Page 36 of Never To Forever

He chuckles softly and shakes his head. “No, they won’t be. I was going to leave anyway before you walked in. Then I couldn’t make myself go.”

My heart races at that, but I try not to get ahead of myself and read too much into his words.

“Oh? What if I’m not ready to leave?”

He arches a brow. “You want to stay?”

I nibble my bottom lip before admitting, “No, I don’t. I want to go home.”

“Then I’ll take you.”

I put a hand on his chest. “I need to let Maggie know.”

He nods. “All right.”

Turning away from him, I search the dancefloor and spot Maggie. She’s dancing with a cut blonde guy who seems entranced by her. I cross over to them, and Garrett follows close behind me. My chest flutters at his apparent protectiveness.

When I reach Maggie, I pat her on the shoulder to get her attention. She turns her head to me, blinking as if she’s coming out of a daze.

“Marie! You okay?”

I lean in so I can speak directly into her ear. “I’m going to head out. Are you good?”

She gives me a thumbs up as the blonde guy hugs her tighter, as if he’s afraid I’m going to steal her away.

“I’m good,” she assures me. “You go ahead. I can see you’ve got an escort to make sure you get home safe.”

She gazes pointedly over my shoulder, and I steal a glance back at Garrett. He’s looking around the dance floor, like he’s keeping an eye out for potential threats. It’d be funny if I hadn’t just dealt with that awful creep.

I focus back on Maggie. “Yeah, he’s going to walk me home. Text me when you get home later, okay?”

“I will, I promise.”

Usually, I wouldn’t feel good about leaving a friend alone in a bar, but Maggie is more than capable of taking care of herself.Carson’sis one of her favorite haunts in town and she comes here by herself all the time. The owner knows her so well, he’s always looking out for her.

Turning back to Garrett, I say, “Do you need to let Mason know?”

“No, we’re good.”

“Okay, then let’s get out of here.”

Garrett places his hand on my lower back and directs me away from the dance floor and toward the bar’s front door. His palm feels hot, even through my clothes, and heat pools deep in my belly. No matter how confused my head and heart might be, my body knows exactly what it wants. It wants Garrett. The other man’s touch repelled me, but Garetts’ sets me on fire. I don’t know if I’ll ever have that with anyone else, and that possibility terrifies me.

What if he’s ruined me for other men? What if I can never move on from him, even in the face of his rejection?

My heart races and I move more quickly to get to the door, suddenly needing air as the possibility of a life without Garrett—without anyone—crushes my chest and makes it difficult to breathe.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

GARRETT

When we stepout of the bar, the cool night air hits me, chilling the sweat along my forehead and the back of my neck. I shiver, but the cold is refreshing after the heat of the bar.

The streets are quiet, illuminated by the soft glow of the streetlights. It’s a stark contrast from the crowded party atmosphere insideCarson’s. It’s peaceful and I feel like I can breathe properly for the first time in over an hour. Marie tilts her head back and sucks in a deep breath before slowly letting it out. Her shoulders relax and the tension around her jaw lessens.

“It’s a nice night,” she murmurs before turning to walk down the sidewalk. I walk beside her, hands shoved in my pockets. We don’t talk for several moments and I’m not sure what to say. Instead, I steal glances her way and replay the scene in the bar over and over in my head.

She’d walked into the bar, looking so damn good in her little dress and her dark brown hair falling in soft curls around her shoulders. Her deep brown eyes had locked on me and I hadn’t been able to look away from her, and the way her dress hugged her curves in all the right ways. Later, when I saw that asshole dancing with her—touching her—jealousy stole my breath. I’d had to fight not to storm over to them right that second and rip her from his arms. When it became obvious that she wanted to get away and he wasn’t letting her, I’d let myself loose. If we hadn’t been surrounded by witnesses, I’d have beaten that fucker’s face into the floor.

---