Curvy Girls Can't Date Bad Boys - Kelsie Stelting Page 0,18
top. “I’ll be right back.”
As he departed, my eyes scanned the room. I caught Ryde with Ambrose, having a funny moment judging by how much they were laughing. He seemed completely oblivious to the fact that I was there.
Meanwhile, Mr. Blue Eyes was returning with a martini glass that had an orange peel curled around the rim.
“That was fast,” I commented.
He handed it to me. “I hope you like it.”
I took the drink and carefully sipped. It was strong, but sweet. I made a point to hold it without drinking more. I wasn't exactly in the mood for a hangover on top of everything else.
“So, what brings you here?” he asked.
“I'm here with a friend,” I answered. “Loose definition of the word friend. What about you?”
“I worked on set. Remember the control team about halfway through?” His words were free of ego, but I realized I recognized him now.
“You were one of the guys who helped detonate the bomb!” I accused. “You were a bad guy.”
His grin glinted. “If it weren't for Ambrose, we would have gotten away with it.”
I laughed, shaking my head. This was what a date should have been like—easy conversation and no mention of what I should or should not be eating.
An arm slipped around me, and I looked up to see Ryde. He had a threatening smile on his lips aimed at the guy. “Hi, Dayton.”
“It's Dalton,” the guy said.
“Close enough,” Ryde said with a shrug. “So I see you've met my girlfriend.”
Dalton looked between us, confused. “Girlfriend? Sorry, man.”
The slightly betrayed look on Dalton’s face made me angrier than Ryde butting in. I wasn’t Ryde’s girlfriend—I was his mail-ordered child bride, if anything. And I should be able to talk to anyone I wanted to without Ryde acting like he owned me.
Dalton left almost immediately, and Ryde gave me a frustrated look. “I thought you agreed to act normal. Why are you hitting on some other guy?”
“I wasn't hitting on him; we are having a conversation. And maybe I wouldn't have had to if my date wouldn't have been off having some bromance instead of hanging out with me.”
“Ambrose is my friend. You want me to just ignore him? This is his big night.”
“Well, allegedly, I'm your girlfriend.”
“Unfortunately.”
I narrowed my eyes and walked away. I was done with this. I just needed to get away from Ryde and from the expectations he seemed to have of me. If he didn’t remember, he was the one with a choice here. He chose to be with me, not the other way around.
“Fine, go!” he yelled behind me.
He didn't need to tell me twice.
I left the building and stepped onto the street. It was spring, so at least it wasn't miserably chilly. I could order a cab and be home before two.
I checked my phone, but the app said they didn’t service this area. With all the abandoned buildings, it made sense, but that didn’t make my situation any easier. Somehow, all the limos had disappeared, and the street was fairly empty aside from the vehicles of people who lived in the few factories that had been converted to apartment buildings.
An uneasy feeling settled over me. This wasn't the best part of town, but I held my head high and started walking closer to a service area. I could take care of myself.
From across the street, I heard someone say, “Come here often?”
I looked up and saw the same guy from Halfway Café leaning against his motorcycle, arms folded across his chest.
Twelve
I took him in, from the tattoos on his muscular arms to the way his ankles casually crossed over the other.
I glanced down at my dress and shrugged. “Typical Saturday night.”
“You're with the celebs?”
“Not anymore.”
He glanced around, taking in the empty street around us. “Need a ride?”
I looked down at my dress again and then at his motorcycle. “I'm not exactly dressed for it.”
The truth was, my heart was racing just thinking about it. Motorcycles were dangerous—I knew that at least—and what about this guy? I only knew that he delivered delicious Thai food and overly priced coffee. And that he had the most intense brown eyes I've ever seen in my life. Besides that? I had no idea. Why was he out this late? Why was he in this part of town?
What was his name?
“Oh, I get it,” he said, shadows crossing his angular face. “You're afraid.”
My chin immediately jutted out, like my body knew I was not to be challenged. “Of course not.”