He seems to be laying on the charm extra thick. The women are all in stitches, laughing uproariously at what he’s saying. And I don’t fucking like the way Jules smiles at him, especially since she’s been denying me her smile today.
I reach my breaking point when the man holds some sort of food to her lips and she leans in to take a bite.
I know I’m under a rage spell, because before I can even process my thoughts, I’m rising from the bench, unable to take my eyes off my woman.
My woman?!Okay, we’ll deal with that wayward thought later. Right now, I just need to get over there and break that shit up.
Alba catches sight of me as I approach. She aims her massive smile in my direction from where she’s hanging off of Easton’s arm.
“Lincoln!” She waves me over. “Lincoln, you remember Reid Robinson? We all went to high school together. You were both in the same class, weren’t you? Did you know he’s a firefighter now?”
Okay, Alba. One question at a time.
Do I remember Reid Robinson? How the fuck could I forget? I hated that guy—and his band of idiot brothers, too. And the fact thathe’sthe one here flirting with my almost-wife makes me even more ticked off.
Yet he turns and claps me on the shoulder like we were always the best of friends. “Lincoln Raines! My man!” He shoves a platter of fried wings at me. “Opening a new fast food joint in town. Firehouse Wings. Super spicy. Try a sample.”
I decline his offer. “You might poison me.”
“Never.” He grins. “Too many witnesses.”
Easton chuckles, chomping on his Firehouse Wings sample.Traitor.I hope it burns off his tongue.
Meanwhile, Jules steps up between Reid and me. She steals yet another sample from his tray, humming with contentment when she bites into it.
She’s trying to kill me. She’d be fully on-board with the idea of me popping a vein and dropping dead this very minute.
Reid offers her a charming smile that I’m tempted to punch right off his face. “I hear that you and the lovely Jules are getting married tomorrow?” he asks me.
I throw a glance at my fiancé. She stares back at me, annoyance dripping from her frigid expression.
Still, I feel my chest puff out with male pride and possessiveness as I wrap an arm around her waist. “You heard right,” I tell Reid.
Jules goes stiff at my touch. I’m half-afraid she’s going to use her kickboxing moves on me. But then I remember—her trust fund. Right. That’s the only reason she tolerates me.
He tips his head in a little bow. “Congratulations to you both.”
“Whatever, Robinson.” That guy isn’t fooling me.
“Damn. So hostile.” He chuckles. Then he turns his grin on the group. “Enjoy the rest of the festival, ladies.”
He holds up a fist to Easton. The two of them fist bump as Jules steals another sample from his tray. She groans around a bite.
Looking pleased with himself, he leans in by my ear. “I think your fiancée likes my meat, Raines.”
I growl. “Keep your little drumstick far away from my woman. Or I’ll snap it off with my bare hands and toss it in an air fryer.”
Chuckling, Reid walks off to go hawk his chicken wings to someone else.
Easton leads Alba over to our table. The other giggly bridesmaids get distracted, taking dessert samples from another vendor who’s handing them out. That leaves Jules and me standing face to face for the first time since last night.
Now, she aims her full annoyance at me.
She’s still pissed. After the way I acted last night, I don’t blame her.
“Was the caveman scene necessary?” she grinds out, licking the last of the sauce off her fingers.
My eyes follow the movement of her tongue as it circles her sticky index finger. “It was. He was getting way too close to my future wife,” I say unapologetically.
