“Um, could I have some more coffee?” His eyes have a tiny sparkle in them, like he’s enjoying my predicament.
I pour his coffee. “I’ll leave you alone now.” I slide out, wanting the floor to open up and swallow me whole. Since when have I forgotten how to talk with a guy? Since I met this one, I guess.
“Wait,” he says.
I stop at the edge of the padded booth seat. “What? You want some more laughs at my expense?”
“No. I have a question.”
For the first time, something other than distrust and mocking crosses his face. He’s curious? I slide back in and place the pot on a stack of napkins. “What?”
He pauses as if carefully choosing his words. He reminds me of a lawyer, the way his face is expressionless and he’s about to drop the bomb that wins the case. “What was last night really about?”
“Seriously? I already told you.” I groan. “Are you trying to humiliate me even more?”
He shakes his head. The way his black hair falls around his face draws my attention to his mouth, his jaw, then lower to the hollow at the base of his neck. My insides sizzle as my gaze lingers on his mouth again.
“I’m not sure I believe you. Your story seems a little flimsy.”
His words slap me out my haze of attraction. “Well, I had too much to drink. You invited me back. We made out. Then you kicked me out when you realized I was the same girl you almost ran over with your bike.”
“That’s what it might’ve looked like.” He sips his coffee. “But there’s more to it.”
“What do you mean, more to it? Seems pretty clear cut to me.” I try my hardest not to let out the huff of frustration.
“Just tell me the truth why you tracked me down, then I’ll tell you my reasons for kicking you out.” His eyes narrow and suspicion is written in the way his lips press together and the way he studies me.
I sigh. “I already told you.” I can’t embarrass myself any more than I already have in the past twenty-four hours. “Lately, I’ve been bored.” I bite my lip, then continue. “I thought finding a the right kind of guy who lives on the edge would bring some excitement to my life. So I dressed the part.”
He leans back, his tee stretching tight against his chest. His face softens. “So you don’t know who I am? Never heard of me?”
“I only know that you shouldn’t be driving drunk and that you have a bad reputation. And that’s exactly what I need right now. Minus the driving drunk part.”
“Now that I’ve never heard from a girl before. I doubt your parents would approve of your choices right now.”
I set my jaw. “Well, they’re not here, are they?”
“How old are you?” he shoots out.
“Twenty-one.”
“And the only reason you came home with me was because I seemed tough and a little bit dangerous?”
I nod. Then I remember something he said when he kicked me out. I hadn’t understood it at the time. “Why else? What were you thinking?”
He shakes his head, holding back his laughter. “I thought my dad had hired you to spy on me. I recognized the smell of honey on your skin and knew you weren’t really the girl you were pretending to be.”
“Is that so wrong?” I ask.
“No. I just didn’t know how else to take it.” He swallows down the rest of his coffee. “But you’re right. You need to stay away from me.”
“Shouldn’t I be the one to decide that?”
He pulls bills from his pocket and lays them on the table. He’s about to walk out of my life. Forever.
“I’ll decide it for you.” Then he leaves.
Chad
I had to leave. When she stumbled over her words, blushing, her eyes on my lips…all I wanted to do was reach across the table and slam my mouth against hers. Bring that excitement to her life. Maybe she wasn’t a spy for my dad but I wasn’t good for her. She needs a man cut from the right kind of cloth, standard and clean, an upright guy who will do right by her, not one who’s in the middle of fighting daddy wars and losing.
The brisk ocean air is like a slap in the face, knocking images of her adoring eyes and curvy body out of my lust-filled mind. I made the right choice shooting her down. But damn. She’s hot. Just as beautiful when I thought she was a vision after the accident. I head to The Salty Dog before I’m tempted to go back to that tiny restaurant and pull her into a kiss that’ll make her drop her panties on the spot.
I have a little bit of time before the deadline to meet my dad. Still don’t know what my answer will be. A big part of me wants to say fuck off and walk out of his life. It’s almost like that’s what he wants. Get rid of me once and for all. But then there’s the stubborn part of me that doesn’t want to let him off that easy. As if he expects me to walk away from my inheritance because I’m afraid of a little work. But shit. Working for him would be hell. He’d make sure of it.