Page 20 of Jag

“Really? After meeting you, I can see where he gets his... personality,” I said, then looked at the other men when they chuckled.

“Oh yeah, I definitely understand. Going to enjoy watching this play out.” Flyboy chuckled as the others agreed with him.

“Leave the poor girl alone,” Claire said, then looked at me. “Were you coming to the bakery, River?” I looked at Claire, thankful for the abrupt change.

“Yes, I am. I can’t seem to stay away from your shop. I’m going to have to join a few more of Willa’s classes,” I said and started to walk toward the entrance to the bakery.

“Sweetheart, the way you and Willa look, that yoga crap works.”

I glanced over my shoulder to see which man had spoken, then at Preacher once I noticed the other men looking at him with various expressions on their faces.

“Well, well, that is interesting,” Claire mumbled so low I was the only one who heard.

“If we are going to get in a few hours of riding, let’s go. And when we stop, Preacher can explain the last part of his statement,” Stroker said, then turned to Claire and me. “Nice meeting you, River. Claire, see you later.”

“That’s my cue, darlin’,” Romeo said, then bent and kissed Claire on the forehead before he followed the others as they moved off the sidewalk and stood behind my car.

“Hey, you were almost run over, don’t you think you should use the crosswalk?” Claire yelled as the men stepped out on main street.

My mouth dropped open when Flyboy yelled over his shoulder, “Nah, we’re good. River’s with you and not behind the wheel!”

Claire chuckled. “Come on, honey, let’s get you taken care of.” I turned and followed Claire into her bakery.

Twenty minutes later, I was walking in my house with my now cold burger and fries and the freshly baked apple pie that was my dad’s favorite. I placed everything on the counter, then heated the hamburger in the microwave while I tossed the remaining fries in the trash. As I sat on the stool to eat, I looked at the clock on the wall. I had enough time when I finished to pick up the house and the mess I left in my bedroom before I needed to start on dinner. Or more importantly, enough stuff to do to keep my mind from wandering to Dom and the kiss that made me want more.

I just finished hanging the clothes I’d thrown on my bed when the doorbell rang. I walked down the stairs and looked through the peephole on the front door to see Sami standing on the other side.

“Hi, River. Hope I’m not bothering you,” Sami said and smiled when I opened the door.

I smiled back. “No, not at all. Would you like to come in?” I asked and started to step back.

“I can’t. I need to pick Ally and Neely up at Sue’s, but I wanted to come over and apologize for lunch.”

“Not a problem, Sami. You couldn’t have known Dom would be a jerk. I should’ve just ignored him and been the adult, instead of acting as childish as he was acting.” Sami’s snort was unexpected.

“Please, you acted better than most women would have. And I’m not saying this to make you upset, but I know you and Jag have had a few run-ins.” Sami put her hand up, stopping my reply. “Not the details. I just know that he hasn’t been himself since the day he met you in town for me. River, the encounters you’ve had with him, I don’t know anything to say other than his behavior is so out of character for him. Dom is one of the most laid-back men I know. Well, until he’s around you.”

“Sami, where are you going with this? Are you asking me to stay away from him? Warning me off? I’m not following, which doesn’t matter really. The man is...”

“Irritating? A pain in the ass? Arrogant? Bossy? A smartass? A jerk?”

I couldn’t help it, I laughed, and Sami did, too.

“Ah, so you know him well?” I asked jokingly.

“I’m sorry, River. I’m handling this all wrong. What I should have said was we—me, Bailey, Luna, and Carly really like you and hope you won’t hold today against us. I came over to ask if you’d like to join us, the day after tomorrow, on a shopping excursion?”

I thought of the women I had met, and regardless of whatever was going on, or not going on between Dom and me, I liked them. They were nice and seemed fun to be around.

“A girls’ only shopping trip?”

“Yes,” Sami said and smiled. “And please don’t hold what I said before against me?”

“Hey, Dom is all those things.”

“True, but I wasn’t referring to that. Lately, Dom has just been... I’m not sure if troubled is the right word or not.”

“Assholish?” I suggested.

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