Page 27 of Wild in the Woods
He cleared his throat. “I’ll shorten the course to five days to make it easier on you, if–”
She waited.
Silence.
“If…?” she prompted.
Fox cleared his throat again, catching her eyes with an intensity that made her pulse flutter.
“Be my date to my cousin’s wedding so I can get him off my back about going alone.Fake date, though. Not real. It’s a one and done kind of thing.”
His face twisted with discomfort or maybe disgust. She couldn’t tell the difference but had definitely never had a man look like he was going to throw up after asking her out.
“Wow, I can see how terrible this is for you. I’m sorry, but most women don’t want to be looked at like they have the plague after being asked out.”
“Well, it’s not a real date proposition. It’s a fake date that will last a couple hours, max.”
He said it so easily, as if it was nothing. Men were so stupid sometimes.
“Thanks, but I’ll pass.”
His eyes narrowed. “Five days versus seven and I won’t make you eat bugs.”
Her throat tightened and her chest heaved involuntarily.
“Ask someone else.”
“Why, do you have a boyfriend or something holding you back?”
Her turn to make a disgusted face. “So, the only valid reason I might have for turning you down is because of another man? Right. No, I’m single and very capable of saying no because I want to. The answer’s still no but Iwillsee you before sunrise tomorrow.”
Pushing past him, she went to the entrance and opened the door.
Of all the nerve! She fumed a little as she waited in line. Of course, he sauntered right past her, looking sexy and cocky as hell as he went behind the counter like he owned the place, and helped himself to two paper coffee cups. He pushed through the double doors and went into the back. The sound of voices came from the back room. His, and a woman’s. They laughed.
The sound of his laughter washed over her and made her tingle. He reappeared and filled one of the cups with coffee, put a top on it and came her way. Leaning over the counter, he handed her the other cup before coming back around the counter.
Eyeing him suspiciously as he walked by, she looked at the cup and noticed writing on the side.The real thing squishes more when you chew them.
Inside, a handful of candy gummy worms set on a bed of crushed up cookie crumbs to look like dirt. She whirled to find him. He was already at the door.
“Nice try, Mitchell!” She yelled with a cocky smile.
He grinned wide and beautifully before walking out the door.
Ass. Hole.
Gritting her teeth, she held back a laugh because this wasn’t funny. It was kind of funny, but also, a dick move. Stepping up for her turn, she was startled to find a blonde woman staring openly at her from behind the counter. Her curly blonde hair was held up with a silk handkerchief around her head.
“Hi,” the woman said. “I’m dying to know why my brother-in-law gave you a cup of gummy worms.”
She said this with so much hope and anticipation that Lulu couldn’t very well tell her to mind her own business.
“Inside joke.”
“Really. Do the two of you have… a lot of inside jokes?”
Lulu frowned. What was this all about? “No, I barely know him. He’s kind of a prick.”
