She glared at me. “It’s moot, Creed. We both know how that turned out. They still think I’m getting favoritism. And quit changing the subject. You’re embarrassed to be seen with me.” She didn’t appear any less confused. “Is it because you’re old enough to be my father?”
“Jesus fucking Christ.” I stumbled back a step as though she’d slapped me. “How fucking old do you think I am?”
“Thirty-nine,” she snapped without hesitation. “And I’m twenty-four.”
“I’m not old enough to—” I cut off my rebuttal as I did the math in my head. “Okay, fine. But I would’ve been fifteen. Jesus. Give me a little credit, would you?”
Her expression was rife with skepticism. “You’re telling me you were a virgin at fifteen?”
“Maybe.”
One golden eyebrow lifted slowly, and I could practically hear her rolling her eyes when she droned, “Seriously?”
“Okay, no,” I admitted. “I wasn’t.”
She planted her hands on her hips and squared off with me again. It took every ounce of my self-control not to look at her breasts. They were small but pert, and they stretched that fabric just ... fucking ... right.
“If it’s not the age difference and not company policy, what is it?”
“I’m not embarrassed.”
She clearly didn’t believe me. Her tone was still hard. “No? Then tell me why you’re skittish when other people are around.”
I should’ve had an excuse ready, something that would make a damn bit of sense, but I had nothing. This woman ... I’d been off-kilter from the moment I laid eyes on her. That was the only excuse I had for what I did next.
“You need to let this go,” I told her, stepping forward, closing the distance between us.
“Because you’re wrong, and you refuse to admit it? Or because—”
I gripped her jaw firmly, tilting her head back before slamming my mouth over hers, effectively cutting off her words.
Her sharp inhale relayed her shock, but she didn’t pull away and slap me. Quite the opposite, actually.
Journey pushed up on her toes, her fingers curling firmly around my wrist as her lips parted, allowing me to slide my tongue along the seam. I took the opening she offered and licked into her mouth, savoring her sweetness as my cock lengthened and throbbed. Her tongue met mine, fervent and eager at the same time a soft hum escaped her.
I was in so much fucking trouble because this woman ... this fucking kiss ... I’d never tasted ambrosia like this before. Never wanted something as badly as I wanted her, and I realized nothing else mattered. Not where we were, not who might be watching. Not that I had pissed her off more times than the total sum of the days I’d known her. Or that her fathers would lose their fucking minds when they learned I was seeing their daughter. Or even that I was convinced something had happened between her and Garrison, yet neither was acknowledging it for whatever reason.
As the kiss consumed me, as I thrust my tongue against hers, I realized it didn’t matter. None of it. I wanted this woman with a passion that defied logic and reason. I couldn’t stop thinking about her before this moment, and now I knew I’d be thinking about her for the rest of my natural fucking life. And that wasn’t me waxing poetic again, just the raw, honest truth because deep down, I knew she was made just for me. Seven years ago, this woman had ensnared me the way no other ever had, and now… Now, this woman was mine, and it was only a matter of time before I ensured she knew it, too.
When she sighed again, I pulled back but didn’t move far. I kept my hands on her face, grazing the irresistible softness of her cheeks with my thumbs as I waited for her to open her eyes. When she did, she was smiling.
“I’m taking you to dinner,” I told her. I was too far gone for pleasantries at this point. I didn’t care what we did or where we went; I needed to be with her. I figured that was the only way I’d be able to move forward. It was the only way to determine if this connection I felt with her was real or if I’d been obsessing like a teenage boy for no fucking reason.
Either way, something had to give.
“Okay.” Her smile returned, her eyes skimming over my face. “But I get to pick where.”
There was a strange sensation in my chest. It was as though my heart had swelled, and I didn’t know what to make of it. I’d never felt anything like this before. If she wanted spaghetti, I’d get my jet ready so we could have dinner in Italy. If she wanted ropa vieja, I’d take her to Cuba. If she wanted steak tartare, I’d take her to France. There was no destination too great where she was concerned.
“Anything you want.”
Her smile brightened for the first time, then that husky, raspy voice dropped to a whisper when she said, “I want you to kiss me again.”
It was insane, I know, but I couldn’t resist her. I didn’t want to.
I leaned down and pressed my lips to hers. Softly, gently. I meant to keep it chaste, but my good intentions vanished when she hummed her approval again. If she was half as expressive when getting fucked as she was with a kiss, I knew I’d never get enough of her.
A throat cleared, and I barely managed not to jerk away, remembering how disappointed she’d been when she thought I was embarrassed by her. Instead, I released her lips and stood tall, glancing behind her to see Hawk and Garrison watching us as though we were their private porn movie.
“Fancy meetin’ you here,” Garrison drawled, his expression too cool, too indifferent.
I knew him well enough to see through the facade. Whatever happened between him and Journey … he was affected by it. And either he didn’t want me to know, or he didn’t want to accept it. And based on his surprise, he hadn’t anticipated running into us out here.
Hawk, however, looked as though this was just any other day of the week. He was a man who lived moment by moment, and I usually respected that. Right now, his easygoing, go-with-the-flow nature was highly inconvenient for me.
Journey stayed where she was, ducking her head, shielding her face behind her hair. I put my hand on the back of her head, sliding my fingers through the cool silk while I stared the bastards down and mentally wished them to go up in flames.
They didn’t. They were too fucking stubborn for that.
I shot them a look that told them to back off, but they didn’t do that either. However, they remained uncharacteristically quiet, giving Journey a moment to compose herself.