Page 17 of Junkyard Dog

His lips pursed, his strong jawline flexing as he visibly fought to keep a straight face. “So, basically, thank-you Oreos?” He finally smirked, plucking a cookie from the pile and examining it before taking a bite. “You buy good cookies.”

“I try.”

He swallowed and gave an exaggerated moan of approval that sent a flush straight to her cheeks. “Damn good. You work tonight?”

She shook her head, doing her best to hide the rush of excitement that ran through her every time he spoke. “Not until tomorrow.”

He crossed his arms and leaned against the back counter. “Big plans for the evening then? Date? Dog-hunting?”

“Oh.” She laughed nervously. “No. No, no. No date. No.”

“Really.”

“Really,” she echoed, biting her lip. “What about you? Are you working all night?”

Cocking his head, he smirked. “Just so happens I’m off in twenty.”

*

Let sleeping dogslie, you fucking moron.

The mantra had been looping in his mind the whole drive to the bistro, becoming more insistent as he pulled up beside Charlotte’s little coupe and offered her his arm. By the time they were seated on the intimate patio, the chant was clanging through his skull.

“I love this place,” she murmured, poking at the flower arrangement on their table. “It was one of my first discoveries when I moved here.”

Looking over the coffee menu, he adjusted his position on the small iron chair. “Where did you move from? Thomas mentioned you were transferred here a year ago?”

Her cheeks pinked up and she brought her menu up a little closer. “I’m originally from Ohio, but I’ve spent most of the past seven years bouncing from state to state as promotions came up.” She looked up at him and his heart damn near stopped. “How about you?”

“Three months,” he replied, pausing to listen to their server describe the specials before placing his order and biting back a grin as Charlotte placed her very specific request. “The heat’s a little intense, isn’t it?”

“The worst,” she groaned and flopped back in her seat. “Everyone says I’ll get used to it, but I think they’re lying at this point. Where are you from?”

“Everywhere.” He chuckled. “I’m a bit of a nomad.”

“Why here?”

The hunt.

“The terrain.” He sat back, trying to keep his voice casual. “I’m surprised you’re free this evening. Is your date from the other night working or something?”

Subtle.

“No. I don’t know. We didn’t really hit it off.”

That’s a damn shame.

She took a sip from her latte and looked out toward the fields of date trees surrounding them. “And your girlfriend? She’s okay with you hanging out?”

He winced inwardly, thinking back to the night he’d spent with Melanie. “We didn’t really hit it off either.”For more than three hours.He scooted his chair a little closer to her.

She rolled her eyes, her cheeks flushing as she bit back a smile. “Sorry to hear that.”

“I’m not.” He grinned, following her gaze as her dark brown eyes narrowed and she tilted her head to get a good look at his arm. “You into tattoos?”

Nodding, she played with her napkin. “Any meaning behind them?”

Nothing I’m gonna share.

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