Page 125 of Light My Fire

“I—”

Whatever I was about to say is interrupted by the waitress arriving with our food.

That’s a relief.

I’m not sure what I was going to say. But it might have been a marriage proposal.

Brooke Wilder has me all twisted up.

Or maybe she has you all straightened out.

I can’t help the thought that immediately follows. I don’t really feel twisted up. I feel completely clear-headed, as a matter of fact.

I really fuckinglikeBrooke. In addition to wanting her more than I’ve ever wanted another woman.

We start on our meals, but I finish my beer after just a couple of bites and notice her margarita is nearly gone.

I look around but our waitress is nowhere. “I’m going to get us refills,” I say, standing and grabbing our glasses.

“Okay. Will you get me an ice water too?” she asks, popping a fry into her mouth.

I want to lean in and lick the salt that lingers on her lip. “Sure.”

I head for the bar, taking the chance to breathe deep.

The bar is busy and I’m behind two women who aren’t sure what kind of shots they want. But I’m good with a few minutes away. This date is doing exactly what I’d intended, I suppose.

We’re getting to know each other.

The way I feel about her isn’t just about sex.

It seems that her feelings aren’t just about her first sexual experiences, either. She’s noticed things about me that she likes and yes, they are things I’m proud of. Things I’m glad she’s noticed and paid attention to.

Fuck, maybe this could work out.

I finally get our drinks refilled and turn back to the table, managing the three glasses. I’ve taken only two steps when I realize that Brooke is not sitting at our table alone.

There are two guys there, one on either side of her, leaning on the table, smiling and talking to her.

Friends from school? They don’t look familiar, so I don’t think they’re hockey players she’d know because of her brother.

I stride to the table and set our drinks down, meeting her gaze. “Hey, everyone.”

She looks relieved to see me.

One of the guys straightens. “Oh, hey, man.”

The other looks at me, but he’s still leaning on the table, close to Brooke.

“What’s going on?” I ask.

“Just trying to convince Brooke here to come to the next bar with us,” the guy to her left says.

“Do you know each other?” I ask, directing the question at Brooke.

She shakes her head. “They, uh, just came over and introduced themselves.”

Seriously? What the fuck? But of course she got hit on immediately. She’s gorgeous and sexy and I’m sure they came over and said ‘hi’ and she was sweet, and friendly and didn’t tell them to fuck off instantly. Which, to some men, means ‘please get in my personal space and monopolize my time’.

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