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He wasn’t the kind of man who ran after a woman he didn’t know. Or even a woman hedidknow, for that matter. But he’d seen Amelia sprinting, and he had to follow.
She’d looked at him when they were in the garden taking pictures. It was a contemplative look, sent his way when she’d been surrounded by the other bridesmaids. They were filling her head with stories of him, no doubt. Leo felt the urge to defend himself, to explain that his reputation wasn’t true.
But—itwastrue. Wasn’t it? He hadn’t had a real relationship since his freshman year in college. He liked keeping things casual, and he wasn’t shy about inviting a woman to warm his bed. Even now, his phone vibrated in his pocket. It was probably a text from someone who had heard he was back in town. Either that, or it was Marlon asking him what the hell had gotten into him.
Leo settled into his seat and let out a long breath. He shouldn’t have chased after her. A woman like Amelia deserved better than he could give her. She was right to be suspicious of him.
But he was here now, and he might as well help her with the cake.
Without a word, she started the car, and it quickly became apparent that Amelia Darcy drove like an absolute raving maniac. They tore out of the parking lot in a squeal of tires and burned rubber. He grabbed the handle above his window and let out a low grunt as she turned onto Main Street and put her foot on the accelerator to get through a yellow light. They drove for five minutes, making their way across the small downtown area, hitting a Stirling-sized snarl of traffic near the clock tower, which finally cleared once they crossed the bridge into the quieter part of town.
Amelia turned onto Hemlock Drive and jumped the curb as she slid into a parking spot outside a bakery called The Sweetest Thing.
Leo let out a huff, glad to be alive. “Remind me never to get in a car with you ever again,” he said as she opened her door.
She lifted a brow at him and sniffed, regal and haughty. “You invited yourself, buddy.”
He laughed, delighted. Following her into the bakery, Leo was assaulted by scents of cinnamon, sugar, and fresh-baked bread. He’d trade it all for the scent of Amelia’s skin any day.
Then Amelia let out a little squeak and bumped into him as she tried to leave the bakery again.
He caught her shoulders and spun her around. “What’s wrong?”
Her face was red. She shook her head. “Nothing.”
Leo leaned over, using a curled finger to tilt her chin up. “Tell me.”
Her snort was short and sharp. She glanced over her shoulder and spun around again, red staining her cheeks. “Ben is working,” she whispered.
Leo frowned, fighting the urge to curl an arm around her shoulders. “Who’s Ben?” he whispered. “The barista? You want me to punch him?”
Amelia looked at him like he was insane. “What? No!”
“I will, you know,” Leo promised.
“Don’t punch him. Don’t punch anyone! Why are we even talking about this?”
“What did he do to you?”
“Nothing!” She huffed, shaking her head. “He doesn’t even know my name.”
“Amelia?” the barista called from behind his hissing espresso machine. “Amelia Darcy? Is that you?”
“Is Amelia here?” a woman’s voice called out from the back of the bakery. She appeared a moment later, her red hair gathered beneath a hair net. She smiled at the back of Amelia’s head. “Oh, good! I was just about to call you.”
Slowly, Amelia turned, and Leo dropped his hands from her shoulders. She lifted her chin and smiled at the woman. “Hey, Camilla.” She turned to the barista. “Hi, Ben.”
The barista gave her a nod, then glanced at Leo for a beat. He turned back to Amelia. “Hey. Coffee?”
“Um, we don’t really h-have t-time…”
Stammering? Amelia? The woman made of fire and brimstone? Leo frowned at her, then at Ben the barista. Now hereallywanted to punch him.
An uncomfortable feeling passed through Leo’s gut, and when Ben stared at Amelia for a few seconds too long, the feeling intensified. Then Amelia smiled at the barista, and Leo wanted to flip the nearest table.
Which was…odd.
Leo didn’t have strong feelings about women. He didn’tcareabout women, unless they happened to be beneath him. He knew exactly what he could provide to a woman: a few fun hours and an entertaining story to tell her friends when it was all over. A woman like Amelia deserved a lot more than that.
