Chapter Twenty-Two #2
“Don’t start, Delilah. I’ve got enough shit on my plate to deal with; I don’t need to be worried about you too.
I know it’s hard for you to comprehend how a guy like Stetson would choose a girl like me, but he did.
So yes, for the first time in your life, you’re not going to get exactly what you want, but like the rest of us, you’re going to have to deal with it and move on,” I said, stepping back toward the crowd of people and pulling Stetson behind me.
I glanced back as we were nearing the main part of the bar. Stetson’s lips were parted just enough for me to watch as he dragged his tongue across them, leaving a seductive smile behind.
Holy shit.
We rounded the corner and my brand-new abundance of confidence made it hard not to grin.
The main part of the room had emptied, with everyone migrating to the dance floor. Booker and Maggie were still perched at the bar, their gazes lingering in our direction, but they hadn’t spotted us quite yet.
The anticipation was so thrilling that I couldn’t even focus on anyone else.
Our bodies swayed together, moving closer to where they were sitting. Maggie’s eyes eventually landed on mine, immediately widening. The slouch in her shoulders straightened in a matter of seconds and the smile on her face was so big I thought it might slide right off.
Stetson took a seat in the same barstool he’d previously sat in, next to Booker, not even acknowledging the statement we’d just made. “Anyone want a shot?”
Maggie’s mouth was practically on the floor. “Um, sure.”
Booker and I both shook our heads before Stetson caught the attention of the bartender.
I looked at Maggie, silently confirming to her that she had in fact just witnessed what she’d thought.
“Here you go, Maggie.”
“Thank you!”
Stetson placed his beer bottle down on a cardboard coaster, turning his attention back to the group. I stood a few inches from him, a little hesitant, but in a matter of seconds, he’d pulled me into the empty space between his legs until my butt rested on his thigh.
It was like he knew that was exactly where I wanted to be. My belly overflowed with satisfaction, like I’d just eaten the best meal of my life and now it was time to lie down.
Until the meal was ruined.
“Stetson, man, I’m a big fan.” The familiar, now annoyingly scratchy voice that belonged to Zane came from behind me.
Stetson’s eyes darkened until the icy blue resembled more of a navy. I stared down, grateful for the way I’d been resting in Stetson’s lap. My position allowed me to stay unrecognizable as my back was aimed in Zane’s direction.
Stetson grit his teeth. “Thanks, man.” He took his beer to his lips, the brown bottle doing a great job of hiding his stormy facial expression.
“Oh, holy shit. Hi, Maggie. I didn’t even see you there.”
“Hello, Zane.” Maggie was much less successful at disguising her true feelings. Although, I wasn’t sure she was even trying. “Surprised to see you back in Quincey Falls. I assumed we’d never get the pleasure to see you again in our little town.”
I pulled the sweet but potent drink to my lips, forcing me to keep my mouth shut.
Stetson’s eyes were still glued to Zane. He hadn’t taken them off of him since he walked over.
“Yeah, I’m kind of surprised I came back too.
There never was much for me here. Plus, I’m absolutely loving Chicago, but I wouldn’t miss my man Patrick’s wedding, even if that meant having to come back to town.
” I didn’t have to see his face to know exactly what it looked like.
The egotistical certainty in his voice was enough to make me want to puke.
Not to mention, he was so unaware to the fact that I was sitting literally inches away from him. The situation was surreal. It was as if I were listening to a book, just waiting for the bomb to drop.
The bomb being me.
“Yeah, coming back here must really just be a complete pain in the ass,” Maggie said, dragging out every last syllable.
Maggie was pissed, that was no secret. I knew it was only a matter of time before she set the bomb off herself.
“Nah. It’s not too bad,” he joked. “I’ve gotten to see a bunch of old buddies so that’s been nice. And I was able to show my girlfriend Kristina my old stomping grounds.”
The name left his mouth and my heart stopped. I didn’t have to see what was going on with my own eyes to know exactly who he was talking about. The tall lanky brunette must’ve been standing right next to him.
“Kristina, this is Magnolia Nelson and Booker Baker.”
This was like a trainwreck; I wanted to look, but I was also grateful I didn’t have to see it myself.
I didn’t hear Maggie respond, only Booker. “Nice to meet you, Kristina. Welcome to Quincey Falls.”
