Manster

by Cari Quinn

  “Reasonably?”

  I flipped the hair back over my shoulder. “C’mon, you know you are, which is one of your problems. Hello, ego, but beyond that, you have a special skill set that I don’t.”

  “Ego? I just told you that you were gorgeous and I’m getting all this feedback?”

  I crossed my arms. “Okay, so maybe too much information there?” I nibbled my lower lip. “I don’t really say the stuff going on in my head because it’s usually too honest. People say they want honesty, but they really don’t.”

  He took another step back and all of a sudden, his arms went into windmill mode.

  “Maya!” I yelled.

  Startled, the smoky Siamese cat darted between Wyatt’s legs instead of away from him and she yowled. Thank God, Wyatt was so conscious of not hurting the animal. He stumbled, then just as he righted himself, he stepped right into the dusty pile I’d made, and his fancy shoes went out from under him.

  I tried not to laugh. Really, I did. I mean, rude, right? And definitely wasn’t helping my cause. But he fell like a damn redwood. Literally. I scrambled after him, but he rolled up into a semi-sitting position immediately, embarrassment ruddying his cheeks.

  “Are you all right?” But it came out with a giggle.

  Maya immediately leaped on him. She purred as she bumped his hand before kneading his rock-hard belly. Wyatt tried to shoo her off, but she only moved lower. “Are you kidding me?”

  I tried to scoop her up, but the cat wasn’t having any of it. And all I got was a handful of—well, Wyatt. A whole lot of him under the softest wool trouser material I’d ever felt in my life. I needed like a million socks made out of it. But that wasn’t the important part. Or the hardest part, rather. I let go. “Oh my God, I’m sorry.”

  Wyatt rolled onto his side with a grunt.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”

  “Back off!”

  I winced. I had really strong hands from all the building. Like really strong. And he’d been more than a handful. A lot more. The finger thing, definitely no joke. And girthy.

  Intrigue and embarrassment vied for attention as I tried to get out of his way.

  Wyatt pushed me back as he struggled to sit up. Maya rubbed against his back with a motoring purr that resonated throughout the room. “You’re both insane.”

  “My cat?”

  “I’m not cat—whatever it is. The stuff that makes them all excited.”

  “Nip.”

  He blinked at me. And for the first time, I noticed the color of his eyes. He’d been wearing his sunglasses most of the time, and then I’d been distracted. But they were like the ocean. Not the one in the tropical flyers for destination vacations and cruises.

  No, this was the ocean I could see from the boardwalk on Santa Monica Pier. Deep and endless and way too appealing. He stared at me, just as long as I was staring at him until he broke the…whatever it was.

  Staring contest?

  Contempt contest?

  I sighed and fell back onto my butt. He scrambled to his feet as Maya cried out plaintively.

  “This is way too weird.”

  “What part?” I rose and followed him to the tables by the window. I’d forgotten he’d come back in for his sweater and not me.

  Stupid.

  “All of it. I don’t know what I was thinking.” He pulled his sweater over his head and all that ginger gold hair curled before he ruthlessly shoved his fingers through it until it was slicked back again.

  I rather liked it all unruly.

  He gave me a look I couldn’t read. I couldn’t figure out what was going on in his head. Except one thing he wanted was coming through loud and clear—escape.

  “Look, Hudson.”

  His chin lifted and he peered down at me. “You call me Mr. Wyatt all day and now Hudson?”

  I frowned. “I know you didn’t give me permission to call you by your given name, but it is your name, right? I didn’t get that wrong.”

  “It’s Hudson.” His voice went down an octave—or however you would describe a sound so heavy and full of bass. I didn’t understand music. I loved it, but didn’t understand it.

  His name sounded foreign on his lips. It felt right on mine though. Strangely perfect. “Doesn’t anyone use your name?”

  “Not in a long time.” His eyes shuttered before he walked around me again and headed for the door.

  “Hudson, wait. I know I sounded like a crazy person, but hear me out.”

