“No,” Dom and Jaxon say at the same time, but the look on Dom’s face tells me he knows he just lost that excuse.
“Good to know,” I say.
Checkmate, big man.
“Beckett,you have to try this lotion. It smells divine.” Lucas appears at my side like a shopping fairy, thrusting out his hand. “Lavender honey, with goat’s milk soap. You know how wrecked our hands get from washing dishes all day.”
He’s not wrong.
“See? Smooth as a baby’s bottom,” he says, dragging the back of his hand across my cheek.
I jerk my head back. “Jesus, warn a guy before you blind him with moisturizer.”
His laugh bubbles out, bright and unbothered.
And there, a few feet away, is Dom.
I can feel his stare before I fully look—sharp, heavy, all carved jaw and clenched shoulders. Jealousy looks annoyingly good on him. Too bad he doesn’t get to wear it without owning the reason. You don’t get to kiss me, bolt like I’m a crime scene, and then glare at my very attractive friend for touching my face.
You want to play, big guy? Come get me.
“Oh my God, and then I met these two old ladies,” Lucas continues, cupping a hand around his mouth like we’re trading state secrets. “If you need wine, let me know. I’m ninety percent sure they’ve got a bootleg operation going on.”
I snort. “Yeah, that tracks.”
Dom takes a step closer. I catch it in my periphery and pretend I don’t.
“Do you know what we really need? Cupcakes!” I grab his hand and pull him away, fully aware that Dom is ten steps behind. “Olly makes the best cupcakes. Don’t even get me started on his toffee bars.”
“Hey Beckett, how’s it going?” Olly asks as we reach the stand.
I lean in, placing my hand on Lucas’s chest. His eyes go wide at the contact. “Just go with it, please?” I whisper.
“Fine, you owe me.”
I turn back to Olly. “I was just telling Lucas here about how amazing your cupcakes are.”
“Oh, fuck,” Jasper whispers. “Incoming.”
Just what I was expecting.
“I’ve heard amazing things about your baking skills,” Lucas says.
“Lucas is a baker I met while living out in LA,” I tell them.
“LA… Of course, because the people you hung out with in LA were all winners,” Dom says, coming to a stop next to me.
“And here we go,” Jasper says quietly.
My frustration is at its boiling point. “You know what? Therearegood people everywhere, Dom.” I narrow my eyes and point. “Maybeyoujust don’tseeit.”
“Lucas, wanna share a vanilla cupcake?” I turn my attention back to my guest, who I’m pretty sure is silently begging me not to get him killed.
He clears his throat. “Of course, I would love a cupcake. But I’m actually not a fan of vanilla. Can we share a chocolate one instead?”
Pretty sure I just heard Jasper let out a growl at the word chocolate.
“And maybe I see good people everywhere, but that doesn’t mean I’m one of them,” Dom says.
