The girl’s mouth parted. “Oh.”
I wanted to crawl out of my own skin.
Not because I regretted saying it.
Because I didn’t.
Drew’s gaze stayed on me, bright and wicked and something else underneath.
“Yeah,” he said. “It’s taken.”
The girl’s eyes bounced between us. Then she gave a tiny laugh and backed off with a fake little wave. “Cute. Good for you guys.”
She left.
I stared very hard at the trays.
Drew leaned down near my ear. “Careful, Calloway.”
I grabbed a plate. “Don’t.”
“You almost sounded possessive.”
“I was protecting the integrity of the storyline.”
“Sure.”
“Consistency matters.”
“Absolutely.”
“You told me that.”
“I did.” His voice dropped lower. “Still liked hearing it.”
I looked up, and that was a mistake.
His eyes were on me with that same direct heat I kept forgetting how to survive. Not teasing now. Not entirely. He looked like he wanted to drag me behind the nearest wall and thank me for publicly staking a fake claim.
And the worst part?
For one insane second, I wanted him to.
Then someone yelled his name from the football table, and the moment broke.
Drew loaded his tray with enough food for three normal men and one endangered bear, then led me to the table where his teammates had already cleared space.
Not asked.
Cleared.
Like this had been decided.
Dante was there, leaning back with one arm over his chair, dark eyes taking in everything. Jace sat beside him, grinning like he was about to enjoy himself at my expense.
“Well, damn,” Jace said. “Texas came to lunch.”
“I am not Texas,” I said.
