The Bachelor: a one-night stand boss romance

Chapter 3

Shane ordereda Belgian waffle and absently watched the waitress give him a warmer on his coffee. What the hell was he doing? His initial concern for a woman alone late at night was giving way to an intense curiosity he had no business feeling. What did it matter to him what she was doing in Nashville? Why did he care that she not go home alone to cry? He liked people, and he liked to talk and hear stories. But he didn’t share secrets. He never talked about his childhood, because that chapter was closed as far as he was concerned. Talking about his father gave him recognition he didn’t deserve. And he wasn’t about to tell Avery he was a music producer and his sister was the famous country star Jolene Hart. Avery would either freak out and bolt, or she would see him as an opportunity to take advantage of. It had happened before, and he had shrugged it off. But he didn’t want Avery to look at him with either of those reactions. He wanted her to just…connect with him.

Maybe he was missing that in his life.

That made him raise his coffee to his mouth and roll his eyes at himself. Why the fuck should he care if this slip of a girl liked him? Everyone liked him. He was friends with tons of people.

Close to no one.

Damn. He should have gone home.

Feelings were stirring up he wasn’t comfortable with.

Shane eyed the restroom. Avery had been in there a while. She had been on the verge of tears when she’d jumped out of her chair and he didn’t know why specifically. But obviously she’d had a completely lousy night, so it wasn’t unexpected.

The bells to the door jingled and he turned to see who had walked in. It was a guy, around twenty-five, average looking, kind of short. He seemed annoyed. Shane thought it might be Ben. He eyed the restroom again but no sign of Avery.

When he realized the guy was holding a purse, one that looked beat to hell and back, he was sure. So he stood up and went over to him. “Hey, are you Ben? Avery’s in the restroom.”

Ben gave him a frown. “Who are you?”

Shane instantly disliked the guy’s attitude. “I’m the guy who pulled her off the street when you dumped her out of your truck. I let her borrow my phone to get in touch with you.”

Ben’s shoulders stiffened. “She jumped out on her own. That’s Avery, though. She’s impulsive. Always has been.” He shouldered past Shane.

Now Shane really disliked him. So somehow this douchebag was blaming Avery? And had the gall to bump Shane on his way by? “Where are you going?”

“To drag her annoying butt out of the bathroom and give her this ugly-ass purse. Why do you care?” Ben sneered at him.

For being hobbit size, the guy had a lot of fucking nerve, Shane had to say. “Just give me the purse. She doesn’t want to see you.”

“I’m not giving her purse to a total stranger.”

“Then I’ll go get her. You wait here.” Shane didn’t wait for an answer. He thought about Avery dating this guy and couldn’t picture it. At all. She seemed so sweet and cute. This dude had little-man syndrome, and Shane found it hard to believe that he’d managed to find a woman willing to cheat with him. The personality just wasn’t there as far as he could tell. And the guy didn’t need to be such a prick, especially given the circumstances. He should feel guilty, not smug.

He approached the restroom right as Avery yanked the door open and came charging out, her face determined, strides confident. She plowed right into him. The first thing Shane noticed was how sweet she smelled. Like flowers and country air. It was like she’d infused Kentucky into her red hair and wore it like a perfume. He felt an overwhelming sense of melancholy roll over him. What the fuck? He grabbed her arms to steady her.

“Oh!” She jumped back, stumbling a little. “Sorry.”

“You okay?” he asked, keeping his hands on her thin arms. She was petite, but she was fit. Those arms held the muscles of someone who rode her horse daily, or who worked in the yard. She felt stronger than he expected. Her size and her predicament made her seem more fragile than she probably was.

He felt it again, that inappropriate flicker of lust that he had absolutely zero business feeling. Damn dick didn’t seem to understand timing. But what man hadn’t thought that a million times in his life?

She opened her mouth to speak, but instead just bit her bottom lip, her perfectly straight white teeth sinking into the tender cherry red flesh, turning it white. Shane wanted to take that lip between his own teeth. Tease it, bite it, suck it, kiss it. He was distracted, everything in him shifting into the oddest combination of desire and protectiveness. She spoke, but he didn’t hear a word, too busy staring at her mouth.

It wasn’t until her eyes darted to the space behind him that he remembered what the hell he was supposed to be doing. He squeezed her arms gently. “Ben’s here.”

Her hand fluttered up to the neckline of her dress. “Damn. I mean, that’s good. But damn.”

