Hired Hottie - Kelsie Rae Page 0,12
cracking at the end.
Kill me now.
He grins. “Hey.”
“Hi,” I repeat, feeling like an idiot. “Can I help you?”
Resting his big hands against the top of the counter, the stranger looks at the variety of pastries and shrugs. “I’ve never been here before, but I saw a box with the logo on my buddy’s desk at work yesterday, and the name reeled me in.”
I chuckle. “Yeah. Get Baked has tamed many a munchies.”
Gifting me with a crooked grin, he says, “I bet.” His eyes drop down to my mouth for a split second before adding, “So, what would you recommend?”
“Umm….”
Is it hot in here?
“What are you looking for?” I ask.
His eyes connect with mine, making me squirm from the intensity as he murmurs, “I don’t really know what I’m looking for, but I think I might’ve just found it.”
Licking my lips, I break our connection and clear my throat. “Umm…the cronuts are a best seller. My boss’s husband is obsessed with them. And the eclairs are pretty good too, although I’m a sucker for the chocolate croissants. There are brioche buns! But the brioche buns aren’t quite done yet so….”
The words keep tumbling out of me like a faucet on full blast, and I don’t know how to make them stop.
“What’s a cronut?” he asks, though I’m not sure if it’s an attempt to get me to shut the hell up or if he’s genuinely curious.
Regardless, I reply, “It’s a mix between a croissant and a donut.”
“And the chocolate croissants are your favorite?”
“Well…I mean…the cronuts are really good too.”
Mouth stretching into a smile, the stranger leans a little closer as he whispers, “I’d like one of each, please.”
I nod a handful of times, convinced I look like a bobblehead as I fumble with a small pink box. Once the treats are situated, I ring up his order and give him the total.
“Mind if I add one more thing to my order?”
“And what’s that?”
“Your number.”
My mouth opens in surprise before closing just as quickly. I’ve never been in this situation before. “Umm….”
“Is that a no?” he teases, trying to hide his surprise with a quirked brow and a challenging tone.
“Umm….”
The bell on the front door dings my salvation, and I catch myself holding my breath like I’ve just gotten caught doing something I’m not supposed to. Eyes darting to the entrance, I freeze.
“Conner?” Levi asks, staring at the stranger across from me.
“Hey, man. What’s up?” The stranger lifts his chin at my best friend while I watch the interaction.
“What are you doing here?”
“I saw the box on your desk yesterday and figured it must be good, so I stopped by.” Conner looks back at me and smirks. “Best decision I’ve made in a long time.”
Tension builds in the tiny shop, not one of us saying a word. I don’t know what started it, or why it’s here in the first place, but when I finally make the connection, I want to scream.
“Wait,” I start. Both their heads snap in my direction. “You’re Conner?”
Conner nods. “Yeah. Conner Daniels. Nice to meet—”
“You’re Conner Daniels? As in Asshat Conner Daniels?” The second question is meant for Levi, and he hears me loud and clear.
“Charlie—” Levi starts, but Conner cuts him off.
“Asshat Conner Daniels? Am I missing something? Wait. This is Charlie?” he asks Levi, hooking his thumb over his shoulder to point right at me. “Charlie, as in your best friend Charlie, who never wants to hang out at our place?”
“That’s the one,” Levi quips. His long gait eats up the distance between himself and the rest of us.
“You never told me Charlie was a girl,” Conner accuses.
Throwing my head back toward the ceiling, I laugh dryly. “Of course you would say that. You’ve been making fun of my gender since I was in freaking elementary school.”
“Wait, what? What are you talking—”
“Don’t act like you don’t remember, Asshat Conner Daniels. I went home bawling my eyes out on the bus more times than I can count because you refused to let a girl play kickball at recess, insisting that my tennis shoes from Payless were trash, and I should work harder on growing my hair out––and some boobs––to help cover up the fact that I have a boy’s name. Any of this ringing a bell?”
The blood drains from his face while it seems all of mine has rushed to the surface, turning me into a giant red tomato.
“Shiiiiiiit,” he mumbles under his breath.
The reverberating sound of Levi’s hand slapping down on Conner’s shoulder is the