Warm Kisses: A Curvy Girl Romantic Comedy (Warming Up To Love Book 6)

by Loni Ree

  “This is a pleasant surprise.” My first thought is my exhausted mind is imagining his voice. Then his unique masculine scent wraps around me, and I glance over my shoulder. Holy cow. He’s even hotter standing upright.

  Swallowing, I think back, trying to remember how I looked when I left the apartment a few minutes ago. Ugh. I knew I should’ve taken more time on my appearance. After pulling my hair up into a haphazard ponytail, I swiped on a little mascara and a touch of lip gloss. As I peek down at my loose gray sweater and black leggings, I groan. Great for a day of shopping, but not to impress Mr. Hot as Hell. Fuck my life.

  “Hi.” I smile and attempt to act casual. “You seem to have healed remarkably fast.” Smooth conversation, too. I mentally smack my forehead after sounding like a middle-aged schoolmarm.

  He winks at me, and I squirm as my heart melts and my panties dampen. “I had a lot of motivation to get out of the hospital.”

  The bored looking teenager behind the counter mispronounces my name as she calls me, and I touch his arm without thinking about it. “One second.”

  After grabbing my coffee, I turn around and find him staring at me intently. “Did you order yet?” I wonder if he needs caffeine badly, too.

  “Not yet,” he answers then shocks me when he reaches for my hand and laces our fingers. “Walk over with me.” My mind shuts down from the feeling of his warm skin touching mine. Electricity shoots through every molecule of my body as I blindly follow him to the counter. He orders a black coffee and turns to me. “Would you like anything to eat?”

  A few minutes later, we’re sitting at a table in the back of the shop with our coffees and two muffins. I’m not sure how it happened. His touch caused my brain to short circuit, and I automatically agreed to everything.

  “How long is your vacation?” he asks, and I sit back and try to pull my thoughts together.

  “Two weeks total,” I reply without much thought. “We alternate holidays at the hospital, and Christmas is my holiday this year.” I explain to him that I’m taking off the first two weeks in December since I’ll be working extra during the week of Christmas.

  He stares at my lips as I talk, and I barely resist the urge to fidget in my chair. “What about you? Are you already back at work?” He smiles and tells me about his job.

  Holy shit. Drake Baron is CFO of DeltaR. Now, I know this man is way out of my league.

  He groans and reaches into his pocket before pulling out his phone and swearing under his breath. “I have a meeting in a few minutes.”

  My heart sinks, but I force myself to smile and shrug. “I really need to get to the mall before it’s insanely busy anyway.”

  I blink as he leans across the table and reaches for my hand. When he brings it to his mouth and kisses the back of it, I nearly melt into a puddle of goo right in the middle of Shot of Joe. “Will you have dinner with me tonight?”

  It takes me a few seconds to process his request, but I bite my lip before agreeing. “I’d love to.” He asks for my phone and types in his number. After we make plans for him to pick me up later, I watch him stride from the coffee shop. I sit alone at the table for a few minutes and wonder what just happened. I finally get up and head for the mall, still in shock. It looks like I need to find a new outfit before I do any Christmas shopping.

  The mall is packed, and it takes me much longer than I expected. I rush in the door two hours before Drake is supposed to arrive and throw my bags on my bed. “Hey. What’s up with you?” My roommate, Eve peeks into my bedroom and watches me toss things around in my haste to get ready.

  “Remember my hot as hell patient from last week?” I call over my shoulder as I strip to climb in the shower.

  She sits on my bed and looks at my new outfit. The fitted black dress appears pretty conservative until you see the back. It’s nearly backless. Oops. “Please tell me you bought this for him?” She holds it up to her and wiggles her eyebrows.

  “I bought that to wear on my date with him.” As her squeal fills my room, I hop in the shower.

  “Hurry up and wash yourself. I need time to work my magic on your hair and makeup.” Oh, goodness. My roommate is a meteorologist for one of the television stations in town. While I barely put any effort into getting ready for work, she spends hours making sure her hair and makeup are perfect for television. And she loves to practice on me.

