Uber Bossy: A Small Town Romantic Comedy (Jobs From Hell Book 2)

by Marika Ray

  Her lips lifted in a shaky smile. I couldn’t seem to look away from those brown eyes that mesmerized me.

  “I want that too.”

  My breath whooshed out and my knees felt weak.

  “But like, not today. You know?” Nora rushed over and put a hand on my chest. “Let me be crystal clear. I want all that with you. But I also want some time to take all those steps. Career, wife, mom. All in their proper order, you know?”

  I nodded. She still had no idea. I’d give her whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted. “Sure. Just tell me when you’re ready.”

  She smiled full out and we stood there smiling at each other like crazy people in love. I finally broke the silence.

  “Would tomorrow be too soon to start back as the manager of The Hardware Store?”

  She didn’t laugh like I thought she would. In fact, the smile started to fade, degree by degree until ice ran through my veins.

  “No, you don’t want the job back?” I ventured.

  She twisted her hands and took a step back. “Well, it’s just that I don’t want the job simply because we’re together. I don’t want things handed to me that I didn’t earn. Ever.”

  I slid my hands over her arms, pulling her back to me. “Hey, it was your genius idea that saved the company.”

  A line formed between her eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

  “I found your notes and read them. You suggested we give out complimentary boxes to a few people in town to garner their support. I did that this week and Poppy, Susie Waldo, and Faye Bennett all have new toys in their possession. That’s why the protesting has died down. All because of you, Nora.” I gripped her arms. “That’s the kind of manager I want running the business.”

  Her eyes lit up and an idea hit me to take it one step further. Bain and the boys had told me to go all in. To show Nora how much I trusted her. In every way. I let her go and grabbed the cell phone out of my pocket.

  “What are you doing?”

  I winked. “Showing you how much I love you and trust you.”

  She shook her head like I was crazy, but that smile was coming back.

  My lawyer, Gary, on the other end of the line picked up. “Hey, man, how long would it take to draw up the documents needed to give fifty percent ownership of The Hardware Store to Lenora Murphy?”

  Nora gasped and covered her mouth with her hand.

  I shook my head, listening to his response. “Yeah, I know retaining fifty-one percent would be safer, but I trust her implicitly.” I nodded a few times as he spoke. “Great, I’ll check my email for the document tomorrow and get our signatures on it. Thanks, Gary.”

  I hung up and shoved the phone back in my pocket. Nora stared at me for a long moment, completely silent and frozen. Just when I started to believe I’d made a misstep somehow, she ran and jumped on me, wrapping her legs around my waist and peppering my face with those lips I loved so much.

  “You better get naked before I rip these clothes off you,” she gasped in between kisses.

  My blood heated instantaneously. Had she not already been wrapped around me, I would have complied. As it was, I walked us over to the huge Cal king bed and gently pried her off me. She lay on her back, propped up on her elbows to watch me undress, those sculpted legs tempting me from beneath the short jean shorts.

  I unbuttoned my shirt first, taking it off quickly. When she licked her lips, I decided to slow down and give her the show she seemed to want. After unbuttoning and pulling down the zipper, my thumbs hooked into the waistband of my pants. I stopped, wanting to savor the moment and imprint this exact scene on my memory. Nora writhing on my bed, her eyes fucking me before I’d even gotten naked.

  The day I found my soul mate.

  “Lose the pants or lose me forever, Jayden.” Her barked order had me bursting out laughing. She really was perfect for me. The ideal blend of sweet and sassy, a woman with a spine of steel, but a soft heart with the capacity to love every single person on this planet. Somehow, someway, I was the lucky bastard to live this life with her. And I’d make sure she knew every single moment how amazing she was.

  I pushed down my pants, freeing my erection. With her distracted, I slid off her flip-flops and kissed my way up her legs, starting at her ankles. She got more ticklish the higher I went, a fact I’d be exploring for years to come.

  “You’re beautiful, sweetheart,” I murmured against her heated skin.

  Her breathing picked up and I needed more skin exposed for exploring. Ever so slowly I unbuttoned her shorts and slid the zipper down.

