“That’s not what I was going to say.” I step back so he can shut the window then tail of his jeep. “I just think this is probably not a great...”
“You’re not running are you, Mouse?” He cuts me off stepping into my space, towering over me.
“Stop calling me that!” I snap.
“Get in your car and follow me or I’m putting your ass in my jeep and leaving your ride here.”
“Yo—You’re unbelievable,” I sputter. “Who do you think you are?”
“Ten.”
“What are you doing?”
“Make your choice—your ride or mine. Nine.”
“You can’t be serious, I’m—”
“Eight.”
“Stop counting down like—”
“Seven.”
“Oh my god you’re—”
“Six.”
“Stop it.”
“Five.” He crosses his arms over his chest.
“Can you please just be reasonable this is ridiculo—”
“Four.”
“You’re so annoying.” I throw my arms in the air.
“Three.” He raises a brow and I start to panic because I can tell that he’s not going to stop and if I don’t give in, I’m going to be stuck at his place without my car.
“Fine I’ll follo—” My words end on a gasp of surprise when he suddenly wraps his hand around the back of neck, jerks me forward and covers my mouth with his. The kiss completely knocks me off kilter, and just like the last time he kissed me, I’m caught off guard by the zap of electricity that zaps to life between us.
“See you at my place,” he says as soon as he rips his mouth from mine.
I touch my fingers to my lips that feel somehow branded by that kiss.
He squeezes the back of my neck that he still has a hold of, and I blink up at him.
“I’ll wait until you’re in your car.”
I nod and quickly turn on my heels then wobble off to my car like a newborn baby deer, my legs feeling like Jell-o and my hands shaking like I drank to much coffee.
Once I’m behind my steering wheel, I start my car, put it in reverse, and back out of my spot. I pull up behind Clay and wave at Winter when she waves at me through the back window, then like an idiot I turn out of the parking lot right behind him and follow him to his place.
After reaching his building a few minutes later, I park behind him on the street that is crowded with construction vehicles and notice a couple of guys enter through the front doors wearing hardhats. I grab my bag then meet Clay and Winter at the back of the Jeep as they start to unload the grocery bags and Winter puts a glittery backpack on her back.
“Willow.” Hearing my name shouted from up above me I tip my head back and look up.
“Seriously?” I mumble when I see Tony leaning over the side of the building with his sunglass covered eyes pointed down at me. Tony and I went out on a few dates a couple of years ago. It never went anywhere, but he did become a friend I’ve met up with on occasion. He’s also a guy I tried to hook Leah up with, but she refused to go out with him because she thought it was weird.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Clay grumbles.
“You have to put a dollar in the swear jar,” Winter sings from his side.
“Ugh, hey Tony.” I wave and he grins, slipping off his green and blue tinted sunglasses.
“I thought that was you.”
“Yep, it’s me.” I let out a breath, wishing that a brick would just fall off the building and put me out of my misery. Leah was one hundred percent right about me befriending all my exes, because today has been so flipping awkward.
“What are you doing here?”
“I’m—”
“She’s here with me. Aren’t you’re supposed to be working?” Clay shouts, stepping up next to me.
I watch the color drain from Tony’s face. “Oh shit, right, sorry. See you around, Willow.”
“See you, Tony.” I rub my lips together then look at Winter when she tugs on my arm.
“You know a lot of people.”
“Yeah, I have a lot of friends.”
“I have a lot of boyfriends, too.” She smiles happily then takes my hand as Clay grunts something. “Come on I’ll show you how to get to Uncle Clay’s house.” We step inside the open building where men and a few women are milling about working and she lets me go to bounce over to a box near the door that is filled with hardhats.
“I’m starting to see a theme, Mouse,” Clay whispers against my ear.
I shiver and turn to glare at him. “Stop calling me that.”
“Never.” He smiles at me up close.
His expression does something weird to my stomach. Refusing to think about what that feeling is, I turn my attention to Winter when she comes back to us carrying two bright orange plastic hats.
“We have to wear these.” She hands me one of the hats and then puts one on her head. “Uncle Clay says he doesn’t have to because he has a hard head.”