Playing With Trouble (Desire Bay 1)

“So you going to tell me how that’s going?” Cal said, gesturing over his shoulder toward Laura.

“Nothing to tell.”

“Uh-huh. You forget how long we’ve been friends. You practically doodled her name in your high school notebook.”

“Did not.”

“And now she’s your boss.”

“She is not my boss. She’s back in town running the flower shop,” Jake said.

“Not what she was spouting off earlier. She was telling Russ over there that she was the owner.”

What? There was no way that was true. Walt had just told them both they had a month to prove who’d be a better owner. Jake had a feeling this was Laura taking initiative in giving herself a

new title. One she hadn’t earned. That kind of brazenness was exactly what Jake stayed away from. Nothing sure and steady about that woman. So why was he still thinking about her skin?

Cal drained the last of his beer and smacked Jake on the shoulder. “Well, whatever is going on, here comes Russ, and word travels fast around here.”

“Thanks a lot,” Jake grumbled. Russ was a regular and a bigger gossip than the women in this town. But you’d never know from looking at the bearded logger.

“You’re still in charge over at Baughman, right?” Russ asked Jake, coming to sit next to him. Man, did everyone want to grill him about the shop? The old man paused only to spit into his dip cup. “’Cause Walt’s daughter is back in town, and word is, she’s taking over the business.”

“I’m aware,” Jake said, almost groaning at just how aware he really was of the mouthy blonde. After staring her down in a towel, followed by a cold shower of his own, he was still strung out on adrenaline and lust for her.

“So you’re sure about the business?” Russ asked again.

Jake didn’t want to go into details with Russ, or anyone else for that matter. But he replied, “I can assure you, I’m handling things. She’s taking over the flower shop, but I’m still head foreman.”

Russ nodded. “Think she’ll go back to where she came from?”

Jake didn’t know how to answer that. Would she stay long-term like she was talking about? Did he want that? Some things would be easier if she didn’t, but Jake also wanted her around. Maybe he was delusional and wanted that shot with her he wished he’d taken in high school. Maybe he was just delusional, period.

In the meantime she claimed to be staying. Sure, they had a month to figure out the details and let Walt decide from there what to do. So until then, Jake had to figure out how he was going to survive. But all he could think about was another chance with Laura. Minus the towel.

Russ shook his head. “I gotta tell you that I don’t feel comfortable doing business with her. I don’t know her. She’s Walt’s kin, but judging by the looks of her?” Russ shook his head.

“What do you mean, ‘judging by the looks of her’?” Jake tried to tamp down the slight flare of anger. Listening to Russ give Laura shit and threatening to pull his business based on judgment alone irritated him. But wasn’t that what he was doing to her? Judging her before giving her a shot?

No, it was different—it had to be. Jake knew enough to know there was a chance Laura would go running after realizing that a lot went into Baughman and that it wasn’t a dainty flower shop anymore. The flower shop was essentially dead, with no income, much less profit. She wasn’t built for this kind of town or this kind of work. She had ambition and was the kind of risk Jake knew better than to take. The one time he’d risked before, he’d gotten burned. Badly. And it was on a woman just like her. Always wanting bigger and better things. Not a single pair of shoes aside from running ones.

Jake glanced again at Laura. She was hidden in the shadows a bit. He could barely tell it was her until he saw those bright brown eyes and a flash of her heels peeking out from under the table.

Fire-engine red and sexy as hell.

Yep, those weren’t exactly root-settin’ shoes. But there was a God in heaven, because she was looking straight at him. Not in a way one would an enemy, but the way a woman would look at a man. A man she was interested in.

He thought quickly how her body had trembled just at his nearness earlier. How she’d clearly been neglected in the bedroom department and how Jake wanted real bad to show her exactly how she should be treated.

Never one to leave a lady in need, Jake got up, left Russ where he was, and made the long walk across the bar to the beacon that was calling him. He was still several steps away when those pretty eyes of hers finally unfastened from his hips and landed on his face. Didn’t last long, though, because she scanned his entire body before frowning and turning her attention back to her empty glass.

The prom queen just got caught checking him out. The thought made Jake swell with pride, and most of that lust from earlier he’d just gotten under control redoubled.

“Is there somewhere I can avoid you in peace?” she asked when he reached the table.

“Avoid? If memory serves, you’re the one who stomped into my town, my warehouse, and then my actual house.”

She bit her lip and twirled her delicate fingers around her glass. “Well, you’re the one who came over here, so . . .”