Free Pure Wicked: A Wicked Lovers Novella (1001 Dark Nights) by Shayla Black

muscle.
    “You know, you sound tired, honey.” Jamie glanced at her over his shoulder, his concern evident.
    He totally ignored Hayden to check on her. Bristol tried not to let that make her a little giddy. He was merely a decent guy doing the right thing. It wasn’t a romantic gesture. He might have done the same for any woman with her ex breathing down her neck.
    “Three thirty this morning came early.” Especially after last night. Even the thought of it made her face flush hot.
    “Why don’t you go upstairs and rest?” Jamie suggested.
    She shook her head. “I need to lock up.”
    “Is it more complicated than turning the latch on the door over there.” Jamie thumbed in the direction of the glass entrance.
    “No. It’s just…”
    “Something you always do. I’ll turn off the lights, too. I can handle it. Honestly.”
    “I have to clean up the kitchen.” She glanced back at the messy space. Usually she cleaned up after herself as she cooked. This morning, she’d been too flipping tired. A night with Jamie was enough to wear out any girl, but especially one who rose at the ass crack of dawn for work.
    “Go shower and eat something. It’ll sit until you’ve rested.” Jamie assured, then turned his attention back to Hayden.
    Suddenly, she got it. He wanted to put her ex in his place, man to man. Bristol bit at her lip. She should tell Jamie that she could fight her own battles because she could. But the idea of a shower, a meal, and a way to avoid her ex were too much to pass up. Besides, she had the feeling he would only keep insisting.
    “Sure.” She smiled. “Thanks.”
    “Don’t do this,” Hayden protested. “ You’re making a big mistake. Talk to me.”
    “You let me go, so it’s my mistake to make. Bye.”
    After a sarcastic smile and a wave, Bristol turned toward the back of the shop and headed for the stairs, feeling as if Jamie had lifted an enormous weight from her shoulders—at least for now. Come Wednesday, she’d be alone again, and Jamie would have moved on. But today, he could chase Hayden off, lock her door against the little insect, and hold her tight.
    It wasn’t romance, she assured herself. But it felt pretty damn good.
     
    * * * *
     
    Jesse heard Bristol’s footfalls fade as she headed upstairs. When the door closed, he turned to Hayden with a blistering glare. “Leave her the fuck alone.”
    “Or what? You’re not going to stay. And I’ll still be around.”
    Hayden had him there. Jesse knew he couldn’t remain indefinitely, even if sharing a bed—hell, a kiss—with Bristol was one of the most singular pleasures he’d ever experienced. For a well-seasoned hedonist, that was saying something. Still, her ex was trouble, and Jesse was determined to make sure that the asshole gave Bristol a wide berth even after he was gone.
    “Are you nothing but an entitled tool who thinks you should have everything you want, and fuck everyone else?”
    The scrawny guy reared back as if the question shocked him—or slapped him across the face. “What does that mean?”
    “I used to be one, so I know all the earmarks,” Jesse assured. “Why else would you pursue Bristol if it’s only going to hurt her? You left her. Now she doesn’t want you anymore. Obviously, that makes you feel lousy, but no one gives a shit about your pride. And young, naive Presleigh would be crushed if she had any idea you were here, sniffing around her older sister. You either care about your fiancée enough to be faithful or you’re not ready for marriage.”
    Listen to me being all wise and shit …
    “It’s none of your business,” Hayden shot back. “You might have spent last night with Bristol, but you don’t care about her.”
    “And you do?” he challenged. “If you could dump her for her sister, then come back looking to get laid, I don’t think you care at all.”
    Hayden managed to look indignant. “I came to check on her, not for sex.”
    “But you wouldn’t turn it down,