If We Dare - J.H. Croix Page 0,52

you to keep your fucking mouth shut.”

“You can count on that. Well, except for Shay. I basically tell her everything. But she’ll stay quiet. Plus, she already picked up on it, so it won’t be coming from me,” Jackson offered with a knowing grin.

“Oh hell,” I muttered before draining my beer.

At that moment, Dawson came striding across the bar, hooking his hand on the back of a chair nearby and spinning it around as he sat down at our table. “Hey, y’all. Sorry I’m late. Evie made me drive.”

“I take it that means you’re not drinking,” I teased as I watched Evie walking in with Shay, Dani, Valentina, and Jade.

“I’ll pass. I could have one beer, but I’m just here to give y’all moral support.”

“Are the other guys showing up?” I asked.

“What? You think I know everyone’s schedule?” Dawson countered.

Jackson leveled his gaze on Dawson. “Yes. You always know everything, dude.”

Dawson gave an easy shrug and a grin. “Boone and Grace are out, because I guess she wanted to watch a movie at home and their cat’s not feeling well. Wade says he’ll be on his way shortly. Dani said he went home to shower first. Lucas is home with his daughter since Valentina’s out with the girls,” Dawson explained, effectively demonstrating Jackson’s point.

I didn’t even want to contemplate the sense of relief that passed through me. I was being an idiot about Jade as it was, but Lucas’s presence certainly complicated matters. I knew I needed to chat with him sooner rather than later.

Because, against all fucking odds, I was falling for Jade. I knew it, and I didn’t even care. I only hoped I wasn’t alone in it.

Every time I thought about Jade, emotion twined within my need for her like a vine, all the stronger as the fibers wound together. The word love feathered along the edges of my thoughts, and I shied away every time. Because I knew what it was to lose someone who mattered. I also knew what it was to let someone down.

I lost track of the conversation for a moment when I looked across the bar toward Jade. She was laughing at something. She had a glass of wine in her hand and was leaning her head back to take a sip. When it came to Jade, lust was my new master. My entire body vibrated with it from nothing more than a glance in her direction.

Dani reached for her drink from the bartender, and the group of women turned and began to approach our table. Jade’s eyes caught mine from across the room. It felt as if that master cracked a whip, the snap of it sharp and electrifying. It sent a fiery sizzle through the air between us.

Evie had reached our table and was resting her hand on Dawson’s shoulder when Jackson murmured, so low I barely heard him, “Oh, fuck.”

“What is it?” Shay asked when she stopped beside him, her brow furrowing in concern.

Jackson caught my eye before nudging his chin in a direction beyond my shoulder. Glancing over, I saw a man I’d never seen before walking out of the back hallway toward the bar.

Shay had followed Jackson’s eyes as well. “Oh no.” She looked at me. “You need to get Jade out of here.”

Confused, I asked, “What are y’all talking about?”

Jade reached the table, hearing my question. “What’s going on?” It didn’t appear she’d heard Shay’s comment.

My gut gave a decisive vibe when I saw the man who stopped by the bar. I didn’t trust him. Not one bit. The hairs on the back of my neck rose. He was unremarkable—average height and average build with brown hair. He wore jeans and a T-shirt with a pair of tennis shoes.

Jade’s face froze the moment she saw the man. I knew without being told that this had to be the guy who tried to spike her drink. Or rather, had spiked her drink but an observant waitress had prevented anything else from happening.

I was standing before I realized what I was doing. Meanwhile, Evie stepped away from Dawson’s side and grabbed Jade’s hand. “Don’t even go over there. It is not worth it.”

Jackson stood with me and spoke right at my shoulder. “Don’t make a scene, man. Jade won’t appreciate that.”

“Doesn’t pretty much everybody know what the hell went down? Why is he even here? I thought he got arrested,” I muttered.

Shay had rounded the table to stand beside Jackson. Dani reached us and answered my question. “He