“A real date? Not some excuse to justify a night in the great Jack Bloom’s bed?” she asked, waiting.
He tried to look wounded. She wasn’t buying it.
With a chuckle, he agreed. “You’re a real hard-ass, Ms. Weaver. A true redhead with that temper.” He studied her from the top her head to her toes and back up again. “How about I take you to dinner tomorrow night? My treat. Josh can stay with my parents.”
“Okay.” She liked a number of the restaurants in town. And being out and about with him would temper her desire to mount the man like a horse and ride. Talk about having a hard time—bad choice of words—not imagining herself on top of him in bed.
“I’ll pick you up at six. That work?”
“Sure.”
He approached her, invading her personal space once again, and she scowled.
“You are too cute.”
Annoyed, she opened her mouth to protest when the devil kissed her.Again.Leaving her breathless and aroused.
“Okay, angel. Tomorrow at six. Wear something sexy. Panties optional.” He darted out the door before she could smack him.
“Panties optional,” she muttered, trying hard not to smile and failing. “What an ass.” Thoughts of his fine body had her sighing. “Oh boy, what an ass.”
Ann knew she’d gotten in over her head, so she called an emergency meeting with Maya and Riley at her place. Armed with popcorn and lemonade, she told her pathetic story to her girlfriends and waited for their opinions.
Maya didn’t disappoint. “I saw him on Monday at the store. And, girlfriend, he might be a dick, but I get the attraction. That man is four alarm hot. Danger, danger, Ann Weaver.”
“Sounds like,” said Riley, currently engrossed in her addiction to popcorn. “So he’s still a good kisser, huh?”
“Unfortunately, yeah. Even better than high school.” Ann stared at her bowl, not hungry. “I mean, if he’d just say he was sorry, that would probably help a lot. But he acts like what happened was no big deal.”
“It did happen. Twelve years ago.” Riley shrugged. “Hey, don’t glare at me. I’m playing devil’s advocate.”
“More like demon adversary,” Maya muttered.
“I’m saying—” Riley glared at Maya before turning back to Ann “—you have to consider that while you had a lot of angst over what happened, he has no idea. Granted, if he’d wanted to break it off with you, he should have done it in private. Involving Selena was cruel.”
“That bitch hated us from day one,” Maya agreed. “Rich, blonde, always dating the flavor of the week. I’m still not sure what the hell Riley and I did to earn her spite. I mean, you, Ann, I get. You were prettier than she was, not rich—so all the cool kids weren’t wanting you for your money—and everyone liked you. Jealousy makes sense. But no one liked me.”
“We still don’t,” Riley said.
Maya flipped her off. “They tolerated Riley, because even back then she baked the best brownies. Not that I see any here. Thanks for bringing some.”
“Your ass is welcome. It doesn’t need to get any bigger.”
“Suck it, Hewitt.”
“Please.” Riley looked Maya over. “I wouldn’t know where to begin.”
Maya glared, then broke into laughter. “You’re good. Snark is such a fine art, and you’re way better than our nice little Ms. Weaver.” In falsetto, she mocked, “Oh, Jack, kiss me, please. You broke my heart once, I’m dying for you to do it again.”
Ann growled. “Hey. I’m trying to get some help. It’s not my fault he’s a good kisser.”
“You two have chemistry,” Riley agreed. “Hard to deny that.”
“True. He’s handsome, despite the fact he’s an ass. You want your revenge, use it to your advantage.” Maya nodded. “Make him pay for what he did. Use him and lose him. Play with him. No one’s arguing that he’s a ton of eye candy.”
Riley sighed. “You got that right. I saw him on the street yesterday. And, girl, he is just…wow. Like melted butter on a peach muffin.”
“Great. Now I’m hungry for something sweet.” Maya looked around for snacks on the table and spotted nothing but popcorn and peanuts.
