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“For crying out loud,” Willow groans, marching to the front door and flipping the sign in time for a flood of customers to pour in.
“Something I should know about?” Rowan asks, following me to the back. He grabs a clean apron off a hook and ties it around himself. His shirt lifts above the waistband of his jeans, confirming my suspicion about hard muscleseverywhere. He’s carved like an Adonis. Right down to the deep V… “Kin?”
I clear my throat and nearly choke doing it. “A few days ago, she spilled coffee on Garrett. And accidentally touched his…” I wave a hand below my waist. “You know.”
Rowan takes a step closer, reminding me how tight the hallway is and how we’re the only two this far back. That damn cologne is scrambling my brain. “You can say it, Kin,” he says, his voice low and teasing. “Unless you’re too shy.”
“I’m not shy.”
He stares at me, pinning me in place. Daring me. “Does it bother you? Saying it out loud?”
“What?No. I’m not twelve.” When he doesn’t move, I try to shove around him. But the brick house of a man doesn’t shift an inch. He’s like a fucking concrete pillar. “Don’t you need to get in the kitchen?”
“I’ll go. When you say the word you’re not too shy to say, Kin.” His gaze hints at the heat I saw last night, and when it drops briefly to my lips, I know I’m not imagining it. Dammit. Maybe the red lipstick backfired. If my lips weren’t a glaringly bright color, maybe he wouldn’t be looking at them so intently. “Say it, Kin. Idareyou.”
“She touched hiscock,” I hiss, shoving at him again. “Happy?”
One corner of his mouth lifts into a devilish smile. One I’m not sure I’ve ever seen pointed at me before. Wetness pools between my legs, warning me I need to get away from Rowan right now before I do something reckless. This is theworstway to repair a friendship. “Kind of like the way it sounds coming from those bright red lips of yours.”
He pushes off the wall and disappears into the kitchen, leaving me in the hall with a racing pulse and aching nipples. Dammit, this is going to be a bigger problem than I thought.
CHAPTER6
Rowan
Bear hangs his head proudly out the passenger window, tail wagging with extra gusto, as we pull out of my sister’s driveway. Sophia’s agreed to watch him while I’m covering for the diner since he can’t come to work with me. I was worried he’d be offended, but I think he’s fared just fine with my sister this week who’s no doubt been spoiling him rotten.
“I saw that pizza box, Bear.” He looks back at me like he’s sayingand the problem?and I just laugh as I slow for a stop sign. The downtown strip is busy, thanks to a flock of summer tourists in town. It’s great for the economy, but too noisy for my liking. Which is why I built my house on a piece of land way the hell outside of town.
My feet ache from being on them all week, but it’s felt good to be in a kitchen again. Even if Kinley is constantly distracting me. Damn that red lipstick. I thoroughly enjoyed the new look, even if it’s been making my dick half hard most days.
My first order of business when I get home is a shower. Both to wash away the scent of burgers from my skin and to take care of the hard-on that’s been torturing me off and on since I got Kinley to say the wordcockearlier this week. I can’t unhear the dirty word leaving her lips. It’ll probably take less than ten pumps of my fist to find relief. Five if I picture a red lipstick ring around my cock.
Bear lets out a bark when we pass theCaribou Creek Brewery. He’s a frequent patio visitor, especially on Saturday nights. But tonight, I just don’t have it in me to stop. Aside from my throbbing cock that’s desperate for release, I don’t want to deal with the gossip about my brother being back in town. When I emailed Dad about taking some time off, and his only response—also by email—wasno problem. Cassius has everything under control. Big brother apparently didn’t need shit from me to slide right in and steal the spot I’ve worked my ass to earn.
Bear barks again, his tail wagging double time and slapping the leather seat.
“What is it, Bear?” I hardly get the whole question out before I see her. Kinley standing by a patio table, holding a full glass of beer like it’s a lifeline. Odd. I know she’s not much of a drinker. Not since that awful incident back in high school. I hate to think what might’ve happened if I hadn’t been there in time…
Then I see the preppy guy leaning on the table too close to her, his eyes practically glued to her chest. Kinley looks uncomfortable as hell. She never was good at telling assholes to take a hike. She’s too fucking nice. But why is she there alone? Where are her sisters? My chest tightens as the fucker leans even closer and she takes a step back.
“Guess we’re stopping after all,” I say to Bear.
He goes nuts when I park the truck, unable to decide if he wants to be inside the cab or hanging out the window. He starts to whine, which he only does when he gets really excited. It usually involves a moose. But this time, it’s Kinley who has his full attention.
“I get it, Bear,” I say with a sigh.
I clip on his leash and head straight for Kinley, reaching over the locked gate to undo the inside latch and let us in.
“Hey Bear!” Kin lights up the second she sees him, abandoning her glass on a table and rushing forward to greet him. She squats down, without even a glance my way, and rubs his big face with both hands. Preppy Tourist doesn’t even try to be discreet about staring at her ass. My fists ball at my sides as I step around Kinley, blocking the view.
“Who are you?” he asks, scanning me up and down. Tempting me to slug the smugness right off his city slicker face.
“The more important question is why are you bothering her?”
“She belong to you or something?” His question is a challenge, promising he’s not smart enough to see me as the threat I really am. What time hasn’t been spent at work or in my kitchen has been spent in Wes Ashburn’s gym, learning advance self-defense techniques. I could lay him out flat with one well-aimed punch. “Because she just got done telling me how she doesn’t belong to anyone.”
Kinley stands back up and returns to the table, reaching past me for her nearly untouched beer—the lipstick stain the only evidence she’s taken a single sip. Her arm skims mine, and dammit if the simple touch doesn’t leave a trail of fire behind. I know Kinley is likely embracing her new found freedom from the douche bag in Anchorage, but god what I wouldn’t give to claim her for my own tonight.
