Page 26 of Love Me, I Dare You

“Want one?” He takes it without answering, so I continue. “It’s what happens when you own a business. I don’t always close, but it feels like there's always someone’s shift that needs to be covered.”

“You’re going to run yourself to an early retirement.”

Why won’t he stop talking?

“That’s what Billie always says, but I love my job. I love waking up in the morning and heading over to HoneyBees to bake. Sometimes, I’ll get up here and make the pastries to take over instead of baking them there. Only on the days I’m too exhausted to leave any earlier. And then the rush I get at Stingers, with the music, the dancing and the conversation. Taking care of the people in my town, in my home, it’s what I live for.”

He takes a few steps toward me, his movements slow and calculated. Like he wants them to make an impact. “And what about you? Who takes care of you, Bailey King?”

My smile fades away as uncertainty creeps up my spine. “I don't need to be taken care of. I have that all figured out.”

He’s closer now, so damn close I can see the specks of gray in his eyes that swirl around the shades of blue, making them look like a stormy night sky. “Everyone needs to be taken care of.”

I need to put some distance between us, but I can’t move, frozen under his spellbinding stare. “Not you. All this time spent alone, who was taking care of you?” I immediately regret the question, not wanting to hear anything about his time away or who he spent it with. “Never mind, I don’t care who you were spending your time with.”

The grin he gives me should be illegal. Bright teeth, thick lips turned up at the corners in a sly, crooked smirk. “Jealousy looks adorable on you, B. Always did.”

“You’re out of your mind.” I close the last bit of distance between us, foolishly bringing my hand to rest on his chest. Immediately there's a spark of something that zaps me, electricity running through me as I gaze into his eyes.

There’s a small mark under his right eye, one I hadn’t really paid attention to before, assuming it was a scar, but it’s not.

It’s a tattoo. A small, barely noticeable B in script. My heart nearly stops, but I brush off the thought it has anything to do with me. His last name is Bishop. It has to be that. “Cat got your tongue, B? Suddenly the smart sass and quick remarks are gone.”

I try to move my hand away, but he keeps it in place, long tattooed fingers enveloping it and further pressing against him. “No funny business, Bishop.”

There’s that fucking smile again, only this time, his jaw ticks when I dig my nails into his shirt. “Not sure what you mean, Angel.”

A gleam of darkness sets over his eyes, clouding them with what looks like desire. “That right there is exactly what I mean. My name is Bailey, not angel, sugar, darling or whatever the fuck else men like you say to women.”

A loud rumble leaves his chest as he laughs, but doesn’t release me. I try to pull away, but when he refuses to let go, I do the next best thing and take his nipple in between my fingers and pull. “Men like me?”

The sudden twinge seems to further incite his laughter. “The charmers. The ones who think if they talk all sweet and soft to a gal and call her pretty, she’s a sure thing.”

“Well, ain't she?”

His smile is wide and gleaming and I’m fucking pissed. “Quit it, Bishop. Or I’ll kick your ass out before you even unpack.”

With a hand around my back, Nash pulls me in closer to him, my hands flying up to his chest to keep me from crashing against his. I can feel his rapid heartbeat under my palm just as quickly as my own. “I’m fucking with you, B. I’d forgotten how fun it was.”

“Well, don’t, Nash. I don’t need you to fuck with me or play your games. You’re living in my house because you have nowhere else to go, and my brother realizes that’s my one weakness. Not because I want you here. It’s best if you remember that.”

He releases me and takes a step back, his gaze hardening as his sudden playful teasing turns cold. “Got it, B. You’re the boss, you make the rules.”

I want to apologize, feeling bad for being so harsh about it, but it's the truth. The alternative is falling for his charm, and I can’t risk doing that again. Nash will be in town for two months. That’s sixty days of fighting the feelings he resurrected in me with just one glance and an innocent touch. I can’t afford to fall into the place he sent me when he left me. I’m afraid if I do, this time, I won’t make it out alive.

Chapter Eleven

Bailey

Flashback: Twelve Years Ago

The bright lights of the Ferris wheel lit up the night sky, flickering all around us as laughter and country music rang out in the distance. The Colton County fair was in full swing and one of the major events held annually here in Crossroads, one my friends and I waited all year for. The North Carolinian heat was blistering even at night, but the smells of cotton candy, popcorn, and barbeque overwhelmed the senses.

Billie and I were knee deep in funnel cake, topped with ice cream and fresh strawberries, while Brynn devoured a fried pickle the way only she knew how. We’d been at the fair since eleven in the morning, but it was nearly nine in the evening now. Mama had brought us along to help run the bake sale and sweet tea stand, but after hours of riding the Ferris wheel, swings and various other rides, I was exhausted and ready to call it a night.

“One more time on the Ferris wheel, Bailey. Please,” my little sister Brynn begged as she shoved the last bit of pickle into her mouth. Her light brown pigtails bounced as she jumped inexcitement. I reached out and wiped the fried crumbs off her chin.

“Brynn, it’s getting late and my feet are killing me. We’ll come back tomorrow again and ride the Ferris wheel however many times you want. Mama’s going to start calling and send the boys out looking for us if we don’t get back soon.”

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