The restaurant was so old and out of date the restrooms were outside. Harper headed through the side door and into the chilly women’s bathroom, handling her business quick before she washed her hands, scrubbing extra hard with the harsh hand soap to get the bacon stench out of her skin. She loved breakfast, but the scent always lingered on her clothes and skin long after she ate.
Pushing open the door, she stopped short when she found West standing there, waiting for her. His hands rested on his hips, the breeze ruffling his hair, making him look extra attractive, and she tried to fight the erratic beating of her heart at seeing him waiting for her. Little ol’, unimportant her. But it was too late.
Her heart had taken off at an extraordinary speed, making it hard for her to speak, typical behavior for her whenever she was in West’s presence.
She really needed to get over that.
Chapter Eleven
WEST COULDN’T FREAKING take it anymore. He’d sat patiently with his brother and pretended to engage in conversation, all the while keeping an eye on the beautiful woman who sat at a different table. The very woman he’d been inside of last night. The one who’d clutched him close when she came, who’d walked out on him when it was all over like she didn’t give a shit about him or what they’d just done.
It had driven him crazy. He’d hardly slept last night. When Lane texted at the butt crack of dawn that he wanted to grab breakfast before he started his shift for the day, West had jumped all over it, needing the distraction.
And there she appeared, the very distraction he wanted to forget about sitting in a booth with Delilah, beautiful in her well-fucked, blissed-out state thanks to him. For the first time since he could remember, he thanked God above for living in a small town. It gave him more opportunities to see Harper.
When she got up to use the bathroom and he started to stand, Lane gave him a withering look that stopped him in his tracks. “What?”
“Are you going to chase after her?”
“Hell, yes.” He’d mentioned briefly what happened between him and Harper last night to Lane.
“Do you really want to seem that eager?” Lane asked.
“I really don’t care.” He rose from his chair and strode across the restaurant, ignoring Delilah’s watchful eyes as he passed.
She had to know. Had Harper really given her all the dirty details about what happened? Christ, he hoped not. He didn’t need his old ex knowing how he performed sexually. Not that they’d ever actually had sex . . .
West wiped a hand across his face as he pushed open the side door that led to the outside bathrooms. He really hated the interlocking relationships that happened between his family and friends. They were like a freaking reality television show gone straight to hell.
He paced outside the two restroom doors labeled Men and Women as he waited for her, his mind racing. What if Harper had told Delilah everything? Did that mean he couldn’t trust her to be discreet? He didn’t want to keep what happened last night a secret, but he wanted to keep it quiet for a little while at least. Once everyone found out they were seeing each other—that sounded a lot nicer than fucking around—it would become the talk of the town.
Gossip—that was the one bad thing about living in a small town.
The women’s bathroom door finally creaked open, Harper stopping short when she saw him standing there. He stopped pacing and she took a step toward him, the door slamming closed behind her. She smiled at him, the wind whipping strands of hair across her face.
Damn. He wanted to haul her in close and kiss the hell out of her. Drag her back to his place, where they could spend the rest of the day naked. In his bed. “Seeing each other.”
“Hi,” she said, her voice soft. “Um, are you waiting for me?”
“Did you tell Delilah what happened?” He shoved his hands in his pockets, wishing for some damn self-control for once in his life. Why’d he have to go and blurt out his question like that?
“She knows,” Harper admitted, making a cute little irritated face. “I didn’t give her many details, but . . . yeah.”
He blew out a harsh breath and started pacing again. “Great. Hope she can keep her mouth shut.”
“Does Lane know?” she asked.
He stopped pacing, feeling like a jackass. “Well. Yeah.”
“Then we’re even. Don’t worry about Delilah. She won’t say anything. She has her own secrets to keep.”
Now his curiosity was piqued. “Oh yeah? Like what?”
“I can’t tell.” Harper shook her head, her pretty lips pulled tight.
“Is it that she’s hot for my brother?” At the mildly horrified expression that crossed Harper’s face, West snapped his fingers and pointed at her. “I freaking knew it.”
“Right? It’s so obvious!” She rushed toward him, her eyes dancing, like they were both in on a big secret. “Yet neither of them can see it.”