  He stopped with his hand on the doorknob and his back to me.

  “You have every right to run screaming from my place, but I didn’t mean it the way you think. You’re an interesting and worldly guy and I trust you because Callie does. And maybe that makes this even weirder because we don’t know each other at all, but we know her so well.”

  His shoulders tensed and I knew he was about three seconds from fleeing. Again, this was pretty much what my life was like. A series of missteps that pushed people out the door.

  I reached out to touch his shoulder and couldn’t freaking reach him easily. Not with mops for damn feet. I huffed out a disgusted sigh and dragged over one of the chairs from the table beside the window.

  He turned to me finally, his eyebrows snapping down. “What are you doing?”

  I flipped off my mop slippers and climbed up on the chair. His eyes widened as I grabbed his sweater and hauled him in close. “Teach me how to not be me.”

  Then I leaned in and kissed him.

  Okay, it was more like smashing my lips against his and hoping for the best because I didn’t know what the hell I was doing. Only that I had to get his attention somehow.

  He didn’t soften for me. In fact, there wasn’t a bit of softness anywhere on him. He was all lean muscles and sharp angles underneath that heady scent that made my mouth water for cider and cool sheets with a crackling fire.

  The tips of his fingers slid along my midriff for a moment before he pushed me back.

  His eyes were darker and they were definitely edging toward perplexed instead of turned on.

  “See, obviously, I need the help.”

  “I’m not your guy, kitten.” The endearment blunted the brush-off, but only for a second because he stepped back from me and turned away. He didn’t look back, and his long stride took him out of my cafe as if his ass was on fire.

  Very fine ass that it was.

  I lifted my hand to my mouth and tried to wipe away the buzz of reaction. “Stupid.” I hopped down and set the chair back on the table then crossed to the cat room.

  Hudson Wyatt might not want me, but I had a big room full of cats who did.

  I sat down on the couch and Rosie darted across the floor and onto my lap. I let her climb up on my chest and she bumped her nose against mine.

  “Hi, pretty girl.” I scratched behind her ears and pressed my face into her neck. Her answering purr helped me shove down the lump in my throat and the hurt I hadn’t been expecting.

  Hank jumped up next to me and shoved his head under my arm until I laughed and let him up against my side. “You guys never let me down.”

  And most likely, my cats were the only males who never would.

  4

  Piper

  Three days later I’d mostly gotten Wyatt out of my head. The buzzy aftermath of our almost kiss lingered the longest, but I could ignore it. Especially since a few pictures of the guys from Hammered outside my shop had built up our it factor again.

  I should have known it was going to happen. They were far too well-known not to have been seen outside. Especially when it took a good thirty minutes to load up all of Callie’s new baby booty. And okay, so I may have looked at the Wyatt pictures a time or seven.

  Seventeen.

  No one knew but me, even if that was bad enough.

  His shoulders though. Yeah, they were distracting as all get out. The way he carried himself screamed privilege, but the way he lifted and maneuvered boxes said he wasn’t a stranger to manual labor
. Not sure why that gave me such a girl boner, but there it was.

  Unfortunately, the lady boner was buried under disappointment. I shouldn’t have been surprised that he ran screaming from my shop. All right, not screaming, but close enough. Me trying to unman him, my crazy cat deciding he was her one true love, and then me flinging myself at him when he was trying to escape.

  That one was a level up in crazy even for me.

  “Miss? Does this come in decaf?” I turned around at the welcomed familiar voice.

  I laughed. “No, it surely does not. Put that down.” I snatched the espresso beans from Callie. “I’m so glad you came back in.”

  She patted her belly. “I feel like I grew two sizes just last night.”

  “I blame Levi often.”

  “I can live with that.”

  I grinned and came around the counter. “Here, let’s get you to a table.”

  “That would be great. It’s like eighty-bazillion degrees out there.” She dabbed at her brow.

  “How did you get here? I thought you weren’t supposed to drive anymore?”

  “Relax, mom. I got a ride. Even door to door service. He went to park the car.”

