Page 14 of My Casanova

“Cheese,” another whispered excitedly.

“So much cheese,” her friend agreed with wide eyes and made a beeline for the display case.

And then there was Smoke.

He moved toward the counter with that easy, confident stride, like he belonged here just as much as I did. His dark jeans fit just right, and his white T-shirt stretched across his chest in a way that made it impossible to ignore. Over it, his black leather cut hung open. My eyes drifted to his hands that rested on the counter—RIDE FREE—inked boldly across his knuckles with the dark letters standing out against his tanned skin.

I swallowed hard and crossed my arms as I tried to calm my racing heart. I had not expected him to show up here with his friends. I figured I had a day or two before he decided to track me down.

“You didn’t show up,” Smoke said. His voice was low and rough that cut straight through the noise of the store.

I forced a casual shrug. “I had to work.”

He arched a brow and was clearly not impressed with my excuse. “Figured.” He glanced around and watched the women as they poked at cheese samples and chattered about pairing options. “Busy day?”

“Always is.” I leaned against the counter.

Smoke wasn’t one to let things slide, though. He looked back at me. “Told you I’d take care of the tire, angel.”

My stomach flipped at the way that nickname rolled off his tongue like it was second nature. I crossed my arms tighter. “I appreciate it, but I can handle it. It’s just a tire, Smoke.”

He smirked, and his dark eyes locked onto mine. “You say that like you don’t know me.”

I raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know you.”

His smirk widened. “Fair.” He leaned in slightly, his voice dropping lower. “But I don’t let things slide, especially when they shouldn’t have happened in the first place. That blowout? It was from debris from the explosion, Dani. That’s on us.”

I exhaled slowly and felt the weight of his words settle deep in my chest. “You don’t have to—”

“I do,” he interrupted, and his eyes held mine. “And I will.”

Before I could argue, one of the women—long hair, tall, and wearing ripped jeans and a tank top—bounded over and held a block of brie in one hand and a wedge of gouda in the other.

“Dani, right?” she asked with a grin.

I nodded. “Yeah, that’s me.”

“I’m Sloane,” she said and placed the cheese down. “This place is amazing. I’ve been dying to check it out ever since Yarder mentioned it.”

I smiled politely. “Thanks.”

Sloane leaned in with a grin. “I’ll take these, but I think I need to grab a basket for everything else we are going to get.”

I shot a look at Smoke, who just shook his head, clearly amused. “These are great choices,” I said as I looked at the cheese. “Grab a bottle of Chenin Blanc to go with the brie.”

“I will!” Sloane winked before wandering off again and leaving me alone with Smoke once more.

He tapped his fingers against the counter. “Your tire gonna make it home tonight?”

The man was relentless. I met his gaze and tried not to let him see how much his concern affected me. “Yeah, it’ll be fine.” I didn’t really have anyone who cared about me. I mean, I had Stan, but he probably just cared about me because I was the one who signed his paychecks.

Smoke didn’t look convinced. “Right.” He nodded toward the women now happily browsing through the store. “Looks like we’ll be here a while. You might as well let me fix it while you help the girls figure out what they want.”

I sighed and realized I wasn’t going to win this battle. “Fine,” I muttered. “But I don’t know how you are going to fix it with it sitting in the parking lot.”

He held his hand out to me. “Keys.”

I rolled my eyes but dug into my purse to fish out my keys. With a sigh, I slapped them into Smoke’s waiting hand, expecting him to just take them and go. But instead, his fingers curled around mine and held my hand in his warm, steady grip.

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