Chapter 7 Roscoe #2
Big blue eyes narrowing dangerously, her hands land on her curvy hips. Unfortunately for me, that draws the white material of her shirt across her tits, making it impossible not to notice how fucking stacked she is.
“Couldn’t be that bad ‘cuz you’re still here after all.”
Shaking my head to clear all the lustful thoughts I’m suddenly having, I shoot her my cockiest smirk. “Just had to see what all the fuss was about.”
Her head cocks to the side. “What are you talking about?”
“You’re fake dating my best friends, except the whole town thinks you’ve managed to nail them down for real.” I let my eyes slowly trail up her body, rudely checking her out in a way I’d normally never do to a woman. “Guess I don’t see the appeal.”
When she smiles, I’m completely thrown off. Ignoring the all-too-attractive woman in front of me is a losing battle. “Honestly, I’m glad. Because I have no more interest in any of you now than I did in high school.”
Her words, which are exactly what I wanted to hear, cut through my heart like a knife. “Good.”
Now irrationally angry, I need a little space before I say something I can’t take back.
Must be the theme of the day. This woman has me all twisted up inside, and I can’t pretend like it’s not affecting me.
I stand up and stalk toward the front door, but her voice stops me in my tracks just as my fingertips hit the cool metal of the handle.
“Ya know, that’s the one thing that never made any sense.”
Glancing over my shoulder, I see something I never would’ve expected from the Annika Reed I remember.
Defeat.
“What’s that, baby girl?”
I curse myself when the damn endearment slips out, but it's like she doesn’t even notice.
“After what Owen did, Dre had every right to be angry and I was entitled to my own hurt. But y’all turned it around like I was the one in the wrong. Earlier, Cass alluded to the fact that it was all Dre’s fault, and I don’t understand it any more now than I did then.”
My brow furrows as I turn to face her. “Your brother was an overprotective asshole, Nik. He deserved what he got and then some. You’re just lucky Owen had us there to pull him back, or it could’ve been a lot worse.”
Her arms cross over her chest, and I fight to keep my eyes on her face. “He deserved a broken arm from one of his teammates and supposed friends even though Owen was bragging about sleeping around?”
“Bragging about—”
“You know what? Nevermind. I don’t know what I expected, honestly, except more of the same shitty excuses.”
She starts rummaging around the tables, straightening shit that already looks straight to me. When I take a few steps closer, she holds up her hand, looking me dead in the eye.
“Don’t. I’m honestly so tired of whatever this back and forth is. If we’re all gonna live in the same small town, we need to let the past exist in the past and move on.”
For a second, I just stare at her, wishing it were that simple, but it’s like we left all of our hopes and dreams in the past with her.
While it may seem like all of us have moved on, even I have to admit there are parts of us that she will always own no matter who comes and goes from our lives or where we go from here.
The funniest part is, she doesn’t have a clue.
“Nik, I think we all need to sit down and talk. Clear the air. Maybe—”
“You want to talk now? Years and years after y’all damn near broke me.
Now that I’m back and trying to figure out what the hell I’m doing.
” She stomps over to a heavy box of books, lifts it, and heads for the door.
“Isn’t it just my luck that you three seem to have grown some sort of warped fucking conscience?
Or maybe it’s my karma for believing y’all had one in the first place. ”
She’s trying to grab something out of her back pocket, but the movement just makes her fumble the box in her grip.
“Show up in town and have two fake boyfriends, an asshole ex who won’t leave me alone, a raccoon who stole the last two thin mints, and a town that’s more invested in what others have going on than their own pathetic lives. For the millionth time… Why did I think this was a good idea?”
I’m amused despite myself. It’s been awhile since I’ve gotten to witness one of her infamous rants, and I’m so here for it.
“You need some help with that?”
“You need some help with that, he says like he can’t see damn well and good that I absolutely do.” She huffs out a long breath. “Flip the sign for me then take this key and lock the front door. No fucking clue why Nan has this lock on a key and not just a little thingie you can turn, but whatever.”
Stepping forward, I do as she asked, then turn back to her with the key in my hand.
“Hang on to that. Might as well help me with the back door too.”
“Or…” Reaching out, I grab the heavy box and hand back the key in one smooth motion. “I can take this and let you handle locking the place up.”
She stares up at me, blinks twice, then inhales deeply.
When she exhales, her shoulders straighten, and whatever I was gonna say is lost in the power of her expression.
I see it now—why the guys are finding it impossible to leave her the hell alone.
This woman’s gravitational pull is like nothing I’ve ever seen before.
“Is this some sort of olive branch to get me to like y’all again?”
“No.”
God, she really is fucking stunning when she’s angry. The pink flush on her cheeks is even better than the hundreds of times I’ve pictured it.
“Okay.”
She turns without another word, and I’m left to follow in her wake.
How did I end up here? My plan was simple—observe her, acknowledge the reasoning behind the guys’ interest, and reaffirm my decision to stay away.
Someone has to think clearly, right? Except now, here I am, walking through the back hallways of the bookshop, carrying a heavy ass box of what I’m assuming is books, for the very woman I had planned to avoid.
I’m so fucked, aren’t I?
Trailing after her, my emotions are all over the place, and that is something I rarely tolerate. I keep my shit locked down tight. What the hell is happening to me?
Nik stops abruptly, and when I look up, everything inside me goes still. There’s a pompous-looking jackass standing in front of her door. My instincts rear up loud and fierce, and I know I’m about to do something really fucking stupid.
Ah, hell.