Page 60 of Sunflower Persona
Her defiance stirs something in me that it definitely shouldn’t be now. It’s almost as tempting as the way she melts under my coaching and the breathy way “yes, Coach” falls from her perfect lips. The same lips that are pressed thin with her barely contained anger.
“You know that isn’t what I meant.”
“Then what the absolute fuck was that display of alphahole douchebaggery?” she shouts.
If the bar was any more crowded, I would be concerned about making a scene, but my friends make up a quarter of the patrons, and I really couldn’t give a fuck what anyone else thinks. They can go next door if they want an undisturbed drink.
“He was touching you.” It’s a miracle the words come out as calm as they do when the thought sends a fresh wave of mindless violence through me.
“And? He asked me first, and I said yes.”
“Why the fuck would you do that?”
“Because I wanted to, and because despite you acting like you own me, we aren’t together, and you made it pretty clear we never would be.”
“That doesn’t mean you should let men touch you whenever they want.”
Nathan winces beside me and whispers, “You fucking idiot.”
“Do you even hear yourself right now?” She takes a step forward, standing straighter as she gives me a piece of her mind. Her face thunders with rage that rivals the storm outside. If her joy was beautiful, then fuck me if her rage isn’t awe-striking.
“I didn’tletanyone do anything. He asked if I wanted to dance, and I said yes. BecauseIwanted to. He was cute and nice, and if he had asked to kiss me, I probably would have said yes too.”
“The fuck you would have,” I snap.
“I’m not yours, Gage, so stop acting like you own me. Unless you are going to man the fuck up and make me yours for real.”
I open my mouth to meet her challenge, but rational me gains control long enough to stop me from making a promise I can’t keep. She isn’t mine, and she never will be. It doesn’t matter how badly I want to kiss that scowl off her lips.
“That’s what I thought. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I was having fun with my friends before you ruined my night, and I’d like to go back to that.”
“Come on, Kori, I’ll dance with you,” Nathan says, drilling me with a glare as he wraps an arm around her shoulder.
It takes every bit of my willpower not to throttle my friend.
I take a deep breath and put the group behind me. It’s the only way I can bear it. Karis and Morgan are still watching from the bar with pity and disappointment clear on their faces.
“I fucked that one up, didn’t I?” I ask as I make it back behind the counter.
“Yup,” Karis says.
“And what would you have done differently?”
“Kissed the shit out of her, for one.”
“She isn’t mine to kiss.”
“And if you let her walk out of here, she never will be. You know that, right?” she challenges.
“What do you mean?”
“She isn’t going to wait around for you to figure it out. And if tonight is any indicator, she won’t have much trouble finding someone who realizes what they have in front of them.”
I grumble and grab a wineglass from the shelf, dirtying it with the grimy cloth to give my hands something to do.
“She and Nathan seem to get along well, and they would make a cute couple. He deserves to find happiness with someone as sweet as her,” she adds.
Sharp pain flares in my palm as the stem snaps in my clenched fist.
