Page 62 of Bad Boy Crush

He hated hearing the disappointment in her voice almost as much as he hated himself for putting it there. If he stayed, this evening would corrode more than it already had, and that was unacceptable.

“It’s better if I do. We’re on the wrong foot, here, Lou.”

She touched his chest, just a light brush over his shirt. “Well, let’s get on the right foot.”

Her clear blue eyes, her soft touch would heal a lot of what ailed him tonight. And if he didn’t feel scooped out and empty, he might have stayed. But he refused to take from her when he could give her nothing in return.

He lifted her hand and kissed it, hoping she read the apology in his eyes. “Not tonight.”

Then he walked out and drove home in silence. He retreated to bed in much the same way.

eighteen

Lou’s back deck was starting to heat to the point she was uncomfortable. It’d been cloudy earlier when she brought her laptop outside, but the weather had gradually changed over the passing hours.

She’d caught up on the website updates for the city of Evergreen Cove in record time and then had opened her digital journal to do a brain dump. As per her habit since she’d started writing it, she wrote in stream-of-consciousness format, not bothering to reread what she’d written before. Writing that way allowed her to evict the thoughts loitering in her head.

The anger that had plagued her when she found out about Liam’s extramarital affair was a shadow of what it had been. Not that she enjoyed thinking about that part of her life, but when she did, she felt neutral rather than enraged. Trusting others had been a challenge, but at least she was healing.

Last night after Ant had left, she’d stayed up and watched television, though “watched” was a strong word. More accurately, she’d stared through the screen, turning over the odd conversation they’d had as well as the noticeable shift in his mood.

His comment We’ll just stick to fucking, then was one she’d blown off. All of them—especially May—had dealt with an unpleasant person last night. Lou would bet Xavier had gone home in a grouchy mood after William’s holier-than-thou act.

Lou had typed furiously this morning, venting about everything from Ant challenging her career to him leaving her house when she’d wanted him to say. She felt better after. Cleansed.

She leaned back and closed her eyes, letting the early afternoon sun warm her face for a few minutes. Then, she shut her laptop.

He hadn’t called or texted her—not that he texted much. She figured she could either continue waiting or make the first move. He’d come to her aid multiple times. He’d sawed her downed tree, had brought her lunch, and had taken her home and stayed with her during a thunderstorm when she’d been afraid. The least she could do was return the favor and show up for him for a change.

An hour later, she parked in front of his shop. She collected the purchase she’d made in town and bypassed the CLOSED sign hanging in the garage window. She was surprised he wasn’t working. She fully expected to hear the buzz of a saw coming from the side yard. Sunday or not, Ant kept busy.

She found him instead splayed out in a hammock between two tall evergreens. He was shirtless, his hat covering his face. One arm was thrown over his head and the other dangled off the side.

If a lazy Sunday afternoon were a person, he’d be it. She had to smile, despite the rift between them. The tableau made her long to curl up next to him and point out the animal shapes in the clouds overhead.

She’d picked up sandwiches at Reggie’s subs for them, the bag of food in her right hand. In her left was a large, sweating plastic cup of iced tea. Not as good as her sun tea, but she hadn’t made any today.

She touched the bottom of the dripping cup to his stomach. He jerked awake, sucking in a breath that caused his abs to clench. It was a fine sight, indeed. He dropped a foot to the ground and pulled the hat off his face.

Recognition dawned, and his confused expression faded into calm surprise.

“I brought you lunch.” She set the bag of sandwiches on his stomach next, the colorful logo facing him. “Either we’re in a rut, or Reggie’s is quickly becoming ‘our’ place.”

Bag in hand, he sat up, and then swiped his face with one palm. When he blinked sleepily up at her, she had a fleeting glimpse of her future. A future that included them lounging around every Sunday from now until they were old and gray. A slightly alarming thought. They hadn’t talked about any scenario that included them being together longer than a summer.

She handed him the cup and he took a deep swallow. “Not as good as yours.”

“I know.” She smiled.

“Let’s sit.”

They moved to the picnic table he’d built. He passed out the sandwiches and individual chip bags. They shared the tea.

Halfway through her lunch, she addressed the unresolved issue between them. “Last night was different for us.”

“How do you mean?” He didn’t look at her. She couldn’t blame him for not wanting to talk about it, but if they were going to continue…whatever it was they were doing, they would have to talk about it.

“You don’t usually leave my house angry, if you leave at all.”