But he could be.
“Demi? She’s my sister’s best friend, so we grew up together. She really is good at what she does, though. Trust me,” he says, our shoulders touching.
Sister’s friend.
He doesn’t mention whether they have ever been more than friends, and I don’t ask because it’s none of my damn business.
“You okay?” he asks when I go quiet.
I nod and force a smile. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just deciding on what to call the car if she passes the check.”
He laughs. “And? What are you thinking?”
“Ari the Audi has a certain ring to it.”
Demi looks over and watches Decker laughing. In that moment, I know, as a woman, that even if she hasn’t had him, at some point she sure as hell has wanted him. You don’t look at a man that way unless you want him.
She closes the door and comes over to us. “You’re right, Decker, she’s good to go. Previous owners have taken good care of it.”
“Thanks, Demi,” he says, glancing over at me excitedly. “You got a new car. Fresh start, right?”
I nod. “Exactly.”
We sort out all the paperwork and leave in the new car, Mercy and all of her memories staying behind.
Decker hooks up my Bluetooth from my phone, so I can listen to my playlists in the car. Kyla Imani’s “Trackstar” plays from the speakers, her smooth voice filling the space. I park in front of his office, and turn to face him. “Thank you for coming with me. Can you tell Demi to send me an invoice for checking the car?”
“I’ve got it covered, don’t worry about it,” he says, undoing his seat belt.
“Decker, don’t be silly.”
“It’s nothing, Cara.”
He reminds me of the men I grew up with. They never let their women pay for anything. It took a while for me to understand that it wasn’t a sign of ownership or making their women indebted to them. It was about showing their women that they wanted to provide and care for them.
I purse my lips. “Okay. I’m bringing you lunch on your break today, then.”
It doesn’t cover it, but at least I can feed him. Food is love.
He reaches out and cups my face. “You don’t have to do that.”
“I want to.”
“Okay.” He grins, scanning my eyes and caressing my jaw with his thumb. “You are so beautiful, you know that?”
For some reason I decide that this is the perfect time to blurt out, “Have you and Demi...”
His eyes widen in surprise. “No, we haven’t. Just friends.”
“So you’re saying she’s never tried to hook up with you?” I ask, not believing it for one second.
I’m a woman.
I know.
“She expressed interest once, a long time ago. But I knew my sister wouldn’t like that, so I let her down gently. She hasn’t brought it up since, we’ve just all been friends,” he admits, eyes lowering to my lips. “If I wanted her, I’d have had her.”
“You’re such an arrogant...” I trail off, our eyes locked and holding.
“Yes?”
“You know what you are.”
His lips kick up at the corners in a sexy smirk.
The tension in the car starts to thicken and all I want is for him to kiss me. I look down at his lips, and then back up at him.
I know he’s thinking about it, because his eyes are also on my lips. I’d love to know what is running through his mind right now.
He doesn’t make the first move, so I do. I press my lips against his and kiss him sweetly, slowly, until he takes over and deepens the kiss, his hand moving to the back of my neck to take control. I sigh in contentment against him. The kiss feels so right; the chemistry I feel with him is insane, tingles shooting all through my body.
He pulls back and studies me, scanning my eyes. “Are you sure?” he asks, his tone deep and husky.
I nod. “I’m so fucking sure.”
He kisses me again, as if proving his point.
When we pull away, I’m breathless, panting, and turned on like I’ve never been before.
“I have to go back to work,” he murmurs, kissing me once again and then on my forehead. He opens the car door and then closes it. “I’m going to need a minute.”
I look down at his crotch and see his hard cock pressing against his pants.
Fuck.
He drives me fucking crazy.
A few more moments and a kiss on the cheek, then he’s off.
When lunchtime comes around, I pick up some Italian food and drop it off to him. He’s busy at his desk when I arrive.
“Food is here,” I say, placing the bag on the desk.
“Thank you, Cara. Saves me from running out,” he says, putting his pen down and relaxing in his chair. He studies me and smiles. “I haven’t stopped thinking about you. You going to stay and eat with me?”
I shake my head. “No, I have to go meet Clover and Sapphire. I just wanted to feed you to say thank you.”
“Thank you.”
Unable to help myself, I walk over to his side of the desk and sit down in front of him. His hand lands on my thigh and he glances over at the door, as if anticipating someone to walk in. We share a quick, sneaky kiss, and he growls when I step away from him.
I wave and take my leave.
I meet up with Clover at the park, where she has planned a picnic for the three of us.
My jaw drops when I see just how extra this picnic is, with pillows laid out on the grass and a picnic rug covered in crackers, cheeses, fruit and cold meat.
“Why is this one of the most romantic things anyone has done for me?” I ask, sitting down and picking up a green grape.
Clover laughs and gestures to the dips. “I even got your favorite hummus with jalapenos.”
“I can see that. And this is why you are one hundred percent my soul mate.”
Sapphire comes over to me and sits on my lap. “You have a wonderful mama, you know that, Fire?” She grins.
“She knows,” Clover boasts, opening the dip lid and studying me. “How did it go with Decker?”
“I just dropped the food off and we kissed. Again,” I blurt out.
“What? Finally!”
“I know. I think he was waiting for me to be ready. To be sure.”