Page 30 of Bad Boy in Her Bed

He exhaled, the sound of his rustling blankets carrying through the phone.“It’s nice not being seen as the bad guy right out of the gate.I’d kind of like to keep it that way.”

Chapter Fourteen

Birch glanced upas the door chimes rang through the shop and Jocelyn strode in, her aviator sunglasses hiding her eyes from the late morning sun.Her blond hair was hanging long and straight over her black fitted blouse held together by hooks from her cleavage to her waist.Her black pants looked like men’s trousers, except they fit her hips like a glove, flaring out down to her sky-high green stilettos.

As it was every time he set eyes on her, his heart rate skyrocketed, his vision zeroing in on her with a sniper’s precision and blurring out everything and everyone else in the room.It was like a self-inflicted game of chicken whenever he saw her, his mind warring with itself between what he wanted and what he needed.

Logically, he needed to not screw around with the one person who might be able to keep him from bearing the brunt of whatever Ryder was up to at Serpent’s Tongue.

But damn, if he didn’t want her bad.

Bad enough it was bordering on need.

His client lay on his stomach on the chair, his back exposed for the grim reaper tattoo being outlined upon it.

“Hot damn,” the guy breathed, lifting his head to admire Jocelyn as she approached the desk.“I’d love to take a bite out of that.”

Birch set his tattoo gun down and snapped his gloves off, making sure he blocked his client’s view of her as he strode over.“You upped the class factor of this place exponentially just by walking in.”

“I’m meeting up with a couple of old friends for lunch across the street,” she smiled.“Did I catch you at a bad time or could you grab me those bank statements now?”

Hefting the bottom drawer of the filing cabinet open, he tugged a file folder out and passed it to her.“They should all be in here.”Glancing over his shoulder to see his client giving him a wide grin, he rolled his eyes and looked back to her.“Text me if you find anything?”

“You bet.But I probably won’t get to it until tomorrow.”Hesitating a moment, she tucked the paperwork under her arm and bit her lip.“I should run or I’ll be late.”

She was almost to the exit when his internal debate came to a screeching halt.“Hey,” he called out, rounding the desk to catch up to her and stepping in close.“Why don’t you swing by here after you’re done, and we could maybe grab a coffee then head over to my place?Grey’s heading out to some party, so you won’t have to deal with that little lech skulking around.”

“He’s not a lech, he’s a sweetheart.”She laughed, her smile returning.“And I’d love to.See you in a few hours.”

Watching through the window as she crossed the road to the quaint Italian restaurant on the other side of the road, he ran his hands through his hair and looked to the clear sky for the strength he’d need not to jump her once they were alone.

“Goddamn, Birch,” his client chuckled, settling back onto his stomach.“Was that Jocelyn Carter?If she’s the kind of woman working here gets you, I’d like to grab an application.”

*

Jocelyn felt theshift in her smile from genuine to forced, as Rheyna and Elise looked at her expectantly.“What about him?”

Elise leaned in a fraction and gave her a knowing smirk.“Don’t pretend with us.Birch Baker is the hottest, baddest ride in town and you’ve been seen test-driving him for the past three weeks.”

The sudden need to protect Birch from gossip and rumors slammed through her and she felt her hackles rising as she readied herself to jump to his defense.“There’s nothing bad about him.And I’m not test-driving him,” she huffed, sitting back in the booth and crossing her arms.“We’re just hanging out.”

Rheyna laughed.“Hanging out?No woman justhangs outwith a Baker.I don’t know much about the youngest one, but I know for a fact that Birch fucks.He doesn’t date, he doesn’t commit, and he sure as hell doesn’thang out.He fucks.Fucks like it’s an Olympic event, but that’s it.”

Nudging Rheyna’s shoulder, Elise lowered the volume of her voice.“You haven’t been around since high school, Joce, so let us get you up to speed on who you can and can’t take for a spin while you’re here.The McGillvrays and Lockins are all married, Ben Carro and Gabe Wilkins are single, same with Jonas and Darren Filips.Holden and Preston are always up for a good time, but all they talk about is football so take it for what it is.”Straightening up, she took a sip of her latte.“According to my cousin, Birch is a perfect one-night stand, but you definitely don’t want to carry the family baggage that guy has in his closets for more than a few hours.Besides, being seen with him, or with any of those Baker boys, is a social death sentence around here.”

A social death sentence.

Memories of cameras, sly smiles, and elite parties flashed through her mind.The tuxedos.The gowns.The whispers of adoration.

The exposés.

She loved her friends dearly, but they had no idea what a true social death sentence was.

She channeled the disengaged, breezy attitude she’d mastered two years ago, the one she needed to save her job, her reputation, and what self-esteem she had left after scrambling out of the hole she’d found her brokenhearted self in.

“Oh, no,” she sighed sarcastically, placing her company credit card on the table to cover the meal.“Whatever will I do when Epson’s elite shun me from their gender reveal parties?”

Rheyna snickered and slid her phone across the table, River’s swimsuit ad on the screen.“If I wasn’t married, I’d be joining your Baker boy hangout.Have you seen this?Like, damn.What do they put in the water on that side of town?”

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