Mine to Take by Lila Fox
Chapter Three
Oh, hell. Her concern did something to him even when he wanted to laugh. He’d felt hiccups before that were stronger than her fist.
“It didn’t hurt.”
“At all?” she asked.
“No.”
She frowned. “Well, that’s not good.”
“Why, babe?”
“Because if I have to use my fists again, I know now it would be ineffective.”
He bit his lip to keep from grinning. “I could always teach you some moves.”
She studied his expression and then shook her head. “I don’t think it’s a good idea. Can you please leave so I can get back to work before I get fired?”
“You’re not going to let me take you out?”
“You didn’t say you wanted to take me anywhere. All you said was you wanted to…”
“Fuck?”
She rolled her eyes. “Yes.”
“I want to do both.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Really? Where would you take me?”
“Fuck if I know.”
“Then thank you, but no,” she said primly.
He straightened and took a step back. “So, you’re saying you don’t want to see me?”
He about laughed at the suspicion on her face.
“I think it’s best. We’re too different.”
“I see. All right. I’ll leave.” He turned and walked away before he started laughing.
He walked out to his bike, started it, and then moved down the street to wait. He had glanced at the hours on the door on his way out and knew the closing time would be soon. If she thought she’d gotten rid of him, she was mistaken.
He didn’t have long to wait when he saw her walk out the front door with the other woman he’d talked to. At the corner, they separated, and Zoe kept walking away from him. He started his bike when she turned a corner and he couldn’t see her anymore.
She walked up the steps to a small house, unlocked it, and went in before he drove off. He was back thirty minutes later with Chinese food. After he parked the bike behind her house, he knocked on the door and waited.
The surprise on her face was almost comical, and then he looked her up and down and almost groaned. She was in faded jeans and an oversized t-shirt that did nothing to hide the fact she wasn’t wearing a bra. Her feet were bare with pink polish, and her hair was down.
Fuck me. He wasn’t going anywhere, and she better get used to the fact she was his.
She put her hands on her hips. “What are you doing here?”
He pushed past her into the house. “We have a date.”
“Wait,” she yelled. “I thought we decided we weren’t going anywhere.”
She followed him into the kitchen to find him going through cupboards.
“What are you doing?” she asked in a screech.
“I’m looking for plates and forks.”
She stomped her foot. “You can’t just walk in here…”
He set the plates on the small table and stalked her across the room. He loved the desire-filled panic on her face at that moment. When he had her pinned to the wall, he asked, “How about this? If I kiss you and you don’t like it, I’ll leave. But if you do like it, you’ll let me stay.”
“Oh, I don’t thi—”
He cut her off by pressing his lips against hers. The level of passion went from one to a hundred within a second, taking his breath away.
When he finally lifted his head, he looked down to see the flush of desire on her face, her lips red and swollen from his, and her breathing as out of control as his. One of his hands cupped the back of her head, and the other arm was wrapped around her waist.
He cleared his throat. “I’d say you enjoyed that, so I’m staying.”
She slowly opened her eyes to stare at him in a daze. “What?”
He chuckled and then set her on her feet. He couldn’t even remember lifting her, but she fit in his arms like she was meant to be there. It should have scared him, but all he had to do was think about Fury and Traeger and how happy they were. His Zoe was a lot like Amelia and Tara.
He steadied her and then took a step back. “Babe, if you don’t get a move on, I’m going to fuck you against the wall.”
She gasped and glanced over her shoulder before moving away. She smoothed her hair down and walked into the kitchen.
“Fine, you can stay,” she said, making him laugh. “But just for dinner.”
He grinned and followed her.
“What do you want to drink?” she asked as she looked into the refrigerator.
“Beer.”
“I don’t have any beer.”
“Whisky?”
“Nope.”
He rolled his eyes. “What do you have?”
“Milk, juice, or water.”
He almost gagged at the thought of milk. He’d always hated the taste. “Water.”
They sat in silence for a minute as they got their food on their plates.
“This is sweet. Thank you.”
His eyebrows rose. “Sweet?”
She glanced at him in surprise at his dark tone. “Yes.”
“I’m not sweet.”
She rolled her eyes. “Okay,” she said sarcastically.
He grunted and started eating. He’d deal with her misconception later. Then he sat back and sighed. “That was good.”
“Yes. I’ve always loved this place.” She stood, grabbed the plates, and took them to the sink. “It’s pretty late…”
He glanced at the clock and snorted. “It’s not seven yet.”
“True, but I have to work tomorrow and have laundry to do … and some sorting…”
He stood. He wasn’t leaving until he got a little more from her.
