Chaste

  The back door burst open and she jumped. “Kelly?”

  “Shh…” he said as he took two determined strides toward her.

  His arms caught her shoulders and she gasped as he pulled her front flush with his hard chest and crashed his mouth to hers. His lips pressed into hers and her eyes went wide. Holy crap he was kissing her!

  His hands roamed over her shoulders, settling beneath the cross of denim at her back. He pulled her tight and she made a small squeak of uncertainty as her breasts mashed to his front.

  “Relax,” he whispered over her mouth.

  She breathed in his scent, tasting the spicy essence that was Kelly on her lips. Her body tingled to life as he took a step forward, forcing her feet to shuffle back until the stool skidded out of their way and the wooden table pressed into her butt. Her body arched backward to accommodate his bulk. He was suddenly larger than before, hulking, muscled, and too much to comprehend.

  His lips were soft as they brushed over her slack, shocked mouth. “You have to kiss back, love, or it doesn’t count.”

  Holy crap!

  His mouth teased at her closed lips, opening and closing and then there was the warm wet contact of his tongue. She gasped and his lips sealed over hers. He worked her mouth open and she tasted a mixture of sweet apple and Kelly. Then the strangest sensation of him inside of her had her jerking back.

  “Relax. Feel. It’s all good.”

  His hand slid lower as he pressed her fully to his front, her spine arching against the edge of the table. Her hands caught at his broad shoulders, fisting in the warm cotton of his shirt as he tipped her world on end. His tongue explored her and her eyes slowly shut as her thoughts scattered like dandelion seeds on a warm breeze.

  Her heart raced as though it was about to explode out of her chest. Everywhere he touched caught fire. Pins and needles chased up her spine, firing every nerve receptor into overdrive. Her body tightened and loosened in places she’d never acknowledged before.

  Her tongue finally got the message and meekly pressed past his lips. His hold on her tightened, pulling her so close she nearly winced, but it was a good hold, a discomfort that turned comforting. His head tilted as he pulled at her lips with his warm mouth. My God, his body’s so warm.

  Suddenly her feet were off the ground, her boots abnormally heavy as they dangled in the air, and her back was flattened on the worktable. There was something jabbing into her thigh and, as she realized what it was, she snapped out of the trance and shoved him.

  Kelly grunted and bit—bit!—at her lip. “You taste so good.”

  She could feel a hard ridge against her abdomen that could only be his penis. His erect penis. It was too much. “Stop,” she whispered.

  He stilled, lips tickling hers, body blanketing her like a second layer of scorching flesh. Slowly, he pulled back, his mouth withdrawing, but his body remaining over her, pinning her to the table where she could still feel his…penis. His blue eyes were so dark, the pupils overwhelming the sapphire irises.

  “Now, you’ve been kissed,” he whispered, voice gone gravelly.

  At this point her thoughts no longer made sense. All she saw in her head were those funny little symbols that rested at the top of a keyboard. Sheer and utter nonsense.

  She swallowed and when he eased off of her, she was too weak to move. Her chest vibrated with shallow breaths. Her lips were swollen, her chin raw from the stubble on his jaw scraping over delicate skin.

  Her body was dense like wet sand, her insides heavy and achy in ways that were both good and bad. It was as though her blood had thickened, chugging sensually through every vein. If that was kissing, she’d never survive sex.

  Kelly licked his lips, which were also kiss swollen and smiled. “You’ll do fine, love. You’re a natural.”

  Slack jawed, she stared at him. “Why did you do that?”

  His chest heaved with slow breaths as he met her stare. There was so much confusion in his blue eyes, as if even he didn’t have an excuse. “I…I don’t know, but I needed to.”

  So he could lay claim to her? Easing into a seated position she scowled at him. “I don’t like games.”

  His lips pressed tight and he nodded. In a quiet voice he said, “Neither do I.” And with that he turned and left and didn’t come back.

  Chapter Four

  Hard acrylic nails scraped along his scalp as Naomi wrapped her leg around his hip and shoved her tongue down his throat. His head wasn’t in it. Kelly squeezed her generous ass and she moaned.

