Page 16 of Bad for You

“You can stop kissing my ass, you got your muffin.” Her long, curly black hair was tied back, her lips curled up.

“What can I say, I’m a whore for your muffins.”

Addie burst out laughing. “The shit you say.” She tilted her head to the side. “So why do you look like you’re about to fall asleep where you’re standing?”

“I look that bad?”

Her dark brown gaze moved over me, assessing. “You look hot, but you’re also rocking some serious bags under your eyes.” She perked up. “Did a certain cowboy keep you up last night?”

I inwardly cringed. “Har har. Brooks is a gentleman.”

I wished he was the reason I hadn’t slept. If only I could get enthusiastic enough about him to lure him to my bed and bone his brains out.

Addie cackled. “Booooring. There’s always tonight.”

“Okay. I’m going now, you deviant. And for that, I’m not thanking you for the muffin. I will eat it though, because your muffins are the bomb.”

“Yes. Yes, they are,” she said and headed back behind the counter.

I turned around and jolted to a stop.

Leaning against the wall behind me, muscled tattooed arms crossed, worn jeans hugging his long, lean body, looking rougher, harder, than before he left, was Jesse. His gorgeous bright green eyes watched me from under the brim of his ball cap.

I hadn’t seen him since that day a week ago. And I wasn’t prepared to see him again now.

He pushed away from the wall and closed the distance between us, moving in so close I had to tip my head back to hold his gaze.

Heat hit my face, and my heart raced. “What are you doing here, Grifter?” The words were out before I could stop them.

His expression didn’t change, but his body tensed.

“Nice to see you, too, Bambi.”

I swallowed, my mouth suddenly dry. “I take it you found your brother?”

He lifted a brow.

“Dane mentioned you were looking for him.”

“Yeah, I found him.” His nostrils flared. “You’d know that if…” A puff of air escaped him in a humorless kind of laugh. “Whatever.” He looked up. “Adds, coffee, black.”

“Coming up,” my friend called.

He kept his gaze trained forward as if I wasn’t standing right there in front of him.

I needed to get the hell out of there. I tried to step around him as he shifted to the side. I quickly stepped the other way and rushed around him, flustered, angry, hurt.

“Have a good time the other night, Bambi? On your date?”

I stopped in my tracks, my face flaming hotter as I turned back to him.

He was facing me, a smirk curling his lips. “Brooks, right?”

I nodded, unable to speak.

“Nice guy.”

I cleared my throat. Not liking the way he emphasized the word nice, like it was a bad word. “He is.” What else could I say?