Chapter 21
DANNY
What the hellis that guy doing touching Eden?
A fire burns in the pit of my stomach. The muscles in my legs twitch, aching to march over there, shove his hand away, and ask him what the fuck is going on.
But then the logical part of my brain pipes up.
Calm the hell down, will you? She’s not your girlfriend—she’s not anything to you anymore. You put a stop to whatever was developing between you two, remember? You don’t get to pull this territorial crap on her.
That’s all true, but still. Seeing another guy with Eden is the last thing I want to see right now. I’m certain I look like a deranged stalker, given the way I’m staring at her. And she’s clearly seen me—she’s glaring at me right now, actually. I need to just look away and forget she’s even here.
“Danny, baby, what do you think? Is this shirt too low-cut?”
I tear my gaze away from Eden and focus my attention back on Isabella, the woman I’m hired to dote on tonight. She aims a stare at the bartender, her ex who broke up with her via text—whom she wants to make insanely jealous.
The guy scowls at me as he pours what’s supposed to be a double shot of tequila into a shallow glass, but it soon turns into a triple since he’s not paying one bit of attention to anything other than the two of us.
I catch my expression in the glass that rests behind all the liquor bottles at the bar. Christ. I look like I’m about to punch someone. I take a second to relax my expression and smile at Isabella before kissing her on the temple. “Not too low cut at all, babe. It’s perfect. Just like you are.”
She beams up at me and winks. Bartender-ex stomps off somewhere in the back. There’s a low shout before a totally different bartender comes out and resumes service.
Isabella pats my arm and kisses me on the cheek. “Oh, that was perfect, Danny! Absolute perfection! Jason is so jealous. Oh, this is so great.”
I nod and try not to look at Eden. “Good to hear.” I down the rest of my whiskey before asking the bartender for another.
While I sip, I do exactly what I shouldn’t; I peer over at Eden again. I take in the way she laughs at whatever her date is saying. I study her eyes, her smile. It doesn’t look like she’s faking it. That looks like she’s genuinely enjoying her date, whatever he’s telling her. I zero in on the guy’s left arm, which is covered in some elaborate sleeve tattoo that’s got a bunch of skulls and crosses and birds for some reason.
Jealously burns like a hot iron in my gut. Is that what they’re talking about? Tattoos? I bet he thinks that just because he has a tattoo on his arm, that means that he’s a shoo-in to her bed?—
I cut the thought off as soon as it forms. Just the thought of another man in Eden’s bed makes me want to set fire to this entire city block.
Isabella asks the other bartender for a refill on her champagne. He compliments her long, wavy honey-blonde locks and makes no effort to disguise the fact that he’s gawking at her ample chest. A half-dozen people at the bar do the same. Can’t say that I blame them. With her tall and curvy figure, Isabella looks like a pinup model.
I’m still not sure why this Jason guy broke up with her—she’s light years out of his league, looks-wise. Plus, she’s been really sweet this whole night, which is a stark contrast to Jason. He seems to have the general demeanor of a serial killer with his constant death glares and the way he communicates in angry grunts. But whatever, not my business. I’m here to make Isabella happy, and that’s all that matters.
She raises her now-full glass. “A toast to you, my dear Danny.” We tap glasses. “You’re seriously the perfect guy to make my ex jealous. You look like a hot surfer. He hates surfers. Says they forever ruined the beauty of his favorite beaches in southern California.” She lets out a deafening cackle.
I swallow. “Um, okay.”
Just then, Jason stomps out from the back and walks up to Isabella. “We need to talk. Now,” he spits.
I instinctively straighten up on my barstool, ready to confront this guy if he tries to do anything that crosses the line. But Isabella flashes an easy smile and keeps her relaxed posture.
“What do you mean, Jason? You made it very clear when you broke up with me over text after almost a year of dating that you weren’t interested in talking. I’m just here having a drink with my friend.”
She runs her hand up my thigh, stopping halfway up to my crotch. I swear Jason’s eyes turn to fireballs.
“Why don’t you get back to work?” Isabella says.
Jason mutters a curse word and looks at me.
“You heard the lady,” I say, my tone firm.
He storms off and I take a breath. Isabella beams. Okay, maybe I understand why a woman as stunning as Isabella is single, seeing as she seems to thrive on maximum levels of drama.
“You know, Isabella, I know we’ve only just met, but you don’t have to play into this jealousy business,” I say as politely as I can.
“Oh honey, I do. I thrive on the drama.”
I let out a soft laugh. “Well, then ignore me. You clearly know what’s good for you. I just don’t think I’d have the energy to do it myself.”
As we sip our drinks, my gaze drifts back to Eden, how her date reaches across the table and touches her hand. How he swipes the check as she starts to reach for it. How he touches her hair for the millionth time.
My jaw aches and I realize I’ve been biting down so hard I’m starting to give myself a tension headache. I wring out my hand, releasing the death-grip I had on the edge of the bartop.
“You alright?” Isabella asks.
“Fine. Just thinking about some stuff.”
She twists around and follows my gaze to Eden. A knowing smile tugs at her glossy lips. “Oh, I see. Someone’s jealous,” she sing-songs. “Is that your ex too?”
I stammer. “No, um, she’s my, uh, boss. Who I kissed.”
Isabella’s eyes go wide. She gently shoves my shoulder. “Well, don’t stop there. Details!”
“I kind of have a thing for her,” I mumble. “But her brother’s my best friend, so I told her we couldn’t start anything up. It wouldn’t be a good idea.”
Still smiling, Isabella rolls her eyes. “God, you men. Always so territorial. Over women that you’re not even with.”
She aims a pointed look at Jason, who’s stabbing a giant block of ice with what looks like a skinny metal dagger. She glances back over at Eden and arches an eyebrow. “If it’s not such a good idea for you two to be together, then why are you looking at her like she’s the only woman in the room?”
Again I’m stammering. Isabella chuckles and gently pats my cheek with her hand. “Oh, Danny. You have some serious feelings for her, don’t you?”
“Yeah,” I say before I even realize it. It’s the truth, though. I like Eden. A lot. And the only reason I’m not the one taking her out on a date right now is because of some unspoken loyalty I feel for her brother.
We watch as Eden and her date stand up from the table. She says something, then heads to the back where the bathrooms are while her date stands near the front of the door, presumably to wait for her.
“Then why don’t you do something about it, Danny, instead of mean-mugging the woman you’re into from across the room like some psycho stalker?”
Isabella says it so simply and with a chuckle at the end.
“It’s not that easy.” I shake the ice in my glass.
“Sure it is. Go to her. Tell her you messed up and that you want her.”
“She’s on a date with another guy.”
Isabella shrugs. “So?”
“Wouldn’t that be?—”
“Nuts? Dramatic? Over the top?” Isabella’s head falls back as she laughs. She hops up from her stool and kisses me on the lips, no tongue, like we agreed to do earlier when we discussed how to end the date.
When we break apart, I catch eyes with Jason. He looks like he’s going to murder me with that ice pick. Isabella winks at him before turning back to me. “Darling, if you go to her and tell her how you feel, it’ll definitely be a mess. But if she’s into it—into you—it’ll be worth it.”
She strolls out the door, her words leaving me emboldened.
I stand up and drain the rest of my whiskey, then march to the bathrooms. I make it to the door just as Eden comes out. She stops walking when she sees me.
“Danny? What are you?—”
I grab her by the waist and pull her to me. “I made a mistake. I want you, Eden. I don’t care about anything else.”
And then I kiss her.