roll my eyes. “You do remember she’s taken, right? And don’t you think you’re a little old?”
Kai laughs. “First of all, I’m twenty-four. That’s not old. Secondly, who says Ainsley’s the one I’m trying to charm?”
“Well, it sure as hell isn’t me.”
He raises his eyebrows. “Why not?”
“Uh, because I dated your brother.”
"So?" He shrugs. "I have eyes, and you're no longer jailbait. What's the problem? Are you taken, too?"
I pull my lower lip between my teeth. “Um...it’s complicated.”
Ainsley’s phone pings with a text alert, and she laughs. “Speaking of the complication...his ears must've been burning. Or, more likely, he just saw my post." She runs her thumbs over the screen, presumably replying to her brother's message. "Ooh, somebody's cranky."
Kai’s full lips quirk as he works on shading in the leaves. “Damn, that sounds like a story I need to hear.”
“Maybe another ti—”
The bell over the front door rings, causing the three of us to look up.
Shit.
“Whose sweet ride is that out front?” the man asks.
Ainsley’s eyes widen, obviously knowing who the newcomer is based on his resemblance to his brother. It takes him a moment, but as soon as Shawn’s eyes land on me, his jaw drops.
“Jazz. What are you doing here?”
I gesture to my arm. “What people come here to do.”
Shawn eats up the distance between us in a few strides and checks out my ink in progress. “Nice. It suits you.”
“Thanks,” I mumble.
“Isn’t that the same design Kai sketched out a while back?”
I nod. “Yeah, it is.”
Neither one of us says a word for a good minute. Jesus, this is awkward. What’s the protocol here? This is the guy I lost my virginity to. Is this what it always feels like when you run into an ex? Am I supposed to pretend like the boy’s never been inside me? Oddly, I can’t even recall what sex with Shawn felt like, which helps, but I can’t deny that it happened. Many times.
He makes eye contact with Ainsley. “I’m Shawn. You a friend of Jazz’s?”
“The bestest,” she replies. “And you’re the ex.”
Shawn gets a shit-eating grin on his face. “She’s mentioned me, huh? All good things, I’m sure.”
Ainsley lifts her eyebrows. “Something like that.”
“What are you doing here?” Kai asks his brother.
“I just got off work,” Shawn replies. “Came to see if you wanted to grab a bite.”
“As you can see, I’m with a client.”
Shawn pulls up a chair and takes a seat next to Malakai. “It’s all good. I don’t mind waiting.” His eyes roam my face and venture south, lingering on my chest. “Can’t beat the view. Damn, Jazz, you’re a sight for sore eyes. I almost forgot how fine you are.”
“Thanks. I think.”
“How’ve you been, baby?”
I glare. “I’m not your baby.”
Shawn holds his hands up, his whiskey eyes twinkling in amusement. “So, it’s like that, huh? It’s nice to see you still got that sexy attitude. You know it just gets me hot when you’re like this.”
“A slight breeze would get you hot,” I counter.
“Why you gotta be like that, baby? You broke up with me, remember? And from what I recall, it didn’t take much to get you going either.” He emphasizes his statement with a wink.
“Okay, man, you’ve made your point,” Malakai says. “Quit making the woman uncomfortable, or take your ass outside.”
Shawn ducks his head to meet my eyes. "C'mon, Jasmine. You know I'm playin'. Look, I'm sorry, a'ight? Is that what you want to hear? We were friends once, you know. No reason we can't be that way again." He sticks out his lower lip in an exaggerated pout. I try not to smile because he looks so ridiculous, but I fail. "C'mon, baby. Will you please be my friend? When you’re done here, we can grab some of those quesadillas you love from Keith’s food truck. My treat—think of it as a peace offering.”
Damn him. He knows I can’t resist a quesadilla from Keith’s. And as much as I hate to admit it, he’s right. We were friends for a long time before we started sleeping together. Shawn knew me better than almost anyone. It was always so easy to be around him. I guess I don’t see the harm in hanging out for a little while, especially with Ainsley and Kai tagging along.
I look to Ainsley, and she nods in approval. "Fine. But I want a quesadilla and some tacos.”
Shawn’s smile stretches from ear to ear. “Deal.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
KINGSTON
It’s driving me crazy Jazz and Ainsley are in Southern LA right now. I