Page 34 of Obsessed with the Player

“He's dancing with Nina over there,” Miriam answered, which earned one of my glares, because how did she know already so much about Dan? And what the hell was she up to?

Vincent glanced in that direction, and his smile grew to dirty levels, sending a wink in Dan’s direction.

I gritted my teeth.

And after pouring our drinks—mine a ginger ale, because I was anidiot—, I found Miriam staring at me like she knew all of my darkest secrets.

“Stop looking at me like that.”

“Like what?” she asked, taking a sip of her cocktail.

“Like I'm doing something naughty and you know all about it.”

“Well, aren't you?”

“Nope,” I said, calling on all of my boxer training and the poker face I’d come to master during my fights, but whether Miriam would believe me or not, was something to be seen. “I’m just helping him out.”

“You, being charitable?” She leaned her head on her hand, watching me with curious eyes. “Tell me more.”

I didn't want to tell her more, I wanted to drop this subject, but I forced myself to say, “He's coming out of a tough break-up after a six-year relationship, and since he wants tolet loose, someone needs to watch his back so he won't do something that he'll regret.”

Something like sleeping with me.

Obviously, I didn't say the latter part.

Still, Miriam looked thoughtful for a long second before saying, “If he needs to get over an ex, I have a lot of friendsthat would just love to be a damaged man's palate cleanser. In fact, from what Nina says, he sounds like a catch. He should better enjoy himself while he still can, ‘cause someone is going to snatch him up in no time,” she said in a low conspiratorial tone with a note of humor, but if I was supposed to laugh, I didn’t.

She finally let me off the hook and we spent the rest of my thirty stipulated minutes catching up on what was going on in her life, her job, her new friends, and I even managed to wait an extra five minutes, which was just out of bitterness, because I was stronger than this, and because, if I was being honest, Miriam’s comment had shaken me, and I didn't like it one bit.

I knew Dan was a catch, and I was the one that was constantly thinking that this letting loose thing wouldn't last, that Dan was obviously a relationship guy.

So why did it burn?

When I finally decided it was time to make my way toward Dan, I was still in a rotten mood, but I tried to shove it down, even when I pressed my front against his back and whispered in his ear, “Miss me?”

I needed my fix of Dan, and as if she knew it, Nina left his side, a secret grin on her face, and Dan turned around to face me, his jaw clenched. “You certainly didn’t.”

A sharp, bitter smile started stretching my lips. “You mean you think I didn’t miss you while I was being interrogated about your availability as boyfriend material for almost thirty minutes?”

Dan’s eyes flashed. Something strange crossed his face before he said, “She didn’t look like she was interested inmewhen she was cuddling by your side.”

Then it hit me.

Now my smile wasn’t just sharp, it wasviciousas I crowded closer against Dan and didn’t let him step back, pulling him by his shirt before whispering in his ear, “Don’t tell me you’re jealous?”

Dan scoffed, but it was short and cutting. “As if. You can sleep with whomever the fuck you want, I just want to know it first.”

“So you’d be fine if I snuck out into the stall with her?” I asked, feeling vindictive, wanting to poke into the wound, becausefuckI was way too deep into this.

I wanted Dan too badly, I cared too fuckingmuch, and I knew I should have never gotten into this thing with him to begin with, but I couldn’t stop.

Dan tried to push me away to no avail, because not only did I have several pounds of muscle on him, he wasn’t aboxer, nor a possessive one at that. “You can do whatever the fuck you want,” he said.

Maybe this was where I should have put an end to this madness.

Maybe this was where I took the out and exited this while there was still a one percent possibility that I could leave this unscathed.

But then I looked at Dan, at his set jaw, the way he wasn't looking at me, and this awful feeling in my chest kept growing to the point the only thing I could think of was getting him closer.

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