Honeytrap by CRYSTAL GREEN

boyfriend.”
    â€œNice.”
    â€œShelby . . .” he said, like he regretted my reaction. Even worse, the way he said my name made me itch to go to him, to get closer so he could lower his voice to that molasses whisper and maybe say heart-stopping things into my ear that would erase all the hurt Rex had brought me.
    So I moved away before that could happen, going for my pickup. “I’m telling you flat out—don’t waste your time with me.”
    â€œSweetheart, I could get your attention—and get you to stay—in a heartbeat.”
    Cocky again.
    â€œDoubtful,” I said, still walking.
    â€œWhat if I told you that I might know something about your dad?” he said.
    Now he had my attention.
    â€œWhat if,” he said, “I could help you find out who he is?”

6
    I kept my back turned to Micah. Hell, he’d done his research on me. He obviously took his bets as seriously as I took my unidentified father.
    â€œHow would you know anything about him?” I asked, my voice cutting into the night.
    â€œEven a newcomer hears things in Aidan Falls.”
    He had to either be lying just to get my attention or . . . What if he did know? But who in this town would have such elusive information about my father, and why would they have kept it a secret for so long, only to tell Micah?
    â€œI don’t believe you,” I said, willing myself to ignore him and just leave. It wasn’t that far to the pickup. Maybe ten steps.
    â€œI’m here if you ever want to find out.”
    â€œBullshit.” As I eyed my pickup, I could see Evie inside, her hand braced on the dashboard, like she was ready to open my door so I could jump in and take off. I shot her a look that asked her to wait a minute, then turned back to Micah. “You’re playing a game with me, and it’s by a dirty set of rules.”
    He’d casually hitched his thumbs into the pockets of his jeans. “All right. You go on thinking what you’re comfortable thinking. But what if I do know something? Wouldn’t you want me to tell you?”
    â€œActually, no.” What a lie, but I wasn’t going to let this troublemaker toy with me or use me in any way—not for his jollies, not for a bet. “I’ve lived a long time with just me and Mom, and guess what? I’m not mentally scarred from having no dad around, even if I was ripped up and down about it when I was a kid. My mom gave me all the love I needed.” I wasn’t about to let him know that, yeah, there’d been some terrible times when I’d wanted a dad, any dad, to be with me. “In fact, finding out who he is would probably be bad news, seeing as he didn’t stick around long enough to care I was alive.”
    â€œThat’s his mistake.”
    He said it with such sincerity that I almost doubted him on that, as well. But when he meandered closer, my skin tingled, like the slight cooling of the night still had a thick layer of humidity and heaviness to it. Like I should just get the heck out of here.
    â€œForget the bet,” he said in a whisper. “Why don’t we pretend like it never existed. Forget I said anything about your dad, too, since it’s obvious you don’t want to hear about him. I’m sorry for bringing it up.”
    I laughed. “So now you want to press reset with me.”
    He smiled, and I wondered if it was because he was amused by his own tricks. But there was an edge to that smile, something that made me think there was more regret there.
    It didn’t matter. “You’ve probably talked so many females into doing things your way that you aren’t used to any resistance. You’ll have better luck in other places, I imagine.”
    â€œAnd I heard that you were a real docile girl who might be welcoming to a new guy, Shelby Carson. Imagine my surprise to have heard wrong.”
    Maybe I’d been docile