She brushes herself off, lips twitching. “You’re not denying it.”
“I’m pleading the fifth.”
“You’re pleading for self-control, and it’sadorable.”
“You’re a menace.”
“And you love it.”
“God help me,” I mutter, as she saunters ahead of me, hips swaying like she knows exactly what kind of chaos she’s leaving in her wake. She does, and I'm in so much trouble. I want her so badly. I've wanted her for years, and now that she’s finally giving me a sliver of a chance and flirting with me, I have this stupid show in the way.
Chapter 22
Cami
Don’t Mind If I do by Ella Langley, Riley Green
“So, I talked to Jack about hate sex.”
Poppy blinks. “Like...talkedtalked? Or banged talked?”
“Talked. Joked about it.” I roll my eyes and laugh. “He choked on air. It was adorable.”
Poppy cackles from the corner of her shop, where we’re currently sprawled out with root beer floats from the Drug Store and an open bag of pretzels between us. The scent of engine oil and cinnamon-sugar pretzels fill the room. Her auto shop is my favorite chaotic safe space.
“Wait, what exactly did you say?” she asks, leaning forward, eager to hear the details.
“I may have mentioned that I have been taking care of myself.”
Her eyes widen. “And he didn't bang you right on the spot?”
“Nope, not at all,” I shrug. “He went full deer-in-headlights.I thought he was gonna short-circuit and sputter out like a weirdly hot tractor.”
“He is a weirdly hot tractor,” Poppy says, sipping her drink. “With emotional baggage in the trailer bed.”
“Facts.”
Just then, the front bell jingles, and Violet breezes in with a bakery bag in one hand and mischief in her eyes. “Okay, what did I miss?”
I grin as I hand her a root beer float. “I traumatized Jack with a conversation about hate sex.”
“Oh,this I need details on.”
She plops down beside us, handing out mini pumpkin donuts like the giving queen that she is, and gave me her full attention.
“So, I’m lying there, under our aspen tree?—”
“Yourtree? The one you guys played in as kids?” Poppy swoons, "How romantic."
“Thetree, yes, and I casually mentioned to Jack that Poppy and I were talking about hate sex.”
Violet nearly drops her donut. “Please tell me you hate banged at the end?”
“Obviously, no. But also… he lookedsoconfused. Like he didn’t know whether to be turned on or offended.”
Poppy laughs so hard she snorts. "That man was turned on, trust me."
“And then,” I continue, “I implied I’d wanted to hate-hook-up withhim,and he just sort of… stared at me like I was a cyborg or something.”