  “Oh, well, that’s good.” I quickly washed down a table and settled her next to the window. “I just made some fresh mint tea. Would you like a glass?”

  “With all the ice in the known universe.”

  I laughed. “Coming right up.”

  “Can I have one of those chocolate croissant things?” She bit her knuckle, then laughed. “Two? Don’t tell Owen.”

  I laughed. “You can have whatever you want.” I made my way back to the counter. “Do you want to go back with the kittens or stay in the cafe?”

  “I’ll stay out here for now. I want to crawl around on the floor with them and I’m kinda more like a fat panda at the moment.”

  I laughed. As I was preparing her drink, I heard the jingle of my front door. “Welcome to the Pussy Palace, I’ll be right with you,” I said over my shoulder.

  “Does this muffin come with or without cat hair?”

  I stilled with my hand over Callie’s tea. Anger pulsed right behind good old-fashioned lust. At least I was pretty sure it was lust. It was a rare commodity in my life. Not a complete unicorn, but damn close. “Of course not, sir. The cat muffins are in the other display case. They have frosted ears instead of fur.”

  I took a slow breath and turned around. Please don’t give anything away, face. Please.

  His long fingers were curled around one of the large tumblers from my display. “Can I beg for some coffee?”

  “Sure. For triple the price.”

  His lips twitched. “I’d pay it.”

  “Okay, five times then.”

  “I’d still pay.”

  Disconcerted, I took the mug away from him. “I like my pussy warm” in huge white lettering seemed to scream from the black Yeti cup. I filled it with my new blend, cocoa with a dash of cinnamon in my dark roast. I put the top on and pushed it back toward him. “Forty dollars please.”

  He slapped three twenties on the counter. “Thanks.” He wandered back toward Callie and I huffed out a breath.

  Of course I couldn’t charge him that much. I mean, the mug was eleven bucks, but still. I growled and put twenty dollars into the register and brought the rest with me as I headed back to Callie. I passed my night manager on my way.

  “Tabitha, can you cover for me for a little while?”

  “I can cover for you for the next eight weeks if you’re going to go sit with that guy.”

  “Stop.”

  “Ten weeks if you’ll sit on his face.”

  My face flamed. I should be used to my irreverent employee. I kept her around because she was amazing and the menu pretty much allowed for her to say what she liked. Tabs was everything I wished I could be.

  Outspoken, gorgeous, and outrageous.

  Gorgeous.

  Did I mention gorgeous? Her neon purple air was piled on top of her head in some artful way that only she could do and her makeup was perfect. Her lush curves were packed into jeans and one of our shirts.

  Oh, and she was like six feet tall.

  I sighed. “No, I’m not sitting on his face.” I didn’t even know how to do that. Wouldn’t he suffocate? I mean, I had relatively nice legs, but that whole area on someone…it just didn’t compute.

  Though the mere thought of it made all sorts of fireworks start up in places I didn’t want to think about.

  “Whose face?”

  I groaned. “Don’t you two start up together.”

  Levi came up beside Tabs. “What did I miss? And whose face is where?”

  Tabitha tilted her head. “Think about it, Baker Man.” She sauntered back to the counter.

  I glanced at Levi and his eyes were definitely focused on her ass. If I tried to swivel my body like that, I’d probably throw my hip out of joint. I was hopeless. And now I was embarrassed. And I had to go over there and talk to him.

  Them.

  Both of them laughing with their heads together, a careless intimacy there. He’d certainly never looked at me like that. I frowned. Was he into Callie?

  “Stop looking at Wyatt like he’s a fifteen-sided die.”

  I winced. “I’m not.”

  “You are.” Levi slid his arm around my shoulders. “Is there something I should know?”

  “What? No.” I shrugged off his arm. I wasn’t even sure why I did it. A few days ago, I would have welcomed his touch.

  In fact, I thought about trying my hand at flirting with Levi, but then there was the work thing. And the friend thing.

