Page 13 of Rockstar Baby

Nope. I was right. I definitely wasn’t ready for him to touch me. Not because I wanted to pull my hand away, but because there was thezing.

I knew it was going to be there. Some things a girl just knew.

I also knew he was like a rich, sinful, caramel treat. He’d taste so damn amazing, but I’d pay for him for a good long while. The question was just how good was the caramel? Or was he even worse? Would he be like my favorite mint, so good I’d never be able to forget?

Wow, overthinking.

He could just be Ben & Jerry’s.

My hand was still hot where he’d touched me. Ben & Jerry’s, my ass. Not that there was anything wrong with store bought ice cream, I just knew I made better. Same as I knew he was going to taste far more decadent.

“No. I just…” He sighed and pulled his hand back. “I like this.”

I twisted back into the booth. “Like what?”

He shrugged and looked down. “I’m no one here. No preconceptions.”

“Yeah, for you, that’s cool. For me, you could be married, a serial killer, a criminal…”

He frowned and looked up. “Wow, dark.”

“Try being a woman in this age. That’s nothing.”

“You’re right though. Being a woman in the industry can mean experiencing plenty of the dark. You’re right to be careful.”

Industry.What the hell was that supposed to mean? Sex trafficking? “Then why won’t you answer me?”

“Whatever you’re thinking is wrong.”

“Who are you to tell me that?”

“Because I can see the wheels in your head turning. I think some of that is part of living in this damn town. The proprietress of the place I’m staying at couldn’t stop interrogating me. Is there something I should know about Crescent Cove? Are you hiding a murderer here or something?”

“No. At least I don’t think so. But if you listen to the podcasts I do, there has to be at least three murderers here somewhere. Maybe the next town over. Small towns are breeding grounds for murder.”

“And yet you want to stay here? At least in Los Angeles, I’m ready for a carjacking or shooting.”

I shuddered. “That’s no way to live.”

“But the pseudo-murderers in your mind are just fine. Maybe something’s in the water here, and it’s not baby-making juice. You’re all crackers.”

“Fair.”

He frowned at me. “What?”

“That’s fair. I mean, we’re all kind of used to each other here. You probably think you dropped into theTwilight Zone.Speaking of, did you see they’re rebooting that? God, I’m so excited to see it. I binge watch shows while I’m working.”

“At the diner?” His eyebrow shot up.

“Oh, no. Sorry. I have a few jobs actually. Don’t think I’ve forgotten the question about what you do, Lucky Charms.”

“I beg your pardon.”

I laughed at the horror on his face.

The bell over the door rang and the stomp of heavy feet made me leap out of the booth. “Mitch!”

“It’s shit outside, ladybug. Get home.”