Unable to drag my eyes off Beth, I shrugged. “I know her from another life.”
“And you hate the beautiful, funny blond?” He seemed dubious.
“Not hate. Just don’t care either way.”
“Is that why you can’t take your eyes off her and look like you want to stab Baird with a butter knife?”
Forcing myself to look away, I met John’s stare. “She’s not what you think.”
John studied me and then nodded, letting it drop.
A few seconds later, Baird returned to his stool, grinning like an idiot. Beth had grabbed her drinks and returned to her date, who was now shooting glances our way. I decided he definitely looked like a prick.
“She had to return to her date.” Baird shrugged like a big puppy, happy to have gotten some attention at least. “He looks like a prick. She can do well better than that.”
My annoyance at my mate ebbed a bit.
“You might want to stop staring at them like a psycho,” John advised.
Shite.
I looked at Baird. “Gonna stop trying to be friends with her?”
“Nope.” Baird grinned. “She’s my long-lost sister from another mister. We’ve decided.”
I supposed I should be relieved he didn’t want to sleep with her.
“I gave her my number. We’re going to hang out.”
“Why?” I practically barked, somewhat panicked at the thought.
“Eh, because unlike you, I can be friends with a woman.”
“I can be friends with a woman,” I disagreed. Beth and I were once friends. Okay, so I was a horny seventeen-year-old who wanted to be her first and last, but we were still friends.
Until we weren’t.
“Just … not her. All right?”
My big friend cocked his head in thought. “Awright … if you tell me why.”
I glowered over at Beth as she laughed at something her date said. My gut twisted. “We went to school together. She … she’s not a good person.”
Baird’s chin jerked back in surprise. “That doesn’t seem right.”
Angry now, I spat, “You asked. I told. Now drop it. And delete her from your phone.”
Looking past me to John, Baird raised an eyebrow. “Is it me, or doth the lady protest too much?”
John gave a loud bark of laughter. And it was only because he’d made our friend laugh on a shitty day that I didn’t chuck Baird’s beer in his face. “It’s Kaito’s birthday next week. We should do something. He must be missing his family.”
Thankfully, the subject change worked. There was nothing Baird enjoyed more than a chance to throw a party.
As we chatted, I was hyper fucking aware of Beth and her date. I tried not to look, but I could see them in my periphery anytime I looked at Baird.
I saw them as they got up and walked out of the bar, and I turned to watch the prick hold the door open for her, his eyes glued to Beth’s perfect arse as she walked ahead of him. My stomach twisted as they disappeared out of sight, and I ordered another beer.
But only to celebrate the win, of course.
