Page 30 of About That Rule

CHAPTER12

TEN MINUTES AFTERNate’s notorious last words demanding her to leave happy hour, Samantha sat with her friends, a fake smile on her face, acting like all was well in the world. She wished that were the case. Instead, she was all twisted up inside and her world was running rampant.

Her frustration with Nate was long gone. After debating why he had gone bananas, she’d become more empathetic. Like maybe this whole marriage thing was taking a larger toll on him than she’d realized. Her phone vibrated with a text from him.

Samantha, I’m on my last strain of sanity. Get your ass out here or I will cause a bigger scene than I already have.

So much for feeling sorry for him. His behavior wasn’t doing him any favors. She texted him back.

This isn’t a good look on you.

Mostly. His pushy attitude wasn’t a good look on him mostly, and that was because he was confusing the hell out of her. This rollercoaster they’d been on since Vegas had one too many loops.

Everything is a good look on me.

She smirked. He was right. Still, would it kill him to use his manners?

I’m searching for the please in your texts, but I can’t find it.

Per usual, she fell back on her humor. Informing Nate how he was acting like an asshole, again, wasn’t something she was doing through text. She was a grown up, or pretending to be anyway, and denouncing his asshole commentary was best done face to face. It was her pride, however, holding her back from going out front. He deserved to sweat it out a bit.

Please, for fuck’s sake, please meet me outside.

She heard the desperation through a text. Well played, Nate. Well played. She had to give him some credit.

“You’ve been on your phone. What stole your attention?” Jason asked, moving to sit in the empty chair next to her.

“Trust me, even if I explained it to you, you wouldn’t believe me.”

Jason smiled. “As long as you aren’t running off to Vegas and getting married like my sister did, I’d believe you.”

Oh, the irony. Samantha bit back a laugh. Another text arrived.

Please get the fuck out here and talk to me. PLEASE.

Jason chugged the last of his beer and put the glass back on the table. He shook his head in disdain. “I know that look. Another one fell in love. Absolute insanity, if you want my opinion.”

Not bothering to correct him, Samantha said goodbye to everyone and left. After all, he had said please.

WHEN SOMEONE WASabout to make a mistake, it vibrated deep in their bones. Like right now, text after text, Nate acknowledged he was crossing a line. How he had been reacting to Samantha was driving him crazy. This magnetic pull to her was unexplainable. It was like Pandora’s box had been opened and all the years of pushing her into the friend-zone had blown up in his face.

Fuck it, he wanted her despite the consequences.

Desperately.

Uncontrollably.

Being able to fuck his wife had taken up permanent residency in his thoughts.

He leaned against the wall on the side of the restaurant, doing his best to channel his inner patience and wait for her.

Ever since their idiot asses got married, their relationship had turned into some kind of soap opera with the rollercoaster ride it has become. One minute they were friends, the next they were mauling each other. Either way, it was like he had been waiting forever for her. Never had he been like this with a woman. Jealousy was something he’d mocked his friends for if it ever happened to them. He was more of a one-and-done kind of guy. No promises for more than just a night of orgasms.

Now, the thought of any man touching Samantha made his skin crawl.

He was irrational as fuck about it, but it didn’t make a difference. All of this was fake.

“Nate,” he heard Samantha call out as she left the restaurant.