Page 15 of Jag

When I opened my mouth to speak, the waitress interrupted, and the conversation stopped while everyone placed their orders. As soon as she walked away, I looked back at Bailey.

“So, the bakery is your mom’s business? I can’t go by there without stopping and picking up a couple cupcakes. Those things are addicting, then after I shove them in my mouth, I feel guilty, so I take an extra yoga class.” I chuckled, and Bailey grinned.

“Ally loves them, too. Her favorite is the triple fudge with chocolate icing,” Sami said.

“Yes, the chocolate buttercream is delicious. My weakness is the strawberry shortcake with cream cheese icing and sprinkles on top. When I eat them, I swear I can feel my hips expanding.”

“Hell, I’ve seen you leaving the yoga place in those exercise pants. Not a damn thing wrong with your hips, sweetheart.”

I felt my cheeks heat, and I glanced to see who had spoken. It was the man sitting beside Roscoe who Sami introduced as Flirt. And I could guess how he came to receive that nickname. Before I had a chance to reply, the man’s head turned, and his focus went to Jag who sat across from him.

“Asshole, did you seriously just kick me under the table?” Flirt asked, and when I looked at Jag, he was glaring at Flirt.

“Knew lunch was going be entertaining,” Devil commented, and there were a few chuckles from the men around the table. But when I turned my head in his direction, it was in time to see him flinch as Bailey elbowed him. It wasn’t the first time I felt as though these people knew something I didn’t.

“Sometimes I swear it’s like being out with a bunch of overgrown children,” Carly said, then shook her head as several of the men grumbled about being included when they hadn’t done a thing.

“River, please don’t hold the men’s behavior against us. They can’t seem to help themselves,” Luna added.

Ghost moved the arm he had draped on the back of Luna’s chair and pulled her into his side. “My behavior this morning wouldn’t in any way be considered child-like.”

Luna laughed as she smacked his chest and pulled away, sitting straight in her chair again. And when Ghost leaned down and kissed her, I looked away from the open show of affection only to lock eyes with Jag again. The olive skin and dark brown hair were in contrast with the blue of his eyes, but it worked for him. Heck, it worked for me, the man was sinfully gorgeous. We’d gotten off on the wrong foot the first time I’d ran into him and every time after it seemed to worsen. Case in point, our earlier altercation at the sheriff’s station.

The men being accused of acting childish had nothing on how I’ve acted around this man. No matter that he was arrogant and got under my skin, I’d been rude. It was time to be the adult and not let what he thought bother me. If he wanted to spend his time glaring at me, then it was his problem, not mine. I broke eye contact and focused my attention back to the other conversations around the table.

Chapter Five

Jag

River smiled and laughedas she talked with Sami and Roscoe. She responded when spoken to, all her actions to someone not paying close attention would look as if she was comfortable with her surroundings. It made me curious if it was just being around my friends or if she was always like this.

I knew a lot of it had to do with me sitting across and down from her. I’d catch her looking at me out of the corner of her eyes, then swiftly go back to acting as if I didn’t exist when she saw me watching her.

Good, if I wasn’t enjoying myself, why should she. Oh, I kept up with the conversations around me. Congratulated Speed and Sami on them finding out they were having a son. Told Carly how happy I was she was healed and cleared to go back to work. I even laughed as Ghost and Luna debated the pros and cons between having twin girls versus twin boys. She wasn’t far enough along to know yet, but the doctor told them the percentage was high that the twins would be the same sex whether she carried girls or boys. All was done with my jaws clenched and only fleeting glances away from River. The fact she was trying to ignore me wasn’t helping. As far as I was concerned, I hadn’t done anything wrong. She was the one taking advantage of an older man.

Coast leaned toward me and spoke so only I could hear, “You don’t relax, your teeth are going to crack, man.”

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