“Don’t get bossy, vato,” I said as I pulled out a chair to sit with my husband and a woman, who, unless I was mistaken, was interested in both of us and whom I knew I was drawn to and believed Declan was as well.
But I could be wrong. I’d been out of the dating and hookup game for a long damn time.
Avoiding their gazes, I filled my plate from the containers of food already spread across the table. I wasn’t surprised to see all the leftovers laid out like they were. When Declan lived with me, he cooked. It was his thing, and he always made too much food. After we ate, I’d do the clean up while Declan boxed up all the extra. I hadn’t ever been one for leftovers, but Declan didn’t just box them up in one big container. No, he portioned them out in a bunch of smaller containers. I thought it was crazy until I realized why he cooked so much. He always got hungry right before bed and would pig out on whatever he had boxed up in the fridge. Every night was a conglomeration of cultures on a plate.
“Don’t call me that. You threw away the right.” Declan turned to Marcie and said, “Hayden and I are married.”
“Oh, congrats…”
“Only on paper.”
Declan’s face spun to mine. Hurt flashed in his eyes, only to be replaced by white hot rage that flared to life in the blue-green gaze I’d missed so much.
God, I was an ass. I couldn’t help but taunt him. It was easier than the alternative. If I pushed him he’d eventually jump and we’d fuck and maybe then my tongue would loosen.
Tension stretched out, filling the room. Our gazes locked, his nostrils flared. Then his chin trembled, and he shoved to his feet, the chair flipping back onto the floor as he stormed from the room.
Pain exploded in my head and heart. My head fell into the hand I had propped on the table. My other hand white-knuckled the fork I held. The metal bit into my palm, and I tossed it on the table. The clattering replaced the silence until my frustration took over.
“Fuck!”
A soft gasp caught my attention, reminding me that Declan and I hadn’t been alone. Wide blue eyes filled her face, but it was the plump, pink lip curled into her mouth that grabbed my attention. Her teeth worried the tender flesh, and my cock took notice.
“I didn’t mean to cause problems.” The soft tenor of her voice pierced my mood and struck a nerve.
“You didn’t,” I assured her. “Declan and I’ve had issues since the beginning. None of which is your doing.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, oh.”
That about summed it up.
“How… umm…? Never mind.”
“Go ahead and ask.”
“How long have you been married?”
“Three years.”
Three years, four months, two weeks, and, I glanced at my watch, two, almost three days. But who was counting?.
“Then why would you say you didn’t know him for very long?”
“Because I was in the Marine Corps when I met Declan. We had two very hot nights, got drunk, and married in Vegas thirty-six hours before I got sent out on an op, which turned into a two-month float. Then we lived together for three months before things fell apart.”
Fell apart? Imploded? They were the same as me fucking them up beyond all recognition, right?
Her eyes grew wide, only to narrow when my stomach growled. “You should eat.”
A creak of a floorboard from the other room caught my attention and I decided to follow Priest’s advice and unfuck my life. Or try to. Finger’s crossed I’d not fucked things up beyond repair.
“Oh goody. Another bossy sub.”
“What? How…”
I smirked and picked up my fork while watching her face turn pink as she sputtered. Finally, she asked, “Declan’s a sub?”
