He pulled me closer, lifting my feet from the ground as I wrapped my arms around him. The feel of soft cotton brushed against the skin of my stomach, reminding me of my lack of clothing.
I gasped, pulling away, but his lips never left my body, tracing a path down my neck and across my collarbone. “A-rin.”
He nipped my shoulder. “I was right. You do taste delicious, blueberry.”
And then he was kissing me again. His tongue played with mine, tracing the ridges of my mouth while his hands spread across my ass. My back hit the wall, and his hands inched down, closer to where I throbbed. They stroked along the newly smooth skin along the elastic of my panties. His roughened skin sent tingles, making me understand why women endured the torture of having their hair ripped out. If a simple touch felt that good there, I could only guess at how it would feel if he slipped his fingers under that elastic.
“Eh-hem. While we might be a sex store, we don’t allow you to have sex here.” The stout older lady stood with her arms crossed and lips pursed, but her blue eyes held a hint of merriment.
I blushed, ducking my head into Arin’s chest as he chuckled. His arms loosened, but I scrambled to stay in his arms. “Don’t put me down yet, please.”
His hands slid up my back, cradling me. “Don’t worry. I won’t let you go.” He called over his shoulder, “We’re really sorry about that. Got carried away. Do you have another change room so she can get dressed?”
The woman uncrossed arms. “Of course I do. Come on, lovebirds. And don’t worry about the curtain. It’s not the first time that thing’s been pulled down. Maybe now I can talk my hubby into enlarging the rooms for me.”
Arin’s chest rumbled under my cheek as he carried me to a new room. I kept my eyes closed, not wanting to see the owners of the voices I could hear.
He lowered me to the ground as soon as the curtain closed behind us. The room was the same size of the previous one, keeping us packed in like sardines, minus the oil. As he gazed down into my eyes, he caressed the side of my face. “You look so different without your glasses. Yet both looks suit you.” He placed a sweet kiss on the tip of my nose, filling me with his scent as I took in a deep breath, trying to calm my heart. “I’m sorry for getting carried away back there, but it seems like the moment I’m in your presence, I lose all sense of decorum. So, on that note”—he pushed back enough to drop his gaze to my chest—“I better go get your clothes before I try to finish what we started.”
And with a wink, he spun, leaving me reeling from the speed at which things had just happened. Had I just been making out with Arin? And carried away? What did that even mean? With no answers, I smoothed down my hair while I waited for my clothing to reappear.
The curtain rustled, but this time I didn’t bother trying to cover myself. The lesser of two evils since I didn’t want to put on another display.
“I have your clothes.” He held them out to me, keeping the curtain closed around his arm, protecting my modesty. His actions thawed the few remaining pieces of ice in my heart about him. Somehow, despite my best intentions, both he and Kasim seemed to have wormed their way in. I must have forgotten to take a dose of heartworm prevention.
“And when you’re ready, you can meet me out front. I’m just going to pay for the items we need, including that little furry number.”
“What?” I clutched at the curtain, ready to fling it wide open, but by the sound of his fading laughter I knew I’d never reach him in time. Under normal circumstances the guy ambled along, but when he wanted to race, he had some speed hidden in reserve.
Grrr. I threw on my clothes. “Why can’t there be a cure for heartworm?”
Arin waited for me by the door, loaded down with bags and a satisfied smirk on his face. The look sent a fissure of dread through me. Considering the size of the clothing in this place, how much had he purchased? It wasn’t like I planned on being a stripper forever. Just the thought of having to dance in front of strangers, taking off my clothes, dance after dance, night after night, sent shivers down my spine. It didn’t matter that Kasim and Bae had devised a plan to have the lights in the club turned down to their lowest setting, and the lights strong enough to keep me from seeing past the edge of the stage. My answer was still the same. I planned on getting in and getting out as fast as possible.
His gaze connected with mine, revealing a hidden depth of emotion that I found my own heart reacting to.
Yup. In and Out. Complete the mission as fast as humanly possible. Anything to protect my heart. Even if leaving them would shred it into pieces.
“Ready to go find some makeup?”
“Sure,” I deadpanned with as much enthusiasm as his voice held. I mean, what could be more exciting than being stuck in a crowded store? Add to that, one filled with various perfume scents that made my nose twitch and sneeze. All that as I ruminated over whether or not to purchase foundation in beige 1 or beige 2 and after spending hours deciding on whether or not it needed to be cream, powder, high-def, ultra high-def, water based, light weight, medium weight, or any of the other different types of preparations for foundation? And then we’d go through the whole thing again for setting
