No Regrets (A Stepbrother New Adult Novella) Read Free Page A

his tousled hair and appeared almost overwhelmed by the options in front of him.
    She smiled at him, despite her better judgment. “Okay, let’s start with the basics. What’s it for?”
    He gave her a confused look. “You mean, all of these are for different things? Wow, never mind. I actually don’t know, so…I’m just picking one.” He grabbed a four-pound bag of granulated.
    “Glad I could help…or not.” She turned to leave.
    “Wait, I didn’t catch your name. Since you helped me, maybe we could grab coffee sometime?” He gave her his best grin, and in that moment she figured she knew exactly what he was about.
    “No, really, I didn’t mind helping. But, if you want to do something for me, try parking your car more considerately next time.” She turned and walked to the counter.
    Why would he even ask her out, anyway? There was no possible way he could be truly interested in her. It was always some sort of game with men. She could never figure them out, and she wasn’t going to try with Mr. Convertible.
    “You’re not very friendly, are you?”
    She felt him behind her even before he spoke. Liv spun around. “What do you mean, I’m not friendly?” She crossed her arms over her chest.
    “I’m just saying. I’m a nice guy and turning me down is fine, but you don’t have to be so rude about it.” He put his sugar on the conveyor belt behind hers.
    “I wasn’t rude at all. On the contrary, you are rude for leaving your car in people’s way. I get the feeling you’re used to getting your way, though. You should really think about other people. I’m just saying ,” she said with a sugary smile as she handed the clerk her money. She left before he could respond.
    She fumed as she made her way outside. What an ass. He told her she was being rude. Of all the arrogant, pigheaded guys she’d met—he was a prime example of why she refused to date. All men were jerks!

Chapter Four

Parker
    S he was beautiful . The combination of her natural looks and her pink-tinged cheeks as she went off on him, intrigued him to no end. He did his best to contain himself, and found it difficult not to follow her outside.
    It was rare that women shot him down. It was even more rare for them to blow him off entirely, and yet, she had done just that. He could see the top of her head as he finished paying for his things. He should just leave her alone, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t make his feet go in the opposite direction once he was in the parking lot. He stopped beside her door as she cranked up her car. Lightly tapping on the window, he watched her scowl as she looked over her adorable glasses at him.
    “Can I help you?” She didn’t even try to conceal a frown on her face. It was obvious, she really had no interest in him at all.
    “Yes, actually, you can. I need to find Forest Brook Avenue. Can you direct me in the way I need to go?”
    “You’re on Forest Brook already. Glad I could help.” She started to roll her window back up, but he stopped her again.
    “Listen, I don’t know what I did, aside from my poor judgment in parking, but here’s my number. I’ll take you to dinner and apologize like a gentleman should.” He didn’t say another word, just slipped his number onto her lap before sauntering off.
    He could tell she was upset when he heard her peel out of the parking lot. He chuckled to himself—she was definitely not like most women. Truth be told, he found it refreshing. It was good for him to hear ‘no’ from time to time. Besides, he was always up for a challenge.
    He pulled out of the store and headed down Forest Brook. He wondered if he would ever see her again. She was definitely someone he wanted to see again. Even now, he smiled at how angry he made her. He glanced over at the mailboxes as he passed them. Where in the world was 2420? He finally saw a yellow mailbox on his right, and quietly pulled in front of the house.
    “You have got to be kidding me...”