  And the fact that whatever attraction I thought I had was about a sixteenth of what I’d felt with Hudson in about thirty seconds. That probably wasn’t a good sign.

  For any and all thoughts I was having.

  Levi tipped his head and looked at me. I tried to turn away and he caught my hand, bringing me back around. “You into this guy?”

  “What? No.”

  He glanced around me to the table, then caught my other hand. “Probably not a good idea, Piper.”

  “Why?”

  His eyebrows shot up. “You’d think I’d get used to your bluntness, and yet not.” He blew out a breath. “He’s out of your league.”

  The punch of that statement stunned me for a second. I knew he was, but to have someone say it right to my face was… Whoa. I swallowed down a lump and pulled back my hand. “Thanks, Levi.”

  “I didn’t mean it that way.” He tugged me back to his side. “I mean he’s like big leagues and you’re…”

  I lifted my chin. “No league?”

  He tipped back his head and jerked his baker’s jacket open. “No. That is not what I mean.”

  “Problem?”

  I swallowed as Hudson’s deep voice vibrated from behind me. I could almost feel it through my back. I took an unsteady step back and bumped into him.

  Levi in front of me with his dark good looks and the man who I’d completely thrown myself at a few days ago—oh, and I couldn’t forget that he’d pretty much run the other way after said offer—yeah, he was behind me sounding all pissy.

  Since when was this my life? And what the heck was I supposed to do about it?

  Because I had no earthly clue, I slid out from between both of them. “My only problem is both of you. I have a friend I’d like to talk to.” I thrust the pair of twenties against Hudson’s chest. “Take this.”

  He looked down at me, a frown pulling at his stupidly attractive lips. “No.”

  “Take it.”

  “You said forty and then I gave a tip.”

  “This is not a tip, this is a bribe.” I looked at his outfit, searching for a ready pocket. When there wasn’t one, I growled and shoved it into his front jeans pocket.

  Tight damn pockets and again, I think I grazed something, but I was in too deep and for God’s sake, I couldn’t have touched what I thought.

  Again.

&
nbsp; I stalked over to Callie and sat down.

  “Are you okay?” She looked over her shoulder at Hudson, then back at me before leaning forward with a conspiratorial whisper. “Is there something going on?”

  “No, okay!”

  She sat back with a smile. “Oh, something’s going on.”

  I glanced down at the table. I’d forgotten her damn food and drink. It was all his fault. I blew out a breath and stood. “I forgot your food.”

  “But there’s nothing going on.”

  I didn’t answer her, because I didn’t have an answer. At least food and coffee made sense.

  I stalked back across the room and Tabitha met me at the end of the counter with Callie's food and tea. “What’s up with you today?”

  “Nothing,” I said with a growl.

  Tabs laughed. “That sounds just like a little sexual frustration.”

  “My sexual frustration started years ago. Why is today so damn special?”

  “Oh, honey.” Tabs tugged at my ponytail. “Let me give you a makeover.”

  “My frustration has nothing to do with a damn makeover.” Or did it? I sucked in a deep breath. “You know what? Yes. I think I’ll take you up on that offer.”

  “Oh my God, really?”

  “Yes.” I didn’t have any game, huh? Well, we would see about that. I would show everyone that I had some after all. “After work. Take me to your salon.”

  “Oh, sweet Jesus, I’m so excited.” She gripped my forearms since my hands were full. “I can do whatever I want?”

  “Within reason.” I looked over my shoulder at Hudson, who was still trying to stare down Levi.

  A customer came out of the cat area and Maya slipped into the cafe with a yowl.

  “Oh, hell no.” Hudson hurried back to Callie’s table. Levi gave him a hard stare, but went back to his side of the building.

  Cats were allowed in the whole restaurant based on my zoning, but I kept them in the back so they didn’t escape out the front door. I decided Maya could stay for now. She wasn’t going anywhere with her boyfriend in the room. And said boyfriend’s torment amused me more than a little.

  The Siamese jumped on his lap and kneaded his thighs before curling herself into a contented ball.