Page 64 of Needing Your Love
“Dex was just leaving,” I stated through gritted teeth, the command in my voice more than a hint while spinning my stool to face my best friend.
“I was?” Dex attempted an innocent voice, but his smirk betrayed him.
Jimmy continued to glare at him, giving off possessive vibes that sent blood rushing to my groin.
A jolt of hope caused my breath to bottle up in my chest. “Yes, you were. Are.Leave.”
Chuckling, Dex slid from his stool. “Mission accomplished,” he murmured and sauntered toward the bathroom.
This bit of manipulation I wouldn’t complain about because he’d gotten me the attention I’d been trying to gain.
In my periphery, I watched Christian set down his beer and follow after Dex, but I couldn’t tear my focus off Jimmy’s slender form as he perched his plump ass on Dex’s vacated stool. Mere inches separated our knees, but I kept still rather than shift forward on my seat to touch him like I longed to do.
Baby blues latched onto mine, the raw emotion in them yet another gift to my aching heart.
“Why haven’t you texted me back?” I asked, keeping my voice low since people bracketed us in on both sides. “I’ve been worried about you since that run-in with Kurt.”
“I don’t want a hero, Sutton,” Jimmy said, brow still furrowed. “I’m not some little boy in need of a savior anymore.”
“I never believed you were—and you’re all man, Jimmy. I’ve been well aware of that fact for years.”
He stared at me, the wrinkle between his troubled eyes slowly smoothing out.
“I thought we shared a pretty special moment on Sunday. More connection than I’ve felt with anyone—ex-wife included,” I said, determined to be vulnerable even if he refused to be in return. “But you walked out of my place like you got what you’d wanted and had no further use of me.”
So much for that relaxed expression. A dent marred his forehead again. “Because you went to shower off the stench of me without a backward glance. No different than a paying customer!” He kept his voice lowered, but the hiss, the hint of pain in his voice, hit my gut as if he’d hollered the words.
Jesus fucking Christ, I had messed up. So many assumptions had cost us what could have been precious hours. Growing together. He’d given me vulnerability, and I hadn’t considered his emotional state while trying to protect my own.
I’d been the selfish one this time.
Fucking bullshit pasts had influenced us both, and that shit needed to be taken care of so this didn’t happen again.
“I’m sorry,” I said, imploring him to believe me. “I got caught up in my head, imagining you sashaying away from me at the end of this. Then you used the flirty tone of voice you do when trying to manipulate me—just hit me the wrong way, making me fear the worst.”
Jimmy nodded as though he understood. “That side of me always comes out to play when I’m uncomfortable.”
I flinched at his word choice, my eyebrows drawing together. “I made you feeluncomfortablewhile we were?—”
“No!” Jimmy shook his head, eyes wide. “No.After,” he emphasized with a soothing voice. “I didn’t know what to expect, and I was flying higher than any kite, waiting for a burst of wind to rip through me and send me tumbling to the ground.”
I could see the picture he’d painted of his emotions and shifted closer in my desire to connect with him. Our knees bumped, and his breath caught as though feeling the same electrical zap to his nerve endings as I did.
We stared at each other, his skin flushing, my fingers tingling to touch his warm, soft flesh. Pull him toward me. Hold him. My heart beat heavy in my ears. Frenchie’s and its other patrons faded in my periphery as I focused on the alluring, needy boy peering at me.
Maskless.
A heady desire radiated from his eyes. “I got two offers on the house.”
My shoulders hitched, and my stomach turned to a rock at his announcement that sounded more like a question. I swallowed audibly. “Will you leave town after the closing?” I asked, my tone already broken from yet again assuming the worst.
He lifted and dropped one shoulder, gaze never shifting off my face as though hoping I would answer for him. I opened my mouth to tell him exactly where I wanted him.
A clattering of plates jerked my focus from Jimmy’s expectant face.
Someone had knocked their dinner off their table.
A quick scan of the bar’s interior revealed no sign of Dex or Christian. Were they still in the bathroom? Slipped out together without my knowing?
