by Parker, Ali
“It’s going fine. I’m hanging in there,” she replied, her tone softening when she talked to him.
“It was busy as hell today,” Deanna chimed in.
Adelaide’s eyes widened. “Yes, it was.”
Her eyes were bright with excitement until she met mine. Then it was that familiar fire and anger directed at me. I sipped from the bottle, my gaze holding hers, daring her to say something about me drinking from the bottle and ignoring the glass the waitress had brought.
“See something you like?” I asked her.
“Are you fucking high?” She glowered.
I chuckled. “No. If I would have known you were going to be here, I would have certainly considered the option. High is about the only way to deal with you.”
“God, you’re such an asshole. Does that work for you?” she asked.
I shrugged a shoulder, holding up the beer bottle and asking for another from the waitress who had been sneakily eyeing me from afar. She winked and nodded, rushing off to get me another.
“It does work for me. It works very well for me, and that’s what pisses you off the most, right?” I asked, still grinning.
“I don’t think I’m pissed. I just don’t like you,” she replied casually.
I heard a giggle and turned to see Deanna shaking her head, covering her mouth. “You two could have your own show.”
Adelaide looked at her. “What? What are you talking about? You know I can’t stand him.”
“I do know that, but I think you two could have your own little sideshow. I’m just waiting for one of you to start calling each other names like ‘lint licker’ or something,” she said, snickering.
Dalton laughed as well, earning a glare from Adelaide. He held up his hands. “Sorry, don’t be mad at me. Aim all that anger at him.”
“Thanks,” I said dryly. “Why am I stuck dealing with the little hellcat?”
“The little hellcat doesn’t want you dealing with her,” she said, refusing to look at me.
“Good, because I didn’t bring my taser,” I retorted.
“You’d better be packing an elephant gun if you want to tangle with me.”
Deanna nearly spit her margarita all over me. “Oh my God. I need to record this.”
“Stop it. You’re only encouraging him,” Adelaide scolded.
“Addy, you’re doing that all on your own,” she replied in a dry tone.
“Do you date?” I asked her.
She wrinkled her nose, as if she smelled something bad. “Date men?”
I shrugged. “Or women, I guess.”
“I date men.”
“But you’re single now?” I asked her.
I saw a flash of surprise in her eyes before she nodded. “Yes.”
I smirked. “Gee, that’s surprising.”
Her mouth dropped open. “You’re such an asshole. Seriously? What is wrong with you?”
“I’m good. Ask anybody, I’m great,” I replied with a smile.
Another major eye roll. “Do you pay them to think that?” she asked sweetly.
“Nope.”
“Why don’t we get another round,” Deanna blurted out.
“Good idea,” Dalton said.
“Are you still teaching spin classes?” I asked Deanna.
“Yep. Are you brave enough to give one a try?” she asked with a small laugh.
“No. I prefer my bikes to be motorized and actually take me places,” I replied.
“I think you should give it a shot,” Adelaide said.
We all turned to look at her. “What?” I asked with confusion.
“It might help you work out all that aggression you have,” she said, smiling.
I chuckled. “Touché.”
Adelaide was still working on her second drink when the waitress finally came around with my second beer. I was actually enjoying watching her. The banter was a little annoying, but it was better than idle chitchat. She’d always been spunky—bitchy—but spunky. I wasn’t really sure why she disliked me so much, but it had been that way for as long as I could remember. I had never really cared enough to try and change her mind. She could hate me. I didn’t care. She wouldn’t be the only person in the world who thought I was a jackass.
Fortunately, she seemed to have tempered her anger toward me and was relaxing a little. I had a feeling it was the alcohol she was consuming. It was having a calming effect on her. It was nice to be able to actually sit at a table with her without wanting to scratch each other’s eyes out.
“Bought any new motorcycles lately?” she quipped.
“And just like that, the hellcat is back. It was a nice reprieve, but the bitch is back,” I murmured.
Her mouth dropped, her head whipping around, and her eyes narrowed. “The bitch never left.”
Chapter 6
Adelaide
The verbal sparring with Mason was nothing new. We were always fighting and bickering. Whenever he was around, I had to keep my guard up. Usually, it ended up with one of us leaving. Listening to him, exchanging insults, and sneering at him took a lot of energy and usually I ended up so exhausted, I would just go home to get away from him. I wasn’t ready to leave just yet. Despite being stuck with the asshole at the table, I was enjoying my drink and just being out with friends in general. I wasn’t going to let him ruin my night, no matter how hard he tried.
I took a small drink, deciding to slow things down a bit. I had downed the first drink pretty fast and I didn’t want to end up shit-faced, especially around Mason. I had to keep my wits about me. I needed to be able to keep up with witty comebacks. I didn’t want to let him win. His attacks tended to be very personal.
My eyes casually drifted over to Mason. He and Dalton were talking about his bike or something. I hated that he was physically a very attractive man. He had a bad-boy thing going, but there was a tiny, little hint of softness around his face. I had a feeling it was why he kept the beard stubble. It gave him the hard edge he was obviously going for and detracted from the handsomeness underneath. He had piercing eyes that when directed on me, felt like he was looking into my very soul. I wished I could strip away all the layers and see the man for who he was underneath. I wanted to know what made him tick. I wasn’t sure why I cared, but there was something about him. I had seen it from the very first time we had met all those years ago. I pretended to be looking over his shoulder but stole some looks here and there.
