Dark and Deadly - Lynn Hagen Page 0,2

was being this persistent turned Warren off. Ryan was the same way, never leaving Warren alone when he asked. He didn’t need another guy in his life that couldn’t respect someone’s boundaries.

Ash cocked his head and folded his arms. He looked less and less impressed with Warren. Good. “Are you always a prick?”

“Are you always this desperate?” Aside from already having too much to deal with, Warren didn’t understand why Ash was this insistent with him. Guys who looked like Ash normally didn’t talk to men who looked like Warren.

It just didn’t happen.

“I’ve never been desperate.” Ash scowled. “Moody, happy, lazy, grouchy, but never desperate.”

Warren really did feel like a prick for being so rude. “Look, I’m sorry. I’m normally not like this. I just have things I’m dealing with, and now isn’t a good time for me to make hot new friends.”

That seemed to mollify Ash. His smile was breathtaking, like the sun rising on a gorgeous beach. Heart-stopping. “I’m sorry you’re dealing with difficult things. Is there anything I can do to help?”

There was no way Warren was pulling Ash into his mess. “No, but thanks for offering.”

Ash stuck out his hand. “We can still be friends, Warren. We can talk some other time.”

Warren seriously doubted that but shook Ash’s hand. When they touched, it was electrifying. A strange, heavy feeling centered itself in Warren’s chest, and he didn’t want to let Ash’s hand go. Which made him yank his hand away.

He didn’t need to be attracted to Ash. He still had Ryan to deal with. An ex who refused to be dumped. A guy who met with shady guys in the middle of the night, who always bit Warren during sex—that alone made Warren want to call things off because he wasn’t into biting—and who was the most possessive person Warren had ever met.

And they’d been dating only two weeks.

Another reason Warren needed to get away from Ash was because he’d had the same reaction when he’d meet Ryan. Sparks igniting and a crazy attraction. Warren’s taste in men truly did suck. He always seemed to pick the wrong guys to date.

“I’ll see you around?” Ash asked. “Maybe have some coffee?”

“Sure.” Warren didn’t plan on seeing Ash again. “Later.”

He spun and walked in the opposite direction, though he felt Ash’s gaze drilling into his back.

* * * *

As soon as Warren got home, he hung his wind chime, smiling at how perfect it looked dangling from his porch. He went inside and fed Pie, patted her head and gave her a good scratch, then went to the kitchen to make something for dinner, since all he’d eaten at the festival was a hot dog.

He’d thawed some chicken, but that wasn’t what Warren wanted to eat, and why hadn’t he stopped thinking about Ash since they’d parted ways?

Warren was a hot freaking mess. Worse, there was a tiny part of him that missed Ryan, even though the guy was all wrong for him.

“I’m flipping crazy, right?” he asked Pie as she ate from her bowl. “There’re a few screws loose in my head. Why should I miss Ryan when he’s a psycho?”

As Warren sat at the table, Pie looked up at him, meowed, and then went back to eating. She was right. Warren needed to stick to his guns and leave Ryan alone. And he needed to stop thinking about Ash.

Warren must’ve stood too fast, because a wave of dizziness had him reaching for the table. He needed to eat. Warren hadn’t had anything since that hotdog, and before that, he’d skipped breakfast.

A spaghetti dinner from The Diner Train would hit the spot. Some garlic bread, meatballs, and a soda to wash it all down. That sounded freaking perfect.

Warren was headed for the front door when someone knocked. He stilled, holding his breath as if the person on the other side would be able to hear him breathing.

The doorbell rang, and then the knocking started again. There was only one person who attacked his door like that.

Ryan.

“Warren, open up.”

Wait, that wasn’t Ryan’s voice. Warren rolled his eyes at the sound of his uncle hollering through the door. Why on earth would Morgan show up at this hour?

Warren pressed a hand over his stomach. He didn’t have time for this. He needed to get something to eat. With an aggravated sigh, he swung the door open and stepped out, stopping Morgan from coming in.

“Why do you look so pale?” Morgan pressed the back of his hand against Warren’s forehead.