Page 53 of Forbidden Hearts
She grins. “Well, when one of the vipers doesn’t try to convince him. I’m not quite sure he’s ever hooked up with them, or they follow him out to look like it.”
I lean on the bar, chin in my hands. “Tell me more. Who are the vipers?”
Carmen laughs. “Melinda and her friend group. So, I guess that includes you tonight as well.”
I stand up, feeling a mix of emotions. “A snake is scary and venomous.”
“Yes, and do I take it you’re on the prowl?”
I nod once. “I am tonight.”
The funny thing about being on the prowl is that there has to be prospects to look for. Right now, the only guy here is Matt or Mike or whatever his name is, and as long as he hasn’t touched any of them, it could work. Time to be sexy and alluring.
Whatever that looks like.
“Hey there,” I say as I come to a stop at the chair beside his.
Matt-Mike looks me up and down and then lifts his chin. “Hey.”
Okay, this is going swell. “Is this seat taken?”
“Nope.”
I move around the chair and take a seat. What the hell do I do now? I am the worst viper ever. “So, are you from Sugarloaf?”
Oh, Phoebe, you are so not good at this.
“No. I just work on a farm here, but I live a few towns over.”
That was at least a whole sentence, so we’re making progress. “Which farm?”
“Arrowood.”
“I know them well. The whole town does. I’m Phoebe.” I extend my hand to Mike-Matt—or was it Matt-Mike?—and he returns the gesture.
“I’m Micah.”
Carmen was off on that name. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Same.” He lifts his hand toward Carmen. “What can I get you?”
“The check.”
I could die. Right now. I could just . . . drop dead on the floor because I just got shut down after two seconds. In my sexiest outfit with my tits basically on display.
She walks off, and Micah gets to his feet. “Look, it was great meeting you, but I know who your daddy is, and there’s no way I’m going to get mixed up with the chief.”
“I’m not sixteen,” I say, no longer trying to be cute. “It’s not like my father monitors my dating life.”
“That’s what you think, sweetheart.”
The way he says sweetheart makes my skin prickle. It’s not warming or cute. It’s condescending, and his voice is too high. Not that low gravelly sound that he . . .
No.
No, it’s Micah’s voice, and there’s nothing wrong with it . . . other than the word he used and his tone and maybe his pitch too. But that’s all.
Not wanting to be brushed off, I get to my feet and walk around. “Well, it was great talking to you. I have to get back to my friends.”
