them, they even feel real.”
He completely ignores my attempt at a bad joke and skips right to the typical dirtbag move. Yet, here I am, trying not to smile, and I feel my dimples tighten on my cheeks. No. I bear my weight to the side and cock my head with a sarcastic grin. “Very funny, Mr. Jags.”
“Did you just call me Mr. Jags?” he asks, laughing loudly as he pulls himself up by the side of the bed.
“Sorry, just a habit,” I reply. A habit that annoys pestering men like him.
“A habit of referring to men your age as a father figure?” Exactly. “Well, Miss Sasha, it looks like I’m shit out of luck with my charger.”
“I have two chargers if you’d like to borrow one,” I offer, extending an olive branch I should just keep to myself.
Jags sits down on the unmade bed, leaning back onto his elbows, making himself comfortable in the same spot where I was sleeping just thirty minutes ago, and for some reason, that thought sends a tingle through me. I wish I were still sleeping right now. “That’s very kind of you to offer, but I probably won’t see you again since I just got my own place, and I don’t like to borrow things without an honest intention of returning them.”
“You got your own place in less than forty-eight hours?” I ask. Jealous.
“Sure did. It’s a pretty sweet setup.”
“Impressive,” considering the housing market in this area currently sucks for buyers and is even worse for renters. I don’t trust this guy. “Well, if you want my extra charger, I can just pick up a new one the next time I’m at the store.”
With a sharp inhale, Jags stands up, bringing himself less than a foot in front of me, making a show of how much he towers above the top of my head. “You’re very sweet, Miss Sasha. I couldn’t take it from you, though,” he says, seductively.
“Well, where is this new place of yours?” I ask. Why am I asking that? Stop, Sasha. This ends here, now. He can keep my charger and not see me again. That’s how it should be, and that is just fine. This isn’t like me. What is like me? Consorting with murdering wannabees?
“It’s a few miles down the road. A nice little place near the water,” he says, straight-faced.
“Um, there is not a body of water anywhere in the surrounding fifteen-mile radius,” I tell him, confused as to why he would lie about something so silly.
“Yeah, it’s actually a pretty nice local water fountain. Down by Chet’s.”
“What?” I laugh. “A water fountain? You like to lie, huh?”
“What comes out of a water fountain?” he asks.
“Well, water?”
“Right and I live near a fountain, which has water, so technically, me saying I live by the water is not a lie now, is it?”
“Okay, Mr. Jags, I get it now.” This guy is just one big joke.
“I was going to suggest we meet up so you can return my charger once you find yours or buy a new one. That way you don’t have to worry about taking it from me.” But that’s an incredibly bad idea, and I should not meet you anywhere, not even here in this bedroom. Especially not here in this bedroom.
“Are you asking me out on a date?” he replies instantly, feigning shock.
Um, absolutely not what I was doing. Was I? No. Gosh, no. “Um,” I laugh. “No, I was simply trying to help you out with your charger situation.”
He purses his lips together and narrows his eyes at me. “Uh huh, likely story. It’s fine, though. No worries. I’m not in the market for dating, anyway.”
“Oh really? That’s not what I’ve heard,” I snap back.
His snide smirk reappears. “Not sure what you heard, doll-face, but don’t believe everything people tell you, especially if it comes from our sweetheart, Cali, next door.” The way he says sweetheart makes me believe she has gotten under his skin too—not surprising at all. It doesn’t take much for Cali to get on your nerves.
“Whatever you say, Mr. Jags.”
He takes a few steps back toward the door, grabbing at each side of the threshold with his oversized bear claw hands. God, those things are huge. “It was nice seeing you again, Miss Sasha. Oh and…my arms are pretty ‘marked-up’ huh? Good one,” he says with a quick wink.
“Just hold on one minute,” I tell him, turning to my bag that’s sitting on the floor. I dig my