Page 17 of Enticing

“Cait...” Bellamy whispers as she elbows me again.

“Oh shit.” I look over the top of my screen and see what she sees. Or better yet, who.Damn. That’s Cait’s ex. “Do not turn around.”

He and a handsome older guy who looks sort of familiar walk over to the counter.

Cait keeps her back to them but can’t hide the heartbreak in her eyes.

Guess we all have our own demons to deal with.

“You okay, Caitlin? You’re looking a little pale.” Bellamy looks concerned as Cait closes her eyes.

“I’m fine. My stomach has just been off today. The smell of your latte made it worse,” she admits. “I think I’m gonna go, guys. I’m not feeling so good.”

I study her warily. Her stomach has been off a lot lately, and it’s got alarm bells going off in my head. But Bellamy is a nurse, and her mind hasn’t gone there, so I keep my mouth shut. Evenif coffee was the first thing that made my stomach flip each time I was pregnant.

“Cait. You really need to consider going to the doctor. You may have a food allergy or maybe you’ve developed a sensitivity to something. This keeps happening,” Bellamy lectures as sweetly as she can.

Luckily... or maybe not, Caitlin can’t see the way Callen keeps looking at her before she grabs her purse and heads out.

I wait until Cait’s through the door before I turn to Bellamy. “Food allergies? Really?”

“What?” she asks, but it’s the look in her eyes that tells me she knows exactly where my mind is. “Listen, a test is a test, and they’ll test for allsortsof things. I know Cait, and I know what she can take right now and what might push her over the edge. Even the thought ofthatwould put her over the edge. Maybe I’m wrong.”

I tilt my head and wait . . .

“Okay, fine. So we’re probably thinking the same thing, but she’s definitely not ready to hear it. Give her tomorrow. Let her enjoy Thanksgiving with her family, then I’ll talk to her over the weekend.”

I wish I could say my smile is triumphant, but nothing about this makes me wish I’m right.

Bellamy grabs her bag and her coffee cup. “I’m gonna head out too. I need a little retail therapy before my shift tonight. You sticking around here for a bit or do you want a ride home?”

The reminder of my car situation sits like a stone, heavy in my stomach.

When the mechanic called this morning to say my engine was irreparable, I wanted to curl up in a ball and cry, but when two little girls rely on you for everything, that’s not an option. I really didn’t need one more thing to go wrong. He said he could probably get me a thousand dollars for parts if he sold it for me.I guess that’s better than nothing, but it doesn’t fix my current car-less situation.

“Mrs. Murkey took Lennox with her to walk around the mall this morning, so I’m going to stay here and try to get another chapter in while the inspiration is hitting hard. But thanks.”

“Text me when you’re leaving. If I’m still out, I’ll pick you up and drop you at home,” Bellamy offers, and my eyes water.

I’m so grateful the universe put Bellamy and Caitlin in my world. “Thanks, B.”

She pushes her chair in, and I stick my head back into my work in progress. That is, until I hear the bell chime as she’s leaving and her voice carrying back in. “Hey, Leo. Oh my gosh, Hendrix. You’re home.”

There he is.

The reason I wrote three chapters last night.

And he’s looking past Bellamy with his eyes locked on mine, like he’s the predator and I’m the prey... I shouldn’t like it. It should absolutely set my nerves on edge. So why doesn’t it?

LEO

“Dude. Who’s that?”

I leave Hendrix in the dust and walk right over to the beautiful blonde who demanded my attention just by fucking breathing in the same room as me. Her hair is up in some kind of messy bun with a pen sticking out of it. Dainty glasses are pushed high up on the bridge of her nose, drawing my attention to the pale freckles dotting her creamy skin and flushed cheeks. “Fancy meeting you here. You stalking me?”

Her long lashes flutter as she blinks up at me and steels her spine. “I was here first, Sinclair. Maybe I should be asking you that.”

“You gonna introduce me, brother?” Hendrix slides in next to me, and I want to tell him to read the fucking room and give me some space. But as Addie’s eyes dance from me to Hendrix, the discomfort there is the only thing I can focus on.

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