Page 23 of Inked Persuasion

Of course, now it was theonlything I was thinking about.

I hated him, remember? Yes, that helped. I might be saving his life right now, but that was only because I was a good person, not because I liked him. I still hated Jacob Queen.

And if I made that my mantra, I might be able to make it through the day. To their credit, both Archer’s and Paige’s boyfriends were off to the side, talking to each other, keeping an eye on the group at the bar but not joining in.

I eyed them, and they both held up their hands in mock-innocence before taking a step back as if they’d choreographed it. They looked at each other before they burst out laughing and then walked back over to the girls.

I narrowed my eyes at them as they left and mouthed the word:cowards.

Archer’s boyfriend shrugged, and they took my seat and one of the empty ones at the girls’ table.

Okay, time to do this.

“What are we talking about?” I asked, putting my arms around the twins’ waists. Both Beckett and Benjamin glared down at me.

“We’re just seeing what Jacob’s up to,” Archer said, grinning as he leaned on the bar on Jacob’s opposite side. Oh, Archer might be the one that smiled and was a little more jovial when it came to his needling, but I worried about him the most. Because while my brothers could bodily carry Jacob out of Riggs’ and make sure he never yelled at me or called me names again, Archer would be the one to hurt him. My sweet, kind, twin baby brother would make sure that Jacob rued the day he’d even so much as spoke a harsh word to or about me.

“Hi, Annabelle,” Jacob said, his eyes full of humor though not fear. Silly man, he didn’t understand the precarious position he was in. He wiped his hands on the napkin in front of him and looked me right in the eyes.

“What are we doing over here, boys?” I asked again, focusing on my brothers rather than Jacob. Not because I didn’t want to look at him, but because I knew it was necessary to make sure my brothers didn’t do anything. Yet I could feel Jacob’s gaze on me, and I wondered why. I shouldn’t. He had hated me for how many years? He couldn’t suddenly want to stare at me the way I thought he was. Maybe he imagined hating me even more. That was it. It was still loathing, something he was trying to hide, though wasn’t doing a very good job of.

“We were just seeing how Jacob likes his wings,” Beckett said, far too smoothly.

“Okay, Montgomerys,” Riggs said as he strolled over to us. “Y’all are not bar fighters. Let’s not become them.”

“It’s not going to be a problem,” Benjamin said, his voice cool.

“Of course, not. Jacob’s an old friend.” Benjamin smiled slowly.

“Seriously, stop it,” I said. “This is enough.”

“What’s enough?” Beckett asked, and I narrowed my eyes at him.

“Please. People are starting to stare.”

The man in question cleared his throat. “I’m pretty sure they always stare when the Montgomerys are together. You guys tend to take up a lot of space.”

I rolled my eyes before I glared at Jacob. “You’re not helping the situation.”

Jacob wiped his hands on his napkin once again before he slowly drained the rest of his beer, his gaze not leaving mine. Was he trying to get beat up by my brothers? Or maybe me? Perhaps I would be the one who swung first.

“Let’s dance,” Jacob said, startling me.

“Excuse me?” Archer asked, his eyes wide.

“What? I came here for a beer, wings, and maybe a dance. Come on, Annabelle. Help me get to know my old hometown.”

“Jacob,” I whispered.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Benjamin asked, while Beckett moved closer.

I tugged on their belt loops. Thankfully, the twins moved back. “Come on, let’s get out of their way before they hurt you,” I muttered.

“I am shocked,” Beckett said. “I would never hurt a fellow human being.”

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes again. I held out my hand, and Jacob slid his palm into mine. He stood, and I ignored the warmth of him and the fact that my brothers were all watching.

“Come on, let’s head to the dance floor. Your brothers aren’t going to beat me up. They were only crowding me because I was an asshole before. And I deserved it. If they did hit me, I would probably deserve that, too. I mean, I was a jerk to you. They should stand up for you. That’s what brothers do.”

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