Page 13 of Merry Me Bad Boy

Not Abby. No, she’s never cowered. Quite the opposite.

“I’m not catching on,” I admit, not quite sure what she’s seeing.

She stands up and approaches me. Now her smile isn’t so strong. No, she looks upset.

“Jason, you’re pretty freaking cool. You’ve come to this town with, I don’t know, experience? You’ve been married. I feel like I’m way out of your league.” Stepping between my feet, she reaches out and brushes her fingers against my ears.

When I snort, she tugs one of them in retaliation.

Leaning in, I take a deep breath of her sweater. Even out of the bakery, she smells sweet. I love the way she gasps when I tug her closer so I can get a lungful.

“You’ve got that all twisted Abby. I’m going to have to work to stay caught up with you. I’m old and tired. Grumpy too,” I mumble.

“If it’s not obvious, I like that about you,” she murmurs, being an absolute angel for letting me hold her like this. After going through those few days of her avoiding me at every turn, I need a bit of a refresher.

I need itbadly.

Abby

Clearly, I’m an idiot.

The way Jason is looking up at me now, how in the world have I been so blind?

Too distracted with trying to crush down my own feelings, I completely missed his own.

“I won’t fire you,” I promise him as I tilt his head up, “but we can’t fool around at work. Even if the frosting bit was absolutely wonderful, I don’t want to risk someone seeing they shouldn’t or risk ruining making a mess that we can’t clean up.”

Trust me, I’ve been imagining drizzling chocolate on this man’s chest ever since that moment we shared. Luckily for us both, I have the same ingredients at home.

His chest rumbles and after a minute of inner thoughts and pinched expressions, he nods. “Can I kiss you on the clock?”

Are we going to be able to control ourselves?

Biting my lip, I nod. Should be safe enough.

His fingers squeeze at my hips and I feel the same pull that I always do. The same pull I’ve been trying my hardest to ignore. Now that our feelings are out there, it’s harder than ever.

“Can I kiss you now?”

With heat coating my cheeks, I nod my head and bend down to press my mouth to his. It feels good, no doubt about that. I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve wanted to kiss him since.

I don’t stay standing for long. As soon as my lips part, he’s tugging me down onto his lap. Wrapping my arms around him, I can’t deny how right this feels.

Groaning against his mouth, he’s quick to swallow down each sound. For a minute, I think his main goal is to consume me whole.

The way he’s keeping me crushed against his front, touching and squeezing my sides, I know I’m spiraling in one direction. If I let him touch my legs, I’m as good as gone.

Chair creaking beneath our combined weight, I lean closer. There’s too much space between us. Even pressed together, I’m moving my hands to his shirt, clenching the fabric like I’ll rip it away the moment I crack.

There’s no denying how badly I want this man. At my side, my bed, and most importantly,in my life.

His obvious hunger here is making it clear that he’s not going anywhere. Even if I didn’t want him to continue working alongside me, he’d find a way to see me. Be it a customer or not. He’d be there, waiting for me to melt against him like I am now.

When I part away for only a moment, I see that dark look in his eyes. That same hunger that matches my own.

He can’t do that. It’s not fair. I have a weakness for him. Even now, I can feel my insides melting. My heart is turning into one gushy puddle of feelings.

Jason mutters something about how sweet I taste and it makes me laugh against his lips. For a guy who apparently doesn’t like sugar, he is surely getting his share.

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