Page 22 of Won’t Let You Get Away

“Whatever,” Addison grumbles, glaring at Tucker. “Sabrina is already driving.”

Tucker doesn’t back down. He only shrugs and continues smiling.

“That’s fine. You guys can drive yourselves. I’m meeting AJ for a drink anyway, so I’ll be there just to ease Ma’s worries.”

“Great, so now we have the party police watching our every move,” Addison mutters sarcastically.

I slip on my coat and grab my keys, feeling a sense of excitement for the first time since Addison insisted on dragging me out.

Maybe tonight will actually be fun.

NOAH

There is nothing worse than going out after eight o’clock at night, especially on a Friday night in a small town with only one good bar.

“That’s it, I’m asking them to make my food order to-go,” I grumble as another stray elbow bumps into me. At this point, I’m convinced that Ms.Patty, the owner of the local grocery store, is purposely nudging me.

When I walked in with Connor thirty minutes ago, Ms.Patty and her crew cornered us for longer than I would have liked. They fired off questions faster than we could answer and didn’t let us escape until one of the waitresses brought them their next round of drinks.

“Hell no. If I can manage to eat my food here without complaint, so can you,” AJ says from beside my brother.

“Easy for you to say when you don’t have the town’s women invading your personal space every chance they get,” I remind him, taking a sip of my beer.

Although my brother and I are usually the tallest guys in the room, AJ towers over us. His daily workouts have sculpted his frame into an intimidating figure, but behind his grumpy persona, he’s one of the nicest guys I know.

AJ shrugs and absentmindedly picks at the label on his beer bottle. “Just be more of an asshole.”

I snort and shake my head, not bothering to respond.

He wasn’t always so closed off; if anything, AJ used to be the epitome of a ray of sunshine wherever he went. But everything changed after he was the sole survivor in an accident that killed his entire family.

As another elbow slams into my back, I turn to address the owner of the flailing arm but find myself distracted by Bri walking through the front door.

My breath catches as she comes into view; she’s easily the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.

Her dark purple top accentuates her chest before flowing down to the tops of her thighs. Black pants cling to her legs, practically begging me to peel them off.

Her sister and another girl slip past her with linked arms, heading straight for the bar, but my eyes stay locked on Bri.

The smile on her face creates laugh lines at the edges of her eyes as she turns to follow after her sister. Without missing a beat, she looks in my direction. Her beautiful smile instantly fades away and she pauses mid-step.

Behind her, a figure emerges and nearly bumps into her from behind but catches themselves with a hand on Bri’s side.

My teeth grind painfully against each other as I watch Tucker lean over her shoulder to say something. Without breaking eye contact with me, she tilts her chin towards me, making my heart skip a beat.

Staying true to my word and giving her space has been more difficult than I anticipated. While I didn’t want to overwhelm her, it’s hard having her so close yet still having no answers.

But if there’s one thing I’ve learned in life, it’s not to force people to talk about things they’re not ready to discuss.

But will Bri ever be ready to talk about what happened between us on vacation?

Sighing, I turn back to the bar just as our food is delivered. It’s a welcome distraction from my urge to look at Bri.

“You good, bro?” Connor asks, watching me over his burger.

Instead of answering, I just nod and shove some fries into my mouth.

Focusing on my food takes more effort than expected. As I take a bite of my burger, a smooth and feminine voice interrupts.

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