“I need to use a phone charger,” I explained again to the blonde with huge tits and way too much mascara, considering how late at night it was. Did I miss the part where Douglas had the latest new club in the area?

Who knew? I was tired, and weary, and my brain was fried. Twenty, or so, straight hours of traveling and going through security will do that to you.

I held out my phone and stared at the broad as she tried everything in her power to get me to look at them. I mean damn, those huge things were just off in their own little world. Hell, they could damn well occupy their own zip code.

But at the moment, my mind swirled with a million different emotions - in light of my brother’s death, romance was the last thing on my mind.

“I can certainly help you with that.” She flashed a wide smile my way, but deliberately kept from grabbing the phone I was holding in front of her. Her lips were so red they’d make the maroon Crayola crayon blush. “I’m Amber, by the way.”

I squinted as she stuck a hand out and I shook it, politely. I cocked my head. She looked a lot like someone I used to know. It was hard to tell for sure through all that makeup, though. Plus, I hadn’t been back here in eight years.

“Kade,” I answered. “I was driving through and saw the lights. I figured you might be able to help me with the issue I’m having.”

“Of course,” she smiled, holding onto my hand for a few extra seconds longer than seemed normal. Her eyes still locked on mine, she leaned forward to grab the phone and ‘accidentally’ grazed my bicep with her chest.

“Oh, excuse me,” she said with the same, fake looking smile. “Clumsy me. But oh my. You are...muscular. I bet you work out a lot.”

Reaching out, she tried to wrap her small hand around my bicep, it didn’t come close.

I rubbed my forehead with a fingers and caught a glimpse of our profiles in one of the windows.

I was at least a half-foot taller than this girl, and yeah I was jacked. That tends to happen after eight years of constantly pushing your body to the brink of exhaustion for workouts. An unintended consequence of that was I’d become accustomed to women hitting on me. Often, there was a certain type of girl who went after me. They were airheaded, aggressive, and wanted me for basically one thing--the ride they knew a strong as hell man could take them on.

They say in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. And in the land of a bunch of wimpy soy-boys, as a lot of these small towns were, they called me a breath of strong, fresh air.

Sure, I’d had my fun over the years with some casual relationships. But these days I needed something else to be attracted to in a girl, aside from zip-code owning tits: intelligence. There was just something about a smart as fuck girl that got my engine revving.

Amber’s eyes drug up my chest and finally landed on my face.

“If you’re looking for somewhere to stay tonight, I do have an apartment just above here. It’s no trouble.”

I leaned in, seeing that hope on her face. She had that glint in her eyes, licking her lips like she was about to score the big goal.

I hated to be the asshole and break it to her.

Okay, correction. I enjoyed this part.

“Listen, Amber. What I need, is for you to charge up this phone so I can be on my merry way. Is that something you can do for me, or not?”

She huffed and muttered something under her breath as she turned around to find an outlet for me.

As she turned, my eyes drifted to another woman who had just entered the shop from the back.

I did a double take, literally shaking my head as I squinted her way.

Holy fucking shit.

Genny Shepherd walked into the room, and she looked pissed.

I knew I’d seen Amber’s face somewhere before. I just couldn’t tell through all that makeup, but sure as hell, she was Genny’s sister.

My ex girlfriend.

I swallowed as Genny stormed toward me, her heels clicking on the ground, and I swear I saw venom coming out of her eyes. Even though she hadn’t said a word, I knew that look.

Whereas Amber had not moved me one iota in the romantic sense, I felt my whole body overcome with a reflexive attraction for Genny. She was the physical opposite of her sister. Genny was slight of build, with light brown hair and a medium stature. Tonight, she wore jeans and a pink v-neck T-shirt. But it wasn’t her body that turned me on the most after all these years.

That would be the fire burning in her green eyes as she quickly approached me in the store.

“You’ve got some fucking balls to show up here after what you did,” she seethed.

I rocked back on my heel. Calm, cool, and collected.

“Your family still owns this place?” I asked, completely disregarding her question. “I didn’t expect to see you, to be honest.”

Glaring at me with her sexy green eyes, she bared her teeth. “You still don’t like actual conversations. I’m not surprised. You really haven’t changed a bit.”

I shrugged. “What can I say.”

Shaking her head, she continued. “I told you all of the ways you are not allowed in my life at all. No phone calls, no emails, no social media, and definitely no house calls.”

Taking a deep breath, I sighed. “Two things. One, I’m glad to see you’ve clearly moved on after all these years,” I said, my tone biting and sarcastic. “So much so that I still have an effect on you. Is your boyfriend getting jealous or something?”

“There’s no effect,” she growled through her teeth. Though at the same time, she touched her hair. It’s those subtle signs of attraction you have to look out for. “And I don’t have a boyfriend. Here’s a number two for you. Get out.”

