David was also a good choice because, one, he had the gift of knocking someone into a coma with a psionic blast and, two, he was Butch’s partner during assignments; they were used to working together. It helped that there was no tension between him and Butch. Tension would be a distraction, and we didn’t need distractions in a situation like that.
Sam continued, “The rest of you will wait in the castle with me and Jared in case we’re needed.” She stood. “Right, time for training.”
The session was as gruelling and demanding as always. After lunch, Jared set a punishing pace that left me aching afterwards. But by the time Butch and I were showered and changed, my muscles were once again fine.
As I stood in front of the mirror putting on my earrings, Butch came up behind me and settled his hands on my waist. In his designer shirt and pants, he looked like something out of a GQ magazine. “Love this dress, baby.”
The little black sleeveless dress was one of the many garments that Fletcher chose for me; he was a great shopping partner. “Thanks. You don’t look so bad yourself.”
Smiling, he spoke into my ear. “I’m going to spend all night imagining whipping this dress off you.”
“There are worse ways to spend an evening.”
He chuckled. “Come on, let’s go.”
The restaurant was heaving, so it was a good thing that Butch had booked us a table in advance. The interior had a hacienda look to it with the colour scheme of terracotta, gold, green, blue, and mandarin. The Mexican pottery suns, paintings, tapestries, and metal art geckos added to the theme.
Waiting to be seated, I heard a laugh that I knew as well as my own. Paige. That was when I realised that the girls, with the exception of Ava, were here. Great. I would have liked to put them at the back of my mind so I could enjoy my evening. No such luck.
Feeling Butch’s grip on my hand flex, I looked up at him.
“We can go if you want.” So he’d noticed the girls, too.
I shook my head. “I’ve been looking forward to this meal all night.”
He studied me for a few moments and then nodded. The waiter then appeared and guided us to a circular table, which fortunately was far away from the girls. After we ordered our food, Butch moved his chair next to mine and gave me his full attention.
Throughout the next hour, we ate, talked, and laughed. He was sure to touch me constantly. Every touch was somehow sweet, sensual, and possessive all at the same time. It had been a while since I’d had this much fun on a date, and I was pretty sure there was a Barbie-like smile on my face.
“Hey, you two,” greeted an excitable voice.
My smile dimmed. “Hi, Jen.” Butch merely nodded at her.
Jen was one of the females who worked at the shoe store. She was also…familiar with Butch—the last female he’d been with before he and I got together, to be specific. I reminded myself that, like with the others, it had only been a one-night stand; Jen hadn’t meant anything to him. That didn’t stop me from being pissed the fuck off at the flirtatious, nostalgic smile she flashed him.
I wished I could say that I didn’t like her. I actually did. Jen was a nice, bubbly, friendly person. She could just be a little too friendly with guys, even if they were spoken for. That didn’t discourage her. Maybe she was just so insecure that she needed that constant reinforcement that guys thought she was beautiful, or maybe it was something else—I had no idea.
Sitting on the table adjacent to ours, she angled her body toward Butch. As the night went on, she laughed too loud and did just about everything to get his attention; stroking her hair, arching her neck, playing her fingers over her cleavage, and licking her lips. He shifted so that his back was to her and he was better facing me. That didn’t make her stop.
I supposed I’d have to get used to bumping into his past encounters, since it was a small island with more males than females.
Butch nipped my earlobe, no doubt irritated that he didn’t have my full attention. “What’s wrong?”
“What do you think?” Okay, that came out a little harsh.
His eyes widened. “Jen’s getting to you? I thought you’d find it more pathetic than anything else.”
“It is pathetic. That doesn’t mean it isn’t irritating. I blame you.”
“How is this my fault?”
“It’s not, but I’m still blaming you.” I knew it was pointless and petty to get annoyed about being around females from his past, but I couldn’t help it. “I did warn you about my jealous streak.”
“Baby…” He stroked his thumb over my jaw. “She’s not important to me. Never was.”
“I know. It’s still not a pleasant situation.” Hearing Jen’s way-too-loud laugh once more, I grit my teeth. “I’ll say one thing for her: she’s persistent.” She was also close to having my fork shoved down her throat.
He just shrugged, as if she was none of his concern. “If she can’t clearly see that you’re someone to me, she’s either blind or stupid.”
I was leaning toward ‘stupid’ because it sounded better while I was feeling bitchy. “You were with her when I was with Dean, weren’t you?”