Tell Me You Crave Me (Search and Seduce #3)(3)
“I just don’t know why you’re dressed like that.”
She glanced down at herself. “Um, because I’m a twenty-five-year-old woman and can dress myself in whatever I want, that’s why.”
And there was that attitude. But he’d always dealt with her snark in fine fashion, and he’d deal with it now. No matter how much she delighted in pushing his buttons— She. Would. Not. Win.
“Why are you staring at me?” she said.
’Cause you look like a f*ckin’ bombshell.
Then her green eyes went wide. “Oh God, is there something in my teeth?” She grabbed the butter knife next to her and examined her reflection.
“Jesus, Natalie, this is date behavior?” he asked. And no, there was nothing in her perfectly straight white teeth. In fact, she had pristinely lined red lipstick. A very good look. But not on her, he reminded himself.
She put the knife down. “Like you have room to critique—the one man in history who’s never been on an actual date,” those red lips shot back at him.
“Hey, I’ve taken women to—”
“Your truck?”
She had a point there. “My truck is very nice. And besides, I’m sure I’ve taken a woman out for a meal before.”
Though he couldn’t recall who or when. But surely he must have. Nevertheless, he wasn’t one to lead anyone on. The women he saw always knew upfront that he was a casual, one night at a time, no strings kind of guy. And if that one night happened in his truck, well then, who was he to deny a lady? Besides, he never treated them poorly. Ever. In fact, he took pride in being so direct with them from the get-go that a relationship was never on the table.
He leaned his elbow on the bar and took another swig of his beer. “Why would you care anyway, Nat? You’re not even enjoying yourself.”
She frowned at him. “How would you know?”
“Because I saw you.”
“Stalker,” she mumbled.
“Observant,” he corrected. “It’s easy to see how awkward you are with that guy.” And how the man she was with clearly didn’t appreciate her the way he should. Why the hell would he look at another woman with Natalie in all her irritating beauty right in front of him?
She opened her mouth like she was ready to argue, but then they both caught sight of Boring Guy.
“Awkward,” she repeated, and for some reason East’s chest hurt for a second. It was the way she’d said that one word, like just the sound of the letters were distasteful. Her pretty, red-painted mouth turned down and her brows furrowed. She looked lost. Like she didn’t know what to say. Like…Jesus, like she was suddenly awkward with him. And he didn’t like it.
But in true Natalie fashion, she shook off the expression and hustled off the bar stool.
“What the—” East said, but he didn’t get any more words out, because the woman grabbed her purse and bolted around the back of the bar and toward the narrow hallway. She kept her head down to skirt past Boring Guy and make a beeline toward her cupcake shop.
East didn’t know whether to call after her or chuckle at her discomfort. Natalie St. Clair had a stigma of being awkward and nervous, but somehow everyone’s best friend. Hell, giving her shit for being so fidgety had been half the fun for East and Matt when they were all teenagers. She’d always taken it in good stride, though. Always laughed along.
Tonight she’d looked disappointed, though. Sad. And as much as he wanted to kick Boring Guy’s throat in for caring so little about giving her what she needed, he couldn’t forget that brief moment where she’d seemed at a loss for words with him. East and Natalie. No matter how much they’d gotten on each other’s nerves, she’d never been awkward with him. But something was different tonight. Something that had sent her out the bar without another word. Something that made every protective instinct in his body light on fire.
He went after her.
Natalie darted inside the quiet space of her cupcake shop and shut the door. It was dark, thank God, since she was closed and far enough away from the main restaurant and the hustle and bustle of the bar patrons. Gotta love this old mansion. It gave her the privacy she needed without her having to go more than a winding hallway away.
The muffled sound of everyone talking off in the distance did little to calm her, so she busted open her secret stash of bourbon, reserved for her bourbon cupcakes, and took a few hefty swallows. She didn’t even bother turning on the lights. The low-lit hallway cast enough of a glow for her to see. Besides, she knew her small shop by heart—little display case in the front next to the checkout counter, and the prepping table, stoves, and endless counter space in the back.
It was all hers. Not her family’s. Definitely not her mother’s idea of a “prestigious career path,” but the little bakery was all Natalie’s. And she loved it.
A buzz came from her phone. She glanced at the screen. Speaking of her mother… She kept a tight grip on the bourbon bottle with one hand and held her phone with the other to read the text.
How’s the date going? A suitable gentleman, I hope? You tweezed your eyebrows and are remembering your manners, correct?
Natalie sighed and took a big swig of bourbon. It wasn’t so much the way her mother treated her like a child that bothered her; it was that she treated her like half a person. Like Natalie would never be a “whole” person unless she had a “suitable gentleman.” A fact that had never bothered her—much—before. But come on, everyone she knew was getting hitched to the loves of their lives. And here she was, having a hard time just finding someone who didn’t make her want to claw her eyes out.