Page 51 of Gone With the Wine

“They’re good. Talking about retirement. They keep nagging me to get my own place so they can downsize and travel, but…” He shrugs and makes a face.

I smile and nod.

Our drinks arrive and Mark tosses back half of his at once. I pick up my beer and take a sip. That’s when I spot Jansen across the room. He’s with Miles and Nolan and they’re all finishing up a meal, talking and looking relaxed.

He looks good.

He looks un-drunk. Unlike Mark.

I swallow a sigh.

As we talk more and Mark orders another drink, he starts to touch me. First my hand. Then my arm. My shoulder. He shifts closer. Then he says, “Remember the first time we did it?”

Uhhhhhh. I shift away from him. “Mark. Back off.”

He blinks at me. “What?”

I frown at him. “Please stop touching me. And I don’t want to talk about the first time we ‘did it.’”

“Why not? It was so hot.” He leans in and the fumes assail me.

I angle away from him. “I barely remember it, to be honest.”

“What?” He scowls and stares. “How could you forget your first time?”

“We’d both been drinking. And it was a long time ago.”

“I don’t believe that.”

I gaze at him, a little incredulous. “What? Are you calling me a liar?”

“You just don’t want to admit how good it was.” He smirks.

Holy shit. So far I’m not impressed with how Mark grew up. “Apparently it wasn’t that memorable.”

He frowns again. “Well, that’s rude.”

“This whole conversation is rude.” I scoot my stool away from him. When I look up, I catch Jansen’s eye. He’s watching me.

I lift a hand in a brief wave to acknowledge him. He gives me a steely look.

“Maybe I should go,” I say to Mark.

“We just got here!”

“Look, respect my boundaries,” I tell him. “Or I’ll leave.”

“Boundaries? Oooh, you sound all fancy.”

I grit my teeth. That’s it. “I’m leaving.” I pick up my purse and slide off the stool. I have to squeeze by Mark to get out, though, and he snakes an arm around my waist and pulls me closer.

“Aw, don’t be like that, Bee.”

“Let me go.”

“Let’s have one more drink.” His other hand comes up, at first I think to touch my face, but he lays it over my throat. Panic flares inside me, heating my blood.

Then a big body appears next to us. “Let her go,” Jansen growls.

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