***
I hadn't been at the coffee shop for twenty minutes when Thomas, Grace's older brother, walked in. The smile on his freckled face was contagious. He was cute but far too much of a jock for my liking. Preppy was his middle name back in high school, and from the look of things, that hadn't changed much.
"Jenna Webb. My favorite barista." He smiled and stopped in front of the counter. "Don't you look beautiful today?"
"Just today?" I scrunched my eyebrows and gave him a pouty look. I shouldn't have egged him on. It was evil, but fun.
"Every day." He pressed his hands to the counter and leaned in a little. "Did Grace tell you that some of us are getting together this weekend at Kadia? Just an old reunion of sorts. Some of the guys are coming into town for a football game."
"She did." I wiped my hands on my apron and glanced over to see Nathaniel walk in the door. His leather jacket and black jeans made him look as dark and sexy as I had no doubt he was.
"So... that mean you're coming with us?"
"I'm not sure." I turned my attention back to Thomas, not wanting to be rude nor draw attention to my latest obsession.
Latest? It'd been a year. Something had to give soon.
"Well, it wouldn't be the same without you."
I smirked. "That so? When is the last time you and I hung out?"
"I honestly can't remember."
"It was spring break, my senior year."
"Four years ago? Shit. Time flies, right?"
"It sure does. I'll think about this weekend. You want a cup of coffee or did you just come by to bother me?" I smiled and Nate stepped up beside Thomas, his expression grim.
"Is he bothering you?" Nate's voice was ominous, the tone of it low and unbelievably sexy.
"What? No. Not at all." I tried to backtrack as Thomas turned to face the much bigger guy.
"And who the fuck are you if I was bothering her?" Thomas’ shoulders stiffened and he puffed out his chest.
"I'm the guy that would stop you dead in your tracks, mother fucker." Nate seemed quite comfortable in the middle of the confrontation.
I jogged around the corner and squeezed in between them, putting my back to Nate. I didn't know him well enough to know if he would back off thanks to me pleading with him, but I knew Thomas would.
"Hey." I put my hands on Thomas' chest and tapped until he glanced down at me. "Stop, okay? I'll be there this weekend, just get out of here and stop causing shit."
He glanced down at me and back up at Nate, his brown eyes filled with challenge. "Yeah. All right, but tell this asshole to back up. I don't like him on top of you."
"He will. Okay. Thanks for coming by." I slipped my arm into Thomas' and walked him to the door, giving him a quick hug before half-shoving him out. I turned back to Nate and gave him a stern look. "Really? What was that? You don't even know me."
"Do I have to know you to want to protect you?" He slipped his hands into the front of his jeans and gave me a smile that made me want to purr and rub against him.
"No, but jeez." I walked back around the counter and grabbed a cup. "Black coffee? No cream or sugar."
He tilted his head and watched me, not saying a word.
"Who was he?"
"Who? Thomas? He's my best friend's older brother."
"Old boyfriend?" He had no inflection to his voice at all. I couldn't tell if he was pissed or happy as a lark.
"Yes, but it was a long time ago." I crossed my arms over my chest as if to protect myself. What did Nate care who I dated? He was way the fuck out of my league.
"Hey, buddy!" A chunky guy with thick brown hair and a lopsided smile moved up beside Nate and patted him on the back. "You said we were meeting at your place, not the coffee shop."
"Hey, Mikey." Nate glanced down at the smaller man and back up to me. "I don't like it."
"And I'm not sure why you think I would care." I shook the cup back and forth slowly. "Coffee or not?"
"Yes. And whatever he's having." He moved down toward the pickup counter and Mikey moved up.
"I'll have a frozen chocolate coffee thing." His eyes moved from the board above my head down to my face. "I'm Mikey. Nice to meet you."
I extended my hand and shook his. "I'm Jenna."
"I'm aware." He chuckled and glanced down at Nate, who was wrapped up in a conversation with Cynthia. Surprise, surprise. "He needs to just get over himself and ask you out, but I'm not sure he's going to do it. You should do you both a favor and just ask him."
"What?" I snorted and shook my head. "No fucking way. I'm not that kind of girl."
"It's the twenty-first century. You guys would be great together." He glanced down toward Nate and visibly paled. "And that's my cue to shut the fuck up."
I turned my attention toward Nate as his eyes narrowed a little more. God, he was beautiful. Our eyes met, and I held his stare and pursed my lips tightly. I wasn't giving into whatever the fuck he was up to. Bringing in his friend to push me to ask him out?
No fucking way. He might turn me on in ways that would make a whore blush, but he wasn't the right guy for me.
Then who is?
Thomas? No way. Too pretty.
Erik? Hell no. Too damn deadly.
"Don't let him fool you, princess. I'm not the movie and popcorn kinda guy." Nate had moved back in front of me. The scent of his cologne wafted by my nose, driving lust deep inside my stomach. My nipples budded.
"And what kind of guy are you?"
"A dangerous one. Remember that." He turned and walked toward his regular table, sitting down and staring out the window like he always did.
His comment made me wanna whimper and crawl over the counter toward him. What the hell was wrong with me?
Bored. I was bored as fuck. I needed some action in my life before I made a real mistake. Going to Kadia with Thomas and Grace didn't seem like such a bad idea all of a sudden.
At least it was a start.