Page 2 of Kitten Kisses

Mike stood there glaring daggers at Alex, while Chase appeared bored as he yanked the gummy worm out of his mouth and chewed.

Chase calmly stared at him as he yanked the gummy worm out of his mouth and chewed.

Chadwick smoothed his hand over the top of the case, his smile just as phony as his charm. “You seem like a reasonable guy…” He glanced at the nametag on Alex’s red work shirt. “Alex. How about I slip you a crisp one-hundred-dollar bill and you turn a blind eye? An eighty-dollar tip isn’t bad for forgetting we were even here.”

Digging the money from his wallet, Chadwick held the bill up between two fingers with a look that said, “You know you need the money. Go ahead, you working class bum. I won’t tell a soul.”

Raising his index finger, Alex silently pointed to the security cameras positioned above the counter.

Mike’s icy-blue glare intensified. If looks could put someone in a full body cast, Alex would already be sipping through a straw.

“Let’s just go.” Chase, on the other hand, seemed nonchalant about the situation as he dangled another gummy worm between his lips.

Storming over to the counter, Mike pushed Chadwick aside, pocketed the money,, then grabbed the beer. “Screw your tip.”

“What’re you doing?” Chase asked in a curious, yet calm tone.

“We don’t have time for this,” Mike snapped. “Since Alex wants to be a dick, he can pay out of pocket for the beer himself.”

“You can’t do that!” Alex stopped himself from running around the counter and confronting three lean, ripped jackasses who would probably give him a beatdown.

Mike would definitely jump on the opportunity.

“Just put it back and let him keep the money.” Chase rolled his eyes. He dug into his front pocket then put a ten-dollar bill on the counter. “For my worms,” he said to Alex. “Keep the change.”

Alex just wanted them to leave, especially Mike, who was nothing more than a spoiled, thieving brat.

And possibly dangerous.

He headed for the door with the case of beer gripped in his hand. Chase and Chadwick took a step to follow, but all three stopped when two burly deputies walked inside, their sudden presence filling the store and adding to the tension.

They were chatting between themselves, unaware of the situation they’d just walked into. The entire incident should be the only thing Alex was focused on. Mike hadn’t held him at gunpoint and robbed the store, but that didn’t make things any less scary.

Yet, the only thing Alex could focus was the enormous deputy with dark brown hair.

Only one word came to mind. Dreamboat.

“Shit,” Chase muttered under his breath.

Dreamboat paused midsentence and looked directly at the three, as if he’d somehow heard Chase’s muttered curse.

But that couldn’t be possible, considering Alex had barely heard it, and Chase was standing closer to the counter than to the door. There were other noises as well, like the faint music still playing from the overhead speakers and the whir of the slushy machine. It was strange how, despite everyone falling silent, the store suddenly seemed unusually loud.

“Evening, gentlemen,” Dreamboat said in a velvety smooth voice that made Alex’s heart skip a beat. He might not know the guy’s real name, but he couldn’t deny the attractive pull of his muscled body and chiseled jawline framed by a subtle stubble.

Alex wanted to shout that Mike and his buddies had just swiped the beer without paying or showing ID, but he remained silent. They knew where to find him. Working night shift made Alex an easy target, and he didn’t want to risk any of them coming back later for a “visit.”

“Mind showing some ID for the beer?” the other deputy with the tattoo sleeves asked, his tone just as polite as his partner’s, yet the tension in the store grew thicker with each passing second.

“We just showed the clerk.” Mike stated with a hint of arrogance. This was the worst possible time for his entitlement to surface.

Dumbass.

Dreamboat focused his bluish-green gaze on Alex. It felt like an intense moment passed between them, as if he were silently asking if Mike’s claim was true. When Alex didn’t confirm or deny, the deputy turned his attention back to the three.

Alex wasn’t sure if the quick beat of his heart was from the situation or from the cop’s attention on him.

“You heard my partner,” he said, his hands resting on his utility belt.

---