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“Stuck-up? Witchy?” Sugar leveled a stare at him that could have wilted lettuce before it ever hit a hamburger. “I think my sister is right. I think you did set Maggie up just because you don’t want to be the mayor. What is it you do exactly, besides rent houses that are nothing like their advertised descriptions to unsuspecting out-of-towners?”
He shook his head. “I’ll show you my deep, dark secret. Come on.”
Sugar followed him around to the back, and then down some wooden stairs that went deep underneath the rocking burger joint. “Wow, a dungeon.”
“Now you sound like Lucy.” Jake laughed. “Your sister does not like me at all.”
“Lucy warms up slowly.” Sugar felt compelled to defend her sister. “She’s protective of Mom.”
“And you. Obviously you.” He turned to face her in front of a pool table covered with red felt. “She practically snaps like an electrical fence hit by water whenever I get near you.”
“Cassavechias look out for each other. Anyway, your mom isn’t exactly a study in Southern hospitality.” She looked at the pool table. “Isn’t Brunswick a bit fancy to hide away in a dungeon?”
“Keep my secret. Even my mother doesn’t know this baby’s here.” He handed her a cue. “Do you play?”
“A little.” Sugar studied the room. “Why are we down here?”
“I told you,” Jake said, “I’m sharing my deepest, darkest secret with you.” He sighted down the length of the cue, nodding with satisfaction. “I own Bait and Burgers. This is my private office. None of this info is known by anyone except my partners who cover for me, so if you share, I’ll have to enact landlord penance on you.”
“Terrifying, I’m sure, considering you’d probably never find another sucker to rent the lusty family domicile.” Sugar looked at him. “So this is your Bat Cave. Interesting.”
“You mean man cave.”
She shook her head and walked over to break. “My guess is you hide down here from the bats that inhabit Pecan Creek.”
He laughed. “Just keep my secret.”
“So you wanted me to know this so I won’t be mad at you for trying to dump your mayor’s job on Mom?”
“Yeah.” He leaned against the black vinyl bar and grinned, too sexy for words. “I’m a very busy man. This is your chance to have leverage with me.”
“Got it.” She broke the rack, and balls flew in every direction.
“Not bad.” He got up to study the table.
“Not so fast. Let me see if I can figure the subtext out.” She looked at him before leaning over the table to line up her shot. “The little red ball is going to go first, by the way.”
She made that shot, and went on. “So what you’re trying to tell me is that you’re not an absolute ass for shifting your responsibilities. You own a restaurant, and you rent the family home, and you don’t want your mother breathing down your neck all the time.”
He grinned. “Not bad.”
“Purple-striped ball is history.” She made that shot and moved to the opposite side of the table, near Jake. “Excuse me.”
He raised a dark brow. “Sugar, I think Maggie can handle my mother any day of the week. What are you protecting her from?”
Sugar leaned over. “Rats.”
He turned her toward him. “I honestly am not a rat. I’m not using Maggie.”
“Do not try to mess up my rhythm.” She pulled herself away from Jake with an effort. “Green.”
He waited until she made the shot, then he took her cue from her, setting it down on the table. “I get it. You’re nobody’s fool. You don’t want to be taken advantage of.” He kissed her, his lips warm on hers, but not demanding. Something hot and welcoming surged into Sugar, something she hadn’t felt in a long time, didn’t know if she wanted to feel now. She pulled away, resisting the urge to press her fingertips to her lips to feel the echo of his kiss.
“I’ll keep your secret, Jake.” Sugar looked in his dark eyes, thinking that he was handsome and hot—and oh, so not what she needed in her life. “You don’t have to seduce me to get what you want.”
“I wasn’t seducing you.”
She let his statement hang in the air.
