“All right, everyone out to Mitch’s truck,” I ordered.
Billie let me go and raced to Billy. She grabbed his hand and hauled him with fake, hilarious grunts to the doors all the while Billy dragged his feet and eyed Mitch who still hadn’t taken his hands off me.
They made it to the door and I was about to pull away to follow them when one of Mitch’s hands moved and I froze. I froze because it slid from my hip to my belly and pressed in just as I felt his lips at my ear.
And it was there he whispered, “You jump outta my truck again before I’ve come to a complete halt, swear to God, baby, I’ll turn you over my knee. You with me?”
My chest was rising and falling swiftly. I’d lost the ability to see, everything went blurry and I’d also lost the ability to think.
His fingers at my hip gave me a squeeze at the same time his hand at my belly pressed in again and he prompted, still whispering, “Mara, you with me?”
I nodded.
I got another squeeze and belly press then I kid you not, I felt his lips against the skin of my neck where he murmured, “Good.”
His hands dropped away. My body realized it had its opportunity and it started to take flight. I got one step away before I was hooked with a strong arm, turned before I was h*ps to h*ps with Mitch again, this time full-frontal. His arm locked around my waist while his other hand lifted to curl around the side of my neck.
“Now a couple more things we’re gonna get straight,” he said quietly.
Oh God. He was close. He looked serious and he was talking quietly but he was also talking in that bossy voice that was very firm. All of this equaled trouble for me, I just knew it.
I was not wrong.
“Mitch, the kids –” I breathed.
“First, we’re goin’ to Lola’s and giving them a good meal.”
I blinked at him.
Lola’s?
Lola’s?
Lola’s was awesome and had absolutely fantastic food but it was also not what the kids were used to. It wasn’t fancy but it wasn’t Taco Bell either and it wasn’t exactly inexpensive. I hadn’t actually asked Mitch to accompany me but since he did, I thought we’d pop to the nearest fast food joint, go through a drive thru and get the kids home. After, I would do whatever it was I was going to have to do at Bill’s then get home and away from Mitch.
Lola’s meant sitting down. Lola’s meant time. Time spent with Mitch and time Mitch spent with me and the kids.
What man wanted that? Kids he didn’t know and a woman who he thought had her head up her ass.
Maybe he was insane.
“But –” I started and Mitch talked over me.
“I’m payin’ and if you even open your mouth to argue with me, I’m gonna be forced to find a way to stop you speaking and the way I’ll pick means Billy’s gonna get an eyeful of exactly the kind of friend I intend to be.”
My mouth dropped open and I felt my eyes get wide.
“We straight?” he asked.
No. No, we were not. We definitely were not. We absolutely were not straight.
“Um…” I mumbled.
“Yes or no, sweetheart,” he prompted.
“Uh…” I muttered.
He grinned and I swallowed. Then my throat closed when his face dipped closer to mine.