Page 67 of Icebound Hearts

“Want to try a bite of mine?” Ethan offers a second later, cutting off a bit of his pizza with a knife and offering it to Violet on his fork.

“Oh!” She blinks in surprise, then nods. “Uh, sure, thanks.”

She leans across the table to accept the bite, and when she closes her eyes and makes a soft noise of appreciation, it evokes a visceral reaction in me. I grit my teeth, swallowing hard as my stomach twists itself into a tight knot. Even though I know she’s probably just being polite and enjoying the food, I hate that she made that sound forhim.

Ethan catches me staring and points to the pizza he ordered. “You want to try a bite too, Sawyer?”

“No. Thanks,” I say stiffly, and he smiles and shrugs.

“You’re missing out, but more for us.” He stabs another small piece of the pizza to offer to Violet. She accepts it, although at least this time she reaches across the table to take the fork from him instead of letting him feed it to her.

Fuck. Maybe she reallydoeslike this guy.

I almost can’t believe it, because he doesn’t at all seem like the type of man she would go for—but then again, despite our late-night talks and the fact that we’ve been living together for weeks now, it’s not like I know everything about her.

The chicken parmesan is well cooked, but I’m barely aware of the taste as I eat robotically, speaking when prompted and doing my best to keep my expression neutral.

When the meal wraps up and the waiter comes by with a dessert menu, everyone shakes their heads, declaring that they’re too full from dinner. With the end of the date in sight, my tense shoulders finally start to relax—until Ethan looks across the table at Violet, raising his eyebrows slightly.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m not quite ready for this night to end,” he tells her, a hopeful note in his voice. “Would you like to come back to my place for coffee or something?”

My jaw tightens so much that I’m afraid my teeth might crack as I wait for Violet’s response.

Her jaw drops a bit, as if she wasn’t expecting that, and she bites her lip. “Well, Idolike coffee. It’s a little late though, so let me think about it.”

Ethan nods, and Mia launches into a funny story about a time when she accidentally overcaffeinated herself late in the day. I signal for the check, telling the waiter to put it all on my card as I hand it to him.

I feel like there’s a rock on my chest, crushing my fucking lungs and making it impossible to breathe, and when Violet excuses herself a moment later, saying she needs to go to the restroom, I watch her go, gripping the edge of the table to steady myself.

It’s none of your business, Townsend, I tell myself, willing myself to believe that.

But I don’t.

Itismy fucking business. Because she shouldn’t be going home with anyone but me.

“Excuse me,” I say suddenly, rising to my feet. “I need to use the restroom too.”

Without waiting for a response from either Ethan or Mia, I head toward the back of the restaurant, following after Violet.

Chapter 22

Violet

I make my way through the dark hallway toward the bathroom, brushing my hands lightly over my dress. There are several doors spaced out near the end of the hall, each labeled as single occupancy, and I lean against the wall to wait when I realize they’re all occupied.

“Violet!”

Sawyer’s low, urgent voice makes me startle, and I glance up to see him striding toward me. I open my mouth to ask what’s up, but before I can speak, the door to the bathroom opens and the person inside leaves. Sawyer wraps one of his large, callused hands around my wrist, tugging me into the small, empty room and shutting the door behind us.

He turns to me, an intense, agitated look on his face, and I stare at him in shock.

“What’s going on?” I ask. “Are you okay?”

He takes a step toward me, never once looking away. It’s as if he’s trying to peer into my soul through my eyes.

“Are you gonna go home with him, heartbreaker?” he demands, his voice low and rough. “With Ethan?”

My heart lurches at the look on his face and the realization that there’s barely more than a foot separating us in this tinybathroom. I lick my lips, swallowing hard as I tilt my chin up to meet Sawyer’s gaze.

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