Page 25 of The Love You Win

“Ho-ly shit,” Griffin says beside me. He grabs my wrist and squeezes while bouncing on his toes. “Is that who I think it is?”

“What?”

“Check it out, guys. Is that Madds’s TILF?”

Brow raised, I turn to Griffin. “TILF?”

“Yeah, man. Teacher I’d like to fuck.” He points, and we all turn our attention to a table close to the bar where a very familiar redhead sits beside a blond guy who’s all in her space. She hasn’t noticed me or the attention of my teammates, so I’m able to take her in freely. She looks just as beautiful as she did on our date. And even more uncomfortable.

“That’s her, right?” Griffin’s way too excited about this. I shoot Sebastian a look, asking for backup, which he returns with a nod. He won’t let Wright do anything stupid.

“Yeah, that’s her.”

Griff gives a little whoop. “You going to go over there and talk to her? This is your chance, man.”

Sure, my chance to be shot down in front of my boys. “Nah, it looks like she’s on a date.” An uncomfortable date, but still. Who am I to interrupt her?

Sebastian narrows his eyes while he watches them. “It looks like she’s trying to get out of a date.” He’s not wrong. We all quiet down while we watch her, straining to hear any snippet of their conversation over the din of the bar. It’s a shitty thing to do, but I’ve established that I’m a shitty guy when it comes to Isla Harding.

“So,” the blond asshole says, drawing out the word as he leans into Isla’s space. Space she tries to maintain by leaning away from him. “Teaching can’t possibly pay enough to let you afford places like this. But if you find the right man, that’s not something you’d have to worry about.” He runs his finger down her arm, and Isla visibly shudders. “I make a lot of money with my company. Enough to buy the right woman anything she wants.”

Logan grunts beside me. “What an absolute dick.”

I agree. And you know it’s true when Byrne’s the one to say it. Not that he’s purposefully a jerk to the women he sees, but he’s not exactly warm and fuzzy. More like charming enough to get what he wants. And usually, that’s a singular night in bed, then no contact. Though, to his credit, he’s always upfront about that when he meets a woman. This tool sitting beside Isla? He’s just a jerk with no game.

I recognize the fire that ignites in Isla’s piercing blue eyes because I’d earned that same ire on our date last week. Sebastian’s hand on my arm makes me realize I’ve taken an unconscious step toward her. I want to tell this blond prick to fuck off. That money isn’t everything, especially to someone like Isla. Someone who cares about other people.

Man, I really read her wrong on our date. How could I ever have thought she was some gold-digging jersey chaser?

“Excuse me?” she spits, wrenching her arm away when he tries to run his fingers down it a second time. “What the hell kind of woman do you take me for?”

The guy’s face flushes when curious patrons turn to watch them. I can see him trying to figure out how this went so wrong so quickly. “I just meant that you deserve the best things in life, that’s all. You aren’t a woman who should have to deny herself what she wants.”

He brushes a strand of hair away from her face, using it as an opportunity to drag his knuckles along her collarbone, and way too close to her cleavage. The hand settles at the base of her neck, his thumb resting on her collarbone. “Maybe you just need a man who’s happy to provide you with the finer things in life.” That fucking thumb of his traces slow circles along her skin, and she’s completely tense and visibly uncomfortable.

That’s it. I can’t watch this anymore. I turn to Navarro, looking at the hand he’s still holding me back with. “I’m going in.”

“Just don’t kick his ass,” he commands. “We’re not at Chasers.”

“Yeah,” Griff nods. “We’ll drag him outside and kick his ass there. I don’t like the way he’s treating your TILF.”

I shoot him a warning glare. “Stop calling her that.”

He grins widely. “You liiiike her. Gravesy’s hot for teacher.”

“Shut up.” I don’t bother waiting for his response, already crossing the room toward an increasingly flustered Isla. She’s too busy trying to fend off her date’s wandering hands to notice my approach. So when I say her name and step up beside her, her eyes go wide. “Isla? Hey, babe, I was just thinking about you.”

“M-Maddox?” She stands, seizing her opportunity to get this creep’s hands off of her. “Oh my god, I didn’t expect to see you here.” She fidgets, unsure how to greet me, so I open my arms, inviting her in for a hug with a look that conveys I’m here to save her if she wants it. She only hesitates for a fraction of a second, and then she moves away from her chair and into my arms. It forces blondie to scoot his chair back. He scowls as he watches her press into my chest.

Fuck, she feels good in my arms.

“Hey, beautiful,” I murmur against her hair. My voice grows quieter as I whisper, “You look like you could use an assist.”

“I’m so happy to see you,” she replies. And I think she means it. It does something funny to my chest.

“You look stunning tonight,” I tell her. It’s what I should have said the moment she walked up to my table at Rêveur. “But then, you always do, don’t you?” There, hopefully, she understands.

The pretty pink blush that steals over her cheeks has me hardening. “Thank you.” She eyes my royal blue suit and pink tie appreciatively. “You look pretty handsome yourself.” She runs a finger along the lapel. “I like this color on you.”

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