Page 10 of An Inconvenient Plan
He poured her favorite beer on tap and set it in front of her. “Don’t be slacking at the end. I need a good marketing plan out of you.” She was a marketing major and that was their deal. She’d help him out with his dream bar with great marketing ideas.
Mad grinned. “You’ll get it.”
Hailey appeared at Mad’s side, her pink dog purse over one shoulder. Thankfully Rose was asleep in there; otherwise she’d be barking at him. “I’ll hire you for a marketing plan too,” she told Mad. “Maybe you could be a marketing consultant for local businesses.”
Hailey didn’t look at him. Normally that wouldn’t faze him. Hailey had a lot going on at all times, but tonight it bugged him. Probably because he had urgent matters to discuss with her. He waited impatiently for them to finish their conversation.
Mad took a sip of beer. “Maybe. I might just do that on the side. I want to get some experience first at a larger shop.” She turned to him. “Did ya hear about Hailey’s prince?”
Mouthy smartass.Hailey’s prince. He grunted at Mad and turned to the rest of their friends. “What can I get you, ladies?” He took everyone’s orders, committing them to memory, and even agreed to Hailey’s favored mojito, which used to be a battle between them. As in, she ordered a mojito and he claimed to be missing a key ingredient to make it. See how he’d grown? He really was trying to make amends.
He served up the drinks in his usual quiet way, listening to the women talk. This time the talk was all about Prince Phillip. The women were in a heated debate over the proper protocol for proposing a fling with a prince, which he didnotneed to hear. Obviously Hailey was the only one available for a fling, and he’d be damned if he’d let her be taken in by a player looking for his next lay. What Hailey said next alarmed him.
“He’s so-o-o handsome. You ladies know he’s been my go-to fantasy forever. I always picture him when I read a swoony romance.”
Mad elbowed her. “Perfect fantasy for other vibratingly good moments too.”
The women roared with laughter, Hailey tooandshe blushed like it was true. Fuck, this was worse than he’d thought. She was meeting her fantasy lover in real life.
He made her mojito, his brain cranking for how to best broach the subject in light of this new information.
Hailey fanned herself with one hand. “It’s going to be so hard to keep my cool when I finally meet him. And he’s done so much great charity work too, very involved in clean water for countries that desperately need it. He’s the total package.”
“And you want his package,” Mad quipped and then she looked right at him, practically taunting him with this prince.
The women tittered.
“I wouldn’t kick him out of bed,” Hailey said.
The women laughed and teased her good-naturedly.
Enough!
“Hailey, drink’s up.” He set her mojito in front of her, keeping his hand on the glass when she tried to take it.
Her pale blue eyes flashed at him. His pulse quickened; something about the fiery fighting spirit in her excited him. He was much more aware of the effect she had on him now that he’d seen her near naked. Before he would’ve just moved right to battle engagement. Now he suffered for the good of their family. Why was he torturing himself by staying away from her? All of the important reasons to stay away wavered when he saw her up close again. He was done fighting it—
He wanted her.
The tension in his shoulders eased. It was a relief to finally admit what had been staring him in the face this whole time. And it was more than just his natural competitiveness with another man encroaching on his territory. She was beautiful and sexy and smart, and she was his to protect.
And that prince, that damn fantasy prince who’d easily lure her to his bed given the opportunity. Hell. He couldn’t let her fall prey to a user guy like that.
“Thank you, Josh,” she said, baring her teeth in a fake smile. That smile popped up when she was agitated, like someone had told her frowning wasn’t pretty or something.
He leaned close and whispered, “I get off at ten. Come over after. We’ll have a drink and talk.”
“Ha!” she exclaimed loud enough to draw all eight of her friends’ attention. “If you think I’m ever going to your place again, you aresorelymistaken.” Rose popped her purple bowed head out of Hailey’s purse, took one look at him, and barked. And barked and barked and barked.
“Quiet,” he commanded Rose.
Bark! Bark! Bark!
He kept his voice low, leaning across the bar. “I want a clean slate between us, and I have something important to talk to you about. Give me a chance to make things right. I’m sorry about last time.”
Hailey spoke above the noise of her stupid barky dog. “Last time I was drunk on vodka. That will never happen again.”
He stiffened, straightening to his full six feet. She had not been drunk. Her eyes were clear that night, and she’d only had one drink, although she had gulped her drink down quick. Maybe she hadn’t eaten before. Shit. He’d actually thought she’d wanted him. He’d even felt a little self-righteous by sticking to the friend plan in light of mutual wanting. Hell, he’d always wanted her. He’d just resisted it because he’d thought they weren’t right for each other for reasons that now seemed insignificant.Fuck me. He retreated to the other side of the bar to regroup, and Rose instantly quieted.
