Twisted Hate: An Enemies with Benefits Romance

Signature burger, pan-roasted salmon…
His pants wisped over my calves. I set my jaw and tried to focus. Pan-
roasted salmon with fennel salad…
He reached for his glass, his shirt sleeve grazing my hand as he did so.
I yanked my arm back and stared determinedly at the list of entrees. Pan-
roasted salmon with fennel salad…
When our server appeared, bright-eyed and perky, I’d read the same dish
description a dozen times.
“I’ll have the salmon,” I muttered after everyone placed their orders.
“Thanks.”
I hated salmon.
I glared at Josh. This was all his fault. If he hadn’t distracted me, I
would’ve been able to get through the rest of the menu and order something I
wanted.
His eyebrows rose. “Back in fighting form, I see,” he said while Alex and
Ava talked quietly across from us. “I missed that look of irritation on your

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face. It’s like a balm to my soul.”
“That’s because you’re used to seeing it on everyone who comes into
contact with you.”
Slipping into an argument with Josh was like slipping into old pair of
jeans, comforting and familiar.
Josh’s cheek dimpled. “Nah. Just you, Red. Everyone else loves me.”
“I guarantee that’s not true.”
My phone lit up with a new text. I picked it up, eager for a distraction, but
my brows pulled together when I read the message.
Unknown: Hey Jules
The area code indicated an Ohio phone number.
Everything around me disappeared while a loud buzzing filled my ears. I
typed out my answer with shaking fingers.
Me: Who is this?
Hope, fear, and anticipation curdled in my stomach. Maybe it’s my
mom…
An eternity passed in the ten seconds it took for the reply to pop up, but
when it did, I almost dropped my phone in shock.