Page 74 of Unbearable

And fuck, I wanted to kiss her.

Her breath hitched, and she nervously nibbled on her bottom lip as Dorian turned his attention back to us.

“Let’s go grab a table,” he said.

Luckily, a table opened up as we passed by, and I quickly claimed it. Dotty settled across from me, with Dorian taking the seat beside me.

The live band played familiar songs, filling the room with upbeat country covers. The dance floor buzzed with couples singing along. It was loud but not so loud we couldn’t hear each other to have a conversation.

“So, how’s work been lately? I haven’t seen much of you,” I asked Dorian.

“Busy, as usual,” he replied. “Gracie’s Christmas break is coming soon, so I’m cutting back as much as I can to spend more time with her.”

“That’s good. I know she will love having the extra time with you.” Dorian did a good job stepping up as a single parent after everything that had happened with Gracie’s mom, but I knew he struggled to balance time with her and time at work.

Dotty chimed in. “When I’m not working, I’ll be happy to help watch her so you can go into work too. My office usually slows down a lot during the holidays anyway.”

“Thanks, Dotty. That’d be great.”

I noticed Austin approaching our table from the left. “Anyone sitting here?” he asked, gesturing to the empty spot next to Dotty.

“No, go ahead,” she replied casually.

“It’s good to see you, Dotty. I haven’t seen you around much lately,” he greeted her. “Dorian, Trent.” He nodded at us.

“It’s nice to see you too.” She gave him a flirty smile that had my blood boiling, even though I had no ground to be upset. I knew Austin had done her home inspection at the cabin but didn’t realize they knew each other much more than that.

They continued talking, and I tried my best to ignore it, as it only seemed to raise my blood pressure. Dorian went to grab us all more drinks after a while, so I was stuck at the table with just the two of them.

Dotty seemed intent on getting under my skin, and it was working. The bar grew louder and louder the more time that passed. Austin leaned down to whisper something in her ear.

I could tell when the conversation shifted and Dotty slowly started to become uncomfortable as she recoiled, no longer reciprocating his advances. They talked back and forth like that for a few more moments until she leaned back and shook her head before whispering back to him.

I didn’t like the closeness of the act and hoped she was only letting him down. I pretended not to pay attention to what was going on, even though I was intently watching their every move.

She met his gaze, and he responded with a stiff smile. Over the music, I couldn’t catch his words, but I did seehim clench his jaw and his eyes harden as Dotty gently shook her head.

Austin stood, offering us a smile. “See you around.” He nodded before storming off.

“What was that about?” I asked.

“He asked me out. I said no. That’s all. Don’t get your panties in a bunch, cowboy.”

“He seemed pissed.”

She scoffed. “I can handle myself.”

While relieved she turned him down, I couldn’t shake my frustration. I wanted Dotty to bemine. I wanted every fucking guy in the bar to know it. Hell, I wanted everyone in the world to know it.

I wanted her to know it.

My jaw tensed, and I tried not to take it out on her, knowing it wasn’t her fault she was every man’s walking wet dream.

Dorian returned with our drinks, and the band’s energy surged, their music filling the bar as we sipped our drinks. Dotty seemed to relax, swaying to the music.

A familiar song started to play, and I found myself singing along. Dorian shot me an amused look, and I shrugged.

“What? It’s catchy,” I defended.

---