Page 70 of Never Kiss and Tell

“Got a date, boys.”

I cross my arms over my chest, every muscle in my body tensing.

“Hey, you ready to go?” Fucking Bailey comes out the front door, smiling wide at Peter, like he’s the fucking Prince from every Hallmark movie out there. She looks fucking incredible in a black dress and heels. I can’t take my eyes off her.

Peter has the audacity to wrap an arm around her shoulder and I can see her pull away, just a hair. I want to grab him by the balls and rip him apart for merely thinking he can put his hands on her. She may be the bane of my existence, but don’t you dare fucking touch her.

“Where are you taking her?” Jake asks, leaning back against the truck. I can tell he’s on edge, though not as much as I am. Apart from sleeping with Priscilla when I was with her, Peter’s got a rap sheet a mile long, though his Daddy helped him sweep it all under the rug.

Why the fuck didn’t Bailey say anything before she agreed to go?

I watch her, studying her for any sign she’s bluffing, but I don’t get one. She’s really going out with this prick.

Suddenly, I fucking regret not telling Bailey why I didn’t want her talking to him. There’s no way in hell she’d be leaving with him right now, if I did.

I pull a cigarette out of my pack and light it. I keep my eyes trained on Bailey’s, though she won’t look at me. Little shit is doing this to piss me off. It’s payback for our argument aboutPriscilla and I fucking know it.

“Castro’s,” Peter rolls smoothly and I clench my fist to keep from knocking the smug grin off his face.

Good luck,I think, almost laughing. I’ve known Bailey long enough to know she prefers burgers and fries over stuffy, overpriced fish.

“We should get going,” Bailey says, still keeping her gaze averted from me.

“Yes, our reservation is at seven,” Peter says, his hand sliding lower down her back. My gaze follows that movement and I’m so livid I can’t think straight. “Nice talking to you boys. Don’t wait up.”

He pulls Bailey along behind him and her eyes catch mine just before she turns. That look meant something. She looked at me like I was her worst fucking enemy.

Fuck.

I turn back to the truck and throw the ratchet into the engine bay again, the metal clanging loudly. A family on the other side of the street throws dirty looks my way, but honestly, fuck them. I live here. Not them.

Jake snickers, joining me once more with the flashlight.

“Not a fucking word.”

Bailey’s still not home by the time Jake and I finish his truck. I’m tempted to go to Castro’s, but I force myself to wash up and head to the bar with Jake, instead.

It’s packed tonight, a lot of new faces, all residents of New Orleans, thank fuck.

Harry’s is one of those rare places in this city where you cango and not be surrounded by tourists. In an old, rundown shack in Bywater, just east of the Quarter, is the same bar I’ve been going to since I was twenty-one.

“Charlie!” Mole hoots when we walk through the door. He’s close to too far gone already and it’s not even seven. I pat him on the back as I follow Jake to a back table. He stops along the way when Sandra, the owner’s sister, puts a hand on his chest. Sandra has attempted to take all of us home, at least once, but she’s older than my mother was and she smells like cheese and cigarettes. Just never seemed like a good idea to me.

Jake and I slide up to the bar. Trish, the barmaid, sits a beer down in front of me with a wink and a smile. Trish’s cute. I’ve been there before, but never the fuck again. I open my beer to drink it, but even it doesn’t taste good. I’m too on edge for it to do anything.

“So, tell me why Peter’s taking your girl out,” Jake says, tossing back half his bottle.

“She’s not my girl,” I grit, tightening my fingers around my own beer. “And I don’t fucking know.”

God, fuck the guy that made the law banning smoking in bars.

Jake snickers. “So why you pissed off?”

“I don’t like him hanging around.”

“Just don’t do anything stupid. His fucking trash ass isn’t worth it.”

Jealousy runs through me like burning acid. No, not jealousy. Protectiveness. Peter getting his hands on Bailey is the perfect end to a perfectly fucked up situation. What if Bailey brings him home and tries to fuck him? Will I be able to stop myself from going over there?

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