  An hour and a half later, I stare in the mirror and wonder if I let Eve go a little crazy. I barely recognize myself. She pulled my brown hair up in a fancy twist and left a few strands framing my face. The makeup she applied is understated but way more than I ever wear. My caramel-colored eyes have a smoky appearance without being overly done. “I’m so excited,” she gushes and rushes around the living room, straightening up. Eve is like a mother hen. “My girl is finally going out with a mature, grown-up man.”

  I roll my eyes. She likes to give me trouble about my lack of interest in dating. Mr. Drake Baron has changed my opinion on that subject.

  Chapter Four

  DRAKE

  MY FUCKING PALMS ARE SWEATING, and I feel like a damn teenager. Taking a deep breath, I knock on her door and wait. This day has been one of the longest I’ve ever endured while I anticipated spending the evening with my girl.

  The door opens, and my heart pounds against my ribs as my cock turns to stone in my pants. Fuck. She’s stunning. I swallow and hand her the flowers I’m holding. “You look beautiful.” I lean down to kiss her soft cheek, and desire slams through me.

  “Thank you.” She takes the flowers and rushes off to the tiny kitchen to grab a vase. After arranging them on the hall table, she turns to me and smiles. “Are you ready to go?” Boy am I. I think then hear footsteps coming down the hall, and someone clears their throat. Phoebe looks over at the other woman. “Eve, I’d like you to meet Drake Baron.” My girl steps back, and a cute blonde walks up to shake my hand.

  I smile and introduce myself. “Nice to meet you,” I manage to croak past my dry throat. Her roommate is beautiful, but my body feels nothing for her. I glance over at my girl, and the sight of Phoebe’s curves in that tiny black dress is short-circuiting my brain.

  When Phoebe steps closer to me, her delicate, feminine scent invades my senses, and I’m forced to button my jacket to hide the evidence of what being this close to her is doing to my body. “I’m ready when you are.” Her words go straight to my cock. Down, boy. She’s talking about our dinner date, not fucking like bunnies.

  The restaurant is packed, and I’m going to strangle a motherfucking asshole if the little shit sitting at the bar turns to look at my girl one more time. As she sits across from me and smiles at the waiter while he takes our orders, I stare at the moron at the bar. His eyes widen when they meet mine and see the anger glaring back at him, and he hastily looks away.

  “I’m so happy you brought me here. I love their lasagna.” Her dark honey eyes light up, and I forget about everything except this girl. She has complete possession of my heart and doesn’t even know it.

  “I’ll have to bring you here more often.” She smiles and reaches for her wine glass. Watching her swallow causes my cock to weep in my pants. Fuck. I take a deep breath and concentrate on acting like I have two brain cells to rub together.

  We finally find a safe subject. She tells me about her family, who lives in Florida, and Eve. I burst out laughing when I realize Phoebe’s roommate is a weather forecaster. The irony of the situation isn’t lost on me. “I listened to a weather forecast on the day I got into my accident.” I share the story of how I ended up in Grant Memorial with her and watch as her expressive eyes widen.

  She bites her bottom lip. “Oh my goodness. I’m not sure getting in a car accident is worth it.”

  “I’d go through it again to meet you.” As the words leave my mouth, I realize I’m telling the truth. I’d do anything for this girl. I tell her about growing up with uninterested parents and being fortunate enough to find Knox and his family. We met in kindergarten, an
d they became my family. My parents travel the world, and I’m lucky to see them once a year, but I can always depend on The Walkers.

  After the waiter serves our meals, we eat for a while, and I’m forced to discreetly adjust myself under the table as she obviously enjoys her vegetable lasagna. Her shyness shines through, and I tell myself to take things slow if I want to build a lasting relationship with my girl. My cock rebels against this plan of action, but I’ll have to ignore the fucker and do what it takes to win my girl.

  My heart squeezes in my chest as I walk Phoebe up to her door. She turns and bites her lip, causing me to groan in the back of my throat. “Do you want to come in?” My cock begs me to say yes, but my mind knows better.

  “I’d love to, but I can’t.” Disappointment flashes through her beautiful brown eyes, and I instantly regret my decision. “There’s no way I’ll be able to take things slow with you if we’re all alone in your apartment,” I tell her honestly.

