Pit Stop by Joanne Ganci
Parker
Mia’s huffing doesn’t last long, but her glaring picks up when I reach over to turn on the radio. “Don’t you fucking dare,” she hisses.
Getting under her skin is quickly becoming a favorite pastime, so of course, I fucking dare. Her sultry brown eyes spark with rage. Wannabe by the Spice Girls comes through the speakers, and I look over at the display to see it’s a CD. So Prim likes 90s music, good to know. When she extends her delicate fingers toward the power button, I grab her wrist. Her head snaps in my direction, but her glare quickly morphs into shock. Then she’s uncontrollably laughing because fuck yeah, I’m jamming out to Spice Girls. I have a sister. Of course, I know all the words.
I let go of her wrist, and she immediately pulls it back, covering her mouth to tamp down her laughter. Letting my hand fall to her thigh, I give it a little squeeze. “C’mon, Prim. I know you’d be rocking out if I weren’t here.” I wink at her and continue mouthing the words, so I won’t wake up Alex. Though, by the looks of him, he’s out for the count.
“You really are something else,” she says, shaking her head. I just shrug and add in some dance moves when it gets to the part about slamming your body down. I hear her mutter, “Fuck it!” and she starts singing and dancing along with me.
The song changes to Smash Mouth’s All Star, and both of our heads bob along to the beat. We look over at each other, bright smiles on both of our faces, and I feel something churn in my chest when she appropriately puts her hand to her forehead with her fingers making an L, getting completely into the song.
As I pull up to my shop, the song ends, and she giggle-snorts. Fucking giggle-snorts. Her hand covers her mouth immediately as she looks at me with wide eyes. I chance a glance back to Alex to make sure he’s still out cold—which he most definitely is. Decision made, I slide my hand to the back of her neck.
She drops her hand from her mouth. “What are you—”
I don’t give her a chance to finish the question, too eager to show her my answer. Our lips connect softly, questioning. Now I need her answer. If she doesn’t want this, then I’ll bow out quietly.
But if she does…
She tilts her head, her lips parting slightly. That’s enough of an answer for me. I bring my other hand up to cup her cheek, groaning into her mouth as I deepen the kiss. Our tongues tangle as we explore each other. Her hand grips my bicep, and she lets out the softest of moans.
As much as I don’t want to, I know we need to stop here. I pry my lips away from her eager mouth and press my forehead to hers. “Go out with me, Prim.”
When all I hear is her heavy breathing and the faint snores from the backseat, I pull away from her. Just far enough to look into her eyes. Sure, I’m an ass man, but the thing that draws me to a woman most are her eyes. And Prim’s are perfect. They’re this gorgeous, rich mahogany, and they’re so goddamn expressive. When I look in her eyes, I can see how kind and compassionate she is. I can see the love for her son, the spark of fire when I’m pushing her buttons. I already know I could spend an eternity looking into her eyes and find something different to admire with each passing moment. I’ve never been so drawn to a fucking person in all my life, and right now, I know without a shadow of a doubt, I need to get to know this woman better.
There’s something in my gut that is driving me to go for it, so I add, “Just say yes, Mia.”
Her long lashes flutter, and I feel her throat bob under the pressure of my thumb on her neck. Her lips part and I have to resist leaning in to catch one between my teeth. I need her answer first. Pushing some loose strand of hair behind her ear, I wait, never letting my eyes stray from hers. She takes in a deep breath, letting out a quiet, “Yes,” on the exhale.
My lips quirk to the side in a satisfied smirk. “Say it again,” I demand, bringing my thumb up to caress her bottom lip.
A spark of lust ignites in her expressive eyes as a husky, “Yes,” slips past her lips.
Tipping her head back slightly, I drop another searing kiss on her lips. I punctuate it by biting that bottom lip and letting my tongue dart out to soothe the sting. When I pull away, her whole body drifts toward me, chasing the pleasure, and causing another cocky smirk to appear on my face. “You need to get home, Prim.”
Her eyes drift open, and she nods slowly.
I pull my hands away from her, but not before teasing her lip once more.
Turning away to get out of the car, I leave the door open for her to switch seats. Walking over to meet her in front of the car, I hold out my hand. She looks down at my outstretched hand with a puzzled expression. “Wh-what?” Her eyes dart back up to my face, and I watch realization spark in her eyes. “Oh. Shit, I didn’t pay you.”
I let out a chuckle. “It’s on the house, Prim. Give me your phone.”
“My phone?”
I simply nod at her and wait for her to hand it over.
“Shoot. Alex has it.” She scampers off, opening the back door and reaching in to grab her phone off of Alex’s lap.
When she comes back over, she hands it to me. There’s an adorable picture of Alex on a swing as her background and a slew of colorful kids apps on her home screen. Mentally noting the lack of social media, I tap my thumb on the contacts button. I quickly punch my number in and send myself a text before closing the app and handing it back to her. “I’ll see you soon, Prim.”
“You’re one cocky son of a bitch, Parker Lancaster.”
“Cocky, yes. But my mom’s almost never a bitch.” I wink at her as she gawks at my response.
“I... What? No. I didn’t—”
“You’re sexy when you’re flustered, Prim.” I wrap my arms around her, one hand going to the back of her neck, the other resting at the top of her ass, and kiss her one more fucking time. Because I can.
When I draw back, I give her ass a squeeze. Her lips part as she leans into me.
She plants her hands on my chest, shaking her head. “I need to go.”
I’m not sure which one of us she’s telling, but she’s right.
“Mhmm, you do.” I nudge her toward her open door. After a couple of steps, she looks back at me, smiling. When she turns back around, I reach out and slap her ass. “Get home safe, Mia.”
She jumps and lets out a little squeal, then rounds the door and slides into her car. I shove my hands into my pockets, giving her a nod before she pulls off and drives away.
Making my way through the garage, I head up to my apartment with a huge smile on my face. When I get upstairs, I immediately strip out of my shirt, tossing it in the direction of the hamper. I need to go over to Brody’s and wash that shit soon. Riley wasn’t kidding when she said it was a mess in here. The only people that come here are Riley and Lydia, so I never really feel the need to keep it clean. It’s not like it’s a pigsty covered in roaches or some shit, it’s just not necessarily clean.
Grabbing a beer, I flop down on the couch and take a pull while I wait for Netflix to load. My thoughts immediately turn to Prim, and I pull my phone out of my pocket. I shoot her a text, asking her to let me know when she gets home safe. It’s not a far drive, and Midland is a safe area, but I want to make sure she’s okay.