Series: Little Cakes Series by Pepper North
Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 45562 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 228(@200wpm)___ 182(@250wpm)___ 152(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45562 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 228(@200wpm)___ 182(@250wpm)___ 152(@300wpm)
Tatiana didn’t broach the subject but she’d definitely gotten Little vibes from Maniac’s last customer. Trying not to listen to their conversation had just made her focus more on their interaction. Hearing that the young woman would be coming back didn’t thrill her.
What’s wrong with me? I want people to come back over and over again.
“Ready to talk?” Maniac asked.
“Sure. Let me grab a cola from my fridge.” She dashed from the room and returned a moment later to set her drink on the corner of his table.
“You shouldn’t live on caffeine, Tatiana,” he said with a reproving tone she tried to ignore.
“It’s the only way I survive working from opening to closing,” she answered.
“We need to look at the schedule and make sure we have some time off.”
“I bet we could stagger and we both wouldn’t have to be here all the time,” she suggested, wheeling her stool to his area and plopping down with a sigh of relief. Quickly, she smoothed her plaid skirt over her thighs when his gaze fixed on her exposed skin. Heat gathered in her core despite her attempts to not be turned on. Maybe she shouldn’t have sat quite so close to him with nothing between them.
“So, what did you want to talk about besides the schedule?” she asked quickly.
“Us,” he said in a gruff tone that sent a shiver down her spine.
“You’re not going to try to buy me out, are you? This store has been our baby,” Tatiana said, glaring at him.
“I’m not talking about the store. It’s doing gangbusters. We need some new artists and probably a manager. Maniac Tats is an established parlor now. We need to grow as the business grows and not grind ourselves to the bone.”
“I agree with all of that. Want to reach out to the art community to see if anyone with talent needs a new workspace?” Tatiana asked before taking a drink from the cool can.
“I’ll do that tomorrow.”
“Cool.”
Maniac pinned her in place with his direct gaze. “Now, let’s talk about us.”
“I didn’t think there was an us—other than our partnership,” she popped off, trying to lighten the conversation. Was he suggesting what she hoped he was suggesting?
After all the years they’d been working together, all the days she’d thought about something more with him, all the nights she’d dreamed of his hands roaming over her body…
Suddenly, Maniac leaned forward, wrapped his burly arms around her, and lifted her right off her stool and onto his lap. “You’re killing me in this outfit, Little girl. I want there to be an us.” Maniac lowered his lips toward hers. She could feel his closely cropped whiskers brush against her skin.
Without thinking, Tatiana moved forward to press her mouth against his. Her hands stroked into his long, silky hair and tossed away the strip of leather he used to tie it back while he worked. His deep growl of satisfaction went straight to her core, and she felt herself getting wet.
Tatiana had thought about running her hands through Maniac’s hair so many times she’d never be able to count them. She’d wondered what it would feel like to have his lips against hers. She’d pondered his taste and his scent up close and personal.
Was this really happening? Or had she fallen asleep at her station and now her imagination was running rampant?
Maniac let her kiss him for a few seconds before he took control. Cupping the back of her head, he stroked his tongue across the seam of her lips and inside as she eagerly opened her mouth to grant him access. He tore himself away from the heated exchange after what seemed like forever and not enough time at all, leaving them both panting as they took time to breathe.
“Tatiana,” he said in a voice even deeper than usual.
“Oh, this us?” she said in wonder—not trying to be sassy but totally mind-blown.
“Yes, Baby girl. This us. Will you consider letting another Daddy into your life?” he asked, rubbing the red heart tattoo on her wrist that had once held the special title, Daddy.
“I don’t know. It’s scary. He ripped my heart out and trounced all over it,” she admitted, staring at the place where he gently touched her.
“Can you be brave for us?” he asked.
She paused for a minute and then nodded hesitantly. “I’ve dreamed of having a Daddy,” Tatiana admitted.
“I’ve dreamed of having you as my Little.”
“Really?” she squeaked.
“Really. You’ve given me a lot of hard mornings.”
Tatiana stared at him, trying to determine if he meant what she thought. The slow, wolfish grin that spread his lips confirmed her suspicion, and her cheeks grew warm.
“Oh, Little girl. I can’t wait to make you blush all over,” he growled.
“What happens to Maniac Tats?”
“It gets better. We have a thriving business. Now we’ll be even happier to come in every day to spend more time together.”