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I’d parked my car at the Stop ’n’ Go. It might be small-town Louisiana, but bandits still preferred the ease of a quickie robbery when they were low on cash. The store had been hit twice in the past six months, and the sheriff had promised a “presence” to the owner. So, in between calls, I parked in the hot sun at the edge of the parking lot, running my AC with the window open to ease the humidity inside the vehicle.
The whir of spokes catching the wind whizzed by my car. Little black shorts hugging a nicely rounded backside caught my attention.
Ramona halted at the edge of the curb next to the shop’s front door and eased off her helmet. Sweat stained the center of her back, and her hair lay in wet, tangled spikes around her head. She glanced my way and gave me a smile that set my heart beating faster, then entered the store.
I opened my car door, dumped the fresh cup of coffee I’d bought just a few minutes before and headed inside.
“Back so soon?” Dolores asked from her seat behind the counter.
I gave a quick glance around the aisles but didn’t find my quarry. “That cup went right through me,” I said, making my way to the restroom in the back.
Once the door swung shut behind me, I quietly locked it.
A toilet flushed. The stall door opened. Ramona stepped out and her eyes widened. “Didn’t hear you come in, Cath.”
“I won’t keep you long.”
She walked to the sink, soaped up and cleansed her hands, then used a paper towel to wipe the sweat from her face. “What is it you want?”
I leaned against the bathroom door and folded my arms over my chest. “You said we should take some time to know each other, but that’s never gonna happen if you’re avoiding me.”
She met my glance in the mirror. Challenge glittered in her golden brown eyes. “Is that what you think I’m doing? Why’d I come here when I could have chosen a dozen other businesses to stop in?”
I raised a brow. “Maybe because it’s public and you could say you weren’t avoiding me and get away with it?”
She grunted, her lips twisting. “Again, what is it you want?” This wasn’t going well. Again, I felt like I had two left feet.
“How about a yes or no?” I blurted. “Wanna go out?”
She gave a feminine grunt. “No.”
The disappointment cut, but I nodded, firmed my chin and began to turn.
“There’s not anywhere in public we can go together, Cath. The sheriff wouldn’t like it if we paraded a date. But I’d like you to come over for dinner.”
“Your place?” I said, forcing the words past a tightened throat.
“Yeah. Tonight.” She sauntered forward and tucked her fingers under the sharp edges of my buttoned collar. Her hand twisted, cinching it around my throat and pulling me down.
I’d kissed women before. Even kissed a few men. This was hotter than any of those—even with two layers of Kevlar between our chests.
Her mouth smoothed over mine, then suctioned. Her lips were thick and juicy, her tongue rimming me. I waited, not charging in, and was rewarded when her tongue pushed against mine. Just a touch, and then it was gone. I tasted mint. She had to taste the coffee I’d guzzled all day.
She leaned back, her mouth open and air gusting as she licked her lips. “Tonight.”
She strode past me. I heard the snick of the lock as she opened it. The door whooshed closed.
“Oh, fuck.”
