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It couldn’t be because I was attracted to my new husband.
No.
Howin the fuckdid this happen again?
four years earlier
When I first met Kip Goodman, it wasn’t exactly hate at first sight, but it was close. When I first met Kip, he walked in with Rowan. Who was tall, muscled, dark haired and wore broody like it was embedded into his skin. He walked around with a grimace, like he had the world on his shoulders and would literally growl at someone if they looked at him wrong.
Kip sauntered in beside him with an easy smile, straight white teeth, tanned skin and dirty blond hair escaping from his baseball cap.
“Well, I know that this is going to be my new favorite bakery,” Kip said when he made it to the counter. He rested his elbows on the pink surface, his sinewy forearms on display with his flannel shirt rolled up to his elbows.
His azure gaze went lazily up and down my body as he shamelessly checked me out.
“What’s your name, darlin’?” he asked when he finally made it to my eyes, which were narrowed at him.
“Well, it’s certainly notdarlin’,” I responded, imitating his accent on the last word, my tone sharp and aggressive.
His eyes flared and his smile widened at my response, not put off in the slightest. “Ah, an accent, Australian, if I’m not mistaken. I’ve never had an Australian before.”
I scowled at him, at his words and the easy, confident way in which he delivered them.
“You certainly won’t be having this one,” I replied, voice tight and hackles up.
He thrummed the counter with his fingers. They were long, slender yet manly.
“I wouldn’t sound so sure,” he murmured. “I’m gonna grow on you.”
I tilted my head as I ran my eyes purposefully up and down his body in the same manner he had to me. He was tall, wearing faded jeans that were stained with paint, work boots and a tee underneath a red flannel. He was wearing a worn baseball cap. His angular jaw was covered in a light dusting of stubble only a shade darker than his dirty blond hair.
Objectively attractive.
If he weren’t quite obviously a massive douchebag.
“I doubt that,” I replied. Then I purposefully turned my attention to the person beside him, essentially dismissing Kip.
The person beside him just happened to be Rowan Derrick. His business partner and best friend.
I was attracted to Rowan first. In fact, I’d all but ignored Kip and his shameless attempts at flirting with me every time they came in, which was often.
I’d been flirting with Rowan. Not quite shamelessly. But I’d gotten a little more … aggressive when Rowan didn’t respond to my normal efforts. Not that I’d needed to make an effort normally. I was blonde, had an unoffensive face, great tits and an accent. Men usually came easily to me.
Rowan did not.
He did not give any kind of inclination that he found me attractive. He was polite, spoke in as few words as possible and kept his gaze at my eye level at all times. Not even one glance down to the chest area, and I had been wearing some pretty chest-exposing outfits.
It was not until later that I understood that my best friend and boss Nora was into him. In a big way. Then I backed the fuck off. Even though she was engaged to a complete asshole at the time. Though I didn’t say it out loud that I thought her fiancé was a complete asshole. Not until she called off the wedding at least and then tumbled headfirst into a relationship with Rowan.
I was very happy with those turn of events, to put it lightly. Any attraction I had to him went up in smoke. It was all superficial anyway. I didn’t do deep. Didn’t do relationships. And I certainly didn’t do love.
Though I liked watching my bestie fall in love.
Unfortunately, Kip was also watching his best friend fall in love. Which meant he was around me. Often. And since I was no longer flirting with Rowan, I was subjected to Kip’s continual efforts to get into my pants.
He was somewhat notorious in Jupiter. Ever since him and Rowan arrived, started Derrick & Goodman construction, they caused a stir. Women—and men—all over town suddenly had remodeling jobs that just had to be done.
Rowan, as I understood, was not a monk by any means. But he was somewhat discreet with his dalliances.
