Page 93 of Choosing Forever
That’s all because of Darren.
“Thank you for participating today and helping rebuild the drive-in. It means a lot to me and the town.”
“Anytime, Delaney. Anytime,” the guy drawls, a look in his eye that makes my skin ripple and my smile transform into a wince.
Darren walks directly in front of him, blocking off his view ofme before using a heavy arm to gesture him away from the line. “Alright, you can leave the line now.”
The exasperation in his voice is satisfying as hell. With every man who’s come up to buy a kiss and a ticket, it’s gotten more obvious. I can’t decide if I want to see just how much longer he’ll stand by and watch this go on or what he’ll do to get it to stop. Both sounds more like it.
“Got it. I didn’t know she was taken,” the man mutters before following Darren’s arm and exiting the line.
I do a double take before shouting out a frantic and pointless “I’m not taken!”
Immediately, I wish I hadn’t done that. Darren drops his arm and spins to face me, his stare narrowed. I can’t see past him, yet I know there’s still a line of guys waiting and watching for their turn at the booth. He doesn’t seem to give a flying fuck about them, though. Their presence doesn’t stop him from towering over the booth and using the intensity in his eyes to pin me in place, unable to break free.
The muscles in his arms tense beneath the sleeves of his long-sleeve as he grips the booth and uses it to support his weight. Strength and dominance pour from him, and I’m powerless to the desire that begins to swirl in my belly and loosen my muscles because of it. I let my head fall back, and my eyes grow focused on the sheer possessiveness that glows in his.
It’s so damn hot.
“Why did you do that?” he asks lowly, almost growly.
I coyly arch a brow, chest starting to rise quicker. “Do what? I was only clarifying.”
“He didn’t need to know your relationship status. None of these guys do.”
“That’s not for you to decide.”
His tongue slides along his bottom lip as he crooks a dirty grin and drops his chin in an arrogant nod. “Fine. Go ahead, Elle. I’ve got my entire day open just for being a cockblock.”
“It’s Delaney, and I’m so happy for you. That’s great news.”
He takes his hands off the booth and turns away, creating an opening for the line behind him to continue. I shake myself off and refocus, refusing to let him get to me any more than he already has.
The next guy comes, and then another, all without Darren butting in. He stays off to the side, watching with his hands either on his hips or arms folded across his chest. I catch every shift he makes in the corner of my eye despite every effort to pretend he isn’t there at all. It’s impossible not to notice him, and the cocky asshole knows it.
There’s a thread connecting us that I’ve never been able to make myself cut. We’re connected so deeply that there was never a chance of me ignoring him forever. I should have known better.
Nothing good is going to come out of this today. It’s only a matter of time before he declares it his turn again and puts on a show that’s going to send me into a tailspin. I don’t know if I should be ashamed of the fact that I’m still desperately jealous over him or if it’s smarter to just accept it. There’s no point in denying it now. I’ve exposed myself already, and there’s no taking it back without looking like I’m in denial.
He’s won this battle, and I don’t know what to do with that yet.
“Hey, Delaney. Fancy seeing you here.”
I jerk my head up from the booth to look at Sam. The RCMP officer with the freckles and dimples in both cheeks smiles gently as I correct my slouched posture and return the gesture.
“What a coincidence! Are you by chance here to purchase a movie ticket?”
“Well, that and a kiss from you,” he corrects with a wink.
My chest pangs with discomfort. The kind that I feel when a man—a nice one at that—shows genuine interest in me. It sours my mood, sending it dipping further into a sea of frustration and annoyance. I do work through it eventually, and even growcomfortable enough to spend weeks if not months getting to know someone.
Yet over and over again, I suffer with this inability to date for the long haul. Instead, I’m left wishing that I could pretend just once that it’s easy to find a partner to spend my life with. The whole meet them, date them for a while, then cut things off after a few sleepovers hasn’t been working all that well. Cherry Peak’s dating pool isn’t exactly overflowing with choices, either.
“Luckily, I can help you with both of those things,” I say.
Sam chuckles while dropping a five-dollar bill into the tip jar. His palm runs down the length of his chest before slipping into the front pocket of his jeans.
“In all honestly, this wasn’t how I was planning on getting my first kiss from you,” he murmurs, his voice low in an attempt to keep his statement between us.
