Page 83 of Leave

I didn’t think it was possible, but the anger in him intensified; I was genuinely surprised a vein didn’t start pulsing in his neck or forehead.

I touched his arm. “Hey. You good?”

He looked at me, and immediately, his expression and posture softened. “I’m good. You?”

“Yeah. Yeah. I’m fine.”

He nodded, flicked his eyes toward his sister-in-law, and then shifted his attention back to the stage where the show would be beginning soon.

Sitting between them, I tried to be subtle about catching my breath. I tried not to let it show that my stomach was somersaulting and my heart was pounding.

I’d been intensely curious about why she’d called him Gumby. Even more curious about why it irritated him so much. This was clearly not the time or place to ask about it, though.

But after that unnerving interaction, I was starting to think it was more than an irritating nickname.

I let my gaze slide toward Leann, who was now bantering about something with Sophia. Then I slid it back to Nolan, and I watched as his jaw worked and his eyes threatened to burn holes in whatever he was looking at.

Slowly pushing out a breath, I tried to calm down.

But that was easier said than done with all these alarm bells going off in my head.

Chapter 22

Nolan

Agreeing to this was a mistake.

I’d known the moment I’d said yes to Matt that it was a bad idea. There’d been no doubt in my mind. I’d just been too spineless to say no to my brother and too protective to say no if my soon-to-be sister-in-law was nervous about being here.

But I shouldn’t have come.

Not to the strip club. Not to Seattle. I should’ve insisted I couldn’t get leave or couldn’t get a flight, and I should’ve stayed on Okinawa with my cats and Riley.

That moment Leann put her hand on Riley was seared into my mind as if someone had hauled off and decked him. To anyone else, she’d been drunk and playful, just trying to keep the bachelorette party wild and crazy. No one would ever believe me if I said it was more than that. No one would ever understand why I hated myself for being too much of a coward to switch places with Riley so he wouldn’t be right next to her.

I’d stupidly thought she wouldn’t do anything out in the open like that.

I was a fucking coward. I was the worst person imaginable, letting Riley unknowingly and unwittingly play human shield.

Fuck. I was going to be sick.

Like… for real.

I took a swig of Coke, but it didn’t help much. I really needed to get the fuck out of this booth and find someplace to pull myself together and maybe keep myself from puking.

But I couldn’t leave Riley here.

I thought fast, then nudged his arm. “Hey, I’m going to go order food.” I tipped my head and raised my eyebrows, silently asking,“come with me?”

“Sure. Yeah.” He nodded. “I was going to suggest the same thing, actually.”

I didn’t know if he’d been looking for an escape from the booth, or if he was hungry. Maybe both. Whatever—I didn’t question him as we got up, and I let Sophia know we’d be back before the show started.

“Oh, you guys are ordering food?” She grabbed the menu off the middle of the table. “Can you get us a flatbread to share?”

“Of course. Which kind?”

She and the girls conferred briefly and settled on a margherita style, and we left the booth. I didn’t give Leann another look.

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