IT WAS JUST my freaking luck that Justin would show up. Of all the nights he could come in, I mean, really? It’s not that I wasn’t happy when I saw him sitting in my section. Okay, happy was probably an understatement, more like butterflies flapping around crazily in my stomach, heart beating at a speedy rate, and brain turning to mush. Yeah, he still did that to me—every single time.
I didn’t know if it was possible, but I swear he got sexier each time I saw him, and he didn’t even need to try. Tonight, he had a hat pulled on backward, a plain white tee, and a pair of dark jeans. I wanted to jump on top of him and rip it all off, but the timing didn’t really seem appropriate.
I turned away from him, hating that I put that look of disappointment on his face, but things were just a tad awkward, even though he had no clue why.
Chris was here, too.
I rushed back over to the bar. “Could I have a pitcher of Bud Light, please?”
RJ leaned across the counter, snatching up the order ticket out of my hands. “Which boyfriend is this for?”
I sighed loudly, rolling my eyes. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, sweetheart, you are so in over your head. I don’t recognize the other one, but I see the way he’s watching you.” He slid the plastic pitcher across the counter, and I grabbed three glasses. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of Justin when you throw him aside again.”
“Right,” I replied, rolling my eyes once more as I turned around. I knew better than to get into it with RJ. He was cattier than most of the girls I ever dealt with were.
I didn’t ask Chris to come here. He had just shown up unannounced. We had lunch together, but that was it. Yeah, we had a good time catching up, and it wasn’t as awkward as I thought it would be. He gave me a hug in the parking lot before we left and that was it. We didn’t talk about getting together again, or promise we’d talk to each other soon. I figured that was it.
Then he showed up tonight. And Justin soon followed.
I headed back in the direction of Justin’s table, seeing that Nate and Mia had arrived. Talk about weird seeing those two together. I wondered if they were dating, or were just friends with benefits. That one sounded a whole lot more like Mia’s style, and Nate’s, too.
“Addy.” Chris’s hand reached out as I passed by his table, hooking onto my elbow, and I stopped.
“Hey, I should be back with your food in a minute.”
“All right. Do you have a break coming up soon? Maybe we could talk for a little bit.”
“Um….” I glanced sideways, mentally slapping myself when I saw Justin staring at me. “I don’t think I’ll have time, actually. We’re swamped tonight.”
“Okay, well maybe later, then.”
I smiled at Chris before heading back toward Justin’s table, the smile quickly dropping off of my face when I got there. “Here we go.” I sat the pitcher on the table, sliding a glass to each of them. “Are you guys ready to order?”
“Hey, Della.” Nate grinned at me. I had never really been a fan of Nate’s, even though I tried to keep that opinion to myself. He was Justin’s best friend and I wasn’t coming in the middle of that. He had been there for me that night, though, that I broke things off with Justin. So, maybe I could learn to like him. “Let’s get a few appetizers, and then order. I have a feeling we’re gonna be here for a while.”
I flicked my eyes back to Justin who was glaring at me. I almost laughed. Almost. Justin wasn’t a jealous person at all. But I could tell that was what his problem was, and I felt guilty for actually liking the fact that he was feeling that way.
“Okay…well, I’ll go put your order in—”
“Not so fast.” Justin hooked an arm around my waist, twirling me back around and into his body. His mouth went to my ear, and I shivered when his warm breath blew against it as he started to talk. “Who’s that guy over there?”
“Um…what guy?” I asked, staring over his shoulder at Mia whose eyes were wide as she mouthed something at me. What, I had no clue and at that moment, I wasn’t really worried about Mia.
“Don’t play stupid,” he snapped, his fingers digging into my hips as he continued to rasp into my ear. I don’t know why, but the way he was talking to me was actually turning me on. I wasn’t the type of girl to let a guy walk all over her. Usually, I would tell him right where to shove his bullshit, but not this time. “Who is he?” He squeezed my hips tightly and I pushed myself against him even more. The friction was stimulating every nerve in my body, and I was itching for more.
“What?” I murmured, forgetting the actual question, until he quickly repeated it. “He’s an old friend.”
“An old boyfriend?” He leaned back a little to pin me with narrowed eyes, and I squirmed in place.
“Yes.” I wasn’t going to lie about it. There wasn’t a reason to.