  She swallows and looks down at our laced fingers. “Who said you had to take things slow?”

  Fuck. This girl knows how to tempt me. I lay my forehead against hers and sigh. “You’re too perfect to take things any other way.” I lean down and kiss her juicy lips, and all thoughts flee my mind. After pulling her close, her soft, curvy body melts against mine, and I’m unable to hide my erection as it presses into her belly. She gasps, and I pull back to smile down into her shocked eyes. “I might sustain permanent damage waiting, but you’re worth the pain,” I tease and kiss the tip of her nose. We make plans to meet the next night after work, and I reluctantly leave before I forget my good intentions.

  WE END up going out every night over the next two weeks, and my dick is about to rebel from the constant torture. Wednesday night, I walk her to the door and lean down to kiss her, but she shocks me by biting my bottom lip. “Do you ever plan on moving past the front door?” She raises her eyebrow and groans. My cock begs me to take her up on the offer while my heart warns me this girl is my future. I need to take things slow. Listening to the reasonable part of my body, I lean down and kiss her before smiling. “I do.” She turns her head to the side and waits for me to continue. “I know you return to work tomorrow, but would you like to go to my cabin next weekend?”

  She bites her bottom lip, and I fear she’s about to refuse. Then she pulls out her phone and looks at the screen for a second. “I work Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.” After putting the phone back in her purse, she shrugs. “I have four days off next weekend.” We agree to discuss the plans over the next week, and I kiss her goodbye. Things are moving much faster than I expected. Now, I need to let Knox know I’ll be taking some time off soon. I plan to put all my energy into wooing my girl, and the fucker owes me.

  Chapter Five

  PHOEBE

  THIS WEEK HAS BEEN EXCRUCIATING. Eve took me shopping on Monday to get ready for my weekend away before nerves really set in. Each twelve-hour workday seemed to last an eternity, and I had started to believe today would never come. After waking up early, I unpack and repack my suitcase for the fiftieth time. Every time I look through my outfit choices, I change my mind and decide to bring something else.

  Eve drags herself into my bedroom at nine o’clock, and I smile at her. “I didn't expect to see you today.”

  After dropping across my bed, she yawns and grumbles, “I wanted to see you before you leave.” Her eyes fall closed while she’s speaking, and I laugh. My night owl, late news host roommate usually sleeps until noon. This is the earliest I’ve seen her up since college.

  “I think I’ve got everything,” I tell her while I pack my makeup case in the suitcase. “I mean, we’re going to a cabin less than five miles from a huge resort town. It’s not exactly the middle of nowhere.” I shrug, not sure who I’m trying to convince, her or me.

  “The way that hottie stares at you almost melts the clothes right off your body,” she grumbles. “You really only need to bring a clean outfit to wear home. I doubt you’re going to end up wearing any of those other clothes.” Yep. The nerves are back. I bite my lip and wonder if I’m ready for this. After telling myself to pull up my big girl panties, I grab my suitcase and drag it into the living room to wait for Drake. I’m not going to let my fears stop me from seeing where this could go.

  AS DRAKE PULLS UP in front of a cute log cabin, I feel myself relax. “This is nice.” I look over at him and find he’s staring at me. The heated look in his eyes causes me to nearly melt into the seat, and my sense of relaxation flies right out the window.

  He takes my hand and kisses the back of it before smiling. “I like having someplace to escape every now and then.” My brain turns to mush the second his lips touch my skin, and the only response I’m able to come up with is a tiny nod.

  After we unload the car, Drake takes me for a quick walk around the property. His backyard overlooks a small private lake, and I can’t wait to see it in the summertime. As he walks up behind me and wraps his arms around me to keep me warm, I forget about the chill in the air. “I love it here.” I look over my shoulder and smile.

  “Good.” He hugs me tighter. “We can come here whenever you want.” His little comments about being together in the future help me relax.

  “I bet it’s great in the summer.” I look out at the small dock and wonder if he swims or boats here in the warm months. “Do you come out here often?”

  “You look cold.” He smiles and takes my hand. “Let’s go inside and warm up. We’ll talk on the way.” As we walk back to the cabin, he tells me about sharing the property with Knox and Knox’s family. I feel like I know them already and hope to meet the Walkers soon.

