Page 21 of Never Kiss the Bad Boy

Damn, she’s right. I hadn’t thought that far ahead, and Kathy’s petty enough to do something like that. But I honestly don’t care what Kathy wants. Hell, after this morning, I’m once again halfway considering telling Kathy to fuck off and fuck this job. It’s a good thought, even satisfying to imagine telling her she can shove her pool up her uptight ass.

But I can’t do that mid-construction. It’d be a logistical and legal nightmare for me, and whatever crew Kathy finds to complete the work won’t give a shit about what issues they cause Dani. They won’t care like I do. “I’ll take the heat. You have to admit, the flowers are pretty.”

Dani looks at the bouquet in her hand like she’s truly seeing it for the first time, and she smiles fully. It softens her entire face, making her seem sweet in a way she’s usually not. She glances up at me through her thick, dark lashes and quietly confides, “The fact that they’re stolen from Kathy kinda makes them even prettier. So, thanks.”

Ah, there she is—the fiery girl. I don’t know if Dani Becerra has a sweet bone in her entire body, but the spice in her is as addicting as cinnamon sugar on a frappe, which my niece introduced me to and got me hooked on because of course, she did.

And though it’s the smallest concession, it feels like a huge win coming from Dani. I step inside the house, into the small living room at the front so that the screen door closes behind me. Just between the two of us, I say, “I’m truly sorry about this morning.” Swallowing hard, I admit, “Kathy really fucked me over with the delivery truck, and I was doing my best to hurry.”

It’s a hard acknowledgement for me to make. I’m a pro at dealing with all sorts of people, having dealt with the worst of the worst from birth and continuing into my professional career, so admitting that Kathy Wilson is doing a number on me feels like I’m exposing a great weakness.

Honestly, it’s not Kathy, though. If it were just her, I would’ve had the delivery truck drop their load at the curb and spent the day leisurely moving the rebar to the back, and if it screwed up her timeline, then so be it. Her choice, her consequences. So Kathy’s not the real issue. Dani is. She’s the one who had me hauling ass so I wouldn’t cause her further trouble. She’s the woman making this job harder than it has to be. Not because she’s bitchy but because, for some unknown reason, I give a shit about the dark-eyed, dark-haired woman standing in front of me.

Dani doesn’t know that, though. Nor would she care if she did. All she knows is that I’ve been fucking her over, making her life suck since the moment I arrived. Well, she can take a damn number because that’s my standard modus operandi. It started the day I was born and hasn’t changed since.

“Not good enough,” she snarls, stepping in front of me and blocking me from further access to her house. “Do fucking more.”

I’m not sure if she means the apology, the excuse, or both, but her words hit their target, destroying the façade of charming, easy-going guy I’ve carefully cultivated to seem like I don’t give a shit about anyone or anything.

Running my fingers through my hair in frustration, I explode. “Look, what the fuck do you want from me, Dani? You know better than most that Kathy’s an absolute nightmare, hellbent on making everyone around her suffer. But we’ve got a contract so I’ve got to finish the job. I get that it’s inconvenient, and I wish to fuck there was something more I could do, because believe me, I’ve tried with her, and I’ve spent way too much time racking my brain to come up with a fix for this shitshow. But there’s nothing, so I guess you’re going to have to deal with it for a few weeks.”

I’m on a roll, a week’s worth of gathered steam and anger bursting out as I unload all my annoyance with Kathy onto the one person who doesn’t deserve it—Dani. She’s probably put up with a fuck-ton more than I have living next door to Kathy Wilson, but all the aggravation pours out in ugly, sharp fury.

I can virtually see the hate-filled lava building up inside her core, and I think I’m ready for her to burst all over me. But I’m not, because as she replies, there’s more than anger or hate in her voice. There’s fear, and anguish, and bone-deep exhaustion. “Inconvenient? Try financially catastrophic and physically overwhelming, Kyle! I’m hustling as fast as I can, nearly running myself to death to deliver lunches to the crews during the short period of time they get for their lunch breaks.” She holds her thumb and finger up an inch apart like that’s how long they get. “But it’s not happening with you in the way! You know what is happening, though? I’m losing customers?—"

Under my breath, I snap, “You are not mad about Joshua.”

