Page 12 of Merry Me Bad Boy

I tell her all about Joyce’s obsession with the holiday as I lead her away from the jukebox. When I hit the door that leads up to the top of the bar, I rub the back of my neck and confess that I live up above.

Abby’s brows lift, but she doesn’t comment. When I unlock the door, she moves without needing to be asked.

“And here I thought you wanted to get me drunk,” she murmurs as she leads the way up the set of stairs.

I scoff at the mere idea. “I’m not much of a drinker myself.”

She throws a look behind me, a curve of a smile on her mouth. “Terrible place to live then.”

It really is. Soon, I’ll get a place of my own, I swear to it.

“If you love the music, you’re in for a treat,” I try to joke as we make it to the top.

My chest is feeling a bit tighter than normal. A man my age shouldn’t be getting all worried about having a woman in his room for the first time. Maybe I should’ve taken her somewhere romantic, like a date. Even the diner in town has to be better than some stuffy room above the bar.

Like she can tell I’m fighting a war in my head, Abby takes one look at the room before putting her focus on me. Her arms cross as she hugs her frame. “So, what did you want to do, Jason? You don’t seem to be the kind of man to own any board games.”

That is true. I don’t have a lot to keep me busy up here. Normally, I hang out at the bar and enjoy the free food Joyce sneaks me.

I’ve mastered the dartboard and can hit a bullseye at least once every ten shots. I’m a pro. Though, I’m not sure Abby will be too impressed with that.

“Talk,” I offer instead, deciding that trying to make something up on the fly isn’t going to end too well. “I think we’ve been holding back a bit, don’t you?”

Abby stiffens up a bit, her eyes drifting to the side.

I walk over and plop down on one of the chairs I stole from down below. Kade doesn’t know I’ve taken a table too. Was a bitch to carry in the middle of the night without hitting anything.

I sweep my hand over to the other chair I borrowed for tonight.

“You can leave if you want, but I would like to get a few things off my chest.” Following her gaze back toward the set of stairs, my stomach twists up.

Her arms loosen and before I can go thinking I completely fucked up, Abby nods and strolls over to take the seat. Her fingers tangle, her cheeks pink. Finally, her eyes meet mine.

“I fell for you the moment I walked into your bakery.” Brows narrowed, I get all of my feelings right out in the air. “Knowing that, I shouldn’t have asked for a job. Not when I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep my hands to myself.”

Abby’s blush spreads from her cheeks to the rest of her face the moment she registers my words. Her lips part, but she’s in no rush to stop me.

“If you want to fire me, I get it. Hell, I’ll figure out how to send in online applications and get a different job. If it means I can see you without having a boundary set between us…” Without realizing it, my chest is heaving. I’m sounding more desperate than I originally planned.

Iamdesperate. Without a doubt, I’d do anything this woman wanted me to do to stay at my side.

“You like me?” The first words to come out of her mouth, and she’s still stuck on my confession.

The next breath I take in comes out as one long sigh. This woman…

“Yes. Very much so. You’ve haunted me since the very beginning.” I run a hand down my face, feeling exhausted. “I don’t lick frosting off every woman I meet, you know. Fuck, I don’t even like sweets.”

Abby covers her face before busting out with a laugh. I think we both need a good chuckle and I can’t help but catch a little laugh myself.

“You work at my bakery, Jason. You…” Shaking her head, her smile remains even after she’s dropped her hands. “You like me.”

“Is it that hard to believe?” I frown at her inability to see it for herself. “Do I need to start listing reasons?”

I will. I’ll write a whole fucking book if I have to. No, I’ll write a wholeseries.We’ve shared plenty of memorable moments.

“No, please don’t. I think I’ll die from embarrassment.” Biting her lip, she’s now beaming brighter than the Christmas lights down below. “It’s just… you’reyou, you know?”

No, I do not. I know I’ve got an unlikeable face and an appearance that makes people cower a bit.

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