He chuckled and dropped his hands, moving a little closer. “There’s all kinds of things I shouldn’t do in public, honey lips. Why don’t you help reform me?”
Smirking, I tossed my hair over my shoulder in an effort to prove his words weren’t having such a wicked impact on my female bits. Dirty biker. “Aren’t you too old to have a woman reform a single thing about you?”
He didn’t skip a beat and answered fast. “For you, sugar lips, I’d give it a try.”
Right. “Stop referring to me as honey and sugar and whatever else you keep saying.”
“Why would I want to do that?” he asked, sauntering closer. “That’s exactly what the fuck you are, little mama. Sweet. Tempting.” His hand lifted and his fingers caressed the skin along my jawline. “So damn irresistible I know I’d get lost in all that honey and sugar. I could happily slip into a diabetic coma just for five seconds of my lips claiming yours.”
I gasped, my entire body coming alive with heat and sensation in ways I couldn’t begin to fathom.
Jayce’s mouth hovered just an inch above my own as his head dipped lower. “Say it.”
“Say what?”
“Tell me it’s true.”
“What is?” I asked with a whisper.
“What you are to me,” he commanded, his body almost caging mine in. “A plump, juicy, ripe little candied cherry ready to be devoured.”
Blinking, I stuttered my response, “Wh-what?”
“You heard me. You’re my holiday candy just waiting to be unwrapped.”
As cheesy as he was being, it actually worked for him. The guy was so intimidating and big that his soft words and seductive purr grazed right over my skin with a promise that was hard to ignore.
“You’re confusing me with all this.” I waved a hand at his muscled body, leather, and tattoos. “You look like a criminal who wants to ravage my body up against the wall hard and fast, but you sound like a lover who wishes to enjoy his infatuation for hours on end until we’re both fully satisfied.”
Jayce let out a low laugh and crooked a finger under my chin, holding my gaze with his own. “Damn, you have the sweetest little mouth. I want to lick each and every single one of those words and suck them right from your lips.”
“See? There you go.”
“You bring out the beast in me,” he rumbled.
“I don’t know anything about you,” I pointed out, desperate to keep the fear of the past from overtaking my life. This biker knew nothing about the horrors I’d endured. I planned on keeping it that way.
“Go out with me,” he blurted, almost like he couldn’t refrain from asking one more second.
My eyes narrowed. “Why would I want to do that? You’ll just try to seduce me on the back of your motorcycle.”
Jayce’s lips twitched. He slid his hand up and over my cheek, cradling my face as he tilted my head up a little more. “Because we both felt something the moment we met. I don’t play around, little mama. Life is far too short for games.”
Nylah walked into the room, but Jayce didn’t move. I backed away as his hand fell, my stomach clenching as I agonized over his words. I did feel that connection in the store and I felt it even stronger now, but I had a kid, and I was on the run. I’d always be looking over my shoulder. A part of me was still stuck in Texas no matter how much I wanted to break free. My ex was probably furious and trying to track us down. I didn’t think I could ever trust any man after what Chet did to me.
I was damaged goods.
“You’re overthinking it, sugar.”
I ignored the biker as Noah entered and Nylah’s lips lifted with humor. She shot an amused smile at Jayce.
“Mama, I got zapped with energy like one of the Mandalorian’s enemies! It was so awesome!”
“I bet that was better than baby Yoda.”
“Told you that you were gonna do something cool today,” Jayce added.
“He’s not really baby Yoda but it’s okay if you call him that,” Noah answered in a singsong voice.