His hair, long with the ends curling up, looked silky smooth. I was glad he didn’t do the greasy look. That would have been too much. He was hot. I could give him that. It was just really too bad he was such an asshole. If only the outside could match the inside, I thought with a sigh. He would have been the total package.
Mason turned his head, his eyes connecting with mine. His gaze sent a shiver down my spine. I stared back, not about to back down. I dared him to say something about catching me looking. I wasn’t embarrassed. I often looked at him, trying to visually dissect him.
Deanna cleared her throat, gently nudging my knee with hers under the table. I blinked, breaking the eye contact with Mason. I looked at her raising my eyebrows. She looked at me with what looked like confusion.
“Are you going to be opening another shop anytime soon?” Dalton asked teasing me a little.
I groaned, shaking my head. “No. I’m staying afloat, but I won’t be opening another. There is a lot of competition out there. Every coffee shop is trying to find its customer base. Some appeal to a specific crowd. I’m still trying to find my niche,” I told him. “I feel like I’ve got my hand in a lot of different pots. I have to pick one and go all in.”
“Hmm, it sounds like you need a marketing expert to come in and tell you what you need,” he said. “Do one of those market analysis things.”
“That costs money—a lot of money. Things have definitely been better. I’m just trying to find that one thing that will bring more people in. I have to be unique and that’s the hard part,” I said, mulling over the idea.
> “Your moody attitude is unique. But it probably drives people away from your shop, rather than in,” Mason added casually.
I glared at him. He really was an asshole. “You would know all about running a business, right?” I said sarcastically. “Do you run one in between your visits to the leather shop and the bar?” I snapped.
“I know I don’t go to businesses where the proprietor is rude,” he replied.
“Really? I’ve seen the bars you frequent. They aren’t exactly dripping in hospitality,” I retorted.
“Not all of us need coddling, princess,” he replied with a smile.
I sneered at him, not bothering to come up with a reply. It was typical Mason. He loved to be a pain in the ass. I remembered our teen years when Deanna and I would be hanging out in her room or watching TV, Mason would just be there, always insinuating himself into our lives. We’d be getting ready to go out to a party or a school dance, or even worse, a date, and he would be there, poking fun and telling us what we were doing wrong. He critiqued the boys we were going out with, always telling us they were losers.
The man had been a thorn in my side for nearly half my life. He was worse than a bad rash that wouldn’t go away. Rashes didn’t talk.
“How’s your family?” Dalton asked Mason, steering the conversation away from us again.
Mason took a drink from his beer. I couldn’t help but look at his full lips and wonder if they were as soft as they looked. I knew he had a reputation as a hard man, as in hard to get along with. I couldn’t remember him ever having a girlfriend or even dating anyone. I rarely saw him with women in general. It was strange. Even though I thought he was an asshole, other women had to find him attractive. He was attractive. I bet he had a string of one-night stands. Women who were dumb enough to go with him learned the hard way what an ass he could be and never came back around.
“Grayson and Jack are still working at the company together. They’re both married with children now. I don’t see much of them,” he replied.
“I thought you and Jack were hanging out?” Dalton asked.
Mason shrugged. “He’s married and mooning over his lady. He only needed me when he was getting his ass kicked. I had no problem stepping in and giving him a hand.”
“Kicking his ass or helping him?” I said with a sweet smile.
“Does it matter?” he replied.
I shrugged. “Only you would have to ask that.”
“How is your mom doing? Did she recover from the broken hip?” Dalton asked, shooting me a look that said to zip it.
Mason’s features softened a little when his mom was mentioned. “She did. James is keeping an eye on her. She’s not the kind of woman who likes to be told no and she doesn’t listen to any of us. James has his hands full. I don’t envy him a bit,” he said with a small laugh.
“Your mom raised six boys. I can only imagine how tough she must me,” Dalton said with a laugh.
I personally felt for the woman. Not only did she have to raise Mason, which had to be right up next to hell, but she had five other boys. That was enough to drive any saint to sin.
“How old is Grayson’s little girl?” Deanna asked with a big smile on her face.
Deanna loved kids, as long as they weren’t her kids.
Mason wrinkled his nose. “I don’t know. I don’t think a year yet.”
I rolled my eyes. “She’s your niece.”
“Very good, princess,” he said in a condescending tone. “Any other obvious facts you want to point out?”
“Yes, like the fact you should know how old your only niece is,” I replied.
“And Jack, isn’t he expecting?” Dalton asked, shutting down my comeback and keeping the conversation moving along.
Mason shrugged. “Something like that. And I don’t know how pregnant she is or what it is or any other details you think I should know,” he said, looking directly at me.
“Way to be a part of your family’s lives,” I muttered.
Dalton glared at me, telling me to cool it. I looked away, staring around the room and watching the other tables laugh and enjoy each other’s company. Our table was tense and lacking that friendly vibe and I blamed one man for it. He shot me a look but ignored my comment.
