“I don’t believe you, Mae.” She shook her head before glancing at her watch. “I’m sorry to cut this visit so short, but I did want to give you a heads-up that Clayton was off his leash.”
“Thank you, Van. I love you.” It was true. I had loved her since the day we met in pre-school. The only person who knew me better than Vanessa was Milo.
“Chicks before dicks,” she called over her back as she left the shop.
Milo came over and supervised my store long enough for me to run to the diner to grab some carryout lunch for us. We talked about expanding our menu to include deli sandwiches and various side dishes during lunch hours, but we didn’t think there was enough need for it yet. Besides, the best way to make enemies in a small town was to pull business away from someone who’s already established. I’d rather stay on Edson and Emma’s good side because I didn’t want them spitting in my food.
“Emma’s meatloaf is the best,” Milo said once we gathered in my office to eat. “Don’t tell Mama or Grandmama I said that.”
“Your secret is safe with me,” I said before I took my first bite of savory chicken, dumplings, and real mashed potatoes. “Damn, I’m going to ask Emma to marry me.”
“Maybe she’ll adopt us,” Milo said, tucking into the baked macaroni and cheese he ordered as a side dish.
I heard the little bell over the door jingle letting me know that someone had entered my shop. The last thing I wanted to do was stop eating, but duty called. I closed the lid on my takeout carton and gave Milo a look that warned him to keep his fork to himself. I knew how many dumplings were left.
The welcoming smile I had plastered on my face wilted when I stepped out of my office and I saw who disgraced me with his presence. “Clayton,” I said tersely.
“Maegan, you look beautiful.”
I wanted to go back inside my office, soundly shut the door, and finish eating, but I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing he still ruffled my feathers. Instead, I marched across the room until we were nearly toe to toe. I crossed my arms over my chest and gave him the same look I’d just given Milo. I meant business, and I wouldn’t suffer his foolishness much longer than it took for him to tell me why he came, as if I didn’t already know. “What do you want?” Succinct and direct to the point; it was the only way to deal with people like him.
“Is that any tone to use on the guy who will be taking you to dinner tonight?”
Did this sack of shit actually think I was pathetic enough to go on a date with him after what he’d done to me last year? Looking at him right then, I couldn’t even remember why I was even attracted to him in the first place. His height and looks were average and nothing to get excited over. He certainly didn’t have the rugged, bad boy look and his shoulders weren’t as broad as a linebacker’s. I never called Clayton’s name in the throes of passion—not with a vibrator, and definitely not with him, because he was the kind of lover who wasn’t a member of the Ladies First Club. Not to sound cruel, but he was a three-pump-chump. Afterward, he had the audacity to blame his short performance on me. He’d never had someone so tight and hot, yada yada yada. As if that was going to impress me.
“I’m not going anywhere with you, Clayton. Not tonight and not ever.”
“Darling, is this attitude left over from the little misunderstanding we had last year?” His smarmy voice made me want to puke. Misunderstanding?Is that what sleazebags called it these days?“Come out with me tonight, so I can make it up to you.” That pleading expression on his face was everything I dreamed of for years, but not anymore.
“Sloppy seconds just aren’t my style, Clayton. Move along before this gets really embarrassing for you.”
“Maegan…”
“I believe the lady asked you to leave.”Elijah!
Oh God! That voice! I nearly spontaneously orgasmed right on the spot. I didn’t risk turning around and looking at him for fear of making an ass of myself. I kept my eyes on Clayton’s surprised face instead. I waited for his eyes to return to me so that he saw how serious I was. “I did ask you to leave, and I meant it.”
“I’ll call you later.”
“No, you won’t,” Elijah and I said at the same time.
“Who the fuck are you?” Clayton asked the newcomer.He’s the man who can make me come without trying.
I felt the heat radiating off Elijah’s body as he approached and heard leather shifting before I felt the pressure of his hand on my shoulder. I closed my eyes because it felt so right.
“Who I am isn’t important,” Elijah said in a deadly calm voice. “Leave this store and do not bother her again.”
“See you around, Maegan,” Clayton said as he beat a hasty retreat out the door. I figured his next move was to call his sister and demand to know who Elijah was to me. I gave it ten minutes tops before Vanessa dialed my cell phone and eleven minutes before she called the shop’s landline when I didn’t answer my cell.
I expected Elijah to drop his hand once Clayton left, but he didn’t. Instead, he massaged my neck in small circles with his thumb. A small whimper escaped my parted lips and my head fell forward, giving him more access. A warm chuckle rumbled out of his chest and he raised his other hand to my neck and deepened his massage.
“Don’t stop,” I whispered, not recognizing the husky voice as my own.
“I’ve been wanting to hear you say that since the moment we met.”
I was ready to drag him into my office when I heard someone clear their throat followed by, “Aren’t you going to introduce me to yourfriend, Maegan?”
Fuck! Milo!
