Page 75 of The Charm of You

Ten minutes later, Maren slips back into her spot across from me and scoots a new cup in my direction.

“What’s this?” I ask.

“You haven’t taken a single sip since you’ve been here, so I’m assuming you either slurped it down already, or you didn’t drink it at all. Either way, you need another.” Her tight smile is sympathetic. “Here’s a fresh one.”

“Bless you.” I switch out the coffees and wrap my hands around the hot cup. Instantly, the warmth soothes my nerves. They’re on the fritz like loose, jagged wires.

“Why are you so twitchy this morning?”

“Besides the fact that a girl I don’t know overheard me spilling my guts?” I pale. “Oh my God—she’s not going to tell everyone, is she? I just met her, but I’d bet she’s the gossiping type, and my sex life is not something I need this town buzzing about. I have enough drama making my head spin as it is.”

Maren waves her hands and reassures me, “I handled it.”

“That’s what the fixer of a biker gang says right after he throws someone off a bridge,” I tease, but I immediately regret my word choice.

The bridge from last night.

Austin sprawling me open on the back of his truck.

His merciless tongue.

The delicious weight of his pulsing length in my hand.

God, the way he wielded the latter felt like a weapon. A sexy, relentless weapon of mass destruction to my lady bits.

“The only way to get through to Scarlett is blackmail. I made her promise to keep your secret unless she wanted me to expose her hamburger obsession to her vegan-swearing mother.” She pats my hand. “I wouldn’t threaten a twenty-two-year-old for just anyone, so you’re welcome.”

“Scandalous.” I mock gasp and clutch my chest. “You’re a true friend.”

“One of the best in the biz.” She tongues her check, then asks, “What is going on with Austin—regrets?”

“No,” I answer without hesitation.

“Good, because if you did have regrets, you wouldn’t be the first.” She snorts.

“What does that mean?”

Her mouth falls into an O, as if she’s just stepped into a puddle by accident. “Nothing.”

With a sigh, I let her evasive—and totally fake—response go. For now. “I really did have to stop by the shop to pick up my car. I only brought him coffee because I thought it would be nice. I was already getting one for myself, so it’s not like I went out of the way to get him a coffee. You know?”

She squints and purses her lips. “Not really following, babe.”

“When I handed Austin the cup of coffee earlier, he blanched like I was giving him a draft of our wedding invitations. He was so spooked.” I scoff. “It was an overreaction to coffee, right? Or am I being completely insane?”

“You’re not the one overreacting, I promise.”

“Thank you.” I shift back to cross my leg over the other underneath the table. “Why are men so weird after sex? Weirder than usual, anyway.”

“Austin is weirder than most. You’re not going to get more out of him than the aforementioned spooked reaction, so I wouldn’t waste any more time hoping for more.”

“What do you mean?”

She makes her deer-in-headlights face again, and my curiosity is officially piqued.

“What are you not telling me?”

“It’s just, well, Austin Kyle is a bit notorious around here for being… aloof, for lack of a better term.”

---