Page 19 of Obsessed with my Temptation

“You could at least say hi to the customers, you know?” Scott said after he was gone. “You don’t need to be the intimidating boxer dude all the time.”

I ignored him.

The rage and pain I always felt seeing Mark still had me gripped by the throat. Were they going to be friends now? Was that what was happening here? Would Mark get his sharp claws around Scott?

The thought of it made me sick.

But it was none of my business.

Seeing Mark was a reminder—one I should be grateful for—that as much as it was fun to poke and tease Scott, I should know better than to get involved with a popular guy, agoodboy. I should know better than to try this shit again.

And I would be damned if I tripped on the same rock twice.

* * *

We spent the rest of our ‘shift’ in tense silence, only communicating when necessary. I felt Scott’s confusion and irritation loud and clear, but I didn’t bother to clarify my change in mood. I needed to stop caring about him, stop thisawarenessof him that followed my every move.

I was irritated and angry at myself for being irritated in the first place. I didn’t want to give Mark the power to affect my mood in this way, but seeing him talk so casually to Scott andask to hang outwith him as he watched me made me want to say fuck it and sock him in the face.

Scott wasn’t mine to take care of. I barely even knew him. He didn’t even like me, for fuck’s sake, and why did he keep looking at me now like he was mad I wasn’t paying attention to him anymore?

This needed to stop. It would get out of hand soon.

Even after closing shop and taking some last left-over cupcakes to Masy’s to store them for the next time we did this, I was still fuming. My punching bag was going to get a very harsh treatment when I saw it next.

I was just leaving my apron in a closet and getting my things when Scott entered the space, eyes hard on me.

“Are you always going to be like this? First, you tease me and pick on me, then you stop talking altogether? I thought you said we had to get along with each other.”

“Leave it alone, Scott.”

“No. You come in your high horse, telling me I have a problem, but it’syouclearly who has it. What is it?”

I didn’t respond.

Then he surprised me by pushing me against a shelf. “No. I’m not leaving until you tell me.”

I was more than a bit shocked. And turned on.

And it pushed a button inside me Scott didn’t know there was to push.

It didn’t stop me from reacting.

I advanced on him, rising up to my full height and staring him down in a way that made most guys flinch and look down.

His eyes widened slightly, but didn’t back down.

“You’re forgetting yourself here, Princeling.I’ma boxer, and you’re a good boy. You should be careful who you threaten.”

His back was almost flush with a shelf.

“You don’t scare me.”

“I do a little bit.”

“You’re anasshole.”

“Never said it wasn’t true.”

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