“Not him. I’ve lost three other truckloads worth of orders this week because they can’t make it through the clusterfuck out front and get back to their sites on time. They said they’ll come back when you’re done with that job and I get back to my usual delivery system, but who knows?” She throws her arms up, nearly flailing them around in exasperation. “By then, they might’ve gotten in the habit of stopping at the closest McDonald’s or bringing sandwiches from home. Losing that much time has lost me money! Money that I need to survive another day. Don’t you get that? Of course you don’t,” she scoffs, sneering at me like she has any idea what I possibly understand.

She’s winded, her chest rising and falling too quickly as she reveals more of her situation than I think she intended to. But her admission hits me deep, and for the first time, I truly feel like shit.

I didn’t know that. I didn’t know any of that. Which only makes me angrier.

I knew I was bothering Dani, but I hadn’t really thought something as simple as my parking would affect her business that much. Mad at myself and my inability to fix this problem, I lash out. “You are such a bitch, you know that?”

I’m disappointed in myself even as the words leave my mouth. I’m not carelessly rude to women, despite Dani’s likely thoughts on the matter. And I certainly don’t resort to high-school insults when my wittle feelings get hurt. And if anyone deserves to be on the receiving end of being called a bitch, it’s the woman living next door. Not Dani.

But something about Dani sets me on edge, a razor-sharp one that’s ripping me open and revealing darker tendencies than I thought I possessed. She doesn’t look shocked or even surprised at my crassness. It’s as though she expected it. She crosses her arms over her chest and retorts, “Been called worse by better. You’re nothing more than a pretty asshole who shows up to give fancy people fancier shit. Do my bidding, pool boy.” She wiggles her fingers as if my clients treat me like a puppet on their string while bossing me around.

“Do… your… bidding?” I sputter. “You wish.”

She lifts her chin, and I smirk, realizing that if I told her exactly how haughty she looks right now, she’d be more pissed about that than being called a bitch. Stepping into her, I back her up. She refuses to lean against the door, but I plant one palm above her head on the painted surface. She reflexively looks up at me, defiance in her eyes.

“Is that what you wish, Dani? You want to tell me what to do? Is that why you’re watching me, taking pictures of me?” I pause, waiting to see if she denies it, but she clamps her lips together tighter as if she’s biting back the denial. “Because despite all the fire you spit at me, you want me? Want to touch me, and want me to touch you.”

Her breath catches. Because I’m wrong? No, it’s because I’m right. I know I am because she won’t meet my gaze, and Dani’s someone who stands behind her words.

I lower my voice to a seductive, gentle purr as I rumble toward her ear, “You’re up before dawn, work your ass off all day, and fall into bed at night. You don’t take care of yourself, especially not your most basic of needs, I bet.” She sighs the tiniest, sexiest sigh, so I keep going. “You’ve got a tight, lonely pussy that gets hot, wet, and hungry, but you don’t do anything about it, do you? But I can, Dani. Is that what you want?”

I’m not sure I even like Dani, but I’m completely serious at this moment. In fact, my dick is rock hard and ready for more at even the thought of touching her. I wonder if her fieriness extends to the bedroom—or living room, as the case may be right now.

Her eyes are jumping from mine to my mouth, like she’s watching me say filthy things but wants to see into my mind while I say them. She’s thinking about it. I can feel a battle waging inside her, and thinking I’ve won, I lean down to capture her lips in a kiss.

She tastes like spice and smoke from the grill, and something deeper. Probably bad decisions and things I’ll regret, but I don’t let that stop me, and she doesn’t argue for once.

Getting used to the idea and liking the challenge she presents, I press my lips more firmly against hers as I pin her to the door, her body giving way to mine. My tongue invades her mouth, and she meets me, our kiss turning hotter, deeper, and more intense by the second. Her lush lips are softer than silk, and as we share breath, I can feel her yearning for more.

I run my free hand down her body to her hip, tempted to cup a breast along the way but wanting no space between us. The feel of her beneath my palm ignites my desire even more, and my cock pulses in my jeans as I squeeze her ass.

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