Page 35 of Undeniable

The last comment was below the belt and was stooping to his level, but it made me feel so much better. As did the stunned expression on his face when I turned toward the exit without a glance back in his direction.

Stepping out of the restaurant, I quickly handed the valet my ticket and felt like I could breathe again.

“Wait, wait,” someone called from behind me, and I prayed it wasn’t Derek running after me. After insulting his height, I kind of assumed all bets were off.

“What?” My anger disappeared when I realized it was our waiter hurrying after me, carrying a doggie bag.

“Here.” He thrust the bag into my hands and smiled while trying to catch his breath. “The lasagna really is good. That guy’s a dick, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try it.”

A little bit of my anger dissolved at the gesture and the kid’s smile.

“Thank you,” I said quietly as my car pulled up. The waiter waved, and I rounded the front end of my car and hopped into the driver’s seat. The attendant offered me another smile and shut the door before jogging back to the stand to help the next person in line.

Alone in my car, with the smell of fresh lasagna permeating the air, I started to cry.

And I wasn’t crying because of what my stupid date thought of my body. I was crying because no matter how much mental work I did and how much I didn’t agree with the rude comments, it still hurt. It hurt, and I was frustrated that I was having any sort of reaction to it.

And then I was crying annoyed tears because I realized halfway to the solitude of my apartment that my keys to my apartment were missing and likely left behind somewhere at the bar. I would’ve let it go and found them the next day had Shelby been home, but she was out with Will for the third time that week.

After a highly illegal U-turn and coasting at least five to ten miles an hour over the speed limit, I wiped away my tears and tried to compose myself.

Without giving it a second thought, I jumped out of the car and headed to the front door. I would’ve preferred to go around back and bypass Grady and possibly Josh and Reed along with anyone else sitting at the bar, but as luck would have it, my key to the back door was on the same ring as my house keys.

What a fucking night.

The bar was filled to the brim with people, as was usual on a Friday night. I kept my head low and tried not to make eye contact with anyone as I weaved my way through the crowd and toward the back hallway.

Almost there, the movement of the crowd pushed me closer to the bar in the center of the room, and I cringed when I heard my name over the music.

“Ivy! Date over already?” Grady called, and I nodded.

My eyes quickly surveyed the patrons surrounding the bar, but none of them were familiar. I hiked my thumb over my shoulder toward the hallway.

“Yeah, I forgot something upstairs, though. See you later!”

Finally, the crowd opened up, and I was able to step through the throng of people. I nearly collided with a younger woman and quickly turned to apologize. But when I turned back around, I actually collided with a hard chest.

Firm hands shot out, gripping my upper arms and steadying me before I fell backward.

His smell. I would know it anywhere, and I hated how much I liked it. How my body reacted to it. It reminded me of summer nights, dancing in an empty field out in the middle of nowhere. It was like moonlight and sunshine andugh.

“Ivy, what the—”

Recognition glittered in his ice-blue eyes, and I cursed whatever I’d done to deserve such a shitty night. That man always saw right through me, so there was no way he didn’t see the evidence of my earlier tears.

He’d also watched me walk out of the bar earlier, so I was sure he was putting the pieces together as he held my arms and stared down at me like he was trying to look into my soul.

The heat from his palms radiated down my arms to my fingers. It grew and filled the pit I’d had in my stomach and traveled the rest of the way through me, warming me from the inside out. I tensed at the forgotten sensation.

“What’s wrong?” His voice was low but loud enough that I heard it over the music and crowd. My mind felt like it was playing tricks on me—I could almost hear real concern in his voice.

I shook my head and shrugged out of his hold. Behind James, Devon tried to stop me as well when I hurried past and booked it up the stairs.

Find my keys and get out. Find my keys and get out.I was too raw from Derek’s insults to deal with James, too.

I thrust open the employee break room door to find it empty. I started to my left, where there was a small table pushed up against the wall. I’d set my bag down on it earlier while I changed, and it could have been where my keys went tumbling out.

I moved the chairs and peered under the table with no luck. Continuing my search, I didn’t stop when the door behind me opened and quickly shut.

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