Page 50 of Stay With Me

“Right. I still gotta pay,” he reminds me as he follows me back. “Do I still get thedoubleprice discount?”

“Just for that, I’mtriplin’it.”

With a smirk, he pulls out a fifty. “Shoulda known nothin’ would change.”

“When it comes to givin’ me cash? Never. I’m not one of those women in rom-coms who won’t spend the billionaire’s money. You wanna add my name to your account?” I toss my thumb over my shoulder. “Let’s go to the bank right now.”

His chuckle sends shivers down my spine.

But then I swear he lowers his hand to adjust himself beneath his jeans.

When I hand him back his change, he immediately puts it into my tip jar. “Good. Don’t change, Sunny. I like how unapologetic you are and everything else that makes you,you.” Then his panty-drenching smile returns with another wink.

Goddamn him.

And goddamn the customer standing behind him for interrupting our moment.

“Landen Michael Hollis!” I pound my fist on his front door, knowing he’s inside because the asshole locked it and he never locks it. It’s like he knew I’d come for him. “I will kick this down if I haveta!”

Finally, I hear the deadbolt turn and the sound of the lock unclicking. Then he whips it open with an amused grin. “You’d break your foot tryin’.”

“Fine, then I’ll kick you instead.” I glare, then lower my gaze to his crotch.

He quickly cups himself as if that’d stop me. “What for? Ithought everything went well. Tripp returned all smiley and said you two were going to the Halloween party on Friday.”

I shove my finger into his chest, stepping inside and forcing him back. “That doesn’t wipe out what you did. You broke the code!”

He holds up his hands in mock surrender. “It was either tellin’ him the truth or lettin’ him think you were interested in someone else. Then he woulda never confessed his feelings. So actually…you oweme. You’re welcome. Do I get free coffee for life now?” He waggles his brows.

I roll my eyes because he’s right, but that still doesn’t take away his betrayal.

“Well, let’s hope you feel the same way when I see Ellie this afternoon.”

“Joke’s on you. She just left for a competition.”

“You little stalker. I’ll have to look up her social media to see if she’s with that really cute barrel racer…what’s his name?” I snap my fingers. “Elliott? Evan? Either way, I bet they’re gonna be spendin’ lots of time together. Especially in those really small campers…probably only one bed, too.”

He puffs out his chest and crosses his arms. “Eastonis too scrawny for her anyway, so who cares?”

“Oh, so you’ve looked at her pages already.” Chuckling, I pat his chest before turning toward the door. “Who says that’s not her type? A lanky Southern gentleman who wouldn’t think twice about lettin’ her cross the finish line first…”

He leans against the doorframe. “Just shush that big ol’ mouth of yours, Magnolia,” he warns, but a hint of panic tinges his voice.

“But why? Wouldn’t you rather tell her thetruth…” I mimic his words back to him.

His gaze narrows in on me. “Might wanna wipe that smug little smirk off your face or I just might let it slip that I saw you cozyin’ up with Travis last weekend…”

My stomach bottoms out as I stare at him, wondering if he’s bluffing or if he really did see us. After my scuffle with Lydia, heoccupied himself with another chick to even notice what I was doing, so there was no way.

“Nice try. Your tongue was down Stacie’s throat after the Marrow twins left. The only thing you saw were her eyelids.”

He snorts. “A little birdie might’ve seen something. Is it true?”

“Who I did or didn’t cozy up with is none of your business. Neither is my sex life.” I make my way down the stairs toward my SUV before my face gives me away. The coffee trailer’s already connected since I’ll be parked downtown for the next couple of days.

“You’re the one tryna ruin mine!” he calls over the balcony.

“I’d hardly call it that when Ellie can’t even stand you!” I laugh at his pitiful expression.