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He had acted like such a dick all morning. It made me feel used after what happened last night even though I knew he wanted me badly. At this moment though, I couldn’t stand the sight of him. After he had carried me to the gas station, we sat by a small table in the corner of the convenience store, waiting for Sebastian. The lake house was about a 45-minute drive from Braven, and the fact that this little town here was two hours away meant that I was stuck with this insufferable man for the next three hours.
The store was part convenience store and part miniature diner. It was nothing fancy, to say the least, but it did what it needed to do. The smell of wet wood riddled the air, and the food in the fridges looked like it was nearing expiration.
I felt Daniel’s eyes on me again.
I had kept to myself and made sure to keep my eyes as far right as possible. I didn’t want to accidentally make eye contact with the enemy. Was I being dramatic? Yes, but this whole road trip so far had been nothing short of terrible. Not only had I let my guard down and allowed this man to ruffle my feathers. Now, my body was betraying me.
Images of the club bathroom flashed in my mind, and I seized up. I shook my head violently, trying to rid myself of that night.
Damn those dirty martinis.
When I saw Claire again, I was going to give her an earful. Her brother was insufferable; granted, she didn’t know how bad he had been during my time at the office. And she certainly didn’t know about the little club mishap.
The man was impossible at the best of times, but now he was completely and utterly unbearable.
Everything about him irked me and caused me to get sick to stomach thinking about last night.
“Do you want some food?” He pointed to my now-empty cup of water and then raised his eyebrow. “I think you should eat something.”
“I’m fine,” I grumbled under my breath.
“Eat something, Selena.”
“I said I’m fine.” First, he ignored me, and now he wanted to act like he cared. “Excuse me. The air has suddenly become…toxic to breathe.”
I got up from my seat, needing to put as much distance between him and me as possible. I hated how confused he made my head. I had so many questions about that night at the club. Why had he done it? What did he want from me? The games he was playing made my head spin.
I walked over to the counter, wanting to order an iced tea; maybe it would cool the scorching heat coursing through my veins.
“Hey,” I smiled at the manager behind the counter. The man was a looker, to say the least. Crystal blue eyes and a lumberjack build that would have any woman weak in the knees. He would greatly distract me from Mr. Confusion if I had the time.
“The pretty lady is back,” he gave me a dashing smile that illuminated his lumberjack face. He was just the right amount of rugged and handsome that I liked. “What can I do for ya, darlin’?”
Oh, that accent, he was a troublemaker. I had known it from the moment I saw the little mischievous glint in his eyes. But that accent confirmed it all for me.
I leaned over the counter and gave him my flirty eyes. If I was going to be stuck here for the next few hours, I was determined to pass the time with far more favorable company than the large burley ogre I left at the table.
“What can I do for you? Another water? Some food? Possibly my number or a bed to lay in—maybe mine?”
Oh, he’s fun.
“My number? And pray tell good sir, what will you do with that exactly?”
“I don’t know,” he lifted his shoulder and leaned his hands against the counter. “Maybe I could show you around our little humble town here. I know how you big city people love humbling yourselves and pretending like you are connected to our quaint way of life.”
I arched an eyebrow, to which he winked. This man was trouble with a capital T, which meant he was exactly what I was looking for.
I cocked an eyebrow up. “And how do you know I’m from a big city?”
“You’re kidding,” he let out a low and rumbling laugh, “you scream big city, darlin’. Seeing as you two came in here walking, you were driving, and even though you have that sun-kissed California glow, my guess is that you are from the windy city of Chicago.”
“Impressive…but I’m actually from a little up north in Braven Bay, and I can tell that you’re not from around here just the same.”
He tilted his head to the side, taking me in longer than he had before. Something crossed past his eyes, but it didn’t stay for long.
“No, Chicago. You may have been born in Braven, but that scent washed off of you years ago.”
He was right.
