Taunting Callum (Big Sky Royal 3)

“Just excellent late summer weather,” he says. “The lake will be loaded with boats, and the trails with hikers this weekend. But the cooler weather is supposed to move in next week.”

“So, I’ll take the business while I can get it,” I say and pass him the cup of coffee. “It’s on the house. Be safe this weekend.”

“Appreciate it,” he says and takes a sip. “Best coffee in town.”

“Damn right, it is.”

He winks and then walks out of the café. I turn to find Gretchen wistfully watching Brad walk away.

“He’s a married man,” I remind her. “Might want to ogle someone single.”

“I know.” She sighs dramatically. “And I like Hannah. But it’s a damn shame.”

“It’s a shame that he’s happily married?”

“That he’s not happily married to me,” Gretchen says.

“Weren’t you infatuated with some firefighter last week?”

She grins. “Yeah. I think I have a thing for men in uniform.”

“I mean, who doesn’t?” I ask and laugh with Gretchen as she pulls her apron off and rolls it up to put in her locker.

“Everything’s clean, restocked, and the place is finally empty.”

“Go enjoy the rest of the day,” I say and wave her off. “If any stragglers come in, I can handle it.”

“Thanks, boss.” She hurries back to stow her apron, retrieve her purse and keys, and then she’s out the door—most likely to look for a man for the weekend.

I like Gretchen. She has an excellent work ethic, and I can depend on her to be here on time, and to work her whole shift. But she’s also ridiculously boy-crazy.

And she’s twenty-six.

I shrug and start emptying the display case to take the leftovers to the food bank. We don’t have much, but there are a few things that someone can enjoy.

When it’s time to close up, I turn to the door and feel my heart stop when Callum Wakefield walks in, looking cool as a cucumber in khaki cargo shorts and a black T-shirt. The cotton hugs the muscles in his arms, showing off his ink spectacularly, and I immediately remember what it feels like to have those arms locked around my naked body as we writhe together.

I shake my head, knocking that image away, and frown at the stupidly sexy prince.

“I’m closed for the day.”

“The door was still open,” he points out and smiles at me.

“I was just about to lock it.”

Just like that day when you came in here and had your way with me.

But I’ll be damned if I ever mention that day to him.

Jerk.

“You’re quite lovely when you’re annoyed.”

I sigh and lean on the counter. “Callum. What on earth do you want?”

“I don’t want anything,” he says at last, shaking his head.

“Then why are you here?”

“Excellent question.” He rubs his hand over his face, showing agitation for the first time since I met him. “Because I’m a bloody glutton for punishment? I don’t know, I just arrived in town, and I wanted to see you. I know I said I’d leave you be, and I will. I just wanted to see you.”

“Why?”

I lean a hip against the counter and cross my arms over my chest, mostly so I don’t run to him and have my way with him. I may despise him, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to get him naked.

I know what that’s like, and it’s more than fine.

But it will never happen again.

“You’ve been in my head for a long time,” he admits finally. His brown eyes roam over me like he’s a starving animal.

The look warms me, but that comment pisses me right off.

“Right.” I nod once and glance at my clean floor, then back up at him. “I’m so memorable that you freaking forgot.”

I clamp my mouth shut. I refuse to go through this again. It’s been years. There’s no need to rehash it.

“Aspen, I’ve tried to apologize to you time and time again. You won’t listen, and it’s bloody ridiculous.”

“Ridiculous?” I stare at him as if he’s lost his damn mind because he clearly has.

He swears under his breath and props his hands on his hips.

“You’re right,” he says, holding his hands up in surrender. “You’re absolutely right. I was a wanker before. All I ask is that you hear me out.”

I tilt my head to the side. Maybe, just maybe, if I let him have his say, he’ll leave me alone.

“Go ahead.”

“I’d been on an airplane for well over twelve hours that morning. Ellie wanted to come here for coffee, and I agreed. I’d had a shitty few weeks in Scotland, where it seemed everything that could go wrong, did. I had a lot on my mind.”

I raise a brow.

“Obviously, not too much that I should have forgotten that I had been intimate with you. And I remembered right away when I sat down with Ellie. I felt horrible. I still do. I’m very sorry.”