Page 34 of Such A Bad Girl

He shook his head. “It’s best we pretend it didn’t happen.”

“Good luck with that,” I said, reaching over. I grabbed his hand, sliding my thumb against his palm. I wasn’t going to make this easy for him.

His gaze darted down to my lips again, lingering there for a long moment before trailing back to my eyes. “I meant what I said, Ev. But that doesn’t change anything. West would kill both of us.”

“Fuck West,” I muttered, annoyance fluttering in my chest.

“He’s my best friend. I can’t fuck him over.”

“Right, whatever,” I said, annoyed but determined not to give up so easily. “I’ll just rent out the entire coffee shop next time. No chance of us doing anything forbidden in a coffee shop, right?”

“Honestly?” His eyes sparkled as he pointed around the room. “Booth. Counter. Walk-in.”

Laughter bubbled up out of me at his comment.

He squeezed my hand before letting it go, the feel of his skin on mine sending shivers down my spine. “Ev, I want you to know something. I won’t forget about what happened in the temple as long as I live.”

I licked my lips, letting them fall open slightly as I squeezed his hand. “That makes two of us. So, maybe you’re right. We shouldn’t put ourselves in such a tempting situation. Unless, of course, you like the temptation.”

He shook his head. “Stop flirting with me. I won’t change my mind, Ev.”

I blinked hard at his words. He could be so cold. So rigid.

But his rejection didn’t make me want to stop trying to penetrate his resistance. It made me want to press harder until I broke through and found the Theo that had knelt between my legs the other day in the temple.

“Fine,” I said, throwing the shredded napkins at his face and walking out.

Chapter Seventeen

THEO

Proving my point, she stomped out like a little brat.

If she weren’t so wickedly sexy, she’d be unbearable.

Unfortunately, we were tied together in so many other ways, I had no choice but to put up with it. Everleigh would be a part of my life forever, whether I liked it or not.

After she left, I stayed and finished my tea while wishing I had a flask of something stronger to add to it.

Lost in my thoughts, I didn’t see the woman staring at me from across the room until she’d walked up to my table.

“I thought that was you!”

I looked up in confusion, blinking as her face sparked a twinge of recognition. But I couldn’t quite place her. “Do we know each other?”

“Theo! Of course we do!”

I stared at her blankly.

“Theo, you’re impossible! It’s Jill! From Westlake High?”

“Ohhh! Jill, yes, of course.”

I drank in the tall, blonde beauty in front of me. She looked only vaguely the same as she did back then. For one thing, she was much more filled out. She was curvy, with long blonde curls that cascaded over her shoulders. She wore a tight, hip-hugging, red silk dress, and tall, black, strappy stilettos. The bright red of her smile was perfectly lined, and her blue eyes stared down at me like she was waiting for something.

Probably for my manners to kick in, it finally dawned on me. “How are you?” I asked. “Would you like to sit —.”

She was sitting before I finished my sentence, words already tumbling out of her mouth. “It’s been what? Ten years? My gosh, I never expected I would run into you here! Do you live in Los Angeles?” Her eyes sparkled with excitement.

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