Page 16 of Him Lessons

“Nipping this shit in the bud.”

“Stop! Those are mine.”

Luke did not stop deleting Kyle’s mug from her phone. “Trust me, Creeper, this is for the best.”

She all but snarled at him when he finally tossed the phone down on her towel. “Oh my gosh, you are so” — her eyes flashed with animosity as she snatched up the device and scrambled to her feet — “soannoying.”

He laughed as she stalked off in a cute little huff.

“I left you one,” he called out.

She turned around and stuck her tongue out at him.

He laughed even harder.

A second later, Shay appeared at his side. “I don’t think she’s a reporter.”

“Nope,” Luke drawled, tracking the blonde’s furious stomp up the steps with a grin.

“And I do believe she hates your guts right now.”

“Yep.”

Shay walked away with a chuckle.

Luke didn’t watch her go.

He was far more interested in watching the little force of nature who was now unlocking her bike with jerky, agitated movements, and with what he was certain were a few choice words falling from her lips.

Slamming a helmet over her messy locks, the chick straddled her bike, turned, and glared at him.

Yeah, if looks could kill, those big blue eyes of hers would have canon-blasted him into the ocean.

Luke waved.

She fired up a hand signal.

It was not the shaka.

Then she took off, leaving him standing there with an amused expression. One that grew even more so when he looked down to find a giant image of Tweety Bird staring up at him. With a bark of laughter, Luke plucked up the towel, shook the sand from it, and dried off as he contemplated the girl disappearing down the street.

He had no idea who she was, but he suspected he’d find out soon enough. Kyle’s admirers never stayed away for long, and Luke didn’t think his antics with the phone had scared her off for good.

Already, she was craning her head over her shoulder as though realizing she’d forgotten something. Something he now had wrapped around his waist. Swinging her gaze back to the path before her, she hunched her slender shoulders and pedaled faster, probably madder than a hornet.

While she might not have appeared all that tough under her boyish clothes, Luke could tell this little bird had some claws.

She’d be back.

He was certain of it.

Chapter five

Andydidnotgoback to her secret spot. Not Sunday, not Monday, not Tuesday, and not even Wednesday. The day of her big interview at ManCave.

As Andy knelt on the sales floor that morning assembling a standee for DEET-free bug spray, she felt a flash of irritation.

It was more of a hot flash, really.

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