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Chapter One

Beau

“No, not happening. No way in hell. Your brother would hang me by my balls. No way, Lily.” Fuck, this woman is asking me to get my teeth knocked in, and all over some guy. It doesn’t matter that the curvy Lily Velasquez, owner of Kissme Sweet Shop, is practically begging me for something. It’s not happening. No matter what those eyes plead me to do.

“Please, it’s only for a short time. He won’t quit calling. He even showed up at my apartment last night.”

“No can do, honey. Have you told Vincent?” I ask, referring to her brother yet again. The fact that she’s perched on a barstool, nursing a glass of sweet tea instead of a mixed drink, tells me she isn’t here to simply take a load off after a busy day.

“I can’t. You know he’ll go off half-cocked, injure his hand, and more than likely end up in jail. Then what will happen to his future?” Her lips are pursed, giving me ideas I shouldn’t be thinking about.

“So, instead, you want me to end up injured. I see how this works.” I wipe down the bar, meanwhile trying to convince myself not to take her up on her offer. It’s not like it’ll be a hardship, well, besides the permanent zipper imprinted on my cock.

Lily isn’t even wearing anything provocative—a light pink cotton shirt that says Kissme Sweet Shop, not even a V-neck or scoop neck. Though, it is form fitting and showing off those sweet curves of hers. The hourglass figure she has going for her only accentuates that. The color of her shirt amplifies her green eyes. Her rich dark hair, almost black in color, hangs loosely around her shoulders. From the moment she walked in, a sweet sway to each step, she moved those hips of hers in tight-as-fuck jeans. Yep, it wouldn’t kill me to do what she’s proposing, minus her brother, who’s younger than me by twelve years, and even though Lily is two years older than him, that doesn’t mean shit. Vincent would lose his shit, and if he knew what her ex-boyfriend was doing, it would be that much worse.

“You can hold your own, Beau. Vince respects you. He wouldn’t even blink an eye.” Lily is full of shit. She knows it, and I know it.

“Yeah, we’ll go along with that, but tell me. How did this guy even stand a chance with Vincent around?” Hell, I didn’t even know she was dating someone, and things get around here in Cherry Falls.

“Well, about that… He didn’t really see us together,” she admits.

“Fuck, honey. I don’t even want to know, do I?”

“Probably not. If you do this for me, though, I’ll keep you well stocked in those candies you love so much.” Damn, she sure drives a hard bargain.

“If this happens, there will be rules, and you may not like them.” I keep my expression stern.

“Whatever you want, promise.” She holds out her pinky finger.

“You may not like my rules, Lily,” I grumble but wrap her finger with mine, letting her have this win.

“How bad can they be?” she questions. Her tongue wraps around the straw in her tea as she takes a sip. I need to change positions. If she sees what she does to me, she’ll probably run for the hills.

“I’ll call you tonight and go from there, unless you need me to give you a ride home?”

“Nope, I’ll be fine. I’m going back to the shop for a bit. I want to get a head start on a few things for Valentine’s Day. If he shows up, I’ll call you. If that’s okay, I mean?” Lily stands up to take her leave.

“Even if we weren’t in this pretend state of affairs, you could anytime. Come here. If we’re gonna make this work, I’ll at least need your lips.” I figure a soft kiss won’t kill her, and I want to see just how far she’s willing to go. Lily moves closer, standing up on her toes, leaning over the edge of the bar. My fingers move to her hair, gliding through the long locks, feeling their silky softness. Our lips meet. Hers are soft, pillowy beneath my own. I want to deepen the kiss, but not yet, and damn sure not here. I reluctantly let her go. A blush to her cheeks and a smile on her face is how we leave each other.


Tags: Tory Baker Romance