“You had beginner’s luck.”
“Sore loser.” She coughs the words into her hand.
I chuckle.
She steps just a little closer. “Hey, is everything okay?”
“Of course,” comes out automatically. “Why?”
“You just seem a bit out of it. Like you’re thinkin’ too much.” Her hand brushes my arm.
The touch is light, barely there, but I feel iteverywhere.
Maybe that reading-her thing goes both ways. I thought I was doing a better job of keeping it off my face. The guys know me—years together will do that. But Summer sees through me; she has since the beginning.
Helm clears his throat loud enough to break whatever bubble we’ve created.
For once, I’m not annoyed by his interruption.
“You gonna introduce me, or what?” he asks.
“You’ve met.”
“Notreally.” He sticks out his hand to Summer.
She goes to shake it, but Helm catches her fingers before she can pull back and lifts them to his mouth. He kisses her knuckles, a smug expression on his face.
He’s fucking with me. He has to be. I roll my eyes, but my grip tightens around the neck of my bottle.
“Easton,” he says, releasing her hand. “Nice to meet you.”
She tucks her hand into her front pocket. Mine fights the urge to pull it out and erase where Helm’s lips just were.
“Go grab a round,Rook,” I tell him, even though my beer’s still full.
“I got the last?—”
I give him a look. One he correctly interprets asit wasn’t a requestand heads to the bar, muttering under his breath.
“I see he’s still a shameless flirt,” Summer observes, watching him go. Then her attention settles back on me.
And fuck, I like her eyes on me.
“Ignore him,” I say. “That’s just how he is.”
Summer pulls her phone out of her back pocket. She glances at the screen, frowns slightly, then flips it face-down on the table behind me.
“Sorry, what were we?—”
It buzzes again.
“You should get it,” I tell her.
“It’s fine, I’ll call Kendra?—”
Another buzz.
Summer huffs a laugh, cheeks flushing. “Okay. I’m sorry. I’ll be right back.”
