Page 39 of Until Bax

“All right.” He slams the door shut and places the cup holder he’s still holding on the hood of his truck. “You wanna know why I’m pissed?”

The way he asks that question makes me think my answer should be a resounding “no.”

“Yes.” I swallow.

“I’m pissed—” He ducks his head, bringing his face closer to mine. “Because I shouldn’t fuckingcarethat you’re out having coffee with another guy.”

My lips part, and my heart starts to pound.

“Bax—”

“Go back to Lincoln, Olivia.”

“What if it’s not Lincoln I want?” I can’t believe the question came out of my mouth, that I was brave enough to ask him.

“Don’t do this.”

“Do what?”

“Tempt me.” His jaw flexes.

Tempt him? Do I even have that kind of power?

“Hey, kid.” Jumping, I spin around to face my brother, who is standing behind me at the edge of the sidewalk, holding a large paper bag in his hand from one of the sandwich places down the block. “What are you doing here?” he asks, smiling at me.

“I… I came to meet Lincoln for coffee,” I whisper as my heart attempts to escape out of my chest.

“The guy who showed up at your place on Saturday?” I nod because my mouth has dried up. “Didn’t you have a crush on him when you were in school?”

Why do I feel like I’m going to pass out?

“That was a long time ago. He’s just a friend,” I state firmly, not for the benefit of my brother, but so the man I can still feel standing behind me hears.

“Right.” Liam nods at me, sarcasm heavy in his tone, and then his eyes go to Bax. “You get the coffee?”

“Yep,” Bax says, then asks, “You ready?”

“Yeah.” Liam grins at me. “Enjoy your date, kid.”

“It’s not a date!” My hands ball into fists at my sides.

“Whatever you say.” When he starts to laugh, it’s really difficult to ignore the urge to kick him in the nuts, like I did once when I was a kid, and he made me so angry I felt I needed to physically retaliate. Not one of my proudest moments, but at the time, I was happy to drop him to his knees.

As Liam walks around to the passenger side of the truck to get in, I turn around to face Bax and watch him lift the coffee holder off the hood. I don’t know what to say or if I should say anything, especially now that my brother is here.

“Later, Oli,” he says quietly, and even though he doesn’t look angry anymore, I know he still is. I can feel it in the air around us, taking up space like a living, breathing thing.

With no choice, I back up to the sidewalk, then bite my lip as he gets in behind the wheel and slams his door shut. As the engine roars to life, I turn and head down the sidewalk back to the café. If I hadn’t left my bag inside, I wouldn’t go back to Lincoln. I’d just make up some excuse and send him a text apologizing for bailing on him.

The moment I step into the café, Lincoln’s eyes roam over my face, then soften.

“You okay?”

The quiet question makes my throat burn. The truth is, I don’t know if I’m okay. I still haven’t processed what Bax said or what it means.

“I’m good.” The lie is easier than sharing my feelings with him. “I think I’m going to take off if that’s okay?”

“Sure,” he mumbles, looking slightly disappointed. “You have my cell if you ever want to just talk or hang out again.”

---