Kickstart My Heart (Burgers and Brew Crue #1) - Lacey Black Page 0,73

ask of you.”

I lean forward, brushing my lips across hers. “I’d be honored to do it, Mal. For you, and for Lizzie. She’s an awesome kid, and like her mother, she makes me smile.”

“Yeah?” she asks, smiling against my lips.

“Hell yeah. In fact, I’d be okay if she hung out with me those afternoons. Tuesdays you can swing by after work and grab her from my place, and on Thursdays, I can bring her to the restaurant. You could save yourself a few bucks by not paying Mrs. Fritz.”

“I’d want to pay you,” she insists, just like I knew she would.

“The only payment I’d take is like this,” I say, right before plastering my lips to hers and deepening the kiss. The moment she’s breathless and pliant under my touch, I add, “I collect in kisses, Mal. Your kisses.”

We spend the next several minutes making out like teenagers. We’re far enough away from the restaurant that anyone lingering on the deck shouldn’t be able to see us, but if there happens to be anyone out on the path, they’d surely discover us. Not that I’m worried. There’s something so urgent about kissing this woman. It’s as if I need to do it, right this moment.

“Walker?” she gasps, pulling her lips from mine.

“Yeah?” I whisper, sucking in a greedy breath of oxygen.

“Will you stay with me again tonight?”

I pull back, meeting her gaze. Her green eyes are full of lust and determination, the combination making my already hardening cock twitch with excitement. I swear I can see down to her soul so vividly and clearly, it’s as if I can read her desire, her purpose, and even her trust in those emerald orbs. That last one causes me to pause, but not because I don’t want it or deserve it. Because she’s giving it to me, willingly.

When I don’t answer right away, she quickly speaks. “You don’t have to.”

“I want to,” I insist. “I want to more than anything, Mal.”

In fact, I wanted to last night but made myself leave. I was there Saturday and Sunday night, and the last thing I wanted was to suffocate her. So I went back to my place, alone, and fucking hated it. Even with the music playing, it was too quiet, too lonely. I needed to smell her shampoo and feel her skin against mine, not the cold sheets in my own bed. I felt more isolated than I ever have, which fucking sucked.

She smiles up at me and my cock tries to Hulk out of my jeans, but I refuse to maul her right here in the middle of the damn park. Taking her hand back in mine, I lead her the way we came, retracing our steps to the parking lot. Once we get to my Jeep, I press her against the door and kiss her again. I can’t stop. My lips crave hers.

“Let’s get back to your place,” I growl, opening the door and practically picking her up and setting her inside the vehicle.

Mallory giggles and reaches for the belt. It actually takes her two tries to secure it into place, but the moment she does, I slam the door and run around to the driver’s seat. I’m not sure how many traffic laws I break on our way back to her apartment, but there were definitely a few. All minor infractions, but still.

When we reach her place, I practically pick her up over my shoulder and run up the stairs. “Walker, put me down,” she says, a mixture of laughter and shock.

“In a minute, beautiful,” I state, only setting her down on her own two feet when we reach her front door. Before she can pull out her keys, the door opens, and my friend is standing there with an amused grin on his face. “You waiting up for me, sweetheart?” I ask Isaac.

“Heard a ruckus on the stairwell. Should have known it was you and your caveman tendencies,” Isaac argues, stepping aside to let us in.

“How was Lizzie?” Mallory asks, setting her purse down on the couch.

“Great,” he informs us, glancing around nervously. I pick up on it right away and look around myself. That’s when I see it.

A doll.

I look at my friend in question. Isaac sighs, knowing I’m not going to let it go, and pulls out his cell phone. He types in his passcode before handing it over. “She asked me to braid her hair, which of course I couldn’t do, so I’ve been watching YouTube