“I can leave you alone with him or go with you for backup. Your choice.” He really wanted to go with her, but it was frankly none of his business.

She tugged again at her dress, shifting the neck so he could see more of her creamy, ivory flesh. There was no cleavage. It was inches higher than that would be, and if anything, that made her even more tantalizing. Somewhere, underneath that virginal white lace, was a woman’s body, and he found the idea incredibly enticing. He cleared his throat and forced his eyes up to hers.

“The mature thing to do would be to go alone,” she said.

“The mature thing to do would also be to not punch him in the face, but I fully support you doing that.” The guy was a tool.

Avery cracked a smile. “That does sound appealing. Okay, let’s make this quick. I don’t want to hash out anything with him. There is nothing to discuss. I just want my purse.”

“Good call.” In his book, you cheat, it’s done. Nothing to discuss.

Avery turned and started down the short hall back to the dining area but Ben was already there, blocking them from moving back to the table. She held out her hand to her former boyfriend. “Purse, please.” Her voice was cold and stoic.

Ben handed it to her with a scowl. “You’re welcome. I did drive all the way back here, you know, when you’re the ditz who forgot it in the first place.”

Avery bristled. “I’m not thanking you for bringing me my purse when I forgot it because I was too busy discovering you’ve had sex with at least three other women.”

Three? What a dick. Shane stood there, feeling slightly awkward that he was overhearing something so personal, but mostly just feeling pissed on her behalf.

Ben’s cheeks flushed pink. His pimply, round, shiny cheeks. Shane couldn’t even imagine what Avery had seen in this guy. There must have been slim pickings in her hometown.

“One, you’re jumping to insane conclusions,” Ben said. “Two, it’s not my fault if women are interested in me.”

That made Shane laugh out loud. He couldn’t help it. He didn’t mean to. But the snort just flew out. Ben was nuts if he thought women were beating down his proverbial door to get a piece of him. He was tiny and mean—not generally qualities women are looking for in a lover.

“What the fuck are you laughing at?” Ben asked, glaring at him.

“Ben, don’t,” Avery said, holding her hand up as Ben charged forward.

Shane was just further amused. “What? Are you going to hit me? Go for it, you little prick.” He really shouldn’t egg the guy on, but come on. What was Ben so pissed about? He was the one who had been getting all the ass on the side. He had no right to be angry at Avery.

“Mind your own fucking business,” Ben said. “We don’t even know you.”

“I don’t want to know you,” Shane said. “But I’m not leaving Avery alone here.”

Ben turned to Avery in disbelief. “Who is this idiot?” he asked her. “Come on.” He grabbed Avery’s arm and yanked her.

She yelled, “Hey!” and reared back. “Let me go.”

That was all Shane needed. When a man touched a woman against her will, he saw red. He remembered with vivid clarity the way his father had used his mother as his personal stress reliever, his fist meeting her face when the urge overtook him. He remembered that helpless feeling of knowing when the storm in his father was brewing, seeing the warning signs, while watching his mother try to placate Billy Hart, talk him down. That they had all walked on eggshells, never knowing what would set him off, still left a sour taste in Shane’s mouth. He had never been able to protect his mother, not truly. Even when he had gotten older and stronger and had tried to intervene, only to get the fists turned on him. But every bruise he had received instead of her had been worth it. And since they’d left Kentucky, he had vowed never to mind his own business when it came to a man getting rough with a woman.

He stepped in front of Avery and put his hand on Ben’s chest. He had a good eight inches on the guy. “Let go of her right now,” he said, his voice steely, his intention clear. “Or I will fuck up your shit with zero hesitation.”

Ben dropped Avery’s arm and took a quick step back. “This is ridiculous,” he sputtered. “This whole situation is ridiculous.”

“Well, I can’t disagree with that,” Avery said dryly. “Just go, Ben. I’ll text you about picking up my stuff. Beyond that, I never want to see you again.”

Ben’s gaze moved to her. “What is your mother going to think about this? She thinks you’re here with me.”

“My mama is going to think I’m better off without a man who has lied and been unfaithful to me.” With that, she held her head high and strode on past him back to their table. She pulled out her chair with more force than was necessary but she looked dignified, done.

Shane admired her tremendously for the way she was handling Ben. She wasn’t screaming or crying or causing a scene, nor was she willing to stand there and take his belittling. She didn’t look young anymore, but like the woman that she was. Which made him even more intrigued by her.

He gave Ben a scathing look of dismissal and started to follow after her.

