Page 17 of Best of Me

I march over to her table. Over the din of chatter, she doesn’t hear me approach, and like the asshole I am around her, I demand to know, “Are you fucking following me?”

Her doe eyes fly up to mine, and she chokes on a sip of whatever she’s drinking. “I’m sorry, what?” She pats her chest a few times. “Oh, it’s you.”

I quirk a brow at her cavalier attitude.

“No, you pompous ass, I’m not stalking you. In case you failed to notice, you came inafterme. Last I checked, psychics aren’t real, and if they are, I certainly don’t harness any of their powers.Andif I did, I’d certainly use them for something better than following you!” She ends her rant on a shriek, causing more than a few patrons to look our way. Luckily, I’m in uniform, so their stares don’t linger. They probably assume she’s some crazy woman and I’m just a humble officer of the law, doing my job, putting my life on the line at the hands of her insanity. The thought makes me grin, which I belatedly realize isnotthe appropriate response. Looks like Mallory is batting 2-2 at eliciting inappropriate responses in me.

“Are you seriously smiling? Like the thought of menotwanting to stalk you is so freaking absurd?”

My grin morphs into a full-blown smirk at the outrage in her voice. Something about this encounter has me feeling lighter than I have in a long time. Who knows, maybe it’s me finally having the upper-hand. “I mean, I’m pretty awesome.” I wave my hand up and down my body as if to demonstrate said awesomeness.

Mallory’s eyes follow my hand, and I don’t miss the hunger in her eyes as she takes in the way my uniform hugs my taut muscles; the fact that she pauses on my handcuffs has me feeling some kind of way. It takes every ounce of my self-control to not imagine her cuffed, bare, and at my mercy, something Valorie was never into.Nope. Stop. It’s wrong to think of her that way, and it’s especially wrong to compare her to her own fucking twin.

My good mood evaporates, my smirk turning to a scowl. Of course, Mallory catches it. She rolls her eyes and asks, “What? What have I done to offend you now? Did I breathe wrong?”

I want to yell and scream,Yes! Everything you do is wrong. Even when it’s right, it’s wrong because it makes me want you and I have no goddamn business feeling this way!Luckily, the barista calls out my name and I stalk back to the counter without another word.

chapter ten

Mallory

“Duke Kincaid is quickly becoming the bane of my existence,” I whine to my best friend, cradling my phone against my shoulder as I paint my toenails my favorite shade of teal.

“I think you’re maybe being a little dramatic.”

“No, Ash. I’m not.” Okay, maybe just a little, but I’m not admitting that. “I’m pretty sure he’s put some kind of LoJack on me.”

“He didn’t, Mally.”

I groan, unsure of how to get her to understand where I’m coming from. He’s everywhere. Aside from starring nightly in dreams that leave me feeling a mixture of arousal and repulsion, I seem to run into him every time I leave the dang house. Not to mention, his unexplained disdain for me seems to only grow stronger—as if I’m a problem he can’t quite solve, like a recurring mold. It stings, and he’s beyond infuriating. Somehow, the only times I haven’t run into him are the days Jenny and I meet for lunch.

“Seriously, it’s not like you to be so up in arms. What gives?”

A small sigh escapes me. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s just the stress of the move and the approaching school year?”

“Maybe,” Ashley says slowly. I can tell she thinks it’s something else—something more—but thankfully, she doesn’t voice it. She always knows when to push me and when to let me stew. Honestly, some days I think she may know me better than I do. Which makes it all the more absurd that I thought she would possibly see me talking to Jenny and Natalie about Duke before her as a betrayal. Nope. Instead, she squealed and made a comment about me finally blossoming—such a smartass.

Desperate for a subject change, I add, “Meet the teacher is in a few weeks.”

We chat for a few more minutes as Ashley catches me up on her latest string of awful dates. I seriously don’t know anyone—well, scratch that, I really don’t know enough people to compare her luck to. It seems bad to me, but Ashley is steadfast in the belief that the right guy will come along—for both of us. Too bad I’m pretty sure the guy my heart thinks is right is the absolute physical embodiment of wrong.

A few days after the coffee shop incident, I realize Jenny and Nate’s engagement party is this weekend, and I still don’t have a gift. Since Jenny invited me after invitations were sent, I don’t have their registration information. Luckily, with a quick text to Natalie, I have all I need to know at my fingertips, and I’m out the door.

The store the happy couple registered at is a few towns over. Upside, my chances of running into he who shall not be named is significantly lower. A wide smile blooms across my face as I merge onto the highway; today’s going to be a good day, I can feel it.

I have my sunroof open, my windows down, and the music cranked as I head toward my destination. Everything’s going fine and dandy until I see flashing red and blue lights in my rearview. “Shoot, I hope everything’s okay,” I mutter as I pull off to the shoulder to let the cop car pass. Only, it pulls off right behind me.What the…

I pop on my flashers and gather up my license and registration while I wait. I know I wasn’t speeding, at least not anymore than five over.

The cop doesn’t keep me waiting long, and I roll my window down upon his arrival. “Ma’am, do you know why I pulled you over today?”

I don’t even have to look up to know who has pulled me over.Duke. Freaking. Kincaid.This can’t be happening, truly. I have to be dreaming. I pinch my thigh to test the theory. “Ouch!”

“Ma’am, are you…” He lowers his aviators and looks down. “Oh, shit.”

“Mmhmm, oh, shit.” Duke stares at me for a few seconds, his eyes searing me like lasers over the rim of his sunglasses as he stands there unmoving, unspeaking, completely unwavering. Finally, I can’t take the silence another moment longer. “So, you wanna tell me why you pulled me over, officer?”

Duke clears his throat. “You have a taillight out.”

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