Page 20 of Four-ever Single

“I wasn’t that bad, was I?” I asked, cringing as I watched.

“Nope. Not even close.” He patted my back and walked with me to a table.

“You having lunch here?” I asked, sitting by the window as he sat opposite me.

“I wasn’t going to, but I have some time, so why not? What did you get?”

“My usual, fish and chips.”

“Sounds good. I’ll be back.”

He hopped up and headed to the back as I sat there, feeling bad for the kid still stumbling through the room, unsure of what to do.

I sympathized with him because I had spent so many years feeling the same way.

Twelve

Bella

“Why am I so nervous?” I whispered loudly, rubbing my hands together as I tried to expel the anxious energy radiating through me. My eyes quickly scanned the crowd, trying to spot Jones. We’d gotten to Tipsy Taquito twenty minutes early—mainly because I forced Lia out the door with one shoe on and one in her hand so we could get here before anyone else.

“Because you’re going to see your new boyfriend,” she sang, grimacing when my elbow nudged her in the ribs.

“Stop it,” I warned, scanning the room again. “He’s not my boyfriend.”

We had gotten lucky and snagged a long table in the back, which was nice since we usually ended up crammed into one of the small booths by the time we got there.

I sat in the middle with Lia on one side, knowing Jones would take the other. It made sense that would be where he would sit since Capshaw and Kensy would want to sit together and there wouldn’t be room on our side. But not only that—I had boldly told him he could sit by me this morning when we were texting.

But 7:00 am Bella was a totally different person than 3:45 pm Bella. 3:45 Bella was a total hot mess and regretted everything she had agreed to this morning.

My stomach turned and did some weird flip thing when the door opened, and I waited to see who was coming in. My mouth went cotton dry as my palms started sweating, but once Jones and I locked eyes, all of that faded. I felt my shoulders relax and my breathing even out as he made his way toward us.

Lia elbowed me in the side and nodded—as if I hadn’t already seen him. Hell, I don’t think I noticed anyone else in the room at that point. It was all a blur except for the handsome man wearing a fitted t-shirt that hugged the perfectly defined body I’d had the pleasure of licking and teasing a few days ago. Now it felt like ages as my thighs clenched together, trying to force away the sensations lingering between them.

“Hey,” he said, waving at me and Lia as he pulled out the chair beside me and sat down.

It felt a little awkward not hugging him, but I was thankful that he respected my wishes to keep our relationship a secret for a little while longer by not expecting one. I reached down and nervously tugged at the hem of my skirt, needing something to distract me and the million thoughts racing through my head.

“How’s it going, Jones?” Lia asked, leaning around me to see him.

“It’s good. How are you?”

“Good. Thankful for a night off before I go back to hell.”

I leaned back and listened the best I could while Lia talked about her clinicals, but I couldn’t keep my attention focused on the conversation. Not when I felt his hand gently brush against my thigh as he reached under the table to pick up the napkin I accidentally dropped. I couldn’t ignore how his fingers felt against my skin or the heat trail they left behind. But now wasn’t the time to think about the release I desperately needed.

“Hey, guys, sorry we’re late,” Kensy said, her cheeks flushed and hair slightly messed up as she accepted the seat Capshaw pulled out for her.

Lia raised an eyebrow and glared at them.

“Stop it with the dirty looks,” Capshaw said, sitting down. “You’d be late too if you had a fiancé as hot as mine.”

“She’s one of my best friends, so yeah, she’s smoking hot. But you’re my brother, which makes it disgusting to even think about. Come to think of it—she might be able to do better than you,” Lia said, getting the jabs toward her brother started early.

“Better watch it,” he warned. “No one can do better than me, can they, baby?” He reached over and lifted Kensy’s chin with his finger, directing her face to his, where he planted a kiss on her lips.

“Ugh, get a room,” Lia groaned.

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