Page 32 of Connected By Stars
“Oh, you did it now. I’m out of here before there is any bloodshed.” Bell laughs as she walks to the door.
“I ordered the damn crab rangoons. I must have left them in the Jeep. I’ll go get them before you stab me with your fork.” I follow Bell out and close the front door behind me.
I take my chances with Sophia and grab Bell’s arms, pulling her back to me. “I think that you need another reminder before you leave. There’s no way I’m letting you go on this date without me leaving my taste on you.”
Her eyes go wide before turning a deep shade of blue. She glances at my mouth as her tongue comes out to lick her lips. A moan escapes my lips as I grasp her face and run my tongue along her bottom lip where hers had just been. Parting her lips, I dive in deep. Our tongues tangle together as we deepen the kiss.
She grips my t-shirt like I’m the only thing keeping her up as I step closer, pressing myself against her. I hear her moan as my hands move to her behind, digging into her flesh as I bring her even closer to me. I kiss the side of her lips before moving down her neck. I suck her hard, wanting to mark her and praying she forgives me later. The thought of having my mark on her beautiful neck makes me even harder.
I kiss her one last time before forcing myself to pull away. Breathing hard, she gives me a small laugh. “You don’t play fair.How in the hell am I supposed to sit through a dinner with this kiss going through my head.”
“That’s the whole point, and I never said I played fair.” I grin at her and reluctantly let her go. “Have fun tonight.” I wink at her and watch her walk to her Jeep in a daze. She waves at me before pulling away. Laughing, I get the rest of the food out of my Jeep and go back inside. I have a feeling this evening will be the longest of my life.
Chapter Thirteen
Bella
Pulling into Rusty’s,I park out front and pull down my visor to freshen up. I touch my lips and smile, still feeling Maverick on me. Part of me feels really guilty that I’m going on this date thinking about someone else. I almost canceled several times over the weekend, but something told me to keep the date. I’m hoping he’s as sweet as I think he is and will understand if I don’t see it going anywhere but friends.
I pull out my lip gloss and reapply it when I see the dark red spot on my neck. No, please say he didn’t. I move my hair to the side to get a better look. Maverick fucking marked me. That sneaky bastard did this on purpose so Logan would see it.
Ignoring the part of my brain that thinks it’s sexy as hell he wants to claim me, I vow to get him back on this one. I pull out my concealer, thankful that I brought it. I try to cover it up as best I can and sigh when I can still see it. I put the top back on and throw it in my purse. Pulling my hair to the side, I try and hide it. This is the best it’s going to get.
I get out of my Jeep and quickly make my way inside, knowing I’m a little late. Scanning the restaurant, I see Logan sitting at a table by the water. Smiling, I walk over.
“I’m so sorry I’m a little late. I got hung up with roommate problems.” It’s technically the truth. Logan stands up and gives me a hug.
“It’s no problem. I haven’t been here long.” He smiles and pulls out my chair for me. “You look beautiful tonight,” he says, sitting down across from me.
“Thank you. You look handsome as well.” Logan is as cute as I remember him. He’s wearing a blue short-sleeved button-down that brings out his eyes with nice khaki pants. His blond hair is a little longer on top and styled nicely, giving him that sexy lifeguard vibe.
“Thanks. This place is great.” He looks around and grins.
“It is. We come here often.”
“We? You and your roommate?”
“My roommate, Sophia, she’s my best friend, and my brother Noah and his fiancé Emma and Maverick, which you already met. We usually come here at least three times a month together, and the girls and I come here after our yoga class for wine night. We know the owner pretty well, and the food is great.”
The waiter comes by to take our drink orders, and we decide on some appetizers. When he leaves, Logan picks up his menu and glances at it.
“Maverick told me to get the shrimp and scallops. What do you think?”
“Maverick? When did you see Mav?” I glance up from the menu and look at him.
“This morning. I saw him out surfing, and we talked for a bit. I was breaking my new board in.”
The waiter comes by with our drinks and appetizers, and I ask him to give us another minute before ordering. I pick up my Prosecco and take a sip. “What else did he have to say?”
“We didn’t talk long. He just mentioned that was hisfavorite on the menu, and he hopes we have a good time tonight because he said it would be nice for me to have a friend in the area. He put a lot of emphasis on the word friend,” he laughs.
“Look, Mav’s a real nice guy. Like I said in the store, he’s just overprotective of me and Sophia. Don’t let him get to you.”
Logan studies me like he doesn’t believe what I’m saying. He glances back at the menu and decides to change the subject. “So what do you usually get?”
“Well, um. I can never decide between the fish tacos or the shrimp and scallops, so, um, Maverick usually gets one, and I get the other so we can share. But we don’t have to do that,” I say quickly. “I’ll probably just go with the shrimp and scallops tonight. I don’t even feel like fish tacos.” I know I’m rambling, but I can’t help it. “If you like both of those, I would go with that. They are fresh right off the boat and melt in your mouth.”
The waiter returns, and Logan places his order, and I tell him I want the same. After the waiter leaves, he leans back and looks at me. “Why do I get the feeling that I’m walking into some kind of triangle situation? I asked Mav again today if I was stepping on any toes, and he blew off the question.”