“Obviously I don’t have to introduce you to Stetson Walker.” His voice sounded so cringey I wanted to scream. “But how cool is it that you’re just here hanging out, drinking beers with everyone. Is this your girl?”
My heart rate tripled.
Stetson’s jaw loosened, the furrow in his brow smoothed out, and a tiny sinister smirk darted out from underneath his mustache. “Yeah, actually, it is. I think you two might know each other.” The assertiveness in his tone was slightly turning me on. “This is my girlfriend, Scarlett.”
I creeped around, somewhat anticipating the look on his face when he realized I’d been there the entire time.
My name left Stetson’s mouth at the exact same time that my eyes met Zane’s. His jaw practically hit the floor, the beer in his hand striking the drink in Kristina’s and knocking it to the floor.
“What the hell, Zane?” Her voice was three octaves higher than I’d imagined.
Maggie and Booker jumped up to help clean up the spillage, but Zane couldn’t even be bothered to respond to her. Instead, it was like he was frozen in time, his eyes glued to me.
“Hey, Zane. Good to see you,” I lied, playing it cool. I didn’t need to be angry or resentful toward him because the look on his face right now was better than anything I could’ve ever asked for.
“You too,” he mumbled.
The rigid stance of his body confirmed that his shock was still overwhelmingly present.
And to make matters even better, Stetson gripped his arm around my lower waist and tugged me closer to him. The male dominance thing didn’t normally do it for me, but tonight, it definitely was.
Zane finally shifted his feet, stepping closer to Kristina as if he needed us to see that he had someone too. “I love your Beers for Everyone album,” he blurted.
“Ha. Yeah, that album tends to be everyone’s favorite, but surprisingly it’s not mine.” Stetson was laid-back, his posture relaxed in every sense of the word, as he dragged circles around the bare skin on my hip that peeked out in the space between my white crop top and jeans.
“Really. What’s your favorite?” Zane asked, clearly attempting small talk.
“Actually, my favorite has to be the new album I’ve been working on with Scarlett. I’m hoping it’s going to blow all the rest out of the water,” he said, taking a swig from his beer. “This one’s just gotta lot of meaning behind it.”
“Oh. Wow. Guess writing lyrics can pay the bills after all,” Zane choked out.
“Can you believe it?” I poked.
Stetson hadn’t even realized the blow to the gut he’d provided by saying that, and I couldn’t help but be filled to brim with contented karma.
“Well, Kristina and I better get back to the rest of the group. I’m sure they’re wondering where we’ve been.”
“Oh. I’m sure they are,” Maggie slid in, her sarcasm so thick I thought it might suffocate him.
“Good to see all of you,” Zane said, doing everything possible to avoid eye contact with me. “See ya later.”
“Bye,” I spouted, grinning from ear to ear as the word slipped out.
I knew Maggie would be waiting for a debrief, but my body’s automatic response was to turn around and hug Stetson.
“Thank you,” I whispered, my lips light as a feather on his ear.
He whispered back, “Don’t. I would do anything to show you your worth.”
The butterflies were amped, rattling against my rib cage.
“Bathroom. Now,” Maggie demanded as she pulled my arm in her direction.
“We’ll be back,” I shouted while I was being dragged away.
“Girlfriend?” She shut the bathroom door behind us and crossed her arms. “I’m confused. How did we get from your earlier spiral to now?”
“It’s a long story, but basically, he’s just pretending. We’re pretending for the night. He’s doing me a favor because of Zane,” I reassured her.
Her eyebrow perked up. “Nothing that man is doing could be defined as pretending. You know that, right?”
“It absolutely could be,” I said, pulling out my lip-gloss. “He’s just putting on a show,” I argued, but I wasn’t so sure anymore.
I dabbed at the corner of my mouth, running my finger along the outline of my lips.
“You keep tellin’ yourself that, but me and everyone else in the bar, including your ex-fiancé, would beg to differ.”
“Whatever it is, it was worth it to see the look on Zane’s face.”
“That we can absolutely agree on,” she said. “He sucks.”
We broke into a fit of giggles, the laughter filling the space in the tiny bathroom and echoing around us.
“Let’s go, I’m sure we’re holding up the line,” I said.
She glanced in my direction. “You sure the line is what you’re worried about? Or is it that you just can’t wait to get back to your”—she threw up air quotes—“pretend boyfriend?”
My hand flew to her arm, playfully smacking the back of it.
“Come on,” I demanded, yanking her back out into the bar.