Scrumptious: A Friends to Lovers Romantic Comedy (Camos and Cupcakes Book 3) Page 15

  “Hey,” Fritz says as he slips his arm around my waist and stopping me, then turning me so I have to look at him.

  “What?”

  “I see the red in your eye, Savannah. You’re not going to go after your parents at Allison’s wedding.”

  “They deserve to be embarrassed.”

  “Yeah, but you would never do that to your friend.”

  I sigh as some of the righteous anger seeps away. He’s right. I don’t want to make a scene and ruin the reception. He squeezes my hand and I look at him.

  “Oh, damn, you’re sexy when you’re mad. Are you like this in the kitchen? How do men even concentrate with you there? Like, do you have to keep firing guys for being inappropriate?”

  “My sous chef is married.”

  “Does that stop men? Really?”

  “He has a husband.”

  He chuckles and I find myself relaxing.

  “That explains it.” He starts pulling me toward the dance floor.

  “What are you doing?”

  “You promised me a dance, I believe.”

  “Uh…” I can’t say anything else. My brain is trying to follow the change of subjects. I know he’s probably doing this to distract me from using a butter knife to filet my “parents,” but I still follow him out there. He holds his free hand up like he’s signaling someone. He continues his amble out to the middle of the dance floor, making his way through all of the dancing couples. He stops and turns to me. The devilish smile I see on his face sends a shaft of alarm through me. The first strains of Por Una Cabeza fill the room.

  He steps closer. “Tango?”

  I could turn around and march off the floor, but he knows I hate to let a challenge go unanswered. Why this is important to him, I have no idea. There is a glint in his eyes that should worry me, but people seem to be disappearing from the floor. This is a worrisome dance because, well, a man like Fritz would probably know just how to dance it. All passion and power. Still…there is no way I’m about to back down.

  With a sigh, I step close. He takes me in his arms and starts his moves around the floor. Strength resonates from him. He twirls me out on the first crescendo and then back into his arms, pulling me even closer. His cologne fills my senses, as his body heat pours off of him. I expect smack talk. Fritz loves to smack talk more than most men I know, and that’s saying a lot since I work in an industry dominated by men, and I have four brothers. Instead, he’s just watching me, just like a tango partner is supposed to do, his gaze locked with mine. This dance is about passion…that connection with another person.

  Heat and need fills me as he moves me around the floor. We are now the only couple dancing, but I barely notice. Everything seems to fade away, except this man and the sensual music filling the air around us. He doesn’t break eye contact as he moves us around the floor, and I lose myself there. Those amazing blue eyes, those thick black lashes…God.

  He twirls me out again, then back into his arms but with my back to his front. He moves us through the same steps, then twirls me out again, but this time, he pulls me in almost flush with his body. The next big crescendo approaches, and I expect a twirl, but he dips me fast and deep, pulling a laugh from me. When he brings me back up, he’s smiling, but he still says nothing. We continue on through the dance, with one last dip at the end. Then, he pulls me back up and with one more twirl, pulls us back in together, leaning toward me. Without a thought, I hook my leg behind his as the song finishes out.

  The roar of applause fills the room, along with some whistles and cat calls. We stand there, staring at each other. Stunned, it’s the only word I can use to describe the way Fritz looks. Or maybe I’m just projecting. Because I’m completely and absolutely shocked. Heat courses through me, my nipples are hard, and, Jesus, I have never been this turned on in my life. All we did was dance, and I want to jump him right here and now and ride him.

  Fritz recovers first, taking my hand and spinning me out for a bow. Then he does the ballroom dance thing where he twirls me in front of him to his other hand and we bow again.

  Before I can get my head wrapped around what just happened, our friends and Fritz’s family rushes out to the floor.

  “God, when did you practice that?” Allison asks as she hugs me.

  “We didn’t.”

  She pulls back and looks at Fritz. “You didn’t practice that?”

  He shakes his head. “It just takes the right person to lead.”

  “Oh, really?” I ask, facing him, but I can see his eyes dancing.

  “Yeah.”

  I want to yell at him about as much as I want to kiss him. But I can’t, not when he’s looking at me as if he wants to take one big bite out of me. I nibble on my lip trying to keep from yelling, and I curl my fingers into the palms of my hands. Otherwise, I would probably grab him and kiss the hell out of him. It would not only embarrass me; I would probably lose him as a friend.

  A couple of his Army buddies come up and pile on with Ed and Harry, mocking him. For a long moment, he doesn’t acknowledge any of them. He stares at me, only breaking away once the music starts up again. My breath clogs in my throat and the room seems to be closing in on me. I need a respite from all these people…from these feelings. I push my way through the crowd and hurry out of the room. I need some fresh air. I step out of the door and take a deep breath in; the cool air feels weird against my overheated skin. I walk a little way down the path, not getting too far away but putting some space between me and that idiocy in there.

  What the fuck is actually going on with him? Why did he dance with me that way? Once EJ told me he knew how to dance, I knew he would be able to make it work. The tango isn’t hard, but it takes a person who knows a thing or two about passion to perform it right. And, well, if that dance was anything to go by, women go after Fritz for more than his good looks.

