Page 139 of Major Love

“Here.”

“No way,” she breathes out slowly, laughing again as she glances at Jason. “Well, okay then! I’m gonna head over there. It wasreallygood to see you again, though.”

And then she leans up to kiss his cheek, right there while I’m standing here, making Jason’s entire body tense as he grips me tighter.

The air practically freezes in my lungs.

“Right,” he says gruffly, giving Halle a quick nod, but he’s genuinely frowning now, his body language completely uncomfortable.

And I realise that I may not have liked seeing that but, way more importantly, Jason didn’t like it either.

He looks ready to rip off his own skin when Halle finally makes her way back to the dancefloor, his cheeks red with embarrassment as he searches for something on the counter.

I give Riley aone minutelook and turn around to face Jason.

And his hands instantly grip my hips, his chest heaving as he looks down at me.

“I’m sorry,” he says roughly, still looking frantically around on the counter.

“It’s okay,” I rasp softly. Then I glance at the bar. “What are you looking for?”

“Napkin,” he replies quickly. “Didn’t think she’d… try and do something like that.” And then he’s dropping his gaze to mine, his irises burning with a million different emotions. “I mean it, Sunday. I’m sorry. I wouldn’t have entertained that conversation for a minute if I thought that she was gonna–”

But before he can finish his sentence I dip my hand beneath my dress, gently slipping out the tiny emergency tissue that I usually keep tucked inside my bra.

And then I tap it carefully in the remaining lemonade, making sure that it’s wet enough to use.

Jason’s neck flames with heat, his hands tightening on my hips, and a low growl rumbles through his chest as I discreetly wipe the lipstick stain off his cheek.

Once it’s off, I toss the tissue into a bin behind the counter, and Jason’s palms splay over my lower back, pulling me tight against his chest.

“Maybe I should have used my claws,” I whisper teasingly, and he huffs out a laugh, a little more at ease