“Is James still living at home?” Dalton asked.
“Yes. He says it’s to take care of mom, but I think it’s because he doesn’t want to go through the hassle of getting his own place. He’s always been a mama’s boy,” Mason said with a laugh.
“They know you’re in town?” Deanna asked.
Mason grinned. “I don’t know. Maybe. Probably. I don’t exactly check in with any of them on a regular basis. I don’t think they really give a shit one way or another if I’m here or in LA or in Europe. They’ve got their wives, kids, businesses, girlfriends, charities, and whatever else it is they do.”
I looked at him once again. He seemed very blasé about his lack of connection to his family. I couldn’t understand it. If I had a family, we’d be close. I would call them and have family dinners with them. There would be get-togethers and barbecues and I would know my nieces. Mason called me a princess, but he was the one who was ridiculously spoiled. He had too much of a good thing and didn’t know how lucky he was.
“You look like you want to chew my head off,” Mason said, looking directly at me.
I curled my lip with disgust. “Ew. No. That would require touching you.”
He threw his head back and laughed. “I suppose you could just use your teeth. I only ask that you’re gentle,” he said with a wink.
“You’re a pig.”
“Oink, oink, princess,” he replied easily.
“If you see your mom, tell her I said hi. I miss the woman. She was like a second mom to me,” Dalton said.
Mason offered a small smile. “She was like a second mom to a lot of people. Jack’s buddy has finally been allowed in the front door, from what I understand. She’s collecting kids again.”
“Really? Elijah Levy has a seat at the table again?” Dalton asked with surprise.
Mason nodded. “Yep. One big happy family.”
I didn’t think he sounded very happy about that. I wondered if he was jealous of Elijah. I was pretty sure he was jealous of his other brothers. I knew very little about his family, except that they owned a big company and were all filthy rich. Mason was the only member of the family who hadn’t gone to college to get a business degree and he was the only one who didn’t, in some way, work for the company. I remembered him always telling us he was the dark horse, the black sheep of the family and he liked it that way.
I had to believe there was a small part of him that didn’t like it that way. How could he not be a little sad not to have his family in his life? I had watched Mason evolve into the man he was today. While he’d always been kind of a jerk, the hard, edgy man with the tattoos and long hair was all done in the last five to six years. It was like he wanted to make sure he looked the part of the black sheep. He wanted to set himself apart from the rest of his family. He’d certainly done a good job erasing any signs of his wealthy heritage and the charming good looks the rest of his brothers shared.
Chapter 7
Mason
I tasted the flat beer from the bottom of the bottle, tilting it and finding it empty. That was disappointing. All the talk about my family was making me thirsty. I raised my hand, getting the attention of the waitress, who rushed over.
“A round of tequila shots,” I said. “And another beer for me.”
“I’ll be right back,” she said with a wink and hurried away.
She returned with a tray holding four shots of tequila, each with a lemon wedge on the side of the glass. I passed them out, noticing the way Adelaide stared at the amber liquid in the glass with a sneer. She used the tips of her fingers to push it away.
“You’re too good for a shot?” I asked her.
“Yes.”
“Come on,” Deanna encouraged.
“
No. I don’t want a shot,” Adelaide replied in the usual haughty tone.
I reached over and grabbed it, taking it with one quick gulp before slamming the empty glass on the counter. “There, problem solved.”
She sneered at me, wrapping her pretty little lips around the red straw in her glass and sucking. I grinned before turning my attention to taking my shot the right way with my friends.
“I’m starving,” Deanna said, wiping off her hand.
“Let’s order dinner,” Dalton said, looking at me.
“I should probably get going,” Adelaide said in a low voice directed at Deanna.
“No. Stay. Come on. We’re supposed to have dinner tonight.” Deanna hissed.
Adelaide glanced over at me. I raised my eyebrows, daring her to stay.
“Fine, I’ll stay for dinner and then I’m going home,” she said, acting like it was such a huge inconvenience.
“Oh gee, that’s fabulous,” I said in a dry tone.
She ignored me, snatching up a menu and focusing on it. She was trying way too hard to ignore me. I found it comical. The waitress returned and we all ordered burgers and fries, even the princess. I was already picturing her using a knife and fork to cut her burger.
“Thank you,” Deanna whispered.
“It’s fine,” Adelaide replied.
When the dinners were served, we ordered another round of drinks. Adelaide seemed to relax a little. I couldn’t help but notice the way she daintily ate the monster burger she ordered. It was cute and slightly irritating. I may have gone a little overboard by taking huge bites and leaving a dot of ketchup on my cheek, knowing she saw it and it was making her crazy.
“You going to finish those fries?” I asked her when she pushed away her plate.
She scoffed. “Seriously?”
“Why not? I can eat your fries, or I can order another plate. I’m a little bigger than you,” I told her.
She made a big fuss about pushing the plate over to me. I grinned, dumped a boatload of ketchup on the plate before dipping one fry in it. I put one in my mouth, my eyes on her the whole time. She watched me as I ate one of the fries.