CHAPTER 7

HANDSOME DEVIL

Charlie

I wasn’t expecting it when my phone dinged, and I had a text message from David. I also wasn’t expecting for him to admit that he didn’t want to wait until next Saturday to see me.

It was sweet, and despite how our group date went, it made me smile that he was thinking about me.

I had barely sent back two words when he was already asking me if I would like to go to dinner with him. Just the two of us. He was crystal clear about that.

I agreed.

I had nothing to lose. David may not be my happily ever after, but I wouldn’t know that for sure if I didn’t at least give him a chance.

When seven o’clock rolled around, I took a last look in the bathroom mirror before locking up the bakery. David was picking me up, but I wasn’t quite ready for him to pick me up at my house. Because then he would have to drop me off at my house, and I wasn’t quite ready to fend him off if he made a move. I definitely wasn’t ready for any of that.

He already knew that I had the bakery, and sure, he could try to kiss me but anything other than that would have to get really inventive at the bakery and that didn’t seem like it was in David’s first move repertoire.

David was standing outside a, I kid you not, big red truck when I walked outside, and he looked handsome. He had on a pair of jeans with a white t-shirt and a ball cap that sat low over his eyes. For the first time, I realized just how handsome he was. It was like I hadn’t even noticed how tan his skin was from working outside or how genuine his smile was when he saw me walk out.

“You ready?” That smile didn’t drop from his face as he gently pulled my hand in his and walked toward the passenger side of his truck.

“Yeah.” I smiled back at him, and I meant it.

He opened the passenger door for me and gripped my hand to help me climb inside his insanely tall truck. I never really understood trucks like this. Was he planning on joining a monster truck rally or maybe he needed the height to escape the law after he did something rugged and dangerous. I smiled at the thought but kept my mouth shut. Grilling him about his vehicle choices at the beginning of the date probably wasn’t the greatest way to start this off.

He shut my door and quickly made his way to the driver side. He managed to make getting in his truck look easier than I did, and I took a second to admire the muscles of his arms as he gripped the steering wheel and settled into his seat. How had I not noticed them the other night?

“You look beautiful tonight,” he said over the loud rumble of his truck.

“Thank you.” I could practically feel the blush forming on my skin. I had never been very good at taking compliments. “You look handsome.”

“Thanks.” He smirked at me, and in that moment, I realized that I could really get used to seeing it.

We pulled up outside a steakhouse that I had never been to, and David rushed to my side of the truck to make sure to open my door. David wasn’t a complete ogre during our group date, but this David, David on his own with me was completely different.

We ordered our drinks and food and I tucked my hands under my legs to stop myself from fidgeting while I tried to navigate through these awkward moments of trying to get to know each other.

“So,” he leaned back in his booth. “What made you decide that you wanted to open a bakery?”

“I’ve been in love with baking for as long as I can remember,” I told him honestly. “It’s just been a lot of work to get here.”

He nodded his head as if he understood that hard work perfectly, and if I looked hard enough, the signs that he truly did were visible. His tan hands were callused in a way that only hours and hours of hard work could cause. My mother would call them “real man’s hands.”

She was wrong though. Brandon worked his ass off and his hands weren’t nearly as callused as David’s. It was just a different kind of work, and he was a different kind of man, and I needed to quit thinking about Brandon.

“What about you? Have you always wanted to work in construction?” I took a sip of sweet tea to clear my head and brought my attention back to David. Where my attention needed to be.

“No.” He chuckled. “I mean I like it, but it’s a job. I love working for Mason, but the hours are long, and the work is hard.”

I nodded my head because I did understand what he meant. Sure, I had never worked in back-breaking construction, but I had spent countless hours doing work just to pay the bills.

“What do you want to do?” I asked, genuinely interested.

He ran his fingers through his short hair and looked to the side. “Honestly?” He turned his gaze back to me. “I feel kind of crazy saying this, but I’m almost thirty years old and I don’t have a single idea.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that. It means you still have all the options in the world.”

He smiled a soft smile, and I decided that it was my favorite look on him so far.

“I guess you’re right. I could do anything, huh?”

“Exactly. You could become a dentist.” He winced. “Or an acrobat.”

He chuckled. “I’m not sure you would want to see me in those tight ass outfits flying around in the air.”

I waved him off. “I’m sure you could pull it off.”

“You think too highly of me.”

I looked him over from head to just where his torso disappeared behind the table. “I don’t think so.”

Luckily the dating gods were looking down on me and our server showed up with our food before I could embarrass myself further.

David continued to ask me questions about myself as we ate, and I was shocked by how differently this date was going from our last.