  “You did it again?” I asked, eyes wide, taking in the fact she didn’t have underwear on under those barely there shorts.

  She nodded, a sultry gleam in her eye. My hands began to shake.

  “You naughty girl. Am I going to have to start buying you underwear?”

  Her answer came out breathless. “Only if you want another layer to peel off me.”

  The need to be buried inside her overcame any plans for taking it slow. I could show her how much I loved her while moving quickly, right? Yanking the jean shorts down her legs, I let them fall to the floor to join my clothes. Settling between her thighs was like coming home and finding heaven here on earth.

  Her shirt was next, shoved up under her chin while I reached around to unclasp her bra. She lifted up to help me out, pressing those incredible breasts up toward my face. As soon as the lace was tossed aside, I kissed each square inch of skin surrounding her breasts. With a growl of frustration, she grabbed me by the hair and settled me right over the tip of her left nipple. I wanted to taste her skin, but I wanted to tease her more.

  “Is something wrong, sweetheart?”

  She pulled on my hair harder and thrust her nipple against my lips. I could only hold out so long and I’d found my breaking point. I took her in my mouth and sucked, earning the release of my hair and a deep sigh from Nora. Flicks of my tongue and a gentle bite with my teeth had her squirming beneath me.

  When our skin slid across each other effortlessly from the sheen of sweat we’d worked up, I quit chanting to myself about taking it slow. I lifted her knee to her chest and thanked the sex gods my woman was flexible. And that was my last coherent thought as I slid inside her, the warmth and tight fit making me shiver with pleasure.

  “Jayden, wait,” Nora panted, tapping me on the back where she’d wrapped her arms around me like the stage-four hugger she was. “You forgot the condom.”

  I slid out just until I felt the edge of her entrance, the feel of her bare flesh against my cock the kind of delicacy you hear about but don’t truly understand until you feel it for yourself. I thrust all the way back in, joining her with a hard slap.

  “I know. I trust you.”

  At least I think that’s what I said. My eyes slammed shut and I picked up my silent chant again. I could explode right this very second, but I wanted this to be good for Nora. Blinking my eyes open, I locked gazes with her, the unfocused look in her eye a good sign. My hand lifted to swipe a thumb across the tight bud of her nipple and then headed south, finding where we were joined. Her breathing hitched and her mouth opened. Another few strums across her clit and her eyes squeezed shut. Her back bowed up and I rode her orgasm out, needing her to milk every last drop of it before I got mine.

  When her eyelids fluttered, I slowed my pace, wanting to feel every inch of her as I slid home over and over. Wanting to see her breasts bouncing with each thrust, each time she let me into her body.

  “I love you,” I whispered, my lips ghosting over her cheek and then her nose and finally her forehead.

  “I love you too, Jayden.”

  And with her words drowning out my chant, I let go, releasing all of myself to Nora. I was hers to have for as long as she’d let me. If this lifetime wasn’t enough for all the love we had to share, I vowed to find her in the next.

  25

  Lenora

  “Ready to go?” Jayden called out from the hallway where he stood in a fit
ted pair of trousers that did something to my insides. The man had butt muscles that filled out a pair of pants. It was unfair for one man to hold so much sex appeal.

  Fridays called for a beach bonfire to let loose and catch up with friends, but maybe we had time to run home for a quickie beforehand. Hell, maybe I could just lock the front door to The Hardware Store and have my way with him right there in our office.

  “Why are you looking at me that way?” Jayden backed up a step as I advanced on him.

  Then he turned and ran down the hallway, the stinker. I gave chase in my heels, only catching him in the office because he let me. The prey became the hunter as he whirled around and pressed me up against the wall, all those muscles finding a home against my body. His mouth attacked mine, exploring me until I was weak in the knees. I loved him like this, wild and viral, taking control while still showing me how precious I was to him.

  “We don’t have time, sweetheart.” His whispered voice made goose bumps flare on my arms. Disappointment warred with desire. Surely we had time. We could make time.

