“Thank you. You and Kayden are pretty great too.”
Red flushed the woman’s cheeks. “Thanks. It was a tough road getting to where we are, but I’m so glad we got here.”
“I’m sorry it was hard.”
She lifted a shoulder. “A lot of people disliked me when I first returned to Misty Peak, and Kayden definitely didn’t trust me. But he does now, and the other locals are slowly coming around.”
Elle nodded. She knew all about what Tilly’s father had done, everyone in Misty Peak did, but unlike a lot of locals, Elle never blamed Tilly for that. She wasn’t the one who’d done anything wrong. “I’m glad people are finding some sense.”
They stopped at the bar, where Harper stepped in front of them and smiled. “Hey! More daiquiris?”
“You read my mind,” Tilly gushed. “They are amazing. Please tell me they’re a permanent addition to the menu.”
Harper was just responding when a group of guys approached the bar, standing beside Elle. She was going to ignore them, but when the closest guy bumped her shoulder, she turned—only to groan.
Casper. Lord grant her patience.
His mouth spread into a wide smile. “Elle Marshal. You are lookinghottonight.”
She scrunched her nose. She wore jeans with heels, and a tank top that showed maybe an inch of midriff. It wasn’t the sexiest outfit she’d ever worn, but then, whenever this guy came home for a visit and bumped into her, he loved to make comments about her appearance.
“Thanks.”
She turned back to the women, only to have Casper lean into her side. “Ya know, every time I come to town, you get hotter.”
Was that supposed to be a compliment? “Please don’t do that.”
“What?”
She looked back at him. “You and I aren’t friends. In fact, you’ve always been a huge, gigantic ass to me. So don’t comment on the way I look, and don’t stand so close to me.”
“Can’t a man change his mind when a woman becomes hot as fuck?”
Becomes?Argh. If there was a king of the pigs, it would be him.
“Everything okay, Elle?”
She turned back at Tilly’s voice, just as Harper set the drinks onto the bar.
“Yeah, let’s go back to the guys.” She was not going to let this jackass affect her mood tonight.
She went to reach for her card, but Harper shook her head. “No money needed.”
“Thanks.”
Elle grabbed her drink and started to follow Tilly away, only to have her arm yanked back. She gasped as the drink spilled onto her top.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” she shouted.
“Me?” Casper asked. “You’re the one acting like a bitch. What? You think you’re too good for me now you’re not packing the weight anymore?”
She moved on instinct, throwing her drink into his face. “Don’tevertalk to me like that again. Or better yet, don’t evertalkto me again.”
Red tinged his cheeks and anger darkened his features. Then he reached out to grab her.
“You can’t stop touching her,”Kayden said quietly the second the women stepped away.
“I know. I feel like I’ve been fighting my feelings for her my entire life, and now that I’ve finally allowed myself to have her, I need to make up for lost time.”
