Page 22 of Bad Decisions & Back Roads

Tall.

They exchanged a few words I couldn’t hear, but whatever was said had Deck nodding too quickly before slipping out the door.

And then?—

Timothy.

He didn’t hesitate.Didn’t scan the room.He came straight for me like he’d known exactly where I was sitting.

My stomach dropped.

This man should be illegal.Or at least that shirt should be.Some kind of athletic material stretched to make everything underneath it impossible to ignore—broad shoulders, and the suggestion of a solid six-pack beneath.He’d tucked the shirt into his jeans, giving him an enticing sense of having it all together.Like he wasn’t already unfairly exceptional.His gaze found mine, and it wasn’t neutral.It dragged, slow and deliberate, downward, taking its time in a way that made heat crawl up my spine before I could shut it down.

This was nothing like Deck’s glance.This was intentional.It lingered at the dip of my shirt just long enough to make a point, perhaps remembering my intentional distraction yesterday when I took off my coveralls.His perusal then dropped to my boots.

I almost rolled my eyes in reaction to his eyebrow raise.Almost.

I loved my spiky heeled black boots.We’d had a conversation about this kind of shoe long ago at the lake, one I’m sure played in his mind now.He had announced there was only one use for this kind of boot—being naked except for them.

Every time I put on these boots, I thought about those words.I’d never had an actual naked-boots moment.My ex hadn’t been the most adventurous in bed, not that sexy boots were especially adventurous.Justin called himself “practical.”Shoes in bed weren’t practical.In the beginning, I’d liked Justin for who he’d been, which was smart, confident, and an exceptional veterinary surgeon.But I hadn’t loved Justin the way he deserved.His words, not mine.Our drifting apart and him eventually finding someone else was probably my fault.I’d never been committed to putting in the work necessary to build something that could last.

Timothy’s mouth shifted.His lower jaw unhinged ever so slightly.

Oh, yeah.The naked boots vision was going through his head.My choosing to wear them was worththatlook.

I leaned back slightly in my chair, crossing one leg over the other, giving him a better look without meaning to.Or maybeexactlymeaning to.

“Timothy Hurst,” I said before he could speak.My voice came out cool and steady, hiding everything happening under my skin.

His gaze moved back to mine.There were wrinkles in the corners of his eyes that I hadn’t noticed before.The sharp creases marked time, but they hadn’t softened him.If anything, it made him more dangerous.As if restraint had been forced on him.

My sister’s voice echoed in my head.He runs people over and doesn’t even notice.

That wasn’t what I saw.Timothy noticed everything.He always had.He just chose what to let matter.

Right now, I felt like I did.

“You’re on a date withDeck?”he asked, already pulling out the chair across from me like it was his and this was inevitable.

“Sure am.”The words came out clipped, but my pulse started to climb, beating too hard, too fast.My body seemed to be bracing for an impact I couldn’t see yet.

He tilted his head slightly, glancing toward the door.“You do know he’s on the phone with Louann?”He pressed his tongue behind his front teeth.“That’s his baby momma number two.”

The words hit.Surprise flickered across my face before I could stop it, before I could smooth it out into something unaffected.Damn it.When I looked back at him, there was the faintest hint of satisfaction pulling at his mouth.Not a smile.Worse.He liked that he’d gotten a reaction.

I leaned back in my chair, crossing my arms like I could lock everything back down where it belonged.Hewanteda fight, perhaps the one we never got to have.I wasn’t sure I was in the mood tonight to give him the satisfaction.

“How many baby mommas does he have?”My tone was dry, but there was an edge now.

“Three.”

A breath slipped out of me—half disbelief, half something closer to embarrassment.The lingering awareness that Timothy was sitting across from me, watching every micro-reaction like he was cataloging them for later use…

I hated that a part of me still reacted at all and still cared.Damn Misty for not warning me about Deck.

“Deck has been marriedthreetimes?”

Timothy chuffed out a partial laugh.“No.Never married.He’s real good at pulling out the goods but not so great at putting a ring on it.”Then he chuckled to himself.“Perhaps, he’s not all that good at pulling out.”