  His hand somehow made its way along my thigh and up under my skirt. A click echoed in the room and then pure fire found its way between my legs. Vibrations that could only come from the new model we’d purchased in bulk for our first subscription boxes made my eyes roll back in my head. Dear God, if heaven could be found in Hell, surely this vibrator could get me there.

  “Do you like that, baby?” Jayden continued to whisper things I couldn’t hear as his other hand explored my body and his lips nipped at my neck. But he kept that vibrator right where I needed it without fail and really, that was all that mattered.

  Something huge was building and if we weren’t careful, it would destroy the very building around us. My legs began to shake and Jayden pressed me harder up against the wall. My hands grabbed feebly at his arm, wanting to rip his hand away from me while wanting to hold him there forever. The floor began to sway and had I even one thought left in my brain I would have worried about an earthquake.

  Everything froze for a split second before exploding into a thousand shards of light and glass, the pleasure so acute it slid right over the line into pain. My head spun and my breath caught. There was no use trying to contain it. The only option that remained was to ride it out and hope to survive it. The world around me no longer existed as my knees gave out entirely. I may have blacked out because the next thing I knew, Jayden was calling my name, his words lifting at the end like I caught him mid-laugh.

  My eyelids fluttered open and I winced at the harsh light. My entire body weight was supported by the wall and Jayden, my limbs having lost all function. I shook like a leaf, my skin coated in sweat.

  “What the hell was that?” I whispered in awe.

  Jayden laughed full out, dimples and all. His erection dug into my stomach and reminded me that as life-altering as that orgasm had been for me, he hadn’t been along for the ride. Which was a damn shame as that one orgasm had reassured me that coming on board as part owner of The Hardware Store was where my life was meant to go. Destiny by way of orgasm.

  “It’s the new vibrator we ordered that everyone’s talking about online. The shipment came in today and I thought we should test drive it first. On a scale of one to five, with five being a replacement for a man’s real live cock, what would you rate it?”

  That sounded an awful lot like he wanted me to speak numbers, something my brain couldn’t quite do yet. Damn, had that thing electrocuted me? Could you lose brain cells from orgasming too hard?

  “Fifty-seven.”

  Jayden gulped, his smile fading. “Shit. Really? That might not be good for the men in Auburn Hill.”

  My cheeks twitched. Signs of life.

  “Don’t worry, I think I ordered a sample of something just perfect for the men.” I still sagged against him, but my smile was back in full working order. “I’ll bring it tonight and maybe you can talk me into a sea cave.”

  Jayden’s eyes heated ten degrees and I knew if I didn’t get my legs working, we’d be very, very late to the bonfire.

  “Hey, you made it!” Amelia’s loud shout carried in the wind whipping off the ocean, cooling things down even as we slogged through the middle of summer where days of full sun and heat seemed endless.

  Jayden and I waved to the group, seeing most of our crew already there, along with my brother, Lukas, and his friends. I gave the red Solo cup in his hand the hairy eyeball and he just smirked and gulped it down. Mom and Dad wouldn’t be too happy with me for letting him come to another bonfire and drink alcohol, but summer was in full swing. I remember those days fondly when you had graduated high school—and experienced the sensation of freedom that came with it—but no one had left yet to scatter in various directions to go live the rest of their lives. As long as everyone behaved responsibly, I said let them be.

  The same tall, tattooed man I’d seen Amelia with at the fair stepped up next to her and handed her a drink before sliding his arm around her waist and pulling her in tight. His gaze didn’t seem to miss a thing, roaming around the group with a slight frown.

  “Meet Daire. He’s the new guy I was telling you about.” Amelia’s smile looked a little frenetic around the edges.

  I reached out and wrapped Daire in a hug—which he did not reciprocate due to him being new and not knowing this was a known form of greeting for me—and wondered why Amelia looked nervous. Amelia was never nervous. She exuded confidence even when I thought a little bit of second-guessing would have been a good thing. Like when she thought the grunions could be eaten raw like sushi and she threw up for two days straight afterward. When I pulled back, Daire’s lip twitched ever so slightly in what could be interpreted as a smile. Or maybe he just didn’t like the way I smelled.

