Page 6 of Gone for You

She looks at the girls and sighs like she’s really put out. “When he’s working, he’s so focused on making his customers happy. It’s one of the things I love most about him. Though, I have to admit, it kind of sucks when you don’t even hear what your girlfriend is saying.” She offers them a sweet smile while trailing a finger over my hand. Liv turns and looks at me adoringly and sighs. Places her chin in the palm of her hand not touching me. “But just look at him. Could you stay upset with that face? Isn’t hegorgeous?”

One of the girls starts agreeing while one elbows her in the side. They spin around, hair flying behind them as they stomp away.

“You probably just cost me a tip,” I tease.

“Oh please. You should be thanking me.”

It doesn’t go unnoticed that her long, slender fingers are still resting on my hand. The bright pink polish on her fingernails is a stark contrast against my skin and something about it is so completely sexy. I’m also very aware that I haven’t moved my hand either. In fact, if anything, I’m inching it closer to her.

“Thanking you, huh?”

“Uh huh. I probably just saved you from about four STD’s.”

“From who? The…”

“Trio of boobs. Yes. I mean, seriously, who orders slut juice when it’s obvious it’s basically their blood type.”

I bark out a laugh and turn my body so I’m fully facing her. I notice her friend beside us is watching our exchange like we’re the most entertaining thing she’s seen all night. She looks ready to pull out a bag of popcorn and settle in for a good show.

“I’m so grateful that you felt the need to step in, pretend to be my girlfriend so they’d back off. I mean, one can only handle receiving so many orgy invitations in one night.”

She lifts a shoulder and I feel her hand flex over mine. “Well, yeah. I’m generous like that.”

I lower my voice and inch closer still. “So it was all for my benefit, huh?”

Liv rubs her lips together and glances down at our hands that are almost linked together now. “Mm hmm. Your benefit only.”

“No other reason to get those girls away from me?”

“You did seem awfully uncomfortable and I assumed you were being nice because it’s kind of your job.”

I lean on the bar so I’m close enough to say into her ear, “You know what I think?”

She shakes her head slightly and I can smell the faint coconut fragrance of her shampoo waft through my senses. I want to thread my fingers through her hair, bury my nose in it, wrap it around my hand while I tip her head back and taste the long column of her neck.

I flip my hand over beneath hers and curl a finger so the tip teases the palm of her hand. I’m hoping for a shiver in response and smile when I receive it.

“I think you were jealous.”

Chapter 2

Olivia

His lips lingerby the shell of my ear and as he slowly pulls away, his stubbly cheek brushing against mine. A shiver rolls through my spine, for the third time since I made an ass out of myself and acted like a jealous girlfriend when the annoying woman wouldn’t leave him alone.

I couldn’t stop myself, though. I’d been sitting there, listening to the trio of boobs giggle about how they knew he was going to give in and I lost all sense of reason.

I had been under the assumption they were joking around but the more I heard them talk, I realized they were completely serious. And it drove me nuts. All night long, I’ve watched women strut over to the bar, vying for his or the other bartender’s attention. Not that I could blame them. They’re both ridiculously sexy but Ethan is even more so.

And he doesn’t even remember me. Of course, we only met the one time and it was over ten years ago, but still. My little seventeen-year-old heart hasn’t forgotten him. Over the years, I have wondered if I had exaggerated his good looks but tonight was proof I hadn’t. Actually, he’s even sexier than I remember. He still keeps his hair cropped short which I love and that dimple. Damn. Not to mention his smile.

My eyes continually strayed in the direction of the bar so often, my friends eventually noticed and started giving me shit about it.

“Just go talk to him,” my friend Lily tells me. She’s also the birthday girl and I’m praying she doesn’t use that particular status to make me do what she wants.

“He’s an old friend of Owen’s.”

“What?”

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