Chapter 26
Show upto the Beach Break Bar at seven-thirty p.m.—those were my instructions from Jane when she texted me this morning.
Well, that, and try to make Dustin Pearce jealous while she’s on her date with him.
Apparently, there’s some kind of jealousy trope that Jane’s trying out tonight, and since I told her, when we were stranded on the boat last week, that I would help her with her Summer of Jane Hayes plan, I’m the one who has to make the magic happen.
I tap my fingers on the rim of my glass, peering over at her and Dustin. Their table is strategically next to mine, thanks to Marlyss and Jane’s pre-planning. But other than a few pleasantries when they first sat down, I haven’t spoken to them at all.
My gaze scrutinizes Jane’s smile, trying to figure out if she’s genuinely interested in Dustin or faking feelings for the sake of her romance scheme. She brushes her brown hair back, and I take a moment to appreciate her bare shoulder.
I’ve been appreciating Jane all night.
It’s been four days since her surgery. I can’t even tell you how many times I almost showed up at her house to check if she needed anything or see how her recovery was going. But I talked myself out of it every single time—probably something to do with her saying she’d been in love with me her whole life.
That scared me at first.
I’m not the guy that commits.
Lydia was the longest relationship I’ve had, and the only reason that worked was because we were both using each other—her for my fame and me just to pass the time.
But Jane is not the type of girl you use.
She’s the type you get his and her matching robes with and grow old together while sitting on the back porch, staring at the sunset.
And I’m not sure I’m ready to do that with my life. Hence the reason my sister warned me to stay away from her.
What happens to my career if I put something else above golf? I’m already struggling when golf is my number one priority. How will my game be affected if I go all in on something else and put golf second? Am I really ready to find out?
That’s been my freakout the last few days. But then I took a deep breath and talked myself off the ledge.
Jane was drugged up.
I can’t take anything she said seriously.
Especially that.
I mean, she’s not allowed to drive a car or operate heavy machinery in that state, so why would I believe a love confession?
Besides, nothing in her everyday real life leads me to believe she’s been in love with me forever. If anything, she’s just tolerated me her whole life.
So, I moved on from my freakout and agreed to meet her here tonight. After all, I told her I would be her wingman. I can’t go back on my promise.
I just wasn’t prepared for how my heart would leap out of my chest when she walked into the bar. She looks absolutely devastating in a bohemian hot-pink dress with blue flowers. The spaghetti straps and V-neck show off her delicate shoulders and golden skin. A loose knot ties it all together just below her chest, adding to the feminine charm of it all. Honestly, it’s not the dress. Jane could be back in her sweats with swollen cheeks, and I would still stare at her.
Dustin places his hand on her wrist—briefly—toying with her seashell bracelet, but it’s enough to make me want to chop his fingers off. He’s getting a little too touchy for a second date.
Jane smiles at him, covertly flipping her gaze to me. Her brows lower, questioning my glare. I shake my head, softening my expression before she turns back to Dustin.
“Wow.” Her shoulders drop as a heavy sigh seeps out. “What an amazing night.” She glances at the open window, scanning her gaze over the strung lights on the bar patio, tiki torches glowing on the beach, and the moonlit water. “The view is so incredible here.”
“Yeah,” Dustin answers, following her stare.
Her lips tighten as she peeks over at him. “I mean, nothing could be more beautiful than this view.” The second he looks at her, she darts her gaze out the window again. “It’s really something.” She slowly nods, like she’s musing it over.
I rub my hand across my lips, hiding my smile as I watch her fish for a compliment on her looks—some trope about her saying the view is beautiful, but he’s really talking about her. I don’t know. I read it on Jane’s paper, but watching her try to pull it off in real life is definitely entertaining.
“Do you want a refill on your drink?” Dustin asks out of nowhere. The annoyance that sparks on Jane’s face makes me smile even more.
She blows a raspberry with her lips, pushing her glass forward. “Sure.”
