Tempt The Playboy (Tempt 2)

“You like him?” She stops talking then continues before I can answer. “Holy shit. Hell froze over. Kaleigh actually likes a boy.”

“Hardy Hard Har.” I inhale. “I don’t like a boy; he just makes me laugh and he’s funny.” I shrug my shoulders.

“Oh, this is going to be good. Did you try calling him?”

“What?”

“Like actually dialing his number, waiting for the phone to ring, then having him answer? It’s an old-fashioned thing. Started in the 1800s.”

“No one calls anyone anymore,” I inform her.

“Shocking. Did you not just call me? Call him. I have to go. It’s bath time.” She hangs up on me.

I look down at the phone as soon as I see a text message come through.

I’m all free. How about you swing by in about thirty?

I smile at myself. “Call people my ass.”

Perfect. I’ll see you then! I’ll bring dinner.

Oh, I like this even more.

No actual food. See you soon.

I smile, pulling up the text thread to Lauren.

He answered the text. See.

Her answer comes right away

All is right with the world now.

I roll my eyes, walking over to the cash register and checking out my purchases. I walk out with a bounce in my step and then stop. Holy shit, I might actually like this guy!

Chapter Eleven

Noah

“Let me handle this,” I say to the guys as the police officer gets out of his car and walks over to my side of the car. I press the button to roll the window down.

“License and registration papers, please,” he barks, his eyes hidden by his glasses that have a mirror lens.

I see myself in the glass and notice the black polish is smearing down to my cheeks. I have twigs stuck in my hat.

“What seems to be the problem?” I turn to get my wallet out of the middle console.

“We’ve had a couple of calls about some disturbances in the neighborhood,” he says as he reads my name. Leaning in, he takes in Austin and John. “What is that smell?”

“Our dignity, along with some dog poop and I think urine, but I don’t know if it’s human or animal,” John says from the backseat.

“Officer,” I say, trying to cut in, “we might have been going undercover.”

His eyebrows squeeze together, so I continue. “I was spying on a girl.” I smile at him.

“Does she have a restraining order against you?” he asks, and Austin says from his side, “Not yet, but I’m sure it’s coming.”

I turn to glare at him, then turn back and smile at the officer. “I was just making sure she got my flowers.”

“So you decided it was a good idea to hide in the bushes and scare innocent women and children.” He leans in, looking from one to the other till his eyes finally come to me. “I’ll be right back.”

He goes back to his car while my phone beeps. A text from Kaleigh. My eyes open up.

So change of plans, are you still free tonight?

“Yes,” I cheer out, “she has a change of plans and wants to meet tonight.”

“If I get arrested, Dani is going to cut your balls off and then finish you off, so I don’t think you should be celebrating,” John says from the back.

“And whatever she doesn’t finish I will,” Austin says from his side. “You’ve done some crazy stuff over the years, but this one is right on top of everything. I want to scratch my face, but I’m afraid that the shit I rolled in will be all over my face. And I’m really hoping that the wetness on my knees is because the grass was wet.”

“Nothing is going to happen. He is just checking to see if we have any priors and if there are any warrants out for my arrest.”

“Are there?” John asks.

I turn in my seat. “I take offense to that. I’m a law abiding citizen.”

“Who has a go-to bag to go and stalk a woman, in broad daylight. We all should be taken to Bellevue,” Austin says.

“Hey, we were all there when your balls almost exploded. This is what friendship is,” I state to them.

John shakes his head in the back, looking out of the window. We sit in silence for about ten minutes till the officer’s car door stops me. I watch him come back in the mirror.

“Here are your papers.” He shakes his head. “I’m letting you go with a warning. That warning is let this be the last time I meet you. The next time I’m hauling you guys down. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes,” we all say together. I watch him walk back and take off.

I answer Kaleigh as soon as he drives off.

I’m all free. How about you swing by in about thirty?

I smile when she says she is going to serve dinner. I don’t bother going into it since I have thirty minutes to get cleaned up.