  I shake my head and look out over the parking lot. I don’t have time for thinking about passion, not when my life is in shambles. Better to just keep my mind on moving forward and leave passion for later on. Still, I can’t fight the disappointment and it surprises me.

  “He’s used that a lot.”

  I turn and see Blue walking toward me. He’s been attentive—just as the other two guys have been. But his attention seems a little more serious. He’s attractive, and he’s apparently a billionaire or millionaire, or something really rich. Money never mattered to me. Still doesn’t. But beyond that, he’s hot. His light brown hair is tipped in gold from the sunlight, and he has eyes the color of whiskey. He’s huge, about the same height as Ed, who I consider a giant. But there is no spark. None at all.

  “What?”

  “He used to charm the ladies by dancing the tango with them. Kind of helped him stand out from all of us.”

  “Yeah,” I say, remembering EJ telling me the same thing.

  “Although, I don’t think he ever looked at a woman like he looked at you tonight while he was dancing it.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean that he was so serious, as if he was trying to prove a point.”

  He stares at me and I say nothing. What was I supposed to say? I have no idea where this conversation is going.

  His eyes widen. “You have no idea.”

  I shrug. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, so I’m pretty sure whatever you are talking about is above my head too.”

  His mouth quirks. “Just be careful.”

  “Of Fritz?”

  He shakes his head. “Of breaking his heart.”

  “I don’t think—”

  “Whatever you think, he cares about you. Just, be careful with each other.”

  I nod. With a sigh, I lean against a railing for the handicap ramp. Men were always a pain. Tonight is all around weird. My family, the wedding, everything. Now, I have Fritz’s friend warning me not to break his heart. The manwhore…as if. He doesn’t get attached.

  Before I can ask Blue what he means, he gives me another smile.


  “I guess I’ll head back, unless you would like to accompany me?”

  I shake my head. I still need a few minutes to collect myself. The whiplash of dealing with my family, then dancing with Fritz has my head spinning.

  “Okay. See ya later.”

  I watch him walk away, thinking of what he said about Fritz. We could hurt each other. Badly. It is against all common sense to get involved with Fritz. He’s not a man who sticks around, and the fact that we live together would make that hard.

  I close my eyes, trying to get my emotions back under control. When I open them again, I realize that for the first time in a very long time, I don’t care about rules or order…or whether something is smart.What that means, I have no idea, but it’s at least a start.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Fritz

  It takes me at least fifteen minutes to get away from people. Jesus, you would have thought it was the first tango performance in history. I don’t know where Savannah went, and there’s no sign of her in the hallway. I know she wouldn’t be hiding in the bathroom, so I look at the doors that lead outside.

  I stride forward, the look on her face when we finished still fresh in my mind. Stunned. It was what I was feeling because while I have used the tango a lot to impress women, it had never felt like that before. Every shift of our bodies left me needy, and just a little greedy. What the hell was I thinking of dancing the tango? I mean…okay, I am damned good at it. I just hadn’t known what it would be like to feel her in my arms. I know keeping eye contact is important, but I couldn’t tease her like my usual partner. This seemed too important. The moment we made eye contact, it was as if it was only us and the music.

  I have no idea what the fuck that means, but I know that I need to figure it out. I open up the door and almost run into Blue.

  “What the hell, man?”

  “Sorry,” I say, then my eyes narrow. “Where the fuck have you been?”

  “Getting some fresh air and checking on your girl.”

  “I don’t…” then I realize he’s talking about Savannah.

  “What? Have a girl?”

  I want to refute it. Hell, I haven’t even kissed her, let alone taken her to bed. But, I can’t. Because while she isn’t my girl…woman…I want her to be. For the first time in a long time, I want this woman by my side. I want to have the right to claim her.

  “She’s just down the sidewalk, getting some fresh air.”

  I nod.

  “She’s a catch. Don’t lose her.”

  I say nothing else as he makes his way back into the reception. I hurry down the stairs and then spot her down the sidewalk just as Blue said. She looks…alone. As if the weight of the world is sitting on her shoulders. More than once since I moved in with her, I have seen that expression, gotten that feeling from her demeanor. She looks up as I approach, and she gives me a small smile.

  Fuck me.

  My heart turns over. What the ever-living hell was that?

  “Hey, what are you doing out here by yourself?”

  “People.”

  “Is that supposed to mean something to me?”

  I know exactly what she means, but I think Savannah has gotten away with being abrupt with people, and I’m no longer willing to be one of those people.

  “There were too many people.”

  I nod and she shivers. It isn’t too cold out, but the breeze is cool, especially since she basically doesn’t have a back to the top half of her dress. I take off my jacket and ignore her when she shakes her head. Instead, I just slip it over her shoulders.

  “I guess Blue followed you out here.” It’s not a question but I want a confirmation from her.

  “Yeah.”

  Nothing.

  “Okay, so we aren’t going to talk about that?”

  She shrugs. “Nothing to say. Or actually, why do I need to say anything?”

  “No reason. I guess we can talk about the dance.”

  “What about it?”

  “Come on, Savannah, I know you felt it too.”

  “It was just a dance.”

