“I’m honored to have been invited. And I can already tell you Mom and Dad will be there.” A smile finally fractured his tension-filledface.
“Okay,” Iwhispered.
He turned in his seat, and his knee knocked into mine. The contact made me jump, which in turn made him lay a big palm on my thigh. I wasn’t sure if he was trying to pin me in place or calmme.
It wasn’t calming in theleast. . .
“Sorry about that. Not much room in between thesebarstools.”
I wondered why he was passing it off as an accident when it was blatantly not. My gaze dropped to his hand, which he hadn’tremoved.
“You’re not supposed to touch me,” I said, my voice coming out a littlechoked.
“We’re no longer dating, so I don’t really see how I’m breaking Liam’srules.”
August was so close that I could hear the steady cadence of his heart through his tight Henley, which meant he could hear the frenzied tempo ofmine.
“Right?” he asked in a voice so rough it sounded like he’d used the big drum sander on histhroat.
I swallowed, and I swear everyone in the bar heard my saliva go down. I grabbed the beer and chugged some down to cool off and calm down just as Kelly bustled over with August’s and Cole’s order. August slipped his hand off my leg and thankedher.
Before jetting off toward another table, she studied me, thenAugust.
“I should probably give Cole his seat back.” I started to get off the barstool when August caught the edge of the seat to cage me in. “He can find anotherseat.”
“August. . .”
“He’s not even backyet.”
Cole stood with Matt and Lucas. Were those three still discussing Tamara and Liam? Hadn’t they exhausted the subjectyet?
As I turned my attention back toward the plate topped with ribs and barbecue sauce, my gaze stumbled on Sienna and Amanda, also huddledtogether.
Long feather earrings fluttered against Sienna’s bare freckled shoulders, tangling with her pale, wispy hair. She was nibbling on her lip as though nervous. Were they also discussing Tamara? She must’ve sensed my stare, because she looked up. For a second, she froze, but then she offered me a tentative smile. Instead of reassuring me that I wasn’t the most detestable person in Tracy’s, it filled me withguilt.
Technically, I hadn’t stolen August away; he’d broken up with her because he was reenlisting, which had nothing to do with me. But sitting next to him, letting him buy me a drink so publicly, letting him brand me with hishand. . .
How could shenothateme?
I thought of Tamara then and realized I didn’t hate her because I was no longer hung up on Liam. Was that why Sienna wasn’t sticking pins inside a voodoo doll version of me? Because she’d movedon?
“Ness?” August’s voice made my attention jounce back tohim.
“Did you saysomething?”
“Only your name a half dozen times.” He placed his elbow on the bar and rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m sorry about yesterday. I had no right to be jealous or mad. I think I haven’t gotten it through my head that I have no claim on you anymore.” He sighed. “Might take me a while to accept it, so bear with me,okay?”
I bit down on my lip, thinking of my conversation with Sarah. I valued Evelyn’s opinion, but I also cared deeply for the man sitting beside me. I glanced around the room, wondering if anyone was looking at the two of us indisgust.
No one was looking at us,period.
No one seemed tocare.
I was drinking a beer so they probably assumed I was twenty-one. Maybe if they knew the truth, they’d gawk and wrinkle theirnoses.
“You have nothing to apologize for, August.” I filched a fry and swirled it in the little heap of ketchup next to his burger. God only knew why I ate it since my stomach was jam-packed with food, beer, andnerves.
Cole returned then, blasting us with the charred scent of tobacco. “Just gonna grab my food. Don’t want to interruptanything.”
