Page 36 of The Casanova Complex

Might have to fight this motherfucker after all.

His girlfriend is a thing of the past as he glares at the two of us, and that in itself is as fucked-up as the fact that he brought her here in front of Merritt.

“Merritt, this is bullshit. You’re not dating this dick. I know better,” Blake spits through clenched teeth.

“Clearly you don’t, since it’s me sitting beside her. How about you fuck off and leave Merritt alone, or we’re going to have an entirely different conversation next time, yeah?”

I’m angling myself toward him because if he reaches for her, I’m going to knock him the fuck out.

But just as he opens his mouth, undoubtedly to do what he does best and talk shit, Amos walks up to the table, his gray brows pulled together tightly. “Is there a problem here, fellas?”

“Nope,” I answer immediately, not giving Dickface a chance to say a fucking word. “He was just going back to his girlfriend. Isn’t that right, Gauthreaux?”

A beat passes, and then another, and I can practically see his anger radiating off him in tiny little steaming billows, but ultimately, he shakes his head. “I’ll see you on the ice, Legros.” He says it like a threat, and I just smirk as he turns, stalking away.

Seconds later, the bell above the door jingles as he wrenches it open, and both he and his girlfriend disappear out of it. He slams it so hard that the window shakes, disappearing from sight.

Guess they’re not having lunch, then?

Amos is barely out of earshot when Merritt shrugs out of my hold and whips toward me, her eyes widened. “Girlfriend, Legros? What the hell?”

CHAPTER TEN

MERRITT

I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that my ex-boyfriend just showed up at my favorite bakery with the girl he cheated on me with while Bennett picks up the last beignet out of the box and takes a bite like I didn’t just ask him a question.

I punch him in the arm, and he laughs.

He freaking laughs.

I wave my fingers through the air because holy shit, it was like hitting a damn brick wall, and now I’m even more annoyed because they’re hurting. “Answer the question. Why the hell did you do that?”

He shrugs. “Hey, you kissed me first, Mer Bear.” His words are mumbled around a mouthful. “And clearly, the fucker needed to be humbled, so I just did the first thing that came to my mind.”

“And pretending to be my freaking boyfriend is the very first thing that came to your mind?” I deadpan.

When he smirks, waggling his brow, I roll my eyes and press myself back against the booth.

“The better question is… how the hell you ended up with that asshole? Or what really just happened?” he says before tossing the last bite into his mouth.

“Nope.”

“Nope?”

I lift a brow. “Are you repeating what I’m saying now?”

Bennett shakes his head, eying me. “I just wanna know what that was about. He’s Dickface, isn’t he?”

Somehow, only barely, I suppress the overwhelming desire to punch him again. Mostly in self-preservation so I don’t hurt my hand for the second time in the last five minutes.

I forgot that he looked through my phone the other day.

And obviously, he’s not going to let this go, judging by the way he’s staring at me.

I’m clearly still discombobulated after that kiss, and I need to pull it together.

Jesus, Merritt, why the hell did you do that?