  “Take me home,” she whispered over his lips, dragging her mouth to his ear.

  He’d first seen Naomi pile in with the college crew that was home on break and knew he wanted a piece of her, but something wasn’t jiving. Her makeup was suddenly too done, her nails a little too fake, and her clothes a little too desperate. Still, who was he to turn down a night of promise and orgasms?

  “Let’s stay here a while longer. It’s still early and Sue has customers.”

  Her pelvis ground into his and he was shocked he wasn’t even at halfmast. “Where’s your car?” she breathed, her liquored breath making his nose twitch.

  Headlights fanned over the lot as a car pulled in. It was Thursday, a mildly busy night for O’Malley’s, but slower than usual. Kelly could take off for the night if he wanted to, but new reservations had him hesitating.

  Being the co-owner of O’Malley’s, which also belonged to his aunt’s, but for the most part was his, he always kept an eye on anyone entering his establishment. His gaze followed the car as it parked.

  When Josh climbed out of the car Kelly pulled Naomi off of him. Her limbs clung to him like a starfish clings to the side of a tank. There might have even been a slurping pop as he detached her from his body.

  Josh didn’t seem to look farther than the illuminated area of the lot. His head turned as though searching for a specific car. Was Ashlynn coming? Kelly’s heart picked up as he heard the rumble of a truck. Sure enough, it was Ashlynn’s new, white, four-door pulling into the bar.

  “I gotta get back to work. People are still showing up.”

  Naomi pouted. “But…what about later?”

  Yeah, he wasn’t really sure why she’d caught his attention a week ago, but the intrigue was gone. “Listen, it was fun, but honestly I have plans tonight. I can’t. Sorry.”

  She played it off, but he suspected she was more than pissed. Oh well.

  The lights of the truck shut off with the engine and he waited, mumbling more excuses to the girl at his side, his eyes pinned on the driver’s side door of the truck. His pulse skipped a beat when the door eased open and two little feet in flip-flops descended on the running board.

  Ashlynn’s feet hit the pavement and the door closed. Another skirt. This one khaki and above the knee. His little virgin was getting braver.

  He stilled, realizing he’d referred to her as his. Frowning, he watched Josh walk to her and smile. No kiss hello, but he did take her hand.

  Kelly’s jaw locked. Ashlynn wore a ribbed, white tank top. Her curves displayed even more than the last time she’d gone on a date. She had a good sized chest, more than a handful, but nothing a guy could suffocate in. He bet she wore plain cotton panties, no frills for his little farmer.

  She’s not yours!

  There was no turning off the blooming obsession he’d developed. At the moment he was working with a few scenarios. One, he was looking out for her. Not a likely truth, but he seemed to react whenever the other man got a hand on her. Two, she scorned him with her little comment about the company he kept, which pushed his buttons and opened up some old wounds. Or three, he simply wanted what he knew he couldn’t have. Then there was scenario number four. She was a challenge.

  The fourth scenario was a tricky one. He couldn’t have her, because he couldn’t be what she deserved. However, the moment she made this clear in one of their exchanges over the last week, a part of Kelly came alive and preened at the challenge. It was playing with fire
and eventually he’d have to back off, but the intrigue was there, more so than with any other female at the moment.

  For years his siblings had broken his stones about Ashlynn Fisher’s crush. Her moving on to other men alleviated a lot of the complications she put on the table. But the moment her attention went elsewhere, he lamented its presence in his life. He needed to figure out if this was a matter of sheer will—her denying herself what she knew she shouldn’t have—or if he was losing his mojo and she honestly was over him. Either way, he was in complete control—or so he told himself.

  Her back showed in the racer back tank and Kelly admired the play of muscles gleaming under the streetlamp. Okay, maybe he was losing a bit of his control. There was something undeniably alluring about her.

  Her shoulders and arms were naturally toned. Her legs also didn’t have an ounce of jiggle. She must work her ass off in that garden of hers. She’d have to, in order to supply her own farmer’s market.

  They disappeared through the front door of the bar and Kelly turned to Naomi or Nadia or whatever her name was. The girl had been chattering about God knows what as she fixed her lipstick.

