“Get the fuck off my property or the next time you see me, it’ll be while you’re handcuffed and unconscious.” Everything about Oliver’s tone screamed just how serious he was, and still Elliot said nothing. He nodded shallowly and turned back towards the Dunagan Ranch. Oliver turned back to me, an arched brow. “How’d you know his name?”
I cleared my throat. “Case I’m working on.”
Rowan’s eyes widened. “More like chick he’s stalking.”
“Would she have anything to—” Oliver began, but I cut him off with the wave of a hand.
“Not even close dude, not even close. I do, however, want to find out if he’s connected with his father at all.” It could all be nothing, but with his father actively stealing from Ember, and her brother out in the woods being a sketchy little fuck, I’d be an idiot not to wonder if it was connected.
Oliver nodded and let out another sigh.
“Well, that was fun. I vote we go get drunk now,” Theo said with a boisterous laugh.
“I second that!” Rowan added as he threw his arm over my shoulder, and we started walking back to Oliver’s house.
23
A CRAZED MAN
Wyatt
I was convinced she knew,truly and completely convinced. It had been three days since her girls’ night with Aspen and Ivy, and while she hadn’t reached out, she hadn’t tried to run me over with her car either. I’d gone into the bakery the last two days because I was a man with a death wish, and she hadn’t even acknowledged me beyond“Here you go, Carragan.”as she handed me my coffee and whatever delicious pastry she had just finished making.
No sassy comments or flirty smiles or even a slight blush. Nothing.
Even when I’d come over to “install” the cameras for her—and by that I meant that I appeared to be installing the ones I’d already put up before.
So, either she was mad about my flirty comment the other day, she was mad about the security cameras I’d hungup all over the place for her, or she knew. When I’d gone over this future prospect, I believed that I’d be freaking out, but honestly, I wasn’t even nervous about it. I hoped she did know, then I could drop this bullshit and claim her as my own.
I swore I could marry the woman just based on her pastry-baking ability, but a small, much smarter portion of my brain knew she wouldn’t find that to be a compliment. So I tried to keep it to myself.
Walking through the glass door and into the brick building, I smiled when there were only two customers here. They were seated over at a corner table drinking coffees and eating scones—scones which I’d decided were indeed amazing. They were probably trying to escape the cold air that had finally hit Colorado this morning, but it meant they wouldn’t need anything from Ember, and I already knew Jade was off today. Personally, I was suddenly feelingmuchwarmer thinking about the fact that I’d finally have the chance to talk to this woman.
“I’ll be right there!” a feminine voice hollered from the back. A voice I’d know anywhere I went nowadays—malls packed with people, busy dark clubs, you name it, I could wake up blind tomorrow and still find that voice in the midst of thousands.
It was funny to think about how quickly someone could become the center of your universe. I’d listen to her voice for hours if I could—instead, I settled for listening to it over my phone as she talked to her cat or made voice memo reminders on her phone as she worked or cleaned the bakery up.
I walked up to the counter and waited patiently, knowing I’d stand here for the next two hours I had free just to wait for her if that was what I needed to do. When she finallywalked out, I found I had no words left to say. Speechless didn’t cover it.
She was wearing a pair of light blue jeans, a tucked-in black t-shirt that was skintight and low cut, showing off the ample swell of her breasts. She had a thin gold chain around her neck, and her light red hair was pulled up in a clip, a few pieces escaping around her face.
Light golden brown eyes met mine, and I felt myself swallow roughly as she stopped and stared at me. She came back to reality quicker than I did. Clearing her throat, she broke away from my gaze and walked up to the opposite side of the counter—a three-foot pane of glass separating us. That was it.
“Carragan, the normal?” Her voice gave away nothing, and I was so envious. I tried to find the words to tell her, something to say, andnothingwas coming to mind. It wasn’t as if I could tell her the black lacy bra she had under that shirt looked amazing on her, but it would look even better on my floor. I mean…maybe I could say that, but it wouldn’t go over well.
Instead of speaking, I found myself just nodding at her as I bit my tongue to keep from speaking. Intrusive thoughts were going a mile a minute as I stared her down, watching her work from up close instead of on whatever screen I was working on at that moment.
Fuck, she was beautiful.
She was facing away from me, leaving me a phenomenal view of her backside in those jeans, which was just criminal. How was a man to resist such a view? The jeans could’ve been poured onto her creamy skin, and I would’ve believed it.
“Carragan!” Her voice brought me back, my eyes darting back to hers. The look on her face, the clear irritation, toldme she’d been speaking, and she of course knew now that I was staring at her ass. That surely wouldn’t work in my favor.
“I’m sorry, Brady. What was that?” Her last name tasted like ash in my mouth, but calling her Mrs. Carragan or little flame here in public wouldn’t help my case right now either.
She rolled her eyes, and I felt my fist clench as I thought about how badly I wanted to kiss the attitude right out of her, right after I spanked her ass for being such a brat. “I said, I made a batch of chocolate-filled croissants. Do you want one of those or a cinnamon roll today?”
“Oh. I’ll take one of both,” I replied quickly with a shrug. I’d take whatever pastry she wanted to give me, had I not made that clear to her yet?