Ben startled him by stepping in front of him. The guy had balls, Shane would give him that.

“Don’t think you can take advantage of Avery because she’s a country girl,” Ben told him. “She knows what she wants and it isn’t a hanger-on like you.”

Shane raised his eyebrows. That was a description he hadn’t ever heard applied to him. Not in the last decade anyway. “Just go home, man.” He didn’t feel the need to say anything further. He was going to dismiss the guy exactly as Avery had. He moved around him and over to the table. His waffle had been set at his place and he felt his stomach growl.

He sat down and smiled at her. “Yum. Do you want the first bite?”

Her cheeks were pink and her mismatched eyes were dark with anger at her ex, but she gave him a smile back. “I’d love the first bite. It looks delicious.”

Ben stormed past them and slapped open the door to the diner. Shane poured on some syrup, cut a piece and held it out to Avery. He expected her to take the fork from him but she didn’t. She just opened her delicate mouth wide and let him feed her. It was unexpectedly sensual, intimate, and her eyes softened. His gut clenched. She chewed, sighed, closed her eyes.

“That’s so good.”

Yeah, it was. A good view. A good night. An unexpected encounter with a good woman. Damn, he was so caught off guard. The urge to kiss her returned, stronger than before, and he berated himself mentally. The last thing she needed was a guy like him taking advantage of her vulnerability. She was heartbroken and he needed to remember that.

“So tell me how a nice girl like you ends up with an asshole like him.” He pulled his fork back, and took a bite for himself. The waffle was sweet and fluffy.

“By being a nice girl. And maybe I’m tired of being a nice girl,” she said.

Shane paused in taking a second bite. He hadn’t been expecting that. It was intriguing and sexy as hell. He shouldn’t probe deeper into what that meant, but he did. “Oh, really? How so?”

“Really.” Her eyes met and held his in defiance. “And I think you know exactly what I mean.”

Damn. He did. Not only did he know what she meant, he could visualize it. Avery, naked. Him, over her. Her, being naughty and nice all at the same time. Shane cleared his throat and tried not to get hard. He failed miserably.

But he looked down at the waffle. He wasn’t going to pick up what she was putting down. He just wasn’t. “I realize you were swimming in a small pond back home, but there had to be better fish than him.” He tore open a sugar packet and poured it on his finger then stuck it in his mouth to suck the sweetness off.

“Do you always pour sugar on your finger?” she asked. “It’s kind of an odd habit.”

He did do that. It was something he had picked up from his mother. He and Jolene both did, though their younger sister, Elle, had shaken the habit. It was just a way his mother had used to reassure them everything was okay after a big fight with their father. She’d pull out the sugar bowl and sprinkle crystals on their fingers and urge them to close their eyes while they ate it. Now he just craved the sweetness. “Are you making fun of me?” he teased. “Because I’m kind of sensitive.”

She flushed. “I don’t believe that for one second, but no, I wasn’t making fun of you. I think it’s cute.”

Cute wasn’t a word normally used to describe him either. “Puppies are cute. I’m devastatingly handsome.” He gave her a smile to let her know he was still teasing.

Avery just eyed him and said, “I don’t find it particularly devastating but the Lord wasn’t laughing when he made you, that is true.”

Her answer was honest and somehow that was actually embarrassing to him. He wasn’t used to women who didn’t flirt back or give him a hard time. Avery’s forthrightness knocked him a little off-balance. But that didn’t stop him from saying, “It wasn’t the only gift I was endowed with.”

“Are you flirting with me, Shane?” she asked. “I’m asking, because I’m honestly not sure. I don’t get flirted with very often.”

Yeah, she was the cute one, not him. She was damn near adorable. “I don’t know. I guess you could say that,” he said. If she could be honest, so could he. “I think it’s a combination of I’m trying to make you feel better and I’m flirting.”

Her head cocked. “Huh. Okay. That makes sense. But why are you flirting with me?”

That was an even harder question to answer. “I don’t know. Other than that you seem like you deserve a whole lot better than what just happened to you.” He studied her, from her beautiful red hair, to her extraordinary eyes, down over her pale, lightly freckled skin, to those rich ruby lips and he knew he had to give her the compliment she deserved. Any woman would be feeling less than amazing after realizing they had been cheated on repeatedly. So he wanted her to understand his unbiased truth as a total stranger. “You’re really beautiful, that’s the other reason. I look at you and I feel a little hypnotized.”