“I’m. Working.”
“Look, let’s do this now, while we’re alone.”
“Fine. Let’s do this.” She stands and props her hands on her hips, and my eyes immediately zero in on her tits, and the lust is a million times worse than it was before. Now I know what they look like under that dress. I know how she gasps when I tease the tips with my teeth. “My eyes are up here, Declan.”
“I’m aware,” I reply lazily without looking up.
“You’re an ass.”
My eyes find hers now, and I see that she’s not just pissed. She’s hurt.
“Talk to me, sugar.”
“You don’t get to call me sugar, or baby, or darlin’,” she says, mimicking my accent.
“Okay. What’s wrong, Callie?”
“Look.” She sighs deeply and rubs her forehead with her fingertips. “I get that I probably misunderstood the signals on Monday. I’m a big girl, and I can take responsibility for my own actions. I enjoyed myself.”
“I did too. I’m glad we’re on the same page—”
“I just wish,” she continues, interrupting me, “that you had made it clear from the beginning exactly what the score was, because I wouldn’t have been as open with you about my family as I was. I dropped my guard with you, and since then you made it clear exactly what I am to you. At first, when I didn’t hear from you at all, I felt a little cheap, a little used, but then I just felt… stupid. And I’m not a stupid woman.”
“I never said you—”
“So I appreciate that you find me attractive, and the chemistry is pretty great, but I’m not looking for a fuck buddy. And you know what?”
God, I wish she’d slow down for two seconds so I can get a word in edgewise.
“What?”
“I also realized that I’m not looking for anything from you, Declan Boudreaux.”
“Callie, I admit, in the past I’ve not been great at understanding women, or even taking the time to try to. There are reasons for why I didn’t call this week—”
“I don’t want your reasons,” she interrupts, still calm. “I don’t want anything from you, except for you to do your job when you’re in my place.”
She turns to walk away, and it feels like I’m burning from the inside out.
“Callie, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. It was a shitty week.”
She glances over her shoulder at me and smirks. “That’s one way to describe it.”
And without another word, she goes back to stocking the beer, making it clear that I’m no longer welcome here, so I walk back downstairs to the bar where Adam is flirting with a group of women, mid-twenties, obviously out on the town for a bachelorette party, due to the sash and tiara on one of the girls.
When he sees me, he winces. “Doesn’t look like it went well.”
“I couldn’t get a word in edgewise,” I reply, feeling shell-shocked.
Adam just shrugs and shakes his head, looking at me like I’m the biggest idiot on the planet.
The worst part is, he’s right.
Chapter Four
Callie
He has his reasons for not calling. I just bet he does. Probably a woman. Or work. Or family. But nothing, nothing makes a person too busy to just send a simple text to say hi, or hope you’re well, or kiss my ass.
Anything.
Instead, I've spent the past four days with my phone permanently attached to my body in the hopes that Declan would call, only making me feel like a complete, embarrassed idiot as each day passed.
Beer bottles clink against each other as I slam the cooler door closed, making me wince.
I like him. The second I saw him downstairs, my nipples puckered and the sound of his voice as he groaned while coming the other night were front-row, center in my brain, which only pissed me off more.
I’m reliving some of the best sex I’ve ever had, and he couldn’t even be bothered to send me a simple text this week.
The thing is, he was nice, and apologetic, and he should be, but if I just smile and say it’s okay, he’ll think that the behavior is okay.