Page 25 of Bad Love

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"You look nice today,”says the guy who runs the little café Rena and I frequent a block from our office. He’s got dimples and always wears button-down shirts in a shade of blue that brings out hiseyes.

Eyes that hold mine a little longer than necessary to make acoffee.

Some days, we even flirt. It’s cute and harmless, and it makes me feel as if someone noticesme.

"Thanks." I brush a hand down my hot-pink dress. I bought it on sale, and I've been waiting for an excuse to wear it. "I have a presentation at work. For aclient.”

"Must be an important client.” He winks, but my stomach goes tight at hiswords.

"No. Small, insignificant client. Unattractive client." He lifts a brow at my sudden craziness, and I shake my head. “Sorry. Didn’t sleepwell.”

“Maybe this’ll help.” He finishes the coffee and hands it tome.

“Thanks.” I paste on a smile, practically snatch the coffee from him, and turn on my heel before jogging out thedoor.

If I'm dressed up, it has nothing to do with LoganHunter.

Or bumping into him at theCharlotte.

Or that when I’m within ten feet of him, I stare at his mouth as if his tongue ring’s a rock star and I’m a desperate fan lined up for a fleeting glimpse ofit.

My phone buzzes in myhand.

Unknown:You must have had fun in the ballroom. There was a twenty-G barbill.

Itype back as fastas I can.Hunter?? How did you get thisnumber?!

Unknown:So, you DID run up the barbill.

Kendall:There wasn’t any alcohol at theevent!

Unknown:I know. I like to see you riledup.

The sudden tightnessin my chest eases as I realize he’s pushing mybuttons.

An image comes through with a notebook on a wire rack. It says, “KEEP CALM AND DRINK MOREBEER.”

My eyes flutter closed. And now he’s making fun of mynotebook.

He probably got the number from Daisy. And it’s not like he’s being out of line. Unprofessional, maybe. But it was unprofessional for me to not have the right amount of space for my event, and he saved my ass onthat.

Hunter knows how to provoke me, and for whatever reason, he seems to like doingit.

The smug, cocky version of lumberjack frat boy I canhandle.

His blurted confession in the elevator on the other hand… that bugged me allnight.

All through the event for my other client, then while heating up the eggplant parmigiana Rory and his babysitter saved me for when I gothome.

Why would Hunter tell me something so personal? I don’t chalk it up to my trustworthy face. It’s as if he’s been walking around with that and needed to get it off hischest.

The weirder part was Ilikedthat he was telling me something he hadn’t told anyone. Including that woman at thebar.

Especially the woman at thebar.

Being confided in by an attractive man wasn’t something I knew I was holding out for, but damn did it hook me. I want to knowmore.

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