I smirked at her, because I was now completely sure I was having the same effect on her as she was on me. And the detail about not having a boyfriend was closely noted. Some attractions never die out, and this one was currently hitting me in the face with the force of a thousand suns.

The attraction was spreading to other parts of my body, too. I pushed those feelings down, though, because this was nothing but a chance encounter between old exes. Rekindling that flame was something neither of us were interested in. Sure it was hot, but it was a recipe for disaster at the same time. I didn’t waiver.

“Number two. A house call? What on earth are you talking about? You’re dreaming. I stopped by this shop because it was one of the few places with the lights still on tonight, and I needed to charge my phone. Come on. I may be an asshole, but I wouldn’t appear in front of you after all these years just to stir up shit.”

“Oh,” she said, her tone took one step down from ‘angry as hell’ and headed toward ‘mildly aggressive’. “I’m sorry to hear about your brother and everything. My condolences.”

“Thanks,” I said with a mindless shrug. “We weren’t that close since we were kids. You know that. It’s a little weird being back here, though. As soon as my phone is charged I can call his friend and get the keys to his place. That’s where I’m staying tonight.”

“Oh, I see.” Her tone softened another level, and fuck if I didn’t have flashbacks to the good times in high school.

Riding around in her parents’ car on the country roads, no destination in mind.

Sneaking into the local pool late at night and going skinny dipping.

Late night make-out sessions in her basement while her Dad checked on us every ten minutes.

“So what’s your family up to these days?” I finally asked, noticing that my day-dreaming mid conversation was making for an awkward pause.

She put her hands on her hips and put one leg in front of the other; that awkward pose girls sometimes make. I couldn’t tell if she was relaxed or just plain anxious.

“My parents retired to Florida. They left me in charge of all this,” she said. She put her palms out like she was Vanna White, showcasing all of the products around the store.

I nodded. “Oh wow. Big boss lady now. So business is good, I take it?”

Rubbing the back of her neck, she cleared her throat. “Never better,” she croaked.

“That’s good to hear. You were always the smart one.”

“Was I?”

“That’s how I always saw it. I mean, that’s why I was so attracted to you. You know that.”

The phrase ‘so attracted’ hung in the air, and I could see the reaction on her face change from neutral to something else.

Her lips parted and she stared at me with those fire-green eyes, like something was about to come out, but she said nothing.

“I know I was an asshole,” I added. “I never stopped thinking about you, though. I wanted you to know that.”

Turning her head, she called to her sister, who was now sitting on a stool chewing gum and waiting for my phone.

“Hey Amber, that phone charged yet?”

“It’s at thirteen-percent.”

“Come on,” I said with a grin. “At least get me to twenty-five.”

She glanced at me again, and I saw a heaviness in her eyes. They were glossed over, the green fire temporarily gone.

“Hey Genny,” I said, taking a step closer to her. I put a hand on her shoulder. “Let’s go grab a drink tonight at Duke’s. Talk about things. Clearly, there are some unresolved tensions rising up between us.”

“Kade,” she whispered. Hearing my name on her lips with a hint of vulnerability made my body fire with desire.

The way she sounded flashed me back to some of the fondest experiences of my short life.

Kade, that feels good.

Kade, keep doing that.

Kade, I’m going to come.

I swallowed and let my eyes drink her in some more. But the second part of her phrase wasn’t one of my favorites. Actually, it was right around my least favorite.

“I told you I never wanted to talk to you or see you again, and that’s the truth. You’re only staying for a few days. What’s the point? We shouldn’t get attached. Seems like both of us are getting on just fine.”

She lowered her eyes to the ground as she said the last words. I examined her face for any trace of an entry point for me to break her down. I would wait here all night for another shot at those cherry red lips, bright and natural. But I also knew when I wasn’t welcome.

“Alright,” I growled simply. I was irked, but who could blame her? I’d pulled the biggest asshole maneuver ever by leaving her for the military. My track record was damn awful.

“Twenty percent!” Amber screeched from the corner, holding up my phone.

“I think that’s good enough,” Genny said, walking to the outlet. She unplugged my phone and handed it to me.

“By the way,” she added, sadness in her eyes. “Good luck with the baby. That’s so tragic it won’t grow up with it’s real parents.”

“Um, what?” I scoffed. “What baby?”

“Oh,” she squinted. “How close were you with your brother these last few years?”

“We didn’t even speak.”

“You didn’t hear about the baby?”

I gripped my phone a little harder and felt my chest tighten.

“They had a baby?”

“Yeah. Six months or so ago, I think.” She reached a hand out to my forearm, and warmth flowed through my body when I remembered just how tender she could be.

“I’m...an uncle,” I said out loud, swallowing excessively at this new news.

She smiled as she looked at her watch. “So sorry to kick you out, but we’re closed. Good luck with that.”