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“You asked how tall I was. Six four.”
I said that out loud?
“Yes,” he answers with a smile.
“Stop that,” I command, though he didn’t really do anything wrong. It’s the way he’s smirking at me, like he can read my thoughts or something. I don’t like it.
“How long have you been doing hair?” he asks before shoveling half of his first burger into his mouth. Chris had impeccable manners. Not only would he not eat here, but he wouldn’t shove his food into his mouth like it’s the first food he’s eaten in days.
“Since I was twenty. I went to cosmetology school after high school and started with Barb as soon as I graduated. What about you?” I ask while taking a much smaller bite of my burger.
“What about me?”
“I don’t know what you do.”
“I’m a mechanic at Stapleton by day and I tend bar at Lucky’s a few nights a week.”
“I thought you looked familiar.”
“I’ve seen you there a few times. With your sisters. How many of them?”
“Six total. Payton, Jaime, AJ, Meghan, and Abby’s my twin.”
“I’ll never remember that.”
“I don’t expect you to. It’s not like you’re going to be hanging out with them,” I state, kinda feeling like a bitch for being so blunt and cold to him.
He doesn’t seem fazed, though. Linkin just smiles at me from across the table before sticking a handful of fries into his mouth and slowly chewing. How he can chew with a smile on his face is beyond me.
After our food is gone, I glance at my watch. It’s five to one. “I need to get back.”
“Me too. My lunch is over in five,” he says while collecting the trash and dumping it in the garbage can.
“You don’t have to walk me back,” I tell him as we step outside and head towards the salon.
“My bike is there,” he says, pointing to the bike parked across the street from Hair Haven.
“Oh.” We quietly walk towards my work. “You have a bike?”
Oh. Em. Gee! Could he get any hotter? A freaking bike? I think my panties just melted.
He chuckles next to me and replies, “Yeah.”
My eyes slip back to the bike and I can’t help but wonder if he’d ever give me a ride. I haven’t ridden since I used to sneak out of the house in high school, and even then, my dad would have had a heart attack if he knew about the motorcycle rides.
“Anytime.”
“What?” I ask, stopping in front of the salon door.
“Anytime you want a ride. Just say the word.” Those chocolate eyes roam over my face and slide down my front, making my entire body spark with sudden desire and need.
“Am I speaking out loud or can you read my thoughts?” I ask quietly, watching the way he watches me.
Bending down until his mouth is beside my ear, he replies, “You’re not that hard to figure out, Firecracker. Underneath that tough, feisty exterior is a woman who wears her heart on her sleeve and shows her emotions on her face. But you have to look to see it. You have to look beneath that glare and that badass persona you hide behind.” He runs his nose against my jaw causing my entire body to shudder. “I see it, though. I see you.”
And before I can formulate a smart ass response, he’s gone, walking away from me and crossing the street. When he reaches his bike, he slides on and fires up the motor. It rumbles deep and loud, causing a chill of excitement to race through my blood. His boot flips the kickstand and he maneuvers the beast of a bike onto the road. When he’s directly across from me, he glances at me from behind a pair of dark glasses. I know because I can feel his eyes on me.
I wave before he turns his attention back to the road, giving it gas and taking off like a bat out of hell. My heart beats wildly in my chest as I watch until I can’t see him anymore. I can smell the gas and the burning rubber from where I stand. I can see the smoke lift from the mark he left on the street. I can feel the bad boy worming his way into my life.
But not my heart.
Never my heart.
