ll find one,” Starling says. “As long as you don’t mind a little commute to Warm Hearts, there are several options actually. I started looking at rentals this morning while Nora was doing my hair and found the cutest little house in the arts district. It’s a bungalow with a great yard and a workshop out back in case you wanted to fix bikes in your spare time.”

My brows lift. “You looked for rentals. For me?”

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