Page 14 of Hate It with You

“Obviously I’d want to know if the landlord was you.”

“Ellie, who is this guy?” I make a note of the nickname her brother uses for her and wait in anticipation of how she’s going to introduce me. I shouldn’t get such a kick out of this, but every time she yells at me, my cock twitches the slightest bit.

It probably has to do with the fact that even though she’s yelling, she’s had a hard time keeping her eyes from drifting to my lips or my sleeve of tattoos every time she looks at me.

“Theo’s asshole brother.” It’s a simple insult, but I don’t miss the way her eyes dart down the waist of my pants and then back up to my face quickly before looking away from me altogether when she says it.

I reach my hand out to her brother. “Alex, and you are?”

“My friends call me Ben. You can call me Corporal Ashford.” He makes his message clear while ignoring my offer of a handshake. I make note of their different last names. They might be siblings, but I can only assume they share a mother and that’s it. Well, that and their attitude.

When there’s a lull in the conversation, Theo whispers something to Sienna frantically, her only response a grunt before she begins to shove Theo out of the store. Not before saying a quick goodbye to Beth and explaining that the two of them will be hopping on a phone call later to discuss the two of us.

“You cannot be serious,” Beth finally says, turning toward me once Sienna and Theo have made it to his Mustang. Ben moves toward the front counter, placing the flowers down, only to turn back to me with an even meaner scowl on his face.

“Do you have a vase?” I ask Beth, ignoring her irritation as I focus on the task at hand.

Beth crosses her arms in response before asking, “Why are you here?”

I shrug, making my way over to the front desk. “I told you, I got a call that things needed fixing, so I’m here to help. I also wanted to congratulate you on the opening of your bookstore. I love what you’ve done to the place.” I turn toward her once I’m behind the front desk, giving her a broad smile.

My sentiment is genuine. The previous owner kept the coffee shop pretty dark, but Beth has made this bookstore feel cozy in a way I never thought imaginable. With the warm tones and pops of color, it’s apparent she put a lot of thought and effort into the design.

“Ben, give us a moment.” She turns toward her brother, who looks at her with wide eyes. The two communicate without words, in a way only close siblings can, and he takes off through the back room, heading upstairs. Though not before stopping at the doorway to give me another once-over.

“I’ll be right upstairs,” he says to Beth, eyeing me again before taking off through the back room.

I lean down onto my elbows, next to the flowers on the counter, as Beth approaches, leveling my height with hers.

“You wanted to be alone, huh?” One side of my mouth kicks up in a half-cocked grin.

“Hardly, but clearly we need to talk.” She squints her eyes slightly at me, and my heart rate ticks up at the sight.

I don’t care how long it takes. I’m determined to break down these walls she’s so intently keeping in place.

6

BETH

My body temperature rises as my blood continues to boil at the sight of Alex in my bookstore. The counter separates us as he stands in my place behind the register. The smirk overtaking his face turns his features into something otherworldly, like he’s just teleported out of one of these books.

No man’s beauty has ever angered me as much as his does.

This is just like Alex to force his way into a place where he’s not wanted. I continue to make eye contact, not wanting it to falter in an effort to maintain my position of authority. This is my bookstore after all. Who gives a fuck if he owns the building?

I know I refused to let Theo tell me who the landlord was when he tried, but I never thought it could be Alex of all people. A small ache begins to grow in my head as I brainstorm how I can get myself out of this situation.

Not only did he play games with me last summer, all of which annoyed me beyond belief, but his beauty is ethereal. The kind that's dangerous for women like me, for women who don’t have the best track record with men.

Especially ones that fight.

It became obvious from the moment I met Alex that he was putting on a show to hide who he truly is. Then I found out he owns a boxing gym, and he basically became the definition of a walking red flag.

I knew last summer that nothing good could come from getting close to a man who hides his true self and has the means to overpower me at any moment. Especially when men always tend to cause pain. Pushing him away as far as I could was an easy decision to make. What I wasn’t expecting was Alex’s persistence in trying to get closer to me.

I still haven’t spoken when Alex begins to look for something underneath the counter. My eyes drift to the flowers he brought me, pink and white lilies. My favorite.

“What are you doing?” I snap at Alex. My skin continues to heat with rage as I watch his biceps flex underneath the fabric of his T-shirt as he rummages through my cabinets.