Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

“So, what would it take to convince you to go out with me?”

Jayne smiled tiredly at the big biker standing on the other side of the table. How did he look as fresh now as he had that morning? She felt like a worn-out dishrag.

Looking at what was left on her table, she wondered if her demand would be too much for the man. She was too tired to pack everything up and was tempted to walk away and leave it all behind. But the two dozen critters, chairs, table, and tent were too valuable to abandon.

“Buy the rest of my animals.” The words were out of her mouth before she realized what she was saying.

King did not seem surprised by the condition. He just nodded. “Sold. But you’ll have to deliver them to the shop since I don’t think they’ll fit on the back of my bike.”

Jayne blinked. “You don’t have to do that.”

“No backing out. Ram was right, these are perfect for the toy run we’re doing next week.”

“Well, okay then. Thank you.”

She expected him to walk away, but he surprised her yet again. This time by helping her pack everything else up and break down the tables and tent. Once everything was loaded, she hesitated, not sure how to walk away from this man who had taken over her thoughts.

“I’m headed to the shop if you want to follow me,” he said.

“It will take me a few minutes to get to my car. It’s parked a couple blocks away.”

King looked around and then back at her. “I’ll walk with you.”

“That’s not necessary,” Jayne said. “I’ll be fine. It’s not dark and there are plenty of people around. Besides, no one is interested in kidnapping an old woman like me.”

“You keep up that old talk and I’m going to put you over my lap and spank you,” he said with a surprisingly straight face.

While his threat shocked her, she did not respond immediately. How could he know that a strong man who would love her, keep her from talking and thinking bad about herself, and give her over the moon orgasms was her greatest fantasy?

“You wouldn’t dare,” she whispered, hoping he wouldn’t hear her.

Warm breath brushed against her ear before he whispered back, “Yes, I would. And afterwards I would hold you and cuddle you while you cried out all the ick that seems to be gunking up your soul.”

Jayne could not help the full body shiver that his words inspired. Not sure how to respond to what sounded like a promise and not a threat, she grabbed the handle of her cart and started walking.

She was not surprised when he pulled her hand off the cart and took over pulling it himself before she had taken three steps.

King wanted to kick himself for talking about spanking her. Though not as nervous as she’d been earlier in the day, she was still a long way from trusting him enough to put herself in his care. After taking hold of the cart and pulling it along as they headed to the street, he began asking typical getting-to-know-one-another questions.

By the time they reached her car, she was relaxed and laughing at his description of their latest community service project – renting the biggest truck they could, filling it with supplies, and taking it up to western North Carolina a couple weeks before. The laughter came at the admission that the two prospects had been locked in the truck with the supplies for the trip.

When they reached her tiny vehicle, he watched in awe as she packed everything in the back.

“Very impressive,” he said when she closed the back.

“Thanks. This is the third show I’ve done and I think I’m finally getting the hang of it,” Jayne said with a smile. “Can I give you a ride back to the park?”

“In a minute,” he said as he slowly moved in. “First I need to do this.”

As he moved closer, Jayne backed up until she was leaning against the back of her car. He rested his hands on the roof on either side of her body then leaned in to brush his lips against hers.

Inching closer, he pecked at her lips again before they settled for a stay. He tilted his head slightly to the right before parting his lips and taking the kiss deeper.

She tasted of sugar, cinnamon, and woman, and he wanted more. And more and more and more. He smiled as her hands came to his waist and squeezed his middle. Her tongue dueled with his as the world around them faded away, leaving them in a bubble all by themselves.

When his body demanded more, King slowly pulled back, not surprised when Jayne leaned up to follow.

“Soon, sweetheart,” he murmured, kissing the corner of her mouth before pulling back even further.

When she opened her eyes, he saw the heat and hunger in them. Even though it was way too soon, he was tempted to carry her back to his house and keep her there for the rest of the weekend, and beyond, if he could.

After dropping a quick kiss on the tip of her nose, he took a step back, breaking all contact between their bodies. “Now you can give me a ride back to the park,” he said with a smile.

Jayne blinked, and though looking slightly befuddled, she nodded. “Okay.”

Climbing into the passenger’s seat, he had to move the seat back so his knees weren’t in his armpits.

“Sorry about that,” she said as he put on his safety belt. “I don’t have passengers very often.”

“That’s okay. I can’t remember the last time I was a passenger in a vehicle.”

It only took a couple minutes to get back to where the club had parked early that morning. His big, black motorcycle was the only one remaining. “Follow me back to the shop and be thinking about what you want to do on our date.”