Page 248 of The Last Good Man

Jax introduces himself as an investor, and no one has questions.Itmay be because his imposing figure, the glint in his eyes, and the tattoosspeaking ofextracurricular activities deter everyone.

Whatever it is, it makes Alice look at me with asmallsmile on her lips and big, round eyes.

He slides into his seat next to me and orders food before casually placing his hand on the back of my neck and kissing my cheek.

His gesture is so natural and genuine, so full of tenderness that I melt in my chair.

And now that I think about it, I haven’t seen the other couples interact this way.Maybe I’m not paying attention enough.Or maybe I’m just so smitten with him that my perception is skewed.

Things go well––I fretted for nothing––and an hour later, we’re about to wrap it up.

Except for Alice and her man, we all have booked rooms in the hotel.

Alice and I chat in the lobby while Jax stays behind talking to the other men––their women using the bathroom––when someone elbows me in the back.

We both apologize and as I turn around, my eyes fall on Ellis.

His surprise isbiggerthan mine.He clearly had no idea I was here.

His woman is probably waiting in line to use the restroom while he tries to make his way to an armchair, a drink in hand.

“Melody Hill,” he says, his eyesquicklysliding to Alice.

I don’t feel the need to introduce him to her, and the other way around, and my best friend stares at us, not knowing what to do.

But Ellis is quick to gather clues. He looks at us and the men chatting only feet away before putting two and two together.

“I haven’t seen you in a while,” he says, a dark glint flashing through his eyes.

The last time we talked, he was resentful and glaringly unhappy with me.It seems he hasn’t snapped out of that state all this time.

How can someone hold a grudge for so long? And why? We were nothing to each other.

I’m sure he’s seen dozens of women since we went out.

“Are you celebrating something?” he asks, a cunning grin creasing his lips.

“Me and my friends are having drinks. You?” I say dryly.

He ignores my question and scans the room,yet mostlylooking at the men behind us.

Jax tears away from the group and heads our way with a crease on his brow. I turn to Alice, signaling that I need to go.

“It was nice spending time with you,” I say, a bit stiff, but she gets my drift and hugs me.

“Call me,” she says before I pivot to Ellis, whose eyes are trained on Jax.

The tension is thicker than the rug beneath my heels.

I turn my back to Ellis and meet Jax halfway, whose eyes are already throwing flames.

“Who is that?” he shoots at me through clenched teeth.

“I’ll tell you,” I say, looping my arm through his. “Let’s go upstairs. No need to punch him. He’s an old acquaintance,” I manage to say before his eyes meet mine, and Ellis is wise enough to go look for his girlfriend.

“Are you sure? He gives off jerk vibes.”

“He is all that,” I say, waving goodbye to everybody else. “He’s always looking for trouble. I just don’t want my night ruined because of him.”

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