Page 113 of More To Us

"Or I could do it," I say, giving her an overly wide smile. "I have a membership there."

"You work out?" she asks, eyeing me like she thinks I don't.

I want to punch her but I just keep smiling. "I work out every day. With Austin."

She looks back at him. "If you change your mind, let me know. Or just give me a call sometime. My number hasn't changed." She smiles at him as she walks off.

"How do you know Haley?" I ask, glaring at her even though she has her back to me.

"We used to date."

"Like one date or multiple dates?"

"She's my ex." He takes out his phone, checks it, then puts it back.

"Ex-girlfriend?"

"Yeah. But it was a long time ago." He gives my hand a squeeze. "Come on. Let's get a drink."

I face him. "How long ago?"

"Kira." He pulls me off to the side. "You said you weren't going to get jealous."

"I never said that. Of course I'm jealous. Gorgeous girls are constantly coming up to you, touching you, begging you to sleep with them."

"But I'm with you, not them. You don't need to be jealous."

I glance behind him. "Would you be jealous if I told you some guy was checking me out right now?"

His head whips back to see who it is.

"Austin, no one's checking me out. I just said that to prove a point. You'd be jealous if a guy was looking at me the way girls look at you. And if a guy was flirting with me and touching me right in front of you, like Haley just did to you, I'm pretty sure you'd punch him."

"Or kill him." He smiles a little. "Okay, you're right. I'd be jealous."

"At least I didn't punch Haley." I pause. "But I really wanted to."

He cups my face and leans down and kisses me. It's a deep, lingering kiss, and he keeps it going as he slowly backs me into the wall behind me. I like the kiss, but I feel a little strange doing this in a roomful of people.

I break from his lips and whisper, "What are you doing?"

"Making it clear to Haley and everyone here that you're mine and I'm not interested in anyone else."

"They could just think you're making out with some random girl."

"I don't make out like this in public. I go find a room, or go in my truck, or someplace else that's private. People know that about me. So if they see me doing this here with you, they'll know it's serious. That I want people to see."

I smile. "Then go ahead. Kiss me."

And so he does. And girls leave him alone for the rest of the night. Sure they stare at him and their jealous eyes throw daggers at me, but it doesn't matter. Because they know I'm his. He's made that clear. So back off, girls. Austin Wheeler is mine.

---