of my best friends, and we’re all crashing it.” Baby grinned.
She raised an eyebrow. “You have to crash your best friend’s wedding? You didn’t muster an invitation?”
He tapped her nose. “Alright there, Cupcake, watch that smart mouth of yours. Cade and Peyton think they’re going to sneak off and get married at the judge’s office, but since Linear Tactical is in the business of super-sleuthing, we found out about their plans and devised a plan of our own to surprise them.”
She couldn’t help the smile that fell over her face. This was what she loved about small towns. Everybody was there for you, whether you wanted them to be or not.
“I’ve actually got this place,” he tapped on the bar’s wall behind his back with his knuckles, “rented out tomorrow night for a surprise wedding reception. You should come.” He peeked at her and gave a soft smile. “I know both Boy Riley and Girl Riley will be there. It’ll be your chance to make your presence known.”
She was tempted. Oak Creek was too small for her not to run into Riley sooner rather than later. Today being case in point.
Baby pulled her closer and that rock hard jawline of his folded into a grin. “You can come as my date. See your brother, say hello. It’ll be fun.” He squeezed her waist.
Even more temptation. She looked into those green eyes, so earnest and charming, and almost said yes.
No.
Despite what had happened on her birthday—hell, maybe because of what had happened on her birthday—she couldn’t do this. She could not go out on a very public date with the town charmer, who was also twelve years her junior.
“I can almost smell the wheels cranking in that brain of yours,” he whispered. “Don’t overthink it. Just say yes.”
She wanted to. She was shocked by the ferocity of how much she wanted to.
“I can’t.” She leaned her forehead against his chest so she wouldn’t have to look into his eyes. “Going out on a date at all is a bad idea. Us going out on a very public date where my brother sees me for the first time is an even worse idea.”
She looked up, expecting that to be it. For him to flash his signature wink and be done with her. Instead, he leaned back against the wall and propped one foot back behind him.
“Okay, no dating. I got you.” He nodded slowly. “Then how about we meet Friday morning for a non-date at dawn.”
That was definitely not what she’d been expecting.
Her eyes widened. “Dawn?”
That charming grin. The rascal in his eye.
No one had ever looked at her like this—like they were about to go off on some naughty adventure together.
And she was completely, utterly powerless against it.
“I guess I can. I have somewhere I have to be at ten a.m.” She couldn’t afford to miss her classes, not with her reputation.
“I think we can be through by then, although you might be a little tired.”
Good lord. This man was sin on a stick.
He hooked a finger into the apron tied at her waist and pulled her closer. She thought he might kiss her again—prayed he might kiss her again—and leaned toward him, her eyes closing.
“Open,” his deep voice was barely more than a whisper.
Open?
Her mouth? Her legs?
Both?
But before she could force out any of the words ping-ponging around in her addled brain, she opened her eyes and found her phone held in front of her face.
“Open your phone, Cupcake, so I can enter the address where we’ll meet.”
“Oh.” She punched in her code and handed the device back to him.
She was in way, way, way over her head.
He typed in an address then handed it back to her. “Once you get to this point, follow the signs.”
“Follow the signs where?”
He shot her a half-grin. “You’ll see.”
She didn’t know exactly what was going on, but she was pretty sure all her girl parts were on fire. She couldn’t stop staring at him. Their lips were mere inches apart All she had to do was...
“Blake Bollinger, if you don’t quit making out with girls in the alley, I’m going to tell Mom.”
The female taunt came from the street with a laugh.
“Speaking of pain in the ass siblings,” he murmured, his breath brushing against her lips. “That’s my sister, Wavy.”
An icy wave doused the fire in her girly parts immediately. “Blake Bollinger? Your name is Blake Bollinger?”
The same Blake Bollinger she’d sent the TSC email to say she wouldn’t give him a chance