Rome deadpanned. “No.” Then immediately took my hand. “You three assholes can piss off.”
“We’re actually here to get some work done,” Cash said.
Rome hitched his chin at him. “Give me five minutes.”
We crossed Main Street with three bikers watching us.
“I should be shocked about the drastic changes in my life,” I said to Rome as I stepped onto the sidewalk, “but I actually like it.”
Rome leaned down and pressed a kiss to my lips. “Then that must mean you’re doing something right.” He tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. “If you need anything, just call me, okay? Something tells me I’m going to be tied up with those assholes for most of the day, but I’m just across the street.”
I nodded. “I’ll send out the bat signal if I need you.”
Rome leaned down and kissed me again.
I smiled against his mouth. He smiled back, then stepped away. “I’ll be across the street.”
I nodded. “I know.”
I unlocked the front door, turned back one last time, and Rome was already heading toward Bad Habit with his hands in his pockets.
He looked over his shoulder and caught me staring.
“Stop being so sexy, and I’ll stop staring,” I called, not caring who heard. “It’s rude being that handsome.”
He let out a loud laugh. “It’s only for you, baby. Only you, Josie.”
My heart did a flip at his words, and slipped into Scoop & Swirl.
Damn it, I really liked that man. Really really liked.
Chapter Twenty-One
Rome
By almost eight o’clock, I had given up pretending I was getting anything done.
I was sitting at the desk in my office at Bad Habit staring at invoices that might as well have been written in another language. My laptop sat open. A stack of order forms waited beside me. I hadn’t read a single line in twenty minutes because I was thinking about Josie.
Specifically, I was thinking about the way she’d smiled this morning when she looked at the tattoo on her wrist.
The way she’d leaned into me when the guys from the club started giving me shit.
I rubbed my hand over my face. I was pathetic.
I was smiling at invoices because a curvy brunette woman who sold ice cream liked me.
I was gone. Skid was right.
My phone buzzed and I picked it up to see a text from Josie. Can I hitch a ride home with you?
I grinned immediately. See, pathetic. Maybe.
Three dots appeared. Pretty please?
What am I going to get out of it? I replied.
A milkshake? She offered.
