Page 50 of Good at Being Bad (Rock Canyon, Idaho 8)

When the guys were seated on the opposite side of Jenson’s, Ellie went back to her food, hoping whatever bug was up Forrest’s ass would die if she acted like nothing was up.

“What’s with you and Stevens?” Forrest asked harshly.

So much for hoping. “We’re helping each other out. Why? You jealous?” She meant the statement as a joke, but he stiffened.

“Of Stevens?” His loud braying laugh rubbed Ellie the wrong way. “The guy’s a douche. An old douche.”

“You think so?” Ellie’s tone was challenging. “I don’t think he’s douchey at all…and neither do any of the women currently checking him out.”

Forrest stabbed at his spaghetti. “Whatever. I don’t want you seeing him.”

Ellie was tempted to laugh at Forrest, but what good would that do? She might have been able to look beyond his sometimes boorish, inconsiderate nature, but a new light had shined down on him with that one statement.

And no way in hell was she going to put up with it from someone she didn’t even like.

Ellie pulled her wallet out of her purse, thumbing through the bills and pulling out a twenty and ten, more than enough to cover the meal and tip.

“What are you doing?” Forrest asked.

Ellie dropped the cash on the table and stood up. “I’m leaving. Enjoy your meal.”

“What is your problem? Sit back down,” Forrest hissed, trying to grab her arm. She yanked it out of his reach.

“No one tells me what to do. That’s why I’m leaving. At first I thought it was just the excitement of the alumni game that was making you act like a tool.” She sneered down at him as she continued, “But now I realized you’re a self-centered ass.”

Forrest’s face turned purple, and she didn’t wait around to see if he would fight her about it or make a scene. She simply headed for the door, fighting the urge to glance toward Mike and down the stairs. Getting mad at Forrest’s controlling attitude had nothing to do with Mike.

You’re all about honesty, and yet you continue to lie to yourself. You want Mike, and Forrest was insulting him. No shame in that.

Except Mike had probably noticed her slamming out of the diner alone. But her single status changed nothing. He was meant for someone else.

Mike rode his motorcycle out to Ellie’s house that night, his mind still whirling by the fact that she’d dumped Forrest in the middle of Jensen’s. Miss Know-It-All had broken specific details on her blog an hour after it happened, including the fact that Forrest had forbidden Ellie from seeing Mike right before the breakup. He’d printed out the blog to tease Ellie, planning on holding it up and saying, “Aw, you do care.”

As he parked the motorcycle next to her car, he got off and removed his helmet. He shoved his hands in his pocket, gripping the paper as he trotted up the steps and knocked on the door.

When she pulled it open, he forgot all about the blog post or the breakup. All he could do was stare.

Ellie had curled her hair. Her long, straight, beautiful dark hair was in lush, loose curls around her bare shoulders. The off-the-shoulder red blouse that hugged her waist and hips matched her full, glossy lips perfectly. The leather pants that stretched down her legs into high heeled boots made him want to reach out and run his hands over the smooth black fabric and grab her hips. He’d pull her into him, take that mouth with his, and push her back into the house until he had her pinned to a wall.

“Mike, did you have a stroke?” Her sparkling hazel eyes were outlined with black liner and her lashes fanned out fully, making them appear bigger. They were so beautiful, he could stay there for hours, just staring into them.

“Blink once if you can hear me,” Ellie said, laughter making her voice shake.

Pulling himself out of her trance, he blinked.

“Sorry, but you look…”

“Beautiful?” she suggested with a grin.

He sighed, exasperated. “Why don’t you ever let me just pay you a compliment?”

“Because it’s all been said before.” She grabbed something black from inside and closed the door. “Bye, Jenny! Be good.”

“No promises!” her roommate hollered back.

As she stepped out onto the porch, he realized it was a leather jacket she was shrugging into and chuckled.

“What are you laughing at?”

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