eases. “I suppose you’re right. You never can be too healthy at our age, though, Tiva.”
The two exchange a knowing expression. I decide it’s the perfect time to take out the trash to avoid whatever squabble they’re about to get into.
I haul the bag out to the garbage can just as a petite dark-haired beauty saunters up to the Hungry Chaps food truck, right in my line of sight. She slaps both hands on the metal ledge. Callum’s brow jumps, as do his shoulders.
My eyes go wide. She’s all smiles and curves with a deep olive tan and thick black hair that falls all the way to her waist. She’s a whisper above five feet tall, but she’s got the spirit of a giant. It’s obvious in the way she waltzed to the truck and the unflappable eye contact she’s making with Callum. She’s practically bursting at the seams with that effortless, raw confidence stunning women like her seem to have in spades.
In her presence, I suddenly feel like a gawky baby giraffe struggling to stand.
“Hungry Chaps, huh?” She raises her brow at Callum, who’s now frowning. “How clever.”
She strains her neck to read the menu tacked on the side of the truck. But I can tell by the exaggerated arch of her back that it’s a move to display her ample chest, which is barely contained in her black crop top. It complements her microscopic jean cutoffs perfectly, which showcase two perfect slivers of tanned butt cheek.
“I might need your help choosing something. I’m having trouble deciding.” This stunner has the most insincere, whiny drawl I’ve ever heard. I don’t know anything about this woman, but she strikes me as the kind of person who would fake indecisiveness just to get a hot guy like Callum to talk to her.
I swallow, my mouth sour.
Callum studies his notepad. “Fish-and-chips are good. So is the steak pie.”
The moment she leans her head up closer to him, he leans back inside the window of the truck, staring like she’s some mystery science project.
She grins wide. “One pie for me, then.”
He scribbles her order and starts to turn away, but then she reaches up to grab his forearm.
The heat inside me turns bitter. I order it away, but to no avail. I have no right to feel jealous in this moment. Callum isn’t mine. We’re just friends with benefits. And this no-strings-attached arrangement means he can see her—or any other woman he wants. I knew that from the get-go. But to see it play out in front of me throws me completely.
Now the entire inside of my mouth is sour. Every time I swallow, I taste poison.
“Yes?” Callum remains still in her hold. I’m beyond shocked he doesn’t shrug her away. He’s not one to let a stranger grab him out of the blue. But she’s not a typical stranger. She’s sexy and flirty and easy on the eyes.
“I don’t get to hear accents like yours very often,” she says. “Can you say a little more before you go and take care of my pie?”
If I weren’t clenching my jaw so hard, it would be on the ground. That’s some ballsy innuendo. I’m sure this living doll is dying for Callum to do naughty things to her pie.
I’m also guessing that, looking the way she does, she doesn’t normally have to work this hard to get a man’s attention. She’s not letting it faze her though. Callum is indisputably hot. I watch women ogle him all day, every day. But rarely do they saunter up with even a fraction of the gumption she possesses.
The edge of his mouth twitches up. It almost looks like the start of a smile.
“How about, ‘Your food will be ready in ten minutes,’” he says.
Her free hand falls to her bare clavicle, and she audibly swoons. Her other hand remains clamped on his skin. My stomach lurches. I want to vomit.
She narrows her deep brown eyes at Callum, like a puma eyeing an injured deer. She bites her lip, practically moaning.
“Lovely. I’m dying to hear you talk more. After your shift maybe?”
My heart thuds so hard against my chest, I’m certain it’s going to burst out and land on the dirt several feet away from me. Steam is hissing from my ears and my skin is lava. I want to march the ten feet to where this sex kitten stands and pull her gorgeous hair out of her scalp. Because how dare she. Callum is mine and—