I laughed because her timing was perfect. But Miles? He inhaled sharply, like he was trying to keep himself from saying something worse.
Before I had to hear him flap his mouth again, I took that as my cue to head back downstairs. He was already starting to wear on me.
My boots hit the concrete as I rounded the corner of the shop and walked to where Ellie always parked in the alley. I opened her back door and grabbed one of the boxes, spinning around?—
Only to nearly crash into Miles.
“Jesus, man,” I muttered, instinctively taking a step back. He was way too close, like he’d been waiting.
Without asking, Miles reached out to take the box from me—ortriedto.
“I got it from here,” he said coolly. “Thanks for helping her out. You’re not needed anymore.”
I blinked, caught between disbelief and amusement. Then I grinned.
Did this asshole just try to dismiss me like I was some temp for hire?
“Nah, I’m good,” I replied, pulling the box back into my chest and stepping around him.
As I made for the stairs, his hand clamped onto my shoulder.
I stopped.
Slowly, I turned, and he was standing behind me with another box in his arms, trying to play it like we were just two guys helping out. But his eyes told a different story.
I stared him down, cool and unwavering.
If he thought I was going to back off, he had another thing coming.
“I’m serious,” he said, lowering his voice as if we were sharing a secret. “I’m trying to impress her. I mean, have youseenher?”
Then, as if that wasn’t enough, he let out a low, appreciative whistle.
My jaw clenched.
“So that’s what this is?” I asked, keeping my voice calm. “You’re helping her move because you want to get with her?”
There’s a difference between being drawn to someone—between genuinely wanting to show up for them—and what he was talking about.
Ellie wasn’t some casual prize to chase or a challenge to conquer. She deserved better. So much better.
She deserved tenderness. Patience. A man who saw her fire and matched it, not someone who wanted to own it.
“She’s hot,” Miles said, like he hadn’t heard a word I’d said. “And I know these small-town girls eat up charm. So yeah—I like my odds.”
He motioned toward the box in his hands like it was his golden ticket.
I scoffed, shaking my head. “For fuck’s sake.”
With that, I turned and walked up the steps without another word.
He wasn’t just getting under my skin—he was burrowing in deep, testing every ounce of patience I had left.
I was a levelheaded guy. Collected. Steady.
But when it came to Ellie, there were lines I didn’t let anyone cross.
And Miles was one cocky comment away from crossing all of them.
