Page 40 of The Pucking Wrong Man

I finally couldn’t take it anymore.

The bathroom was just beyond where she kept disappearing to, so I headed down the long hallway. Luckily, she walked out of the back room just as I came around the corner.

And then it was just me and her.

Finally.

“Hi,” I murmured, taking a few steps toward her so she had to look up at me.

Her breathing picked up and she bit down on her lip as she glanced at my face. “Can I help you with something?”

I stared at her, watching as she fidgeted under my gaze, eyes darting toward the dining room and then back to me.

“Usually, Whitney’s great at giving customers what they need.”

It could have just been my imagination, but my little dancer almost seemed jealous. It was nice to see another sign that she wasn’t immune to me.

I was over here losing my fucking mind.

It only seemed fitting that she should join me.

“I’m not here for Whitney,” I said bluntly.

She pulled nervously at the apron tied around her waist. “Okay. So you're here for…?”

I continued to watch her, a small smile spreading across my face.

“You.”

Her eyes widened, a small gasp coming out of her mouth. She was so fucking pretty.

“Me?” she whispered.

“Yeah, you. And you’re hurting my feelings, baby girl. It seems like you don’t want to be my friend,” I said, and then I took a chance and reached up to push a strand of hair behind her ear.

She let me, and I had to stop myself from wrapping my arm around her and pulling her in. A shiver passed over her at my touch as my fingers brushed against her neck before I pulled away.

My grin only widened.

Wait until I’m touching every inch of you, sweetheart.

With my tongue.

It was dangerous to be this close to her.

Anastasia blinked up at me, her face a little dazed. “Is that what you’re doing? Trying to be my friend?”

“I’ve been told I’m a very good friend,” I teased, not answering her question.

I definitely did not want to be just her friend.

I wanted to own her, crawl under her skin, protect her forever, become a part of her so she could never leave me.

Wow...had I really just thought that? A flicker of unease slipped through my gut. I was starting to not recognize myself. What was this girl doing to me?

“Why would someone like you want to be friends with someone like...me?” she asked, a hint of vulnerability in her voice. “You saw me...the other day. We don’t live in the same world.”

Ahh. At the community kitchen. She was embarrassed I’d seen her there. That needed to be straightened out right now.

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