He slid me a quiet look that most guys would want to flee. One that warned;don’t mess with my girl.
Then he nodded to the open sliding doors. “They’re out there.”
“Thanks.” I walked outside, my thoughts spinning. Yeah, I’d teased Ray about dating, but I’d never wanted to date anyone before, let alone get into a relationship. I’d seen firsthand just how messed-up those were. But Ray didn’t want a relationship, and she didn’t date either. I couldn’t understand why. Her parents were role models of what love should be like.
On the wraparound porch, I found them in the corner, Max leaning a shoulder against the pillar, and Ray seated on a cane chair, laughing at something he said.
Hell, I loved Max like a brother, but right now, not so much.
He lifted his scarred brow at me, and I had to force the scowl off my face and shake my head. As if I could answer him. Or tell him that this closeness between Ray and him bothered me. It always had. And he’d slept over at her place a couple of times, pre-Ila. Only now, I understood why it irritated me.
Iwanted Ray.
I didn’t know where this would lead. Hell, with my fucked-up life and bull-in-a-china-shop approach, yeah, probably straight down the gutter. But I wanted time with Ray to explore this.
“So, you guys going to the Blast from the Past tonight?” Ray asked, her attention on Max again.
What the fuck? Was I invisible now?
Max laughed, cutting me a shit-eating grin that suggested he was up to no good, something I wasn’t interested in, still stewing in my frustration. “You’ll love this.”
“Will I?” I drawled, stopping opposite Ray and gripping the balustrade behind me so I wouldn’t haul Ray off with me.
Max nodded. “Yeah. There’s a pub here that plays songs from decades ago on Fridays. It has an intimate dance floor—”
“You mean, ant-sized?” Ray snorted. “You got Ila. She won’t care what you call it.”
He laughed. “It has a great vibe.”
“Does it?” At my terse tone, Ray’s gaze met mine, then slid away.
“Yes. Around nine is a good time to leave. Sliders is rocking by then,” she said, rising from her chair and grimacing in discomfort. Instantly, I moved to her.
“Jack, hold on,” Max called out, stopping me, and she disappeared inside. Dammit.
He said nothing for a moment, his stare like granite. “Leave her alone, Jack.”
And that fucking irritated me. “I could have told you the same with Ila. It wouldn’t have stopped you, would it?”
“I wasn’t after a quick fuck with her…” His eyes narrowed. “You’re saying you’re serious about Ray?” he asked, tone rife with disbelief.
“She makes me want more.” I shrugged. How the hell could I explain this unshakable hold Ray had on me from the moment I kissed her, or how the churning emptiness inside me had eased simply by being with her.
“Dammit, Jack.” He paced to the opposite side of me, tunneling his fingers through his pale hair. His green eyes nailed me, and I returned his glower with a hard one of my own. I wasn’t budging from this.
“What about the merger-marriage plans?” he demanded in a low voice.
“That will never happen.”
“You’d better not be playing around with her,” he warned before striding indoors.
Playing?I fucking wanted her with a desperation that was starting to eat at me.
While Ray might be attracted to me, she didn’t like me. The thought had my stomach roiling, and I slammed my palms on the balustrade. Pain hurtled through my already bruised knuckles. I pivoted to follow the bastard indoors when my cell rang.
I retrieved it from my pocket. At the name on the display, I had to unclamp my teeth to answer. “Hello, Mother.”
“J-Jack…”
