Page 71 of Hot for the Jerk

“Could be worse.You could have a crippling affinity for crack,” he murmured, that playful smile only growing wider.

I plunked my hands on my hips.“What brings you by, Jagger?”

“Two things,” he said, shoving both hands into his pockets now.“One, do you have any interest in including a San Camanez Brewery beer or two in your subscription box?”

This question could have been a text message.An email.A phone call.And any one of the McEvoy brothers could have asked it.There was definitely more to his visit than asking me that.I smiled at the way hope—and trepidation—filled his gaze when he spoke.

“And two … if maybe you’d like to have dinner with me sometime?”

I wasn’t expecting either of those questions, but definitely not the second one.

He swallowed at the same time my jaw dropped.

“Are you being serious right now?”I asked.I didn’t want to hurt his feelings.The last couple of times we ran into each other—the grocery store and the running trail—I’d been rude, and I mentally flagellated myself for that when I got home.He was only being nice.As long as I kept him at arm’s length and didn’t give him an opportunity to double-cross my family or business, then why couldn’t I maintain this truce and be nice to him too?I vowed that the next time I saw Jagger I would be pleasant.

“About joining your subscription box?”he asked.“Yes.”

“And your other question?”

“Us going on a date?Also, yes.”

Pressing my fingers to my temples, I spun around in my living room and took a couple of steps away.“What is going on right now?”I asked, facing him again.“I feel like I’m in the freaking twilight zone.You’re Jagger McEvoy.”

“I am.”

“I’m Raina Aaronson.”

“You are.”

“We hate each other.”

He lifted one finger in the air.“Correction, wehatedeach other.Past tense.I don’t hate you now.In fact, I quite like you.Which is why I’m asking you out.”

The earnest and open look on his face tugged so hard at the strings of my heart, I had to bite my tongue to keep myself from just blurting out a loud, “Yes!”

He exhaled and cocked his head to the side a little.“I was wrong about you, Raina.You’re not the icy, mean-spirited person you want the world to think you are.I know that’s just an armor you wear.But I feel like I saw the real you on Wayman.The way you helped Lenora.The way you went to battle for her and slashed Walt’s tires.”Even his snort of amusement was sexy.“I want to get to knowthatRaina better.And I want that Raina to get to know me better too.”He shrugged again.“So, Thistle, what do you say?Can you let me take you out?”

“Thistle?”

He shrugged and flashed that crooked, sexy smile.“I’m workshopping other nicknames.I thought about ‘Jellyfish, since they sting.But they’re not prickly—are they?So that might not work.But pufferfish, sea urchins, crown-of-thorns starfish, and lionfishdefinitelyhave prickles and spines.I could call you ‘Pufferfish?’Urchin sounds mean though, right?”

I lifted one brow, and my mouth opened in confusion.

“Hedgehogs have spikes.But women don’t really like being associated with anything to do with pigs.”He nodded like we were having a full-blown, back-and-forth conversation.“Then I thought, ‘No, she’s a plant person.Maybe I should stick to plants.’”He lit up with excitement.“Thistles, and nettles, and blackberry bushesdefinitelyhave prickles.And have you ever heard of the Chinese Angelica tree?”His eyes bugged out as he held out both index fingers about six inches from each other.“They have spikes this big on them.I may have fallen down a rabbit hole the other night.There is a distinct difference between thorns, spines, and prickles.Did you know that?”

Nodding slowly, I blinked a few times, still struggling to process this entire exchange.

He shrugged again.“So, you want to go on a date with me,Angelica?Angelica Porcupine Lionfish.”This time, his smile was on the verge of cheesy, but definitely playful.

My eyes fell to his mouth, and my core clenched involuntarily.

All I wanted to do was say yes.But a voice in the back of my head told me to be cautious.That our families were vying for the same piece of land, and this could only end badly.

“No,” I said softly, hating the way the stars in his eyes shattered.“I’m sorry.But I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

Even his nod was sad.“Can’t blame a guy for trying.”He turned to go.“Let me know about the subscription box, hmm?”He opened the door and stepped out onto my winter-themed doormat with all the snowflakes on it.“I like all the plants, by the way.I bet you have really clean air in your house.”He graced me with one more of his killer Jagger McEvoy smiles, then left—his steps quick, like he couldn’t get away from me fast enough.

Fair enough, I just turned him down.He put his heart out there, made himself vulnerable, and I shot him down.I’d want to get the hell away from me too.

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