decided it was time to hit the bar. I followed Huntley back to our table and flagged down a waitress. She brought me another Southern Comfort and lime, only this time I sipped it like a normal human being. Sienna whispered something Brody’s ear, and he frowned before following her to the dance floor. She turned her head and looked at me over her shoulder, an obscene sneer on her face. Bitch. I barely knew the woman but the look on her face was enough for me to keep my distance. I knew she was toying with me. I was just too stubborn to ignore the bait.
“You wanna dance?” I asked Jeff.
“Lead the way.” He smiled and in another life it may have made me swoon. However, tonight was not the night to think about what ‘could be’. It was about letting my hair down and having fun. I was determined to enjoy my night.
I slipped my hand into Jeff’s and we walked through the dense bar to the dance floor. Jeff’s arm came around my waist and I wrapped my arms around his neck.
“You look stunning tonight,” he complimented. It was genuine. Jeff was incapable of saying something like that with an agenda. He meant it. I was wearing a tight black dress that stopped mid thigh and dipped low to reveal my back. It clung to my breasts, exposing my cleavage, and showed off my curvy hips. I’d straightened my hair and let it hang down to the center of my spine.
“You look pretty sharp yourself, Stud.”
He laughed and I enjoyed the rich sound. He did in fact look delicious in his dark jeans and black button down shirt. He was taller than most of the other guys here and to anyone who didn’t know him, he would’ve looked intimidating. But I knew him and beneath that tough exterior was the heart of a man who deserved more than I could give. I touched the bruise on Jeff’s face and he winced. “Does it hurt?” I asked, sincerely concerned. Jeff looked a little rough after Brody had punched him but he’d refused to let me come here alone.
“Not so bad,” he replied.
“I’m sorry Brody hit you,” I said, looking up into Jeff’s green eyes.
His hand left my waist and he brushed my lips with his thumb. I held my breath and our gazes locked. “Don’t apologize,” his voice was husky, “if I’d had someone like you, and seen you with another man, I would’ve done the same thing. He still cares about you. I don’t blame him.”
I opened my mouth to say something but then snapped it shut again. I had no response to what he’d said and there was no way I was about to tell him I still cared about Brody too. I felt bad enough already, knowing that I couldn’t return Jeff’s feelings, no matter how badly I’d wished I could. A new, slower song started playing and I looked around the dance floor, my eyes fell on Brody and Sienna, dancing a few feet away from us. Their bodies were pressed up against each other and her height brought them almost nose-to-nose. She pressed her lips to his and I felt sick. I hated seeing them together but what right did I have to feel jealous? I had no claim to Brody and yet I felt fiercely possessive of him. Then there was the fact that I was ogling him while dancing with another man. God, what was wrong with me?
Jeff cleared his throat and I realized we’d stopped dancing. I looked up and found him regarding me. Guilt reared its head and the only way I could think of squashing it was to get another drink. Jeff and I made our way back to the table without exchanging a word or a glance and found Huntley and Grayson talking quietly between themselves. They looked so in love and if I hadn’t adored them so much it would’ve been sickening to watch. Instead, I looked at them wistfully and wished that I had what they did.
A waitress stopped by and I ordered another drink, feeling the need to let go surfacing. I didn’t want to think about anything tonight. I just wanted to let go for one night and forget that I was a complete mess inside. I found Brody and Sienna again, only this time
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