Page 65 of The Bachelor

They didn’t have that kind of strength.

Only one person could affect me this way.

I looked up, and that was when I saw Camden, frozen several feet away from our section of tables, glaring at the three of us, like we were doing something wrong. That look only stayed on his face for a few seconds. It didn’t soften or lighten. It transformed into an expression I couldn’t understand.

But the feeling inside me was just as intense.

Since I knew Hannah and Macon were looking at me, I nodded toward Camden and said, “Look, Camden’s here.”

“Finally,” Hannah said as Camden joined our table. “I thought you were never going to come.”

He looked at me as he said, “I had something I needed to do first.”

Something?

Or someone?

I didn’t know what that meant or how I was supposed to read this situation.

I just knew that I didn’t like this feeling.

Macon stood and man-hugged Camden, and once they released, Camden leaned across the table and kissed my cheek, whispering, “Looks like you’re enjoying yourself,” before he moved on to his sister.

For someone who had this uncanny ability to read me, he’d sure done a shitty job.

The moment Camden took a seat, Macon faced me again and said, “So, what do you think, Oaklyn? Is it a date?”

Without giving me a chance to respond, Hannah said, “I told you I was going to set them up,” to her brother. “And see? I totally worked my magic.”

“You sure did,” Camden replied to her.

All eyes were now on me.

I didn’t know what to say.

What to do.

But I needed to voice something.

Even if it wasn’t what I wanted, I didn’t know any other way out of this, so I turned to Macon, and after a few seconds, I smiled, even grazing my lip with my teeth. “I’d love to go on a date.”

TWELVE

Camden

Iwas seeing fucking red.

I wasn’t technically allowed to be pissed. Oaklyn could talk to whomever she wanted. She could flirt her ass off with any of the Spade brothers. I’d even given Macon permission to take her out. Hell, she could pick up a random dude somewhere in this bar and go home with him.

I couldn’t stop her.

I had no right to.

But that didn’t mean I was happy about it. That seeing them together at a table, sitting so close, where he couldn’t take his goddamn eyes off her, gazing at her like he was seconds away from taking her virginity, was making my heart pound and my fists clench.

I didn’t like the way she was looking at him either.

I didn’t even like that she was looking at him.

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