The Lure of the Devil (The Demons' Muse #4) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,207

way around the counter. Carter hated her ex and hadn't made a secret of it. Then again, Miles had been her ex, then her boyfriend, then her ex again more times than even she could count. It all depended on if another cute girl paid attention to him. Hailey knew she wasn't a looker. Miles made that very clear every chance he could. She also knew she could do better than him, but the few times she did have his attention, things seemed so passionate. She always ended up convincing herself that this time would be different. It never was.

When she got close to his table, the gorgeous man looked up, blinking in surprise, but said nothing.

"Um, vanilla latte, right?" She placed the drink on the table. "We made an extra by accident. You're more than welcome to it."

He tilted his head slightly, and the faintest hint of a smile crossed his mouth. "Thank you. I'm a little short on cash. Hadn't planned on staying here this long."

"Trapped by the National Guard lockdown, huh?"

He smiled a little wider. "Something like that."

She knew she was blushing, so decided to make a hasty retreat. "Well. Yeah. Um. Nice accent by the way."

Then she fled back to the counter. Carter was grinning at her but didn't say a thing. He was probably just pleased that she'd actually made an effort. Granted, it was less work to give away a screw-up coffee than it was to trash it. Well, that was what she told herself, and kept trying to tell herself, until she looked at the cute guy again. His eyes were locked on her.

For a moment she couldn't think of anything else. There was something about him that was almost magical. He was gorgeous, that was certain, but it wasn't the only thing about him that captivated her. He seemed to have an other-worldly charm, like something from a fairy tale. Sitting there, the guy observed everything that passed him by, almost as if he was taking mental notes.

Carter brushed past her, breaking the moment. Hailey focused on the drink she was making, feeling her cheeks get warm. The place was busy - super busy - so what was she even thinking, daydreaming about some hunk in the lobby? She passed the macchiato to the woman who'd ordered it, and was so distracted she almost forgot to charge her. Hopefully, the cute guy hadn't noticed.

An hour before her shift was over, the line finally died down. Carter sighed and slipped off his apron, then patted her on the back. "Ok, I'm outta here. You gonna be ok?"

"Yeah. Can you check the schedule and see who's coming in tonight?"

He ducked inside the door to the office, then leaned his head back around. "Tanya. If it gets busy, call her. She's always asking for overtime, and Kent said he expects it to be like this for the next few days."

She nodded, waving at him without looking up. "Can do. Get home before your kids fall asleep."

Carter didn't bother replying. He just slipped out the back, only the metallic clank of the door declaring his departure. The good looking guy stayed for a few minutes after that, then he left as well. Hailey was disappointed, but she hadn't really expected him to stick around until she got off. Guys like him never noticed girls like her.

There was one more surge of customers around ten that night, just as Tanya arrived. Hailey stayed long enough to get the line under control, then, like Carter, made a hasty retreat out the back. As the heavy steel door closed behind her, she saw a figure in the darkness.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Expecting someone?" came the reply.

She groaned, tossed her apron over her shoulder, and began heading in the opposite direction. Miles. He was the last person she wanted to see. Walking with a purpose, she almost made it to the side of the building before he caught her. Miles had to jog to catch up, then he grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him.

"Hey, babe, I need a place to crash."

With an exasperated sigh, she turned to face him. "Lisa kicked you out already?"

"No. I mean, she's just a friend, Hailey. Nothing like that." He flashed her one of those charming smiles that always got him what he wanted.

But not this time. "Where were you last night? You promised you'd watch the asteroid with me and didn't even return my texts. Nothing. Like you completely disappeared." She lifted