Page 16 of Come Take Me Now

A small smile twitches on her lips. “What’s wrong with that?”

I straighten my back, forcing her to drop her arms. “It’s not my style, and if we do it now, I’ll never know if it’s because you had a rough night. Or you’re rebounding from your ex.”

She’s taken aback by the mention of her ex but shakes it off. “Wow, you’re not like the guys I’ve been around.”

“You haven’t played on my level yet.”

“I want to.”

“I know.”

It definitely does something for my ego that this show-stopping twenty-one-year-old wants me so badly, but it’s taking every ounce of my self-control to not take her home and do unimaginable things to her body. I bet no one’s fucked her properly the way I would.

“Let me walk you to your car.”

She frowns. “Fine.”

“Did you drink tonight?”

She shakes her head. “No, just water. I like to order it in a cocktail glass, so if someone offers to buy me a drink, I can say I have one already since it looks like vodka, and stay sober,” she rambles. But she’s the first girl I could listen to all day and still beg her to keep talking.

Fucking genius of her.

“You’re a smart girl, Tilly,” I murmur as we near her car.

But I couldn’t find a better way to use my Sunday. I can help her, spend time with her, and keep her from Mick. To be honest, if looks could kill, I would have dropped dead as soon as he caught me with Tilly’s face buried in my chest, but he can’t get rid of me that easily.

“So, tomorrow?” Tilly asks, unlocking her car door manually with the key.

“Yeah, come by the vineyard around ten or eleven,” I answer.

“Do you live at the vineyard?”

I shake my head. “No, not for a while. I grew up there, but I bought a house not too far from here a few years ago.”

She nods, and a smirk makes her pout shift slightly. “But you don’t want to take me home?”

“Oh, I really, really fucking do, but good things come to those who wait.”

“Ugh,” she groans. “That just makes me want you more.” She lightly brushes her fingertips up my stomach. Her confidence makes my cock wake up in my pants, but I have more self-control than this. She’s hooked now.

“You hardly know me. Do you normally fuck guys you don’t know?”

She blinks at me. “No, no, never,” she stammers.

“Then don’t start now,” I warn, enunciating each word to get the point across.

“I won’t.” She looks away, and I hope I didn’t embarrass her. It’s silent between us for a moment, and I’m not sure if I should soften what I said. It’s her body, but I’ve never shared well. “What did Mick mean by the apple not falling far from the tree?”

I sigh. “My mom and dad have an age gap, not as much as ours,” I answer, and she nods. “You should probably know I’m thirty-two.”

She lets out a quiet giggle. “I figured. It doesn’t bother me, though.” That’s the Enzo Valenti effect. “I’ll be twenty-two in a couple of months.”

Which I knew from my Googling spree.

She’s an August baby. A Leo. Though I’ve never paid much attention to the zodiac. I’m a Taurus, and from a brief compatibility search, we could be an intense yet challenging match. Consider that challenge fucking accepted.

“Sure you want an old man like me?” I tease.