this.
I waltz into the shop at a quarter to eight, a tray of coffees in hand. “Morning!” I holler in the empty garage. “I brought caffeinated beverages!”
“Regular coffee or that fancy shit?” Rodger asks, coming from somewhere past the first bay.
I grin. “Regular for you.”
“Good.”
I hear the door to the back office open and close. Looking up, I see Danton heading my way with Mateo hot on his heels.
Danton whistles when he sees me, but Mateo doesn’t look impressed. My gut clenches as I worry this was a mistake.
“My office,” Mateo growls before pivoting around and stomping back the way he came.
“I got you a mocha,” I whisper to Danton, passing him the tray, leaving both mine and Mateo’s drinks behind.
I walk toward the office like I’m heading to my execution—slowly and with great trepidation.
As I approach the door, Mateo swings it open, grabs my wrist, and yanks me inside. I’m ready for him to yell, expecting it even. So, when he leans down and kisses me like his life depends on it, I’m caught off guard.
He slides his tongue past my lips and tangles it with my own in a passionate but unexpected kiss.
When the need to breathe becomes too great, we both break away panting.
“What was that?” I ask, my chest heaving.
“You look… I could not resist you.” He dips back down and captures my lips once again.
He kisses his way from my lips to my jaw and down my neck. I rise on to my tiptoes, angling my face just so to give him better access—something he readily takes as he sucks and licks and nips at the sensitive skin at the crook of my neck.
A moan slips past my lips as I thread my fingers into his hair, tugging to bring his mouth back to mine.
He palms my ass and squeezes gently before pulling away, placing one last soft kiss on my lips.
“So, you’re not mad?”
“Mad? No. Turned on beyond belief? Hell yes.”
“I brought coffee…” I offer lamely.
Mateo’s eyes crinkle at the corners as he smiles. “A kiss from you wakes me up better than coffee ever could.”
“Flattery will get you everywhere.”
“You deserve more than empty words, Seraphine, and I plan to only ever speak truth to you. So, when I tell you something, know that I mean it.”
“How do you always know the right thing to say?”
He taps his temple. “Age... wisdom… remember?”
I roll my eyes and laugh under my breath. “The other day, I suggested ground rules. Maybe we should revisit?”
“My instinct is to tell you no, so why don’t you tell me why?”
I was hoping he’d agree with me right off the bat. “Um, I don’t know. I just think… maybe some guidelines for when we’re at work?”
“Guidelines like what? Like no kissing you or touching you?”
“Yeah, things like that.”
He looks down at his feet and shakes his head before lifting his gaze to mine. “No.”
“No?”
“Life is too short, mariposita. While I will always respect you, I will not hide how I feel for you. I’ve spent two years denying myself—no more.”
I feel like the little animated guy from the Red Bull commercials; only instead of an energy drink, it’s Mateo that is giving me wings.
Like a lovesick lunatic, I launch myself at him. He expertly catches me, guiding my legs around his waist and spinning us so my ass is propped on the ledge of his desk.
“You’re so damn gorgeous,” he murmurs, leaning in. His lips are a hairsbreadth away when a jarring knock on the office door breaks us apart.
“What?” Mateo barks, one hand still on my ass and the other still tangled in my hair.
“The, uh, new hire is here,” Danton says from the other side of the door.
Mateo swears under his breath. “Tell him I’ll be right with him.”
I glance down at the space where our bodies are aligned. Mateo’s desire for me is very prominent; I can’t help but grin at his predicament.
“Here’s your first job as shop manager.” He steps back and helps me to my feet. “Give the new guy his paperwork while I calm down.” He kisses me softly. “Think you can handle that?”
“I’d rather handle you,” I singsong as I skip to the door.
He groans as I open the door and slip over the threshold and back onto the garage floor.
I stop by the restroom and fix my smeared makeup and tousled hair as best as I can before hurrying to the front to meet our new hire.
“‘Bout time,” Rodger grouses under his breath