“What?” I ask.
“Make him jealous,” Elliot says, tilting his head back towards the bar. “Come hang out with us. I’ll give you some longing looks and touch your thigh or something.”
Quinn pinches the bridge of his nose and puffs out an exasperated breath. “Wow, El, how old are you?”
I shake my head. “As much as I’d like to, I’m working on this whole maturity thing. Besides, he’d have to have an ounce of interest in me in order for that plan to work.”
Before I even realize what’s happening, I feel myself being tugged forward at the right side of my waist and Elliot’s lips mash into mine. Near my left ear, Quinn gasps. Elliot doesn’t try to force his tongue or anything, just keeps his mouth pressed to mine, his hand sliding up my back and into my hair.
“Oh, fuck. Oh, fuck. Oh, fuck…Elliot,” Quinn hisses.
The corner the three of us are standing in suddenly darkens, as if a large shadow—or rather,shadows—loom over us.
Elliot’s eyes widen as he backs away from me. His hand leaves the back of my neck and draws up defensively. “SS, it’s not what it looks—”
“Then whatthe fuckis it?” a low, dangerous voice growls behind me.
I spin to findboththe blond and the non-blond tatted jacked-up men standing behind me, both with their arms crossed, wearing matching glares.
Elliot stammers, finally croaking, “A test?”
“A test of what, exactly?” blondie snarls at Elliot. “Ourmarriage? Because what the fuck do I tell Wildflower about this, you kissing some other guy at the bar?!”
“Oh my gosh, no!Pleasedon’t tell Pix! It didn’t mean anything!” Elliot cries out.
“Elliot is, once again, being an idiot, Shane,” Quinn interjects, reaching to place a hand on blondie’s—er, I guess, Shane’s. “He formulated some hair-brained spur-of-the-moment scheme to try to make that guy jealous,” he adds, tilting his head towards Gordy.
“Mission fuckin’ accomplished,” Gordy sneers, stomping away.
“Welp,” Elliot sighs, after Gordy has pushed his way out the backdoor, “guess we sorted that out. Looks like dudedoeshave more than an ounce of interest in you after all.”
“What the actual fuck, Elliot?” Quinn hisses. “I doubt he still will after the shit you just pulled.”
“I knowI’msure as hell not impressed,” Shane mutters, arms still foldedover his chest.
“Oh, fuck off, big guy. I didn’t even slip Gannett any tongue. It was a meaningless peck on the lips,” Elliot balks at him, then adds to me, “No offense…”
Still reeling, the only thing I can come up with for a reply, like the dumbass that I am, I say, “I’m sure you have a magnificent tongue.”
If looks could kill, I’m certain Shane just torpedoed my ass. “He does, but for the sake of your jaw, I’d scrub the thought of that kiss from your memory. Unless, of course, you like eating your food through a straw…”
“Scrubbed! Jesus, it’s scrubbed,” I yelp, cowering. “Don’t hurt me.”
Shane dons a bemused sort of smirk directed at me, he then pinches Elliot’s earlobe. “Ow! Ow!” Elliot hisses.
Shane growls, “Come sit, before you cause any more trouble here tonight, and we’ll discuss yourpunishmentlater…”
Quinn glances over his shoulder as they’re being hauled away. “Sorry about all that,” he apologizes.
Well, that was… interesting.
Chapter Nineteen
My apartment smells musty, but otherwise appears just as I left it back in February, when I stomp my way inside, completely forgetting why I’m even back here to begin with. I got distracted when I saw Gannett working the bar and made a pitstop there first—my heart in my throat over how to respond to him about where I’ve been. I finally read his texts, and the last ones sounded pissed at me.
I get it. I disappeared for two months. I had to.
I wasn’t lying when I said I had stuff of my own I needed to work on, and that stuff had to do with coming to terms with the intensity of my feelings for the man I’m currently seething over—and just how to proceed with those feelings.