By the time David dropped me back off at the bakery, I was far less concerned about whether or not he was going to make a move on me. Was I still nervous as hell? Absolutely. But it wasn’t nerves because I didn’t want him to do it. It was that nervous build up. That delicious feeling of starting to like someone and it being clear that they seem to be into you too. It was the butterflies that were unsure whether he was going to kiss me or not and whether or not it would be the best kiss of my life.

No pressure.

But when we pulled up outside the bakery, those butterflies turned to lead in my stomach. Brandon and Parker stood outside of the tattoo shop talking, and there was no way in hell I was going to have my first kiss with David in front of Brandon.

Especially after last night. I wasn’t one hundred percent positive that Brandon was trying to kiss me last night, but I was sure enough that it made me feel one hundred percent awkward in front of him.

I was making myself sound like some two-timing harlot, but I knew, I knew exactly what Brandon wanted from me. Even his friends made it perfectly clear that he was nothing but a player.

And I wasn’t looking to get played.

Regardless of how well he played the game. Because God knew that he was an expert.

But I didn’t need an expert, I needed someone who wanted something more.

David could be that someone.

He opened the door for me, and I tried my hardest not to look over at Brandon as I climbed out.

“I had a great time,” I said to David as he smiled down at me.

“Me too.” He tucked a stray curl behind my ear and a bit of those butterflies started to take off again.

I could see the debate in his eyes over whether he was going to take a chance and kiss me or not, and I wished that Brandon wasn’t standing right there. If he wasn’t, I would have shown David with my eyes how badly I wanted him to kiss me. I may have even reached forward and gripped his t-shirt in my hand to pull him toward me, but I didn’t do any of that. Instead, I looked up at him and waited for him to make the decision without me.

When his head lowered slightly, my breath caught in my throat. The smell of his cologne surrounded me, and I breathed it in and tried to let it drown out everything else. It was just me and him.

The guy who had been clouding my head since the day I met him wasn’t standing only about fifteen feet away from us, and I sure as hell wasn’t thinking about him as I was preparing for my first kiss with David.

His hand touched my jaw, and I knew it was coming. I licked my bottom lip, and I leaned forward just a hair. His breath caressed my skin, and hearing, “David, what’s up, man?” was not what I was hoping for next.

David turned toward the sound of Brandon’s voice, and I swear I wanted to shake him for letting Brandon getting in between us.

“Hey, guys,” David called out as his hand dropped from my face. “You all still working?”

“We’re just finishing up,” Parker said as he locked the front door.

I walked out from the side of David’s truck, and I watched Brandon assess me from head to toe. It was a look that was intimidating and sexy all in one.

“Shit, Freckles. I didn’t realize you were over there.”

He was such a damn liar.

I almost said it to. I almost called him on his shit, but he knew I wouldn’t. I could tell by the smirk on his face that he was trying to hide.

“I’m here.” I crossed my arms over my chest and stared at him.

He knew exactly what he was doing.

“What have you all been up to?” His stance matched mine, and he didn’t take his gaze off me.

“We went out to dinner,” I quickly answered before David could. Brandon didn’t need any more information than I was willing to give him.

“That sounds nice. I don’t know how you ate though. I’m still stuffed from all those sweets you fed me last night.” His gaze finally bounced over to David, to gauge his reaction I was sure. “I’m pretty sure I left my jacket over there by the way.”

I felt David tense slightly beside me. “You weren’t wearing a jacket.”

“Are you sure?” Brandon scratched his chin. “I could have sworn I was wearing one, but it was late. Maybe I left it in my car or something.”

I had never wanted to punch someone so much in my entire life. I narrowed my eyes at him then turned toward David. “I’m going to head home.” I hitched my thumb over my shoulder in the direction of my car. “I had an amazing time tonight.”

“Me too.” He pulled his attention off Brandon long enough to smile down at me.

“I’ll talk to you later?” I asked, almost hopeful. I wouldn’t be surprised if he wanted nothing to do with me after the display that Brandon just put on.

“Yeah.”

He walked me to my car, and I didn’t glance back at Brandon one time as I climbed in my car and started my engine. I could feel him watching me though.

But I didn’t care.

I was making myself not care.

I also didn’t care that David walked back to where Brandon and Parker stood as I was driving off. Brandon was being an asshole. Plain and simple. He could say what he wanted to David, but it wouldn’t matter.

I sent a quick text to Livy before trying to force the whole situation from my mind. I had a bakery to open. I didn’t have time for all this man drama.

Brandon is the devil.

It only took a couple of seconds before I got a response from her.

But he’s a handsome devil. Huh?