“No, it’s because our women told us, too.” Liam said blatantly.
The men all nodded in union.
“Welcome to the club.” Sam clapped him on the back.
“I’m not part of the club.” Heath denied, which earned several scoffs.
Mike leaned forward, rotating his wrist and making a whip crack sound.
“I’m not.” He denied again.
“Deny it all you want. It happened to the rest of us. You’re part of the dating club.” Aaron informed him.
Heath finished his beer quickly, ignoring them and watching Olivia sip her club soda. She wasn’t doing it to stall time, but because the women kept asking her questions and talking to her not allowing her to finish.
“Why do you look like you’re in a rush?” Sam asked. “Are you afraid someone will say something to Olivia about you?”
“No, Olivia already knows a lot about my past.”
“She knows about the dancers in Lebanon?” Mike asked.
“She doesn’t know about every woman I’ve been with.” Heath growled at him low and threateningly. If Mike every shared that tidbit with Olivia, he’d kill him. Best friend or not. “She knows I’ve been with a few.”
“A few?” Liam chuckled.
Heath turned on him. “Hey, I don’t want to hear it from you. You were just as bad if not worse than me before Cora.” Even between their break up and make up.
“Guilty, but I never slept with any of the locals here. You’ve been with just about every single woman in the area. Olivia is going to meet a lot of your hit it and quit it’s.”
Heath hadn’t thought of that. He had slept with a lot of women in town. Mary was just one. Would it start to bother Olivia, when she went to the store and saw women and wonder if he’d slept with them?
“Why are you fucking with him like that?” Carter shoved Liam. “The guy is looking green around the gills now.”
“Heath, you know we’re just joking. The women wouldn’t do that. I’m sure they’re just getting to know her. Olivia looks like she’s having a good time. If they were saying anything bad, she wouldn’t look so happy.”
That eased some of his tension, but he was eager to get Olivia alone. He wanted to show her his home, something he had never done with another woman. He was wondering how he was going to extract her, when Olivia suddenly stood up. He thought that was his sign, until the other women stood as well.
“We’re going to the bathroom.” Cora announced, before they all left together. Heath’s eyes followed them to make sure they made it to the bathroom without incident. Drunk idiots did stupid things. He lost track of Olivia, as the women surrounded her and disappeared.
“Why do they always have to go in groups?” Sam asked no one in particular.
No one had an answer.
“It’s just something they do. Probably, to talk about us, so we can’t overhear.” Liam added.
The guys started ribbing on each other after that about drills and calling each other old men, who couldn’t please their girlfriends anymore. Heath stopped staring at the archway to the bathroom and joined his friends in teasing each other. The women all returned a few minutes later, but something was different.
“Where’s Olivia?” Heath’s eyes darted around the bar, before looking back at Cora.
“She got a text, while we were in the bathroom. Something about an emergency and had to go.”
Heath sat up in alarm. “What emergency?”
“I don’t know.” Cora shrugged. “She didn’t say, and I didn’t press. When someone says they have an emergency, I don’t stall them to ask questions.”
Heath flew out of his chair and ran out to catch up with Olivia and find out what was wrong, but when he stepped outside, there wasn’t a trace of her. She just vanished. What the hell just happened?
Chapter 19
