Page 23 of Hard to Handle
I snorted, meeting Lynx’s eyes.“Right.An incredible woman who puts up with a lot of bullshit.”With a sigh of defeat, I moved away from his hand and dropped my gaze.“I really should go.”
“You good to drive?”he asked.
I wasn’t sure the last time anyone had worried about what I did.“I’m good.I nursed those two beers.”I smiled up at him.“But thanks for askin’.”
Lynx’s hand curled beneath my chin again and I held my breath.If he kissed me, I wasn’t sure I would be strong enough to resist him.
Not right now.
Thankfully, he didn’t kiss me.
His hand dropped and I instantly missed his touch, but I forced a smile and turned to open the truck door.
Lynx pulled the door open and waited for me to climb inside.
“I’ll see you later?”
I nodded.“Yeah.”Smiling at him, I put the key in the ignition.“Probably at the bar on Friday?”
“You’re not comin’ to the barbecue tomorrow?”
I shook my head.No way could I chance spending that much time with Lynx.It was hard enough to turn away from him now.“I’ve got … things to do.”It was a lie, but hey, self-preservation and all that bullshit.
“If you wanna chat, you know where to find me,” he said.
I frowned.
“Outside your house, sleepin’ in my truck.”
I smiled.“You know you don’t have to do that.”
“I don’t have to,” he began, and I finished it for him, “but you want to.”
“Exactly.”
“Well, I’ll … talk to you later on then.I’ll see you at the bar?”
His smile was warm, and I could see the heat in his eyes.
“For sure on Friday,” he added.
As I drove away, I had to wonder if he took my comment as an invite.Did it sound like an invite?
“Jesus Christ, woman.You’re just a magnet for trouble, aren’t ya?”
ChapterSeven
Monday, September 4, 2017
Lynx
The only thing that could’ve possibly made the Labor Day barbecue any better would’ve been if Reagan had been there to join me.I had spent the entire day downing ribs and beer while chatting it up with family and friends.At one point, I'd even sent Reagan a text, inviting her to come hang out, but I'd gotten a polite no in response.
The woman was nothing if not stubborn.
However, that didn’t mean that I couldn’t go to her.
And that was exactly what Copenhagen and I were doing.The small cooler on the passenger seat held two beers, two brisket sandwiches, and some chips.I figured she couldn’t possibly say no to dinner at her place.I was even willing to eat it out on the front porch if she didn’t want to invite me in.
