Page 48 of Gator

Walking around the shops, I couldn’t find a single thing for Devlyn. What the hell did someone get for their baby momma?

Flowers?

A thank-you card?

A fifty-dollar gift card to her favorite restaurant?

Though now that I thought about it, that last idea might get me out of trouble in the future. Woman was hungry all the damn time. Refusing to give up, I spotted Mademoiselle Moriarity walking toward me. Looking around, I ducked into the nearest store and sighed. “Damn, that was close.”

“May I help you?”

Turning slowly, I spotted a smiling young man barely in his early twenties leaning against the counter, taking a long, good look at me before he licked his lips and clearly said, “Hot damn. Santa did get my letter this year.”

The young man’s confidence was so unmistakable that I couldn’t help but let out a short laugh, shaking my head in disbelief. “Santa’s got a strange way of granting wishes,” I replied casually, scanning the store for anything remotely useful for Devlyn.

“Depends on what you asked for,” he countered, his grin widening. “Need help findin’ something? Or are you just window shoppin’, ’cause, Big Daddy, I don’t mind lookin’?”

I ignored his flirtation and picked up a plush stuffed bear with a small red bow tied to its neck. It seemed harmless enough, yet sentimental—a gift that wouldn’t send the wrong message. “You think this would work for a first-time Christmas present for the mother of my children?” I asked, holding it up.

“For a baby momma?” His eyes sparkled with amusement. “Hmm, depends. Are you trying to say‘thanks for the kid’or‘I still care’? Because that bear’s giving me‘sorry for being an ass’vibes.”

I sighed, rubbing my temples, and put the bear back on the shelf.

He chuckled, stepping closer. “Don’t worry, Big Daddy, I’ve got an entire section for stupid mistakes. Follow me.”

I hesitated but followed him deeper into the store when something caught my eye. Stopping, I walked over to the wall and stared at the aquarium with a baby alligator in it, and when the small hatchling hissed at me, I smiled.

“How much for the hatchling?”

“Oh, Jerky isn’t for sale. He’s my baby.”

Grinning from ear to ear, I turned to the young salesclerk and said, “Everything is for sale. Name your price.”

He sauntered closer to me, trailed his index finger down my chest, and whispered, “What did you have in mind?”

I raised an eyebrow, amused but not entirely surprised by the clerk’s audacious response. “Well, aren’t you bold? But I was serious,” I replied, my tone firm yet playful.

He tilted his head, studying me like I was a puzzle he couldn’t quite solve. “Boldness is kind of my thing, Big Daddy,” he said, emphasizing the nickname with a teasing smirk. “But Jerky? He’s special. Not just any customer gets to walk out with him.”

“Consider me not just any customer,” I shot back, leaning casually against the counter. “Or maybe you just haven’t named the right price yet.”

His grin flickered for a moment, replaced by something that looked suspiciously like intrigue. “Alright then. Let’s play a little game,” he said. “You want Jerky? Show me you’ve got the nerve to earn him.”

I crossed my arms, curious now. “That sounds more like a challenge than a price.”

“Oh, it’s both,” he replied with a wink. Stepping closer to the aquarium, he tapped the glass gently, letting the hatchling hiss again. “How far are you willing to go for something that bites back?”

Twenty minutes later, I was in the back of his shop leaning against a bed frame, naked from the waist up as he snapped pictures of me. When I ducked into this shop, I never thought in a million years I would be posing for boudoir photos.

Nope.

That was definitely not on my bucket list.

“That’s it,” the clerk said. “Flex those muscles for me.”

“So what are you going to do with these photos?”

“Besides drool over them?” He chuckled, then added, “I’m going to use them to start up my website. I don’t want to be behind the counter for the rest of my life. I want to be self-sufficient and do something I love.”

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