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“I can hear you rolling your eyes,” I say as I wipe it down. “And I can tell you’re mocking me.” I look over my shoulder just as she snaps her mouth shut.
I turn back to the guitar and laugh. As annoying as she is, it’s actually been nice having company in the store. The shelves and counters have never been cleaner, and aside from the collectibles being set up incorrectly, she’s been a great help.
“What do you have against little kids?” she asks.
“Nothing.” I throw the rag onto the counter. “I’m not a monster, I like kids.”
Sasha looks at me incredulously.
“Just not ones with sticky hands,” I say, reaching over her to grab a sucker from the jar Sasha brought in.
She moves it away from me before I can grab one. “See? This is what I’m talking about.”
“I just wanted a sucker,” I pout and narrow my gaze at her.
“You would take a sucker from a kid?” she teases.
“I’m not taking it from a kid, unless I count you.”
She opens her mouth and gasps. “Just for that, you’re not getting one.”
I reach around her, but she pivots, holding the sucker jar like a football. I lean over her shoulder to snatch one, but she moves out of my reach, laughing uncontrollably, and the sound fills the entire record store. It’s something this store has been missing for a really long time. I want a sucker, but she’s being so goddamn stubborn.
She looks for a way out, but I have her caged against the counter. There is nowhere left for her to go. We’re both breathing heavily from laughing, and when her gaze lowers to my mouth, tension fills the air between us, thick and heady, like an early morning fog.
My eyes rest on the thin gold chain rising and falling against her chest. Suddenly, I want more than just the sucker. She’s like a tempting dessert, taunting me with her defiant jaw, those golden-brown eyes, and thatfuckingbody that I know will feel so goddamn good pinned underneath me. Does she know what she’s doing to me? I’m no saint, but it has been more than a while since I’ve had someone like her in my bed.
I grip the counter tighter, my muscles tensing like the head of a drum, and I am acutely aware of how close my body is to hers. The pulse in her neck ticks in tune with my own. When she bites her lip, I think I might just goddamn die.
I’m about to do something stupid when my phone vibrates in my back pocket, saving me, and I finally exhale. I let go of the counter and reach inside the jar, plucking a sucker out before turning and walking down the hallway to take the call.
Before I can even say hello, Jack’s voice booms through the speaker, “I need your help.”
I take a deep breath, lean against my desk and try to get my bearings. I swipe a palm down my face. For once, Jack has perfect timing.
“Where do I need to pick you up? Jail, rehab, or Amber’s?”
“Fuck off, this is serious.”
“It’s a reasonable question considering your history.” I hear him groan on the other end because he can’t argue with that.
“I need your help to pick out a ring,” he grumbles.
“I never pegged you for the jewelry wearing kinda guy.” I suppress a smile, even though he can’t see it.
“The ring is not for me,” he bites out.
I can’t help but enjoy listening to him squirm by making him tell me exactly what he wants. He thinks everyone can read his mind when he doesn’t want to actually say it. Lucky for me I know him well enough to know exactly what he’s thinking.
“Oh, who is the ring for then?” I ask innocently, trying to keep my voice down in case Sasha can hear.
Sasha.
Fuck.
Would I have actually kissed her if Jack hadn’t called? The answer to that bothers me.
“You know who the fucking ring is for, dickweed.” I honestly don’t know how Erin puts up with him, but I guess the same way we all do.
