Page 79 of Freshmeet
“Is that right?” Sarah gave me a shy smile, tapping her chopsticks on the plate.
“It is. Even when I thought I didn’t have a chance in hell, she was still in the back of my mind. No one else compared to that initial spark. And the wild part is that I didn’t even know her that well.”
Sarah glanced away with a pleased smile, so I kept going.
“Now that I know I have a chance for more? She’d better look out.”
“It’s like that?” Her eyes tentatively turned to me. In the dim light, I could see her cheeks darken.
“It’s like that.”
Sitting up straight, she gave a decisive nod. “Good, because I don’t know if I can handle another Meg situation. Not to scare you, but I don’t do well with . . . complications. I shut down, as you witnessed.” She grimaced.
“I get it, but again, I’ve been very clear with her about where we stand.” I tried not to let any annoyance creep into my voice.
I wasn’t going to let Sarah use other people as an excuse for not giving us a real chance.
Sarah leaned forward, grabbing my free hand. “Oh, I know. Maybe I’m not saying this right.” She looked down, her bottom teeth snagging her top lip. When her eyes met mine, uncertainty clouded the happiness there a second ago. “What I mean is, I’m not going to be the girl who is constantly putting other girls in their place to defend whatever we have going on.”
“Okay?” I frowned, not sure where she was going with this.
“So, in the future, if another girl is hanging all over you and we’re doing this for real, I’d appreciate it if you nipped it in the bud.” Her eyes bored into me, something like possession sparking in them. The warmth from being near Sarah turned into a heat that burned through me. She wanted me, maybe as much as I wanted her.
“Done.”
“You sure? I understand if you want to keep things casual, but in the interest of complete transparency, I don’t think I can do that with you.”
Internally, I was freaking out in the best way. This bright, kind, beautiful girl thought I’d want to entertain other people? “You don’t understand how into you I am.”
Blowing out a breath, her whole body relaxed back into her chair. “Thank God. I was not looking forward to the walk home ifthis chat went bad.” She chuckled and placed her napkin on the table. “I’ll be right back.”
I watched her sparkly ass swing as she walked toward the bathrooms. When she reached the door, she glanced over her shoulder and winked. Caught dead to rights, I threw my hands up and laughed.
“She’s something else, isn’t she?” Kat snuck up on me with a water pitcher in hand. Refilling the glasses, she said, “You know I’ll fucking end you if you hurt her, right?”
Amused, I picked up my newly filled glass. “I had a feeling.”
“Good.” She looked toward the bathroom, her ever-present frown deepening. “I may be on her ass for being too soft, but that’s exactly why she deserves the absolute best.” Glaring down at me, she cocked her hip, widening her stance. “Don’t fuck this up. We clear?”
“Crystal.”
And like that, Kat’s face twisted into what could pass for a smile if there wasn’t so much menace behind it. “Let me go grab the next round of rolls.”
SIXTEEN
SUSHI & APPLE PIE
SARAH
What’s wrong with me?
I stared at myself in the tiny mirror over the sink in disbelief. Connor had turned me into someone who staked her claim on a guy that’s not even her boyfriend.
Someone tried the handle, and I said, “Just a minute.” Then they banged on the door. “What the fuck,” I mumbled, flipping the lock and coming face to face with Duncan.
“Shit. Sorry, Sarah.” He chuckled.
“Whatever,” I growled, pushing past him.
