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I work here? Wow…Mak…just wow.
Thunder kept giving her that magnetic smile as though she wasn’t the dumbest person he’d spoken to all day. “Nice to meet you, Mak,” he said with a wink. He indicated the hot sauce. “Thanks for dropping that off for us. Toni said you recently moved here?”
What? He’d talked to Toni about her? Holy crap. She wanted to dance around like a fifteen-year-old who’d just been asked to prom by a senior. Not that she had experience with that, but she heard things. Instead, she said, “Yes, a few weeks ago.”
“What do you think of our little town so far?”
“Hey, guys. Hi, Thunder.”
A low-pitched, sugar-soaked voice had Mak glancing over her shoulder as two women walked by with their ravenous gazes on Thunder. They wiggled their sparkly fingers as they flashed him perfectly straight and gleaming white teeth. Both were beautiful with long hair, heavy makeup, skinny jeans, tall boots, and tight tops that showed off impressive chests. Mak had never looked that glamorous on her best day, and these girls looked like they walked off a runway at nine in the morning at a diner. She didn’t have a stitch of makeup on, and her black hair swung around her shoulders as it usually did. Her styling routine consisted of a brush and…well, that was it.
“Hey ladies, looking damn good today,” Thunder said, shooting them the same smile he’d given Mak. He winked, which elicited a round of giggles that could have shattered Toni’s brand-new windows.
Something dark and unpleasant twisted in Mak’s stomach. Never before had she experienced jealousy, at least not regarding a man. But she’d felt it when being punished while her siblings and friends got to play or enjoy a rare treat, so she recognized the emotion.
Ridiculous.
She wiggled her hand out of his warm grasp.
“We’ll see you at the clubhouse later, Thunder,” one of them said as she practically drooled down her tight top.
Mak would be sure to drop extra napkins at that table.
“You know it, gorgeous.” Thunder winked again then turned his attention back to her as the ladies walked off. Once again, she had his full focus, and the power of that enchanted smile aimed her way.
Ahh, she got it now. Silly her for thinking that was somehow a special expression for her. He gave that smile to everyone—well, everyone female. The man was dangerous, and she’d do well to remember that. Last thing she needed in her life was a guy who was going to bring drama or chaos. She had enough of that without trying to play the man-woman game.
She’d never win, so there was no point in signing up.
She had no use for men in general, so this little demonstration was a perfect reminder to stay in her lane. With a horde of siblings relying on her, dating couldn’t be lower on the priority list.
“Nice to meet you, Thunder,” she said with a polite smile. “I’ll have Shell come refill your coffees in a few moments.”
The other three men at the table snickered. As she turned her back and walked away, she heard one of the men say, “Strike one,” but she didn’t stick around to hear Thunder’s reply.
The rest of her shift passed quickly and without incident as the diner stayed packed. She couldn’t help risking an occasional glance in Thunder’s direction. It wasn’t often she found herself intrigued by a handsome man, but something about him kept drawing her attention. Twice, she’d caught him looking her way as well, which made no sense. Not while those ‘Honeys’—as Jazz had called them—were around.
“Whew, today was nuts,” Shell said, as she flopped down into a booth after the last patrons had left.
“Seriously,” Toni agreed, also taking a seat. She slid a tall glass of water to Shell. “Hey, Mak, want to get off your feet for a few and sit with us?”
From where she stood behind the counter, she checked her phone. They still had to clean, but even then, she should have plenty of time before she had to pick Emmie up from Cassie, who’d offered to babysit since her other siblings had homeschool assignments.
“Sure. Though I’m not positive I’ll ever be able to get up again if I sit. My legs are dead.”
“I hear ya,” Jazz said, also joining them. “Ever since we reopened, business has been insane.”
“Hey!” Toni pointed a manicured finger at Jazz. “That’s a good thing. And if you’re tired, maybe you shouldn’t stay up with your men all night, if you know what I mean.”
Right. Jazz was the one with two boyfriends.
Mak studied the very slender woman with pixie hair and a satisfied grin.
“Pretty sure we all know what you mean.” Shell rubbed her bump as she rolled her eyes.
“How does that even work? Being with two men?”
Oh, crap.
“I—I’m sorry. That’s none of my business at all.” The question had tumbled from her lips before her brain had time to veto them. God, she barely knew these people, and now she was asking about one of their kinky relationships. How embarrassing.
