find something,” he admits.
“He’s also studying law, so he could get out of it.”
“Damn,” he mutters. “Forgot that. He really isn’t the dad?”
“He really isn’t the dad. Or so he says. I mean, I dunno, Cal.” I pause. “What if he’s just saying it, you know? I’m not stupid. He came to my door for one reason, and that’s to get me back.”
“You sure, sis?”
“Cal, you don’t go to your ex’s door and tell her you’re still in love with her if you aren’t trying to get her back.”
“But aren’t you seeing Jack Carr?”
“I was never seeing him. I was sleeping with him.”
“Was.”
“Yes. Was. Because in light of Mitch’s visit, I’ve decided that I’m going to avoid men for a while. Therefore, I am not longer seeing or sleeping with Jack.”
“You’re doin’ a great job of avoiding men,” a voice drawls from behind me.
My brother raises his eyebrows.
I turn to face Jack. “My brother doesn’t count. He’s not going to piss me off. Unless it’s Thanksgiving. Then it’s a given.”
Jack ignores me and steps around me. “Jack Carr.”
Cal holds his hand out. “Calvin Kelly. LAPD and protector of this crazy kid.”
“I’m not a kid,” I mutter, restocking another bra rack.
“Right,” my brother says slowly. “I’m gonna head off. I’ve gotta get back to work.” He turns to me and points a finger at me. “He pisses you off, you call me. Got it? I’ll pin his ass with something.”
“Yes, Cal, I got it.”
“Awesome.” He kisses my forehead, shakes Jack’s hand again, and disappears out of the door.
I lick my lips and ignore Jack. I can feel his eyes on me though. They’re angry but soft, his gaze burning into the back of my head so fiercely that I’m surprised he hasn’t singed my hair yet.
“You didn’t come over.”
I nod slowly, bending down to grab a selection of bright-pink bras from my box. “I was somewhat…distressed, last night.”
“I heard. Corey told me everything.”
“Of course he did,” I breathe, looking down at the underwear in my hands. “What do you want, Jack? I’m working.”
“I wanna talk to you, baby.”
I shake my head. “I was going to call you after work. Whatever it was that happened before he came back, it’s done. I need—I want to be alone. I’m not ready for a relationship of any kind, even if it only involves dinner, sex, and bacon three times a week.”
“You ditchin’ me for him, gorgeous?”
My heart thumps. “No. I’m not ditching anyone for anyone other than myself.”
“When do you get off?”
“Thirty minutes.” Why did I say that?
“I’ll be waiting outside.”
“Why?”
“Because,” he whispers, stepping forward and catching my chin between his finger and thumb. “You and me, M, are on very different pages about the status of our ‘dinner, sex, and bacon three times a week’ relationship. You say over. I say not. So we gotta talk, and we’re gonna talk.”
“There’s no good arguing with you, is there?” I sigh weakly, enthralled by the amusement playing within his bright, green eyes.
“No.” He smiles, leans forward, and just barely touches his lips to mine.
Then, like he didn’t just come in and throw my resolve to avoid him under his shoe and stomp on it, he turns and walks out of the store.
M acey walks toward me and puts her hand on her hip. “Let’s go.”
Before I can reply, she sweeps past me and toward the exit of the mall. I grin and follow her, catching up to her quickly. I rest my arm over her shoulders, and she coughs.
Her eyes flit to mine. “How’d you know where I work?”
“Asked Leah,” I reply.
“Of course you did.” She punctuates her words with a drawn-out sigh.
“You get a staff discount?”
“Forty percent.” Macey looks at me. “And yes, I use it.”
My lips tug up. That explains that black set that drove me fucking crazy last week. “Good to know.”
Macey sighs and shrugs my arm off of her. Digging
“He’s also studying law, so he could get out of it.”
“Damn,” he mutters. “Forgot that. He really isn’t the dad?”
“He really isn’t the dad. Or so he says. I mean, I dunno, Cal.” I pause. “What if he’s just saying it, you know? I’m not stupid. He came to my door for one reason, and that’s to get me back.”
“You sure, sis?”
“Cal, you don’t go to your ex’s door and tell her you’re still in love with her if you aren’t trying to get her back.”
“But aren’t you seeing Jack Carr?”
“I was never seeing him. I was sleeping with him.”
“Was.”
“Yes. Was. Because in light of Mitch’s visit, I’ve decided that I’m going to avoid men for a while. Therefore, I am not longer seeing or sleeping with Jack.”
“You’re doin’ a great job of avoiding men,” a voice drawls from behind me.
My brother raises his eyebrows.
I turn to face Jack. “My brother doesn’t count. He’s not going to piss me off. Unless it’s Thanksgiving. Then it’s a given.”
Jack ignores me and steps around me. “Jack Carr.”
Cal holds his hand out. “Calvin Kelly. LAPD and protector of this crazy kid.”
“I’m not a kid,” I mutter, restocking another bra rack.
“Right,” my brother says slowly. “I’m gonna head off. I’ve gotta get back to work.” He turns to me and points a finger at me. “He pisses you off, you call me. Got it? I’ll pin his ass with something.”
“Yes, Cal, I got it.”
“Awesome.” He kisses my forehead, shakes Jack’s hand again, and disappears out of the door.
I lick my lips and ignore Jack. I can feel his eyes on me though. They’re angry but soft, his gaze burning into the back of my head so fiercely that I’m surprised he hasn’t singed my hair yet.
“You didn’t come over.”
I nod slowly, bending down to grab a selection of bright-pink bras from my box. “I was somewhat…distressed, last night.”
“I heard. Corey told me everything.”
“Of course he did,” I breathe, looking down at the underwear in my hands. “What do you want, Jack? I’m working.”
“I wanna talk to you, baby.”
I shake my head. “I was going to call you after work. Whatever it was that happened before he came back, it’s done. I need—I want to be alone. I’m not ready for a relationship of any kind, even if it only involves dinner, sex, and bacon three times a week.”
“You ditchin’ me for him, gorgeous?”
My heart thumps. “No. I’m not ditching anyone for anyone other than myself.”
“When do you get off?”
“Thirty minutes.” Why did I say that?
“I’ll be waiting outside.”
“Why?”
“Because,” he whispers, stepping forward and catching my chin between his finger and thumb. “You and me, M, are on very different pages about the status of our ‘dinner, sex, and bacon three times a week’ relationship. You say over. I say not. So we gotta talk, and we’re gonna talk.”
“There’s no good arguing with you, is there?” I sigh weakly, enthralled by the amusement playing within his bright, green eyes.
“No.” He smiles, leans forward, and just barely touches his lips to mine.
Then, like he didn’t just come in and throw my resolve to avoid him under his shoe and stomp on it, he turns and walks out of the store.
M acey walks toward me and puts her hand on her hip. “Let’s go.”
Before I can reply, she sweeps past me and toward the exit of the mall. I grin and follow her, catching up to her quickly. I rest my arm over her shoulders, and she coughs.
Her eyes flit to mine. “How’d you know where I work?”
“Asked Leah,” I reply.
“Of course you did.” She punctuates her words with a drawn-out sigh.
“You get a staff discount?”
“Forty percent.” Macey looks at me. “And yes, I use it.”
My lips tug up. That explains that black set that drove me fucking crazy last week. “Good to know.”
Macey sighs and shrugs my arm off of her. Digging
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