“The waitress looks busy, so I’ll just take them to the bar.” He grabs both of their cups and walks away.
“For the record,” I say when Dustin’s far enough away, “you’re more beautiful than the view.”
I’m greeted with a pointed stare. “You’re only saying that because you know what I was hoping for out of that moment.”
I shake my head, roaming my eyes over her. “No, you look incredible.”
She bites her bottom lip, fidgeting with her napkin. “We should probably talk about your role in phase two of the date before Dustin gets back.” Her eyes swing to the bar, checking on him.
“The part where I make him jealous? How exactly is this supposed to go down?”
“I’m not entirely sure. But there are some key phrases that men in romance books say during moments of jealousy. If we could get Dustin to say one of those, we’d be golden.”
“Okay, what are the phrases so I know what to do to lead him there?”
“Well, the goal is to bring out his protective, possessive side, encouraging him to say something like, ‘Who did this to you?’” She frowns, thinking about that one for a second. “Never mind. That one doesn’t really happen during a jealous moment. But if he could say something like, ‘That’s my girl! Hands off!’ I think that would work, right?”
“I’m not really sure how flirting with you is going to get Dustin to a point where he’d say something like that.” I suppress my smile, knowing that if I let her see my amusement, she’ll get irritated and call the whole thing off.
“Don’t worry. I’ll lay the foundation. You’ll know when it’s time.”
“What? How will I know?”
“I’ll tap my fingers on the table to signal it’s time for you to make your move.”
“Make my move? I don’t even know what I’m supposed to do.”
“Just improvise. You’ll figure it out.” She shifts her eyes to the bar. “Okay, he’s coming. Act natural.”
Act natural?
Nothing about this situation is natural, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t glad to be part of her plans.
“Here you go.” Dustin sets her drink in front of her as he takes his seat.
“Thank you.” Her smile is ridiculously big. “I love when men take care of me like that.”
“Oh, yeah?” He leans forward, showing signs of interest.
Jane leans in too, lifting her shoulder in a flirtatious way. “Do you know what else I like?” The corner of her mouth lifts seductively, churning my stomach. “I like it when a man is confident and stands up for his woman. Like if someone is harassing her, he steps in all possessive-like.”
“Really?” Dustin leans closer, as if reacting to Jane’s magnetic pull. I want to yank him by his collar just to separate them. “I wouldn’t have taken you for the type of woman who’d like that sort of thing.”
“I love the alpha male. It’s a total turn-on.”
“Some people have said I have a hot temper, but I feel like I’m just protective of the ones I care about.”
She shrugs, seducing him with her sexy shoulders. “Yeah, I say the more protective and possessive, the better. It should be clear at all times whose girl I am so nobody dares mess with that.”
Oh, brother. I roll my eyes, feeling my own jealousy roar to life.
Dustin skims his fingers over her forearm, like all this talk is actually turning him on. “I like that too.”
Dude, that’s enough of that.
“Hey, Dustin?” I pop my head into their space with an innocent smile. “Can I borrow your salt? Nothing’s coming out of my mine.”
Dustin jerks back in surprise, as if he forgot he was in a crowded restaurant. I’m more than happy to remind him. My eyes dart to Jane and her lowered brows. She’s clearly not happy I stepped in before the signal.
“Here.” He hands me the salt, a touch of irritation in his eyes. His attention immediately turns back to Jane as if I was never there. “What else do you like in a man?”
He grabs the tips of her fingers, breaching the physical barrier even more.
Seriously, bro?
I’m starting to get really annoyed with this guy. Jane’s flirty smile pointed at him might have something to do with it.
“I love when a man is so crazy about me that he’s jealous of everyone else who even looks my way, let alone touches me.”
“Is that so?” Dustin weaves his fingers through hers, leaning in even more. He’s literally two inches from Jane’s face. Talk about creepy and awkward.
