Jilly and I’d been hanging out for about six months the year before, but it was really nothing more than sex. Of course, I wouldn’t commit and in an effort to make me realize what I had, she started dating another man. That was a godsend situation. I said my goodbyes and wished them a very happy life, but I heard recently that they’d split up, so that would explain why she was walking up to me like I owed her something again. I leaned back in my seat and offered her a smile, hoping that we could keep this brief if not civil.

“Hey,” she drawled, voice low and seductive, clearly an attempt to make the woman I was with feel insecure.

“Hi, Jilly.” From the corner of my eye, I noted the way Mia looked at her, a little flicker of jealousy passing over her face. “You know, Mia, don’t you?”

“Sure.” She glanced at Mia briefly, barely acknowledging her presence, before turning her attention back to me. “How’ve you been doing these last few months?” she cooed, cocking her head to the side and shifting her weight on one hip. “I haven’t seen a lot of you.”

“You know, working, drinking, the usual,” I replied casually.

“I should bring my car in. She needs to have your magic fingers work her.”

I felt my jaw tighten with annoyance. “Call me and I’ll see if there’s room for you in my schedule.”

She laughed, tossing her head back and catching the attention of every guy in the diner. “I know you’ll make space for me,” she replied, there was something malicious about the way her eyes slid over to Mia.

“I’ll see what I can do.”

She let a slow smile spread across her face before she continued on her way across the diner.

Mia had her arms crossed over her chest, coffee forgotten. She looked pissed. She raised her eyebrows at me expectantly across the table.

I stared back at her. “What is it?”

“You’re really just going to sit there in front of me making plans to hook up with her after what happened last night?” she demanded, incredulous.

I felt surprised by her reaction. “Sorry, I didn’t realize what happened last night was a proposal to go steady.”

Clearly, it was the wrong thing to say because her face darkened and she shot to her feet. Scrabbling in her pocket for some money, she slammed it down on the table. “I’m going home,” she snapped. “Give me my car keys. I’m getting out of here.”

“Let me drive you.” I quickly grabbed the keys off the table and got to my feet too. “Least I can do after you brought me some business.”

“I don’t want you to,” she spat, looking away from me. “Why not just go down and see to Jilly’s car instead?”

I waved my hand. “She can wait.”

“She didn’t seem like she was prepared to wait,” she quipped with pure sarcasm in her tight voice while storming out to the car outside.

I left some money on the table and followed her out.

She had some ass on her. Full and firm. She was standing by the passenger seat, her arms crossed over her chest, her face stony.

I unlocked the passenger door and opened it for her. “Come on.” I jerked my head toward the open door. “Get in. I’ll give you a lift back to your place.”

“I can drive myself.”

“We can stand here arguing this all day and you’re not getting the keys.”

“Neanderthal,” she muttered under her breath, as she slipped in.

I closed the door. With a small smile of amusement, I walked around to the driver’s side. There was only so long she could keep up this game, and she knew it. I started the car up and pulled away from the diner for the short drive back to her parents’ place.

“I can’t believe you would do that right in front of me, after what happened last night,” she fumed.

My brow furrowed. “Do what? Would you please tell me what the fuck I did wrong?” I demanded.

“You came on to her,” she yelled.

“I didn’t come on to her.”

She deepened her voice to mimic mine. “Call me and I’ll see if there’s room for you in my schedule.”

“Are you crazy? That is not coming on to someone. What? I’m supposed to shoot down every opportunity for some work just because you’re in town?”

“It’s not like that,” she fired back.

I pulled over the car onto a quiet bit of road so I wouldn’t get distracted and slide us into a ditch. “Then what is it like?” I demanded.

She bit her lip and remained silent.

“Sorry, Mia, but we just messed around last night. If it meant something more to you—”

“It didn’t,” she cut me off furiously. “I just would like to be treated with a little more respect, that’s all—”

This time I was the one who cut her off. Before she could say another word, I swooped down on her, crashed my mouth on hers and forced my tongue into her surprised mouth.

For a second, she froze and I felt sure that she was so pissed she would push me off, bite my tongue, or something, but instead her body softened and melted against me, her mouth sucking on my tongue. I moved my hand over her face and let the other come to rest on her knee, and my cock hardened to rock. I wondered for the briefest second how practical it would be to pull her onto my lap, and fuck her right here in her car. But at that moment another car passed on the road behind us and I realized I didn’t need to take such risks. I could wait until tonight. I would fuck her, and fuck her I would, until she was completely out of my system.

“Dinner, tonight,” I murmured as I pulled back. “Nobody else. Just you and me. That sound better?”

“Yeah, that sounds better,” she agreed, a little breathless as she looked deep into my eyes.

I grinned. So the Jilly thing had been a trip-up, but she still wanted me. She kissed me again, just briefly, and I knew it was a promise of something more to come tonight. And I couldn’t wait to see exactly what that would take the form of.