  Warmth hits me in the face when he opens the door and stands back for me to walk in ahead of him. The fire roaring in the fireplace keeps the entire first floor toasty. “Sit down and relax while I grab us drinks.” He points at the leather sofa, and I follow his instructions.

  As I hear him working in the kitchen, I stare into the flames and feel the butterflies dancing around in my stomach. Now that the moment is here, I’m wondering if I’m ready. He walks back in carrying two steaming mugs, and I ask, “What’s this?”

  “My special hot chocolate recipe.” He hands me one before sitting next to me. “There’s a little surprise ingredient to help you relax.” I take a sip and realize his little bit extra is alcohol.

  “Thanks.” I smile at him and feel my face turn red. I’m acting like a freaking school girl.

  He places his drink on the table and turns to me. “You look like you’re about to jump out of your skin.” I sigh and wait for him to continue. “I know things are moving fast, but we don’t have to do anything you aren’t ready for.”

  Feeling stupid since I’m the one who initiated this whole change in our relationship, I take a drink of my fortifying hot chocolate and admit, “I’m kinda new with all this.” Boy, I’m really not experienced, but he’ll figure that out soon enough.

  “I want more than just a fling with you. I’ll do whatever makes you happy.” He pushes hair behind my ear and leans down to kiss my forehead. “You’re in the driver’s seat.”

  The still healing bruises along his cheeks and forehead remind me of his recent accident, and I tease him, “It might be safer to let me drive.”

  His eyes widen for a second as my meaning sinks in, then he throws back his head to laugh. “Smartass.” He reaches for my mug and places it next to his. Before I can guess his intent, he kneels in front of me and looks into my eyes.

  “You know what happens to smartasses?” I shake my head and expect him to answer, but he begins to tickle me instead.

  Our game turns serious when my leg brushes his cock. I watch as his eyes darken and he swallows. “God, you’re beautiful.” He leans forward and places small kisses along the side of my neck, and all my reservations fly out the window. His hands slip under my sweatshirt, and I shiver. Goosebumps break out all over my body, and I lean forward and bite his ear. This seems to egg him on, and he rea
ches for the hem of my shirt. He pauses and looks me in the eye, waiting for permission.

  As I smile and wiggle my eyebrows, he begins to ease my sweatshirt over my head.

  Chapter Six

  DRAKE

  AFTER PULLING her sweatshirt over her head and tossing it aside, I tug her to the edge of the leather sofa and spread her luscious legs wide open. “Playtime is done. Now, we get serious.” Her gorgeous brown eyes darken to nearly black as she watches me slowly slip my hand under the waistband of her leggings and run my finger lightly around the soft skin I find. Her breath catches as I pull the pants down her soft thighs. Watching the vein in her neck beat frantically sends little sparks of electricity flowing through me. I close my eyes and take several deep breaths to gain some control of myself. “You’re like every dream I’ve ever had rolled into one.” I sigh against her soft skin as I lean down to place little kisses from the inside of her knee up to the top of her thigh.

  I finish pulling the material free and toss it over my shoulder. When I spread her knees, my cock nearly tears a hole in my jeans at the sight before me. I have the perfect view of her sweet, pink pussy through the wet, lacy undies. I slip the tip of my finger under the edge of the lace and give a tug.

  “Did you pull the bottom out of my panties?” She gasps.

  “Don’t cover up your luscious pussy, and I won’t have to destroy any more of them,” I growl against her wet folds, and she cries out my name. Her soft hands grip the back of my head and tug. The slight pain sends me embarrassingly close to climaxing, and I reach down to squeeze my dick before I cum in my pants like a teenager. Once I’ve gotten my cock under control, I suck on her clit while plunging my tongue into her wet pussy. I’m unable to stop the orgasm this time as her inner muscles spasm, and she screams my name. My cum runs down the inside of my jeans, and I lay my head against her soft thigh and try to catch my breath. This girl is everything to me after less than a month. It’s a terrifying fact but one I refuse to fight. “I like how you relax,” she teases and runs her hands through my hair while our breathing returns to normal.