Page 15 of Rockstar Baby

He nodded lightly toward the kitchen door. “Those bushy eyebrows in the window of the door, maybe?”

“Dammit.” I really wanted to know just what his first move would be. Was he a grabber? What kind of kisser? Intense and hard? A teasing brush of dry lips?

I refused to think about him doing anything I didn’t like. This was my fantasy and I was going to think positively. Not like one of the frat boys I hooked up with in college, or my last boyfriend, whose technique in the kissing department left a lot to be desired.

As far as I was concerned, Rory was exactly the fantasy fuck I wanted him to be.

“Whatever is going on in that brain of yours, hold onto it for…like eight minutes.”

“What happens in eight minutes? And hopefully, you last longer than that.”

His laugh was harsh and delighted at the same time. Not sure how he managed that, but it made my toes curl. “Sweet mother Mary, you will be the death of me tonight.”

My smile was quick and bright. “Is that so? I don’t think I’ve been the death of any man.”

“I find that hard to believe.”

I pressed my lips together and backed out of his weird gravitational pull. Even with the platforms, he was a good head taller than me. The good kind of height that meant I could crawl up him and hang on for a good long bit of fun. “Let me just get my stuff.”

“All right.”

I swallowed and spun around, pushing through the door to the kitchen.

“Know what you’re doing, ladybug?”

I paused at the lockers. “Probably not.”

Mitch grunted. “Let me know if I have to castrate him.”

I looked over my shoulder. “Did you get a bad vibe?” I believed in vibes. It was hard to hold onto faith like my parents. They were so certain in all the things. Church, life, raising their kids. I was the youngest girl with two older brothers. August, who was just as steady and sure as my parents, and Caleb, who thought the only sure thing was how fast he could get a girl naked. Then there was me, the baby, who never really knew where she was meant to fit.

But vibes helped lead the way for everything I tried. And they hadn’t steered me wrong yet.

The first hint of doubt niggled at me.

“City boy. Isn’t that bad enough?”

I tugged my purse out of the locker, then my hat, scarf, and gloves. I tugged my hat over my pigtail braids. For a second, I thought about taking them out, but my hair was…ugh.There was so much of it and it was so damn heavy.

Nope, he seemed to like me with them, so I wasn’t going to go there.

I stopped in front of Mitch on my way out. I looped my scarf around his neck and pulled him down for a quick kiss on his beardy cheek. “Thanks for looking out for me, big guy.”

“If you don’t show up for work tomorrow, where should I start looking for you?”

I rolled my eyes. “The Hummingbird.”

“Still don’t like it.”

“I love you, Mitch.”

He grunted again. “Get.”

I tugged my scarf free and wound it around my neck as I walked into the diner. I didn’t have my good coat with me tonight, but if my neck was warm, I could manage just about anything. Central New York strong.

“Is that all you’re wearing?” Rory’s gaze narrowed as he zipped up his coat.

“As opposed to that windbreaker you’re wearing?” I laughed and headed for the coatrack.