“I’m not good enough for him,” I admitted in a small voice. “He’s a big strong hero type, and I’m just… a coffee boy.”
“Bullshit,” Sassy barked, scaring me so badly I jumped. “You are the most amazing person in the world, Stevie Devore. You’re adorable and snarky and fun and brave. You’re sweet and loving and kind and protective. Who makes sure Willow has milk for her cereal every morning? Who started opening the bakery after Rox moved away just so Nico can have more time with West and Pippa in the mornings? Who saved me the night Terry Jackman got drunk and tried to make out with me?”
I growled under my breath. That guy was a royal skank.
“Right,” Sassy said. “You did. Not one of my six brothers or three badass sisters, but little Stevie Devore with his shaved head and Doc Martens.”
I remembered that night. It had been at a town bonfire, and I’d been desperately flirting with Nico at the time. After he and West had left in a dense fog of sexual tension, I’d realized Sassy hadn’t come back from her trip to the bushes for a pee break. When I’d found Terry grabbing her by a wrist, I’d kicked him in the balls, grabbed my bestie, and raced us both back to the safety of the bonfire.
“That was during my bad-boy phase. I can’t believe you let me wear Doc Martens,” I whined. “What kind of friend are you?”
“Don’t change the subject. Why you no sex up big hunky chief?”
“He doesn’t want me.”
“Once again, I call bullshit. What’s the real reason?”
“I think he’s scared of my V card,” I admitted. “He wants to talk first.”
“Why is that a problem? I think it’s sweet.”
I hated her. “Listen, high pony, while you sit around swooning over sweetness, I’d like to get laid. I’ve fucking waited a long fucking time for the fucking, and I fucking plan on fucking, motherfucker.”
She blinked at me. “You don’t like the ponytail?”
I held a hand up to her face. “I can’t even with this. I gotta go.”
As I walked swiftly to my car, I heard her call out, “I heard Evan’s back in town. You going over there tonight?”
Instead of answering, I shot her the bird. Hell no, I wasn’t going over there tonight. If I did, I’d only make a giant fool of myself by begging and throwing myself at him. Or worse, blurting out my increasing anxiety about the Feathers job, which would undoubtably piss him off even more.
No. No going to Chief Sexy Dick’s house. A girl’s gotta have more dignity than that.
Right?
On my way home, I called Darius at the club.
“Any way you need me to work tonight? I don’t care what you have for me. I’ll do anything.”
12
EVAN
I only hadthe patience to wait for one full hour before I broke and texted him.
Sweetheart, where are you?
No response. I tried calling. No answer. After another thirty minutes, I hopped in the truck and made my way to Sugar Britches, wondering if he’d stayed late to work on a cake or something. But the bakery was closed up for the night, and when I found one of the guys who worked at the tattoo shop upstairs, he said Stevie had left two hours earlier.
Maybe I shouldn’t have assumed he’d come straight from work. But he’d agreed, hadn’t he?
I texted Sassy to ask if she’d seen him, but her response didn’t help.
He’s being weird. It’s not you, it’s him.
I read the text again before responding.
What does that mean? Where is he?
