Page 34 of My Mistake To Make

Dude, You’re Cockblocking Me Here

Cara

‘I can’t believe you’veonly been here for two weeks.’ Bree says loudly, and I smile at her. She’s a little tipsy tonight as she doesn’t have to work tomorrow, and she’s definitely letting her hair down.

‘I know, neither can I. It’s so weird, though, not having a routine.’

‘You can have my routine,’ Zoe says, placing another round of drinks on the bar in front of us. ‘When can you move into the house?’

I blow out a breath of frustration. ‘I don’t know. I’m not allowed up there until Doug tells me otherwise, and I haven’t heard a word from him in days.’

I’m annoyed. I know he needs to be able to get on with his work but banning me from my own house and not even having the decency to keep me informed of the progress? I know he doesn’t like me, but I am technically his employer.

Granted, I royally pissed him off by dragging my heels over the kitchen, but it was only a day, and I didn’t want to make a mistake. I could have been nicer about it, but I don’t really owe him that. He doesn’t like me, and I am the one paying him, so it’s my prerogative to take my time, and his own damn fault if people here seem to prefer talking to me than to him. He could try being nicer and smiling once in a while. He really should smile more. He looks very nice when he does… not that I’ve seen many of them.

‘Well, I know he’s been working long hours. Mama said he leaves early and comes back late, and he’s been so tired he showers, eats, and goes straight to bed.’

My shoulders slump a little, and I feel my brow furrow. Bree reaches out a finger and presses it to my forehead, I think a little more forcefully than she intended, and Zoe and I laugh.

‘Don’t worry about him. He knows what he’s doing.’

I do worry, though. I shouldn’t. I’m paying him well, and how he runs the job is his call, not mine, but I don’t want him running himself into the ground.

‘Speak of the devil,’ Zoe mutters and moves her attention to somewhere behind me. ‘It’saliiive.’

She jokes as the woodsy scent I’ve come to recognize envelopes me, and I feel him come to stand beside me. I turnmy head to offer a small smile, and he nods a greeting, well, I assume that’s what it is, but says nothing.

‘Can I get a beer without the attitude, please?’ he asks gruffly, and his voice has my stomach and my lady parts doing all those weird things again.Why do you like when he’s in a bad mood?I mentally direct the question between my legs and shake my head when I don’t get an answer.

‘Okay, sunshine, here you go. That one’s on me.’ Zoe gifts her brother a wide smile as he grabs the bottle and walks away. I try not to, I really try, but I can’t help stealing a glance in his direction. He seats himself in a dark corner of the bar, away from anyone else, and I just don’t understand it.

The people of this town clearly know not to bother him. Nobody does, except Bree and Zoe, who seem to make it their mission to annoy him even more. No matter how much they try, though, I still don’t think they piss him off as much as I do. I’m used to people not liking me. I’m not used to so desperately wanting to change their minds.

‘He’s super pissy tonight,’ Bree slurs and Zoe nods.

‘About time he got himself laid. I can’t take his bad attitude any longer.’

I swallow hard at that idea and fight the urge to volunteer as tribute. The fact is, over the last couple of weeks, I have thought about grumpy Doug in ways I have never thought about anyone, and I’ve discovered that arousal is definitely not a myth.

I haven’t acted on any of that. I’ve thought about it. I’ve got as far as running my fingers across my stomach before panic kicks in, and I stop, but I am definitely surer of this than I’ve ever been of anything, even though he’s completely infuriating and a total grumpy arse. If Doug Campbell wanted me the way I’ve been thinking about him, I’d let him have it. I’d let him have it all.

The thought really pisses me off. Why am I keening for a man who can hardly bear to look at me? I glance across again, andthe answer is evident: because as moody as he is, he’s fucking beautiful.

‘Cara,’ Bree says in a way that makes me think it’s not the first time she’s said it. I meet her gaze, and she smiles. ‘I asked what you’d be doing back home on a Friday night?’

‘Oh, not much, really.’

‘Oh, come on. Tell us. Big nights out with friends?’

I shuffle a little uncomfortable, then decide to just go with it. ‘Truth is, I don’t really have friends.’ Zoe’s eyes widen, and Bree’s narrow. ‘I’m odd. I know I am, and well, people don’t really want to be my friend.’

I swallow—a fact I never let upset me before suddenly stinging.

‘You can’t be serious?’ Bree says softly, and I nod.

‘I am. I know I’m strange and different. People don’t like me, generally. Look at Doug.’

The throat clearing beside me squeezes the lump already in my throat, and I turn to see the man in question eyeing me curiously. He opens his mouth to say something, then turns his attention to Zoe.

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