Jane’s smile grows into something that swirls my stomach with butterflies. Too bad she’s not smiling at me like that. “Maybe we should get out of here.”
Is she insane? The look in Dustin’s eyes says if they get out of here, they’re going home together.
I have to stop this, even if it means smacking that over-eager smile off his face.
“I’ll go hand my credit card to the waitress.” He jumps to his feet like a sixteen-year-old kid who’s never taken a woman home before.
Jane smiles up at him, tapping the table with her fingers.
It’s the sign.
I don’t even know what I’m supposed to do. I’ve been so distracted with my own jealousy I forgot to brainstorm how to make Dustin jealous.
I do the only thing I can think of.
I stand, pulling Jane to her feet—pulling her tome.
Her wide eyes are the last thing I see before drawing her mouth to mine.
It was almost feral, the way Walker moved toward me, dragging me to my feet.
There wasn’t even a moment to react.
His mouth covered mine, and instantly, my body went limp in his arms.
Walker is kissing me.
It’s like my mind can’t keep up.
I feel the urgency in his lips and the force of his hand against my back as it presses my body to his, holding me to him.
The explosion of sparks starts with my lips and then shoots in every direction through my body. That feeling finally kicks me into gear. I clutch his shirt at his waist and kiss him back.
That’s when things get good.
His fingers dig into my hair, brushing the base of my neck as his lips dictate the pace. I match his frenzied passion with my own heated desire. Everything I’ve ever dreamed, hoped, imagined, wished, and craved between us comes out in my kiss like a broken dam, releasing a million cubic feet of water per second, flooding my body with scorching heat.
It’s one of those desperate, hotter-than-hot, molten-lava kisses you read about in books. The kind of physical tension that’s been building since seventh grade.
And Holy Hannah! I feel the effects deep in my soul.
Until Walker is ripped from my grasp.
“That’s my girl!” Dustin says as his arm coils back, then plows forward, connecting his fist with Walker’s jaw.
Walker stumbles back in shock, grabbing his face. Mo and the Kokomos stop playing, and the restaurant patrons take a collective gasp.
“Dustin!” I step between them. “What are you doing?”
He looks at me, confused. “You said you liked a real alpha male who doesn’t let anyone touch his girl.”
Walker leans in, still grabbing his jaw. “Trust me, Jane is not your girl.”
“She’s not yours either.”
“She just kissed me like she was.”
Dustin takes a step forward as if he wants to go to blows again. I had no idea Dustin Pearce was such a hothead. “Dude, you don’t even live here. Go back to the golf channel, or do you suck so bad now they don’t want you?”
“Stop it!” I hold my hands up. “This is my fault.”
I don’t know what I was thinking. This whole incident is worse than the choking debacle a few weeks ago. I already told myself there were boundaries about what I was willing to do, but I just crossed them all. When will I learn?
“Dustin, I’m sorry, but this isn’t going to work.” I grab my purse from the table, glancing at Walker as I rush past. “This was a mistake.”
“Jane, wait,” he says behind me.
Marlyss reaches for me when I’m almost to the door. “Are you okay?”
“I’m so sorry.” She shrugs, as if bar fights are usual at Beach Break, even though I know they’re not.
I push the door open and practically run to my golf cart, knowing Walker will chase me down.
“Jane, wait!” He grabs the side pole of my cart just as I’m about to reverse. “Where are you going?”
“Home.” I look over my shoulder, making sure I can pull out without crashing into someone.
“Let’s talk about this first.”
“There’s nothing to say.”
“There’s nothing to say?” he scoffs. “That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. We just kissed.”
“I never asked you to kiss me.” I slowly push the gas pedal, reversing out of my parking spot.
Walker holds on, walking backward with me. “But I did. And I’m pretty sure you felt what I felt.”
I shift into drive as I harden my heart. “I didn’t feel anything.”
His expression drops, and he lets go of my golf cart, letting me drive away alone.