Page 6 of Badd Baby

I ducked under the folding section of the bar rather than lifting it and jogged for the exit—Rune was already half a block away, walking while texting. "RUNE!"

She stopped, turned, and looked up. "You again." She said it with a teasing grin. "You're not kissing my hand again, weirdo."

I held up my phone, showing her the schedule for next week. "I'm off a week from tomorrow."

She blinked at me. "Is that so?"

"Yep."

"Can you get the whole weekend off?"

"Maybe."

"My friend is getting married here in Ketchikan—it's a whole destination wedding thing, and I need a date."

"I'm in."

She quirked an eyebrow at me. "Just like that? Don’t need to know anything else?"

"Nah. Although I am curious—why do you need a date? You can't just go stag?"

She hesitated. "It's complicated."

I grinned. "What's his name?"

"Who?"

"The guy I'm making jealous."

"His name is Hayes Motherfucking Willoughby."

"Hayes Motherfucking Willoughby. Is that his official middle name, or…?"

She rolled her eyes. "Don’t worry about it. You're just arm candy."

“I’m okay with that,” I said with a grin. "I make great arm candy."

"As long as your mouth stays shut, I bet you do.”

Don’t say it. Don't say it. DO NOT SAY IT, DUNCAN BADD.

"If you think me keeping my mouth shut is gonna stop me from charming you out of your dress by the end of the night, you're wrong." I said it.

Damn.

There I go again.

Her eyes widened. “You cocky bastard," she breathed.

She's affected, though. Her eyes searched mine, and her tongue slipped slowly over her lower lip, and she was looking up at me like she had a thousand things she wanted to say all at once.

I stepped into her space, staring down into her sapphire eyes. Leaned closer, and closer, and closer—her lips parted and I didn't think she was breathing. "You've got a date, Rune Rigby," I breathed, my lips ghosting against hers in a whisper of contact.

I stepped backward out of her space, smirking at her, and shot her a wink, heading back into the bar without a backward look.

Chapter Two

Rune