Page 18 of No Ordinary Love

I felt my cheeks flush, both from his implication and the attention that came with it. It wasn't like Shelby to miss an opportunity to make me squirm, and she was already gearingup for another jab when her husband, Flynn, decided to join the fray.

"Well, well," Flynn drawled, his eyes lingering a little too long on me. He was the kind of man who didn't think twice about crossing lines, especially after a few drinks. "I say, Jax, looks like you're still goin' after Lucas's exes."

"Flynn," Lucas clipped.

I was too shocked to say anything, too humiliated to even formulate a response. Had Jax dated someone Lucas used to?

"Oh, come on I'm just kiddin'," Flynn slurred. "Remember when Jax dated—"

"We were in middle school then." Jax glanced at me, a smirk on his face. "Give it a rest, will ya, Flynn?"

"All I meant was that Amara is," he paused for an infinitesimal minute and I stiffened, waiting for him to say something ugly, "a beautiful woman," he finished smug as only an asshole could be.

The compliment, if you could call it one, made my skin crawl.

I tried to sidestep it with a polite laugh, but the tension in the air was suffocating. Lucas's jaw clenched, his eyes darting to his brother-in-law with disgust, and I could tell he was holding back from saying something that would escalate the situation.

Jax, sensing the shift in my mood, leaned in closer, pressing his lips to my temple in a gesture that felt far too intimate for where we actually were in our friendship. But I understood why he did it, and for that, I was grateful.

"It was nice seeing, y'all. It's been a long day, so we're going to head to the bar." Jax kept his voice calm and measured.

But Lucas's eyes remained locked on me, a storm brewing behind them that I couldn't (didn't want to?) decipher. He was the one who'd let me go, the one who'd decided to walk away, and yet in this crowded bar, he was staring at me like he had the right.

Kath, sensing Lucas's distraction, shifted in her seat, trying to draw his attention back to her. But it was too late. The undercurrents in the room were strong, pulling us all into a whirlpool of unresolved feelings and uncomfortable dynamics.

"Why don't you join us?" Shelby suggested, her tone too bright to be sincere. "I'm sure we have plenty to catch up on."

Jax glanced at me, raising an eyebrow as if to ask, "We'll do whatever you want."

"You don't mind, do you, Amara?" Shelby continued. "I mean, you and Lucas have been overforeverso need to be all awkward about it."

Well, fuck this bitch! I wasn't about to give Shelby the satisfaction of thinking she could intimidate me.

"Of course," I replied, a knot tightening in my stomach.

As we sat at their table, I found myself wondering how I'd ended up here—once again, caught in a web of past mistakes and unresolved glances. Charleston felt far too small for all this history, and with Lucas's eyes on me, watching my every move, it was clear that some things were far from over.

Chapter 8

Lucas

As soon as Amara and Jax sat at our table, the air thickened with a tension that had nothing to do with the humidity outside.

The Blind Tiger Pub had always been one of my favorite spots—rustic and unpretentious. But tonight, it felt like a damn pressure cooker, with everyone trying to act like this wasn't the most awkward situation imaginable. Fucking Shelby, always trying to stir up trouble—but in this case, I was glad she'd put her foot into it. I wanted Amara in a group of people; not alone with Jax. They were on a date, and I hated knowing that.

I was turning into one of those dog-in-the-manger assholes. I didn't want her, but I couldn't let anyone else have her either.

I also couldn't take my eyes off Amara. She looked incredible. That dress she wore at the ball had nothing on the simple black one she had on tonight, hugging her curves just enough to make my chest tighten. Her dark hair was loose, cascading over hershoulders, and the way she laughed—like she was genuinely happy like she had no reason in the world to be hurting—made my gut twist.

Jax was smooth and confident, his arm draped casually over the back of Amara's chair, a clear signal of their relationship status to anyone who was paying attention, which I was. He leaned in close, whispering something that made her laugh again, and I felt a surge of jealousy or regret, or maybe both.

It wasn't fair. I was the one who had ended things, who had chosen to walk away. But seeing her with Jax, so comfortable, so damned effortless, made me question every decision I'd made since.

Kath was beside me, stiffening as she watched my gaze drift toward Amara. I knew she felt it—my attention slipping through her fingers like sand. She'd been fighting to pull me back ever since we reconnected, and tonight, I could once again feel her fear, the way she was starting to realize that maybe this wasn't as simple as she thought—as simple as I had.

"It's like we're all one big, happy family," Shelby chimed in, her smile sharp as a blade.

Her tone was light, but the meaning beneath it was anything but. She was testing me, testing Amara, pushing to see who would crack first. She'd always been like that—playing these games, making sure everyone knew she was the one in control, just like our mother.

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