Just This Once (The Kings)

The last thing I expected to see was a heart-stoppingly gorgeous woman on Valentine’s Day tearing apart the candy aisle like a feral raccoon digging through trash.

I recognized her as the stunner who’d stopped in front of my brother’s tattoo shop before scurrying away. After she dipped into the general store, I used the opportunity to make a little detour on my way home.

From the end of the aisle, I had watched her aggressively push candy aside until she clutched a bag of chocolates on the shelf with a triumphant smile across her face. When she sank down and tore into the package right there on the floor of the general store, I was more than intrigued. The moan as the chocolate slid across her tongue shot straight to my cock.

She definitely wasn’t a townie. I had lived in Outtatowner my whole life, and I would have recognized someone as achingly pretty as her.

I crossed my arms to keep from laughing as her wide eyes stared up at me at being caught. Her eye color pulled me in. Not quite blue, but not quite green either—more of a smoky hue. Very interesting.

“Um . . . ,” she mumbled around the chocolate before wiping at the corners of her mouth with a shy laugh.

I lifted a hand, and she moved to get up. “Oh, don’t mind me,” I said. “But I plan to pay for my discount chocolate.” I stepped closer, scanning the near-empty shelves before frowning down at her.

I harrumphed and crossed my arms.

“What?” she asked around a mouthful of chocolate.

My scowl deepened. “You stole the last one.”

The woman swallowed, the muscles working in her delicate neck as her throat bobbed. “Not stolen, impending purchase.”

“Ah.” I nodded, dismissing the sad variety of half-off candy. I reached for a plastic container full of red-, pink-, and white-striped candy corns and held it up. “What do you think Valentine Corn is?”

The woman glanced up, her shy smile simmering with humor. “I was too afraid to find out.”

I flipped the container back onto the shelf next to a box of conversation hearts and sighed. “Probably a safe bet,” I said.

She shook the bag in front of me. “Want one?”

My mouth hooked into a grin.

Fuck it.

I gestured to the space next to her. “You sure about that? You looked downright feral a minute ago. I don’t want to provoke an animal in the wild.”

She laughed and shimmied sideways, swiping away an errant chocolate orange and sending it careening across the linoleum, then patting the space beside her. “I don’t bite.”

I took up residence beside the stranger, giving her enough space to feel comfortable, before reaching into the bag she held out and pulling out a wrapped square of chocolate. “Thanks.”

She swallowed and nodded. “I really am paying for these. I promise.” Her shoulders slumped as she unwrapped another piece and shoved the entirety of it past her pretty pink lips and into her mouth.

“Rough day?” I popped the square of chocolate into my mouth and tamped down the rogue curiosity of whether or not this was what her kiss would taste like.

She blew out a breath. “You have no idea.”

I raised an eyebrow, encouraging her to continue.

She gestured at her flirty floral dress and tights-clad legs. “Blind date.” She scoffed. “It did not go well.”

I nodded. “Valentine’s Day blind date? Risky move.”

She laughed, and the sound was rich and warm. “Trust me, I have learned the error of my ways.”

I shrugged, settling my back against the metal shelves and enjoying the soft lilt of her voice. “Tell me about it.”

She cast a sidelong glance before tucking an errant strand of her dark-blonde hair behind her ear. It was wound into a tight bun on the top of her head, but my fingers itched to get the undone piece she missed. My hands stayed clamped on my lap.

“Um, so my mom set me up with a guy named Dickie Johnson⁠—”

“Dickie Johnson?” The words were out before I could stop them. There was no version of any universe where Dickie Johnson was worthy of a date with this woman. Her stunned face gave me pause, so I cleared my throat before correcting myself. “I mean, isn’t he kind of . . . old for you?”noveldrama

She narrowed her eyes into little slits but didn’t answer. Dickie was thirty-one, same as me, and definitely too old for someone as young and vibrant as this woman. A woman whose name I still didn’t know. I wiped my palm against my pants before holding out my hand. “Whip.”

She eyed my palm warily before setting the bag of chocolate aside and brushing her hands down her skirt. Her palm was dwarfed by mine. “Emily.”

Sweet smile and bonus points for not being a townie.

My smile widened. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Emily.”

A rosy blush stained her cheeks as her eyes moved over me. “So what brings you to this fine establishment?”

A grumbly laugh rumbled through me. I wasn’t about to admit that it was her that brought me to the general store. “I had the day off and wanted to stop in to grab a snack before heading home.”

Her eyes slowly raked over me beneath thick black lashes before darting away. “No hopelessly romantic Valentine’s Day plans, then?”

A smile hooked at my mouth. I liked how shy and reserved she seemed. Even the somewhat modest, buttoned-up dress was doing it for me.

I shrugged, leaning into the playfulness of how my night was unfolding. “I don’t know. I found a lonely librarian wolfing down half-priced chocolates. Night’s still young.”

Emily held out one finger as she lifted her chin. “Definitely not a librarian,” she corrected with a smile and curt nod.

“Damn.” I shook my head and frowned. “I really have a thing for librarians,” I teased.

A shotgun of laughter rang out as she playfully shoved my shoulder with hers. I warmed at the contact. A warning scratched at the inside of my skull—there was something different about this girl.

Special.

Instead of bolting from the feeling like I should have, I let my shoulder settle against hers, and when she didn’t ease away from the contact, I sank into the surprising comfort of our connection.

I shifted, holding out my hand for hers. “So . . . definitely-not-a-librarian Emily, would you settle for a Valentine’s date redo?”