Pure Wicked (Wicked Lovers #9.5)(20)
Author: Shayla Black

The door chime resounded overhead. And speak of the devil…

Hayden entered her shop, looking flushed. From the heat? She glanced at the clock over his head. Twenty minutes until she closed, and he knew it. When they’d been dating, he’d come by about this time when he had something on his mind. He knew it was her slowest time of day and that she couldn’t end the confrontation by walking away until she locked her doors at quitting time.

Bristol tensed. “What’s up?”

Hayden didn’t pretend this was a friendly chat. “Is he still here?”

“Jamie?” she asked as if she had more than one man in her life. No way did she want Hayden to think she sat around pining for him. Nothing could be further from the truth.

“Yeah. I didn’t appreciate you bringing him to our engagement party.”

“He was my ‘plus one,’” she fibbed. “I RSVPd.”

“No, Jayla was your plus one,” he reminded her, holding up a stern finger.

Okay, that was true but… “Why does it matter? It’s not as if you ran out of food or chairs. The party wasn’t negatively impacted because Jamie came.”

“I didn’t like it. I don’t like him for you.” Hayden crossed his arms over his chest.

Now that Bristol had seen Jamie do nearly the same thing—while naked—her ex seemed on the scrawny side, not deeply masculine or shiver-worthy. Seeing Hayden in the buff had never incited her to tear off her clothes and plead for his touch. But Jamie…

As she crossed the room with careful steps to straighten the bistro tables and chairs—mostly to avoid looking at Hayden—she felt that sappy smile creep across her face again. “Too bad. I do.”

“That expression is making me sick. He’s obviously a player. And why are you walking so funny?” He scowled, then he gaped. “Are you sore because he—”

“I won’t discuss my relationship with Jamie, especially not with you, Hayden. You’re engaged to my sister now, so what I do is absolutely none of your business. Did you have a reason to come here, other than to harass me?”

He pulled down on his Sunday-best navy sport coat. “To check on you.”

“I’m fine. Don’t you have someplace else to be? Isn’t there a church potluck this afternoon?”

“I skipped it.”

Hayden never missed an opportunity to play the role of “big man in town.” Bristol stared at him suspiciously. Why was he sweating? “So you could come here and bug me?”

“No.” He sent her an annoyed scowl. “I stopped by Corey’s house and… That doesn’t matter. Watching you leave with that guy last night worried me. He won’t stay, you know.”

Bristol shrugged as if it didn’t matter. Jamie wouldn’t stay, and she was okay with that…mostly. Not seeing him after Tuesday night’s dinner at her mother’s house sounded horrible right now, but she was in a sex-induced infatuation bubble, right? By the time she was done with him, it was possible they both would have found a hundred ways to crawl on one another’s nerves. By then, they’d realize how wrong they were together. Then she’d be ready for her next fling. No muss, no fuss. No problem.

It just didn’t feel that way now.

Get it together, girl. You are not getting your heart involved again.

“You didn’t stay either, and I survived,” she pointed out.

“He’s only using you for sex,” Hayden added.

“I’m okay with that. At least he’s putting a smile on my face. I finally understand what the big deal about sex is.” She gave him a tight smile. “Shouldn’t you be focusing on your sex life? After all, you and Presleigh are getting married next month.”

“You know she’s a virgin. We’re waiting for our wedding night.”

Seriously? Hayden hadn’t wanted to wait ten minutes with her, and he was willing to wait over a year for her sister? Wow. That still didn’t explain why he’d come—and why he sounded more than slightly jealous, unless…

She shoved her hands on her hips and faced him. “So you don’t like Jamie here because—”

“I’m in the bed he wants to occupy until he marries his sweet little bride,” Jamie called from behind her, standing in the doorway of the kitchen.

When he stepped into her restaurant, Bristol breathed a sigh of relief. She knew he couldn’t leave the building without first passing through her kitchen, and she figured he’d been sleeping after their vigorous night. But seeing him now, clearly intending to get Hayden off her back, thrilled her all over again.