  Oh God, I smell like sex, don’t I?

  “Nice to meet you, Daire. Good to know I’m not the new guy of the group any longer.” Jayden filled the slightly awkward silence, shaking Daire’s hand. The handshake lasted a second or two longer than most handshakes do, making me wonder what was going on here. Everything seemed slightly off about this situation. Maybe that’s why Amelia looked nervous. I needed to break the ice and get Daire comfortable with us. He needed to know he was welcome here.

  “Where are you from?” I asked brightly.

  He grunted and answered, “Monterey.”

  “Oh, I used to spend some time at your airport there. In fact, that’s where I met Jayden for the first time. Love Monterey!” I smiled and patted Daire’s arm.

  He looked at my hand and I snatched it back, afraid he might actually bite.

  “So, what do you do for a living?” Jayden stepped in again and I shot him a grateful smile. Amelia remained unusually quiet.

  Daire took a long sip of beer and finally answered the question. “I’m a real estate investor. Titus introduced Amelia and me.”

  He leaned down and laid one on Amelia, right there in front of us. When tongues started getting involved, Jayden and I looked at each other in alarm. We slowly backed away and went to say hello to the rest of the group. I kept darting glances at Amelia, but she and Daire never came up for air.

  Titus nudged me. “Don’t look. It’ll burn your eyes.”

  I chuckled. “Yeah, there’s something a little off about those two.”

  Titus grabbed the brim of his baseball hat and settled it so I almost couldn’t see his eyes. “Tell me about it. Worst mistake I ever made introducing them. The only reason I did was because I wanted him to invest in her B and B idea. Make her dreams come true, you know? Not suck her face off in public.”

  Titus looked angry enough to punch someone and I sincerely hoped it wouldn’t be me. I shrugged and launched myself at him, hoping the hug would diffuse the situation. Eventually it did, because Titus patted me gently on the back and then pulled my arms off him.

  “Sorry, T. He’s handsome like a male model or something, but Amelia will catch on soon enough that he’s a little too intense. Give it time, you’ll see
.”

  Titus’s jaw clenched, but he turned his back to Amelia and Daire like he was determined to put them out of his mind.

  Jayden took my elbow and pulled me into a conversation he was having with Bain, Lucy, Rip, and Hazel.

  “Nora, sweetheart. Should we tell them our good news?”

  I snuggled up into his side, the sparks from the bonfire lighting up the sky and disappearing into the dark sky above us. The moment was perfect to shout to the world how much I loved Jayden. No more hiding behind goals that kept me busy but unfulfilled. No more living my life the way I thought other people wanted me to live it.

  “Drum roll, please.”

  Hazel shot me a wink and slapped her thighs like she would a set of bongo drums. When she quit drumming and threw her hands toward me like she was introducing me, I filled everyone in.

  “Jayden and I are moving in together.” A whoop from Lucy made me pause. “And he and I are equal owners of The Hardware Store.”

  Everyone cheered, the boys slapped Jayden on the back, and Hazel jumped up and down before throwing herself at me. If I didn’t watch it, Hazel would take my crown for best hug giver in Hell.

  “Free condoms for life!” She jammed her fist in the air and we all laughed.

  Everyone except for Rip, that is, who rolled his eyes and walked off to get a beer. He and Titus were quite the pair tonight.

  Lucy came over to my side and hugged me, her eyes brimming with tears. “I have a feeling we’re going to be real sisters before you know it. I’m so happy for you, Lenora.”

  That got my eyes misting and pretty soon, it was a group hug, Hazel having joined the party and even Amelia found her way over without Daire’s tongue down her throat.

  We all spent the rest of the evening drinking beer, singing songs, and gossiping enough to make Poppy proud. Amelia and Daire disappeared at some point and I had to admit to Jayden that our plan of finding a sea cave was now off. No way was I walking into a cave when Amelia and Daire could be in there getting it on. As hot as he was, I didn’t need to see that.