Page 20 of Dirty Like Me
“Mine are better.”
“I thought Stella’s was the best.”
“That’s because you haven’t tasted mine.”
“I’d be happy to taste your pie, babe.”
Whoa.
On the other side of the yard, Max barked as Owen came running back outside. I watched my dog frolic happily with the kids in their giant sandbox, which gave me an excuse to look distracted so I could recover from that comment.
“Well,” I said, taking a chance, “maybe I can make you one sometime.”
“I’d like that,” he said. Which made my heart skip a few beats and gave me all kinds of wrong ideas.
“Look.” He sat down on one of the stone benches in his ripped jeans, spreading his hard thighs, and gestured for me to sit across from him. “I want to apologize to you.”
I didn’t know quite how to take that. It was pretty much the last thing I expected him to say.
I sat down. “For what?”
“For kissing you at the video shoot,” he said, “in that… situation.”
I noticed he didn’t say for kissing me, period.
“For making you uncomfortable. You know, being an asshole.” A smile twitched at the corner of his gorgeous mouth. “Should I go on?”
“Or you could just stop doing things you need to apologize for.”
“I’ll work on that.” He sipped his coffee. “Seriously, though. Sorry about that whole cock-struck thing. I honestly thought you were just there to meet Zane.”
That, I didn’t understand. Zane was gorgeous and all, but Jesse? Shit.
I studied him for any hint that he was kidding, but it wasn’t there. “That happen to you a lot?”
He smiled, an incredibly genuine smile. “More than I like to admit.”
Wow. Who knew cockiness blended with just the right dash of humility was so… hot.
I didn’t know what to say. When I left the video shoot I definitely hadn’t expected a morning-after pie, much less an apology in my sister’s backyard.
“Okay,” I said. “If it makes you feel better. I forgive you. But really, being kissed by you was hardly a low moment in my life.” I felt my cheeks heating even as I said the words, but I said them anyway, in keeping with my promise to Devi to keep grabbing life by the balls. “It’s cool of you, but you really didn’t need to come here just to apologize.”
“I’m not here just to apologize,” he said. “I’m here to ask you to come on tour with me.”
CHAPTER 6
KATIE
Jesse Mayes wanted me to go on tour with him.
Um.
What?
Apparently I was wrong before.Thatwas the last thing I expected him to say.
“As my girlfriend,” he added.