  Irritation shimmers through me. I want to yell at her, instead, I figure I might as well go all the way in. I grab the lapels of my coat and jerk her forward. Her gasp escapes before I slam my mouth down on hers. I fall into the kiss, her mouth opening almost immediately. Heat flares, then races along my nerve endings, sending my head spinning. My dick hardens as I press closer, sliding my hands down her body to around her waist. God, she tastes good, decadent with a hint of spice, so uniquely Savannah.

  There’s a car horn in the distance and we break apart. We’re both breathing heavily and, well, fuck, I can’t tell you what I’m thinking because my brain is stuttering. Fucking stuttering. I look at her, and even in the dim streetlights, I can see her mouth is swollen from the kiss.

  Fuck. Okay, so I sort of attacked her and I know that she’s a virgin. She doesn’t know I know, but still, I do, and I should be gentler.

  “I’m sorry,” I say, my voice gruff with embarrassment. Mainly because what I want to do right now is steal her away into my truck and have a major make out session.

  “I’m not,” she says before she slips her hands up my chest to the back of my neck, urging me closer. A better man would stop her. We live together and this is a mess if things get awkward, but then, I guess I’m not that good of a man. Instead, I press my mouth to hers once again. Need claws at me as I steal into her mouth, she sucks on my tongue, then moans against it. FUCK ME. Have I said that? Or maybe I should be begging her. Because fuck, this woman might be inexperienced in bed, but she definitely knows how to kiss.

  I want to do more. Like a whole lot more. Naked kinds of things. Jesus, I can’t even think. Why should I? Savannah is moaning again, moving against me and I am losing every good guy instinct. Still, she apparently gets her head on straight and breaks the kiss. Again, we are breathing heavily.

  “What was that?” she demands. It isn’t that she’s accusing me. It is more that she’s as floored by this as I am.

  “Not sure.”

  “We should go back inside.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Fritz?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I don’t want to.”

  She’s still looking at me like she wants to eat me up and I know how she feels. I want to do nothing more than settle between her thighs and eat her sweet pussy. I shove a hand through my hair.

  “Listen, Savannah, I’m trying to be a gentleman.”

  “Why start now?” she asks with a chuckle.

  I look at her straight. “Because you matter.”

  Her eyes widen at that. “What does that even mean?”

  “Not sure, but the best thing is we don’t have to figure it out tonight.”

  “But we’ll be at the same house tonight.”

  “I won’t.”

  “What?”

  “I thought I told you, I’m staying with my folks tonight. We’re having an O’Bryan family powwow.”

  But even now I hate that I have to go spend time with my family. Yeah, kind of makes me an asshole, but all I want to do is make out with Savannah. Just some heavy petting and whatnot. Damn, I sound like a fifteen-year-old with his first girlfriend.

  My mom would never forgive me. Also, Savannah and I need to make sure we don’t fuck this up. A night apart is a good idea.

  “Oh, yeah. I forgot about that. Sorry.”

  “Don’t be. I’m surprised I remembered because my brain isn’t working.”

  “Why not?”

  Is this woman really not understanding what she has done to me? I study her and realize that she really doesn’t. That dance, along with the kiss, has left me without much blood in my brain.

  “You’ve kind of knocked me off kilter.”

  She rolls her eyes, but I stop our forward motion and turn to her.

  “It’s true, Savannah. I know this is probably a big mistake.” Hurt moves over her facial features and I shake my head. �
��No, not a mistake. More like something that could cause all kinds of complications. We’re friends who live together. Starting something up with you could cause us all kinds of issues. First and foremost, I don’t want to lose your friendship.”

  We had never been that close until I moved in with her. We didn’t spend a lot of time together, but during these last few weeks, I’ve discovered more about her. I’m intrigued, entranced, and dammit, so damned aroused by her that I find myself throwing out all my well-ordered rules.

  “Then maybe we should just forget what happened.”

  “Nope.” I didn’t even have to think about it. “There’s no way I can ignore this feeling,” I say, moving my finger between the two of us. “This is…different.”

  She cocks her head. “What do you mean?”

  If I didn’t know her story, that she didn’t have much experience, I’d think she was being coy. But I know better. It wasn’t that she was a virgin, it’s that she doesn’t date. In the last few weeks, I discovered that the only social outings she went on were with her friends.

  “I mean, this isn’t like my other…”

  She licks her lips and I lose my train of thought. This inexperienced virgin was breaking me down and she didn’t even know it. Was that the reason she intrigued me? Nope, it wasn’t that. It was that she was a strong woman with a soft side few know about. The fact that I’ve witnessed when some of her closest friends don’t see it all the time makes me feel special.

  “Other what?”

  I blink. Fuck, what was I talking about? I mentally backtrack through the conversation to figure out what I was talking about. “Other dates.”

  “This isn’t a date.”

  “But I would like it to be.”

  She turns away to start walking toward the building again. I hurry to keep up.

  “What’s the problem?” I ask.

  “We live together. Dating would be a problem.”

  “Only if you have a problem with me.”

  She says nothing as we walk to the front door. It should be awkward and with other women, it would be. With Savannah, everything is different. She grabs the door handle to open it, but I get there first and our hands bump into each there.