  “I gotta go,” he said, darting toward the back of the bar.

  “What about tomorrow?” she yelled after him.

  “I’m busy,” he shouted as he ducked inside.

  “That was quick,” Sue said, raising an eyebrow. “I didn’t expect to see you again until tomorrow.”

  Kelly quickly washed his hands and dried them on a rag. “Yeah, well, I changed my mind.”

  “Why? Was she a chin licker?”

  He turned and frowned at her. “A what?”

  “You know, a chin licker…bad kisser.”

  He laughed. “Honestly, I can’t even remember how she kissed.”

  No, he could only recall one kiss, one heart searing, brain numbing, cock throbbing, need to have you right now kiss, he hadn’t stopped thinking about since last Saturday.

  His eyes scanned the bar and found Josh and Ashlynn sitting at the same booth they occupied the week before. “I’m gonna go check on the tables.” Sidestepping, he slipped past Sue.

  “We don’t have any tables—Oh…my mistake.” She smiled like a wicked witch. “Yeah, you better see what they need.”

  Kelly approached the booth in the back and drilled his stare into Ashlynn’s. Her attention diverted from whatever Josh was saying and locked on him as color tinged her porcelain skin. “Hey, Ashlynn.”

  “Kelly…I didn’t think you were here tonight.”

  “I’m always here.”

  “Hey, Kel, can we get a diet cola and a draft?”

  Kelly nodded, but didn’t look at Josh. His gaze remained on Ashlynn, her spiky blond hair forming two pixie like wisps by her ears and swooping over her forehead. He recalled how soft it was, not stiff with product like most girls’ hair. God, he’d like to get her in a Tinkerbell costume.

  The flush on her cheeks deepened and he realized he was standing there staring at her. He turned to Josh. “Where’re you two coming from?”

  “We had dinner down at Jack’s place, but figured we’d stop here.”

  Ashlynn never drank. He wondered if that was another thing with her faith, or perhaps just something she had yet to try. So many cherries to pop. It was strange that her inexperience somehow turned from something he avoided to something he coveted. Could all these changes come from simply seeing her with another man? She’d always been just Ashlynn, but now…something had changed.

  He shook off the thought and frowned. What the hell was he doing? She was here with Josh. Even if she was inexperienced it wasn’t his duty to change that.

  He needed to get out of there and regroup. “I’ll get your drinks. Sit tight.”

  As he filled the order he continued to scowl. His fascination with her innocence had nearly quadrupled in the past week. Was it some innate male thing that made her virtue appeal to him? Was she channeling his inner caveman? Why was he so obsessed with her all of a sudden?

  “You’re spilling.”

  At Sue’s voice he glanced down and saw the diet cola overflowing. He released his hold on the gun and tipped the foam off the top of the glass. Pouring Josh’s beer, he added two cherries to Ashlynn’s glass and returned to the table.

  They were in the middle of a conversation when he placed the glasses on the table.

  “I was so surprised,” Ashlynn was saying. “I was going to buy it anyway, but my dad beat me to it.”

  “That was really sweet of him. Are you happy with it?”

  Kelly’s attention snagged on her smile, his ears anxious for her next words. “I love it. It handles like a dream.”

  Kelly gathered they were talking about her new truck. “Can I get you guys anything else?”

  “No, we’re good. Thanks, man,” Josh said then turned back to his date. “So did you figure out where the rabbits are coming from?”

  What rabbits? Kelly glowered, his presence forgotten. When had he become so needy? This wasn’t him. None of it was. He didn’t care about idle chitchat. Yet he wanted to know more about her. The truth was, Ashlynn was work and he wasn’t sure if there was a way to know her better without hurting her in the long run. Temptation to selfishly entertain himself battled with propriety and the urge to do right by her.

  Shaking his head, he returned to the bar. Josh knew stuff about Ashlynn that he didn’t. It made sense. Josh was dating her after all, but it still irritated him. He wanted to talk to her about rabbits and find out what that meant. Maybe he could broach the subject with her and wind up kissing her again.

  She’s on a date, dipshit.

  Josh would likely be kissing her soon. The thought of the other man’s mouth being where his had been only days ago made him twitchy and irritable. Kelly had never been the possessive sort, so why should he care? But he did.

  Kelly wasn’t a territorial person. He didn’t have a jealous bone in his body. He was more a “share the love” kind of guy, but he wanted to be the only one privy to Ashlynn’s sweet kisses and her oh, so sweet—

  Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. He liked her.

  There had only ever been one girl in his past that consumed his attention the way Ashlynn did and his obsession with Ashlynn surpassed those childhood fantasies days ago. What the fuck? How did this happen?

  He couldn’t like her. He could like any woman in this bar, but not her. Used to being the kind of guy who scratched whenever he had an itch, he wasn’t sure what to do about these sudden desires. He should have never kissed her.

  She wasn’t like other girls. Other girls caught his eye and he fucked them, got over his lust, and moved on. Everyone was happy. He couldn’t do that with Ashlynn.

  Damn it!

  Thrown by the trajectory of his thoughts, he spent the next hour busying himself with the other customers and only glancing in Ashlynn’s direction every few seconds. When he looked up and found the booth empty, he turned to the door.

  Josh’s hand rested low on Ashlynn’s back as he escorted her out the front of the bar.

  Kelly grabbed the half full bag of trash and knotted the ties. “Taking out the trash,” he announced as he left through the back.

  The door slammed behind him as he quickly approached the dumpster. Bloody Christ, he was turning into a stalker.

  Ashlynn’s throaty laugh traveled to his ears and crept all over his skin like secret promises whispered in the dark. Josh was closing in.

  Do something!

  Playing on Ashlynn’s shy nature and propriety, he lifted the lid of the dumpster and let it slam after loudly dropping the bag inside. She immediately stepped back from Josh.

  You’re such a cock blocker.

  Ashlynn turned and Josh settled for a kiss on the cheek. He held her door as she climbed into her truck and said goodnight. When both cars started, Josh was the first to pull out.

  Kelly wiped his palms down his jeans and approached her truck. He tapped on the window. “License and registration.
”

  She jumped and met his gaze through the glass. “What?” The window rolled down. The truck still had that new car smell.

  “It’s a joke, love.”

  “Oh.”

  He shifted and placed his hands in his pockets. “How’s it going?”

  “Okay.”

  “Have a nice date?”

  Her mouth opened and shut then opened again. “It was fine.” The nervous set of her shoulders only underscored how inconsistent their personalities were.

  He met her whisky brown stare. “He didn’t kiss you goodnight.”

  Her cheeks flushed a soft shade of pink. “Yes, he did, just not like…”

  “Like I kissed you.”

  She glanced away. Yes! There it was, that sharp tug at his gut he got whenever she turned bashful.

  Maybe if he just spent a little time with her he could stifle some of the urges he was having, take the edge off. “Can we talk for a little?”

  She glanced back to him, big eyes full of questions. “Talk about what?”

  He shrugged. “Things. Life. Your rabbits.”

  “I—I guess.”

  He rounded the truck and climbed into the passenger seat. Her soft, natural scent reminded him of how close they’d been days before. It went right to his cock and he shifted.

  “How did you know about my rabbits?”

  “I overheard you and Josh talking.”

  She grimaced. “Those furry little buggers keep getting my lettuce patch. I need to build the beds up higher.”

  His mouth pinched back a smirk. Who said things like furry little buggers? “I’d like to see your gardens.”

  “You would?” she sounded shocked.

  His mind drifted to one drunken night not too long ago when his father told him about falling for his mother. He’d slurred, “Kelly, she wasn’t always so loud. Once she was but a wallflower. I was the lucky lad who plucked her up and made her bloom.”

  Ashlynn was a bit of a wallflower and one day some lucky bastard would pluck her up and she would bloom into everything stunning and graceful.

  He smiled to hide his envy of whoever that man would be, certain it wouldn’t be him. He openly rejected marriage, but the truth was, he lacked the honorability to qualify for the job—with any woman—and that ultimately disqualified him from the list of men who had the right to look at Ashlynn as more than a friend.