“Fuck, is that guy with the band?” Finn asked. “Oh wait, he’s f**king that chick from New York’s face. Wait, I’m confused,” Finn slurred as he set the empty shot glass down.
“Guess she’s taken, Hensley said. “I’m not about to mess with that. The dude looks rough.” He turned back to the bartender and picked up his beer.
“You guys know Jess?” the bartender asked, and I turned to look at him. My throat was so damn tight all I could do was nod. I wasn’t sure I could speak just yet. I hadn’t seen her since she got on the jet in New York. I’d let her go. It had been for the best. I just hadn’t expected to see her like this.
“She’s Krit’s girl,” the bartender said, as if that answered all the questions in the universe.
“Who?” Finn asked, still looking confused.
“The lead singer of Jackdown, Krit. Jess is his.”
I turned back around to see Krit take the stage. He was shirtless, and his body was covered in tattoos. His jeans hung on his hips, and he was wearing eyeliner . . . and nail polish. Really? She was dating that?
“Jess doesn’t have a type, does she?” Hensley said from beside me.
I searched for her and found her just as she reached a table where Rock, Dewayne, Preston, and Amanda sat. I could ignore them, but one of them was bound to see me. Did that matter? Would Jess even want me to come over there? Maybe she would want me to ignore her.
As if she could sense my stare, she lifted her eyes and her gaze locked with mine. Her body went completely still. She didn’t smile like everything was forgotten. She didn’t move like it was no big deal. Instead she stayed completely frozen as she stared at me. She even blinked rapidly, as if she was in some sort of daze she was trying to snap out of.
Fuck. I was screwed.
“She sees you, dude. Might as well go say hello,” Hensley said, stating the obvious.
I forced my legs to move and started making my way over to her. She seemed to snap out of her trance, and she looked away from me. I could see her mouth move even though she wasn’t looking at anyone exclusively. Apparently, it had been the entire table, because all their gazes turned to zero in on me.
Rock started to stand up and Jess grabbed his arm and said something to him. Then she moved around the table and made her way toward me. She didn’t want me near her friends, so I stopped.
“She’s coming to us,” Finn said, leaning against the bar.
“Me, she’s coming to me,” I corrected him. “Stay here,” I said before walking toward her. I didn’t want those two listening to us.
She stopped a few feet away from me. I didn’t want her that far away. All those emotions she had evoked in me and scared me with roared to life. I had missed her. I knew I had missed her, but seeing her made it all the more real. “Hey,” I said.
She gave me a small smile. “Hey.” Then she glanced up at the stage. The band had started playing, but I wasn’t paying attention to them. She’d been all I could focus on.
“How are you?” I asked, wanting to hear her voice.
“Good, and you?”
I could lie and say good. It would be easier if I did lie. For both of us. “Miss you,” I said instead.
She tensed and her gaze shifted to the stage again. Did she love him? Fuck, just thinking that hurt like hell.
“I saw you with him,” I told her.
She moved her gaze back to mine. “Oh” was all she said.
“You look happy.” I was reaching. It was wrong and I should let this go, but I couldn’t.
She started to say something, then closed her mouth and shook her head. “No. I’m not going to do this with you. I’m not ready yet. I thought maybe I was, but I’m not,” she said, then turned to walk away. That was the reaction I wanted. Something to tell me she still gave a shit.
“Wait,” I said, reaching for her arm.
She stopped and looked down at my hand wrapped around her arm, then back at me. “What do you want from me?” she asked, looking defeated. I hated that. I didn’t want to hurt her. I didn’t want to make her sad. I just wanted her.
“Can we go outside and talk?” I asked.
She looked back at the stage and I followed her gaze. The guy was singing, but his entire focus was on Jess. “I think he loves me. He hasn’t said it, but he treats me like no one ever has. He acts like he can’t live without me, and he never makes me feel unworthy or not good enough.” She looked back at me. “I’m enough for him. Don’t mess it up for me. Because I’d hurt him for you. And in the end you’d hurt me.”