Page 68 of Sweet Thing

I knew where I stood, but right now my standing felt shaky, both metaphorically and literally.

“Who?” The word was a graveled utterance, more beast than man.

“It’s just casual.”

“Not what I asked.”

This was none of his business. “I need to go.”

I tried the door again, but didn’t get far. Lars’s many-muscled arm stretched over my head, keeping it shut and my body trapped.

“Who are you going on a date with?” His mouth was a slash. If I’d had my wits about me, I’d have said he was angry.

“You made it clear this wasn’t your concern.”

His eyes flashed. “That’s different.”

“Is it? You’re not interested so I’m not going to wait around for you to become interested, Lars.”

His voice was low, dangerous. “So your first response is to call up some guy and go on a date?”

“He already asked, and I figured why not? I haven’t done anything fun since I got back from my travels.”Listening to you jerk off doesn’t count.“And I want to stop being such a … coward.”

He took a step back, hands on trim hips. “Because of what happened in Greece? Hell, you don’t need to go on a date to prove your bravery, Adeline. You’re here, living your life, saying fuck you to that Greek asshole. You werenevera coward.”

The words stopped me cold. Maybe he was right, but I still needed to test myself in the fires of real life. Mostly, I wanted out of here, away from that soulful stare and macho swagger. I almost asked, “Am I free to leave?” when the doorbell rang.

Shit.

I had told Rowan I’d meet him at the end of the driveway. Lars was already moving to the door, and I had no choice but to step aside. Nervously, I watched as his expression went from concerned to confusion.

“MacFarlane?”

“I’m here for Adeline.”

“You’re here for—” As Lars turned his head my way, I pulled the door open, so I didn’t look like a complete weirdo, hiding away.

“Hi, Rowan.”

“Hey, Adeline.” Rowan smiled, then took a quick look over me. “You look gorgeous.”

“Oh, thanks.” I could feel my cheeks getting hot. “That’s kind of you. Can you hold on a sec?”

Avoiding Lars seemed like the best option, which I managed by popping in to say goodbye to his daughter. Mabel was lying on her tummy in the octagon, doing dry laps. She had her arms outstretched, planking like a boss.

I leaned over and gave her a kiss on the top of her head. “Be good, Mabel. Look after your pop for me.”

I turned to find Lars staring at me—or rather my ass. My bend over the bars of the playpen had exposed the backs of my thighs. The skirt of this dress was a little shorter than I was used to, but Rosie had claimed it made my tits look great.

Lars’s lip curl indicated distinct disagreement. Apparently flesh offended him.

“I left a couple of bottles in the fridge. Just warm them to?—”

“I know,” he gutted out. “It’s the one thing Idoknow how to do.”

Rowan had stepped inside and was watching the dynamic between us with interest.

“Night in with the kid, Nyquist? Sounds like a blast.” He smirked, and I had to fight my urge to say, “Watch your mouth, dick!”

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