Deadly Coincidence (Brantley Walker Off the Books #4) - Nicole Edwards Page 0,46
polar opposite of JJ, and he wasn’t sure that was a bad thing right now. Considering the woman he was in love with had left him high and dry so she could go traipsing after her ex-boyfriend, maybe it was time he found someone who could take his mind off Jessica James. Even if for only one night.
“Here, take mine,” Cyrus offered, standing. “I’ve gotta make the rounds.”
Dragging his attention away from the woman whose flirty smile had turned coy, Baz nodded, said, “Thanks, man.”
When he took a seat, Baz noticed Brantley glancing at his phone.
Reese obviously noticed, too, because he leaned in, resting his forearms on the table, staring over at the man. “You’ve been watchin’ your phone for half an hour now. There a problem?”
Baz watched the crease form in Brantley’s forehead as he stared at the screen. “JJ was supposed to text me when she left HQ.”
“That’s my fault,” Baz told him. “I waited for her. We stopped at the diner for coffee.”
There was a hint of relief on the man’s face mixed with an inkling of confusion. “And yet you’re now here.”
One of the waitresses—a pretty redhead named Lydia—hurried by, tapping him on the shoulder as she did. “Usual?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
She shot him a quick, playful wink. “Comin’ right up.”
There was something to be said about frequenting a bar in a small town, something he’d never done until he came to work for the task force. He’d always been a big-city guy. Nightclubs, one right after the other, keeping him entertained for hours on end.
“Didn’t go well with JJ?” Brantley prompted when Baz turned back to them.
Hell, he’d thought it was going in the right direction, right up until… “Dante called,” he announced, “interrupted our conversation.”
He saw the shift in Brantley as the man sat taller, eyes going hard. “What did he want?”
To profess his undying love? To convince her they belonged together forever and ever? To see if she’d feed his fish while he was out of town? Or walk his dog? It could’ve been any number of things, but Baz was already assuming the worst.
However, he wasn’t going to admit that aloud. “She didn’t say, just hightailed it outta there. Said she had to go meet him.”
“Where?”
Baz shrugged. He hadn’t gotten the details, and he wasn’t sure he would’ve wanted them had he thought to ask.
“What the fuck does Dante want?” Brantley grumbled.
Since it sounded rhetorical, Baz didn’t bother to answer.
“Son of a bitch,” Brantley muttered.
“Are you texting her?” Reese asked when Brantley began keying something into his phone.
“Yeah. She told me she’d text me when she got home, too. She owes me that much.”
“I’m sure she’s fine,” Reese stated. “She’s a big girl. Knowin’ her, she’s already hip deep in an argument. That seems to be how the two of them communicate.”
Baz knew very little about JJ’s relationship with Dante, past or present.
“She hasn’t talked to him in a couple of months,” Reese tacked on. “Dante, I mean. I know that much.”
Baz nodded, glanced around for the waitress. It really wasn’t his business. He had no claim on JJ. She’d made it very clear that wasn’t what she wanted from him, and despite how much he loved her—and he did, there was no doubt—Baz had no desire to beat his head against a brick wall over and over again.
Thankfully the waitress swung by, quickly passing him his beer.
“Thanks.”
“I’ll be back to check on you in a bit,” she said in a seductive whisper, her hand gently curling over his shoulder.
Baz glanced at her hand, up to her face, saw the invitation there.
Tilting the beer to his lips, he watched her sashay away, admired the way those jeans hugged her cute little ass.
His gaze snagged on the blonde at the next table. She was watching him, her lashes fluttering, another shy smile on her mouth. He tried to imagine what she’d look like with her perfectly coifed hair mussed from rolling around beneath him.
The sad part was, he couldn’t picture it no matter how much he wanted to.
And yes, he fucking wanted to. More than he cared to admit. Baz was not the sort of man who wanted to be slogging after some woman like a lovesick puppy, and that seemed to be all he’d done since the day he met JJ. Where had it gotten him, huh? Here on New Year’s. Alone while JJ was off with Dante doing God only knows what.
When Baz turned back, he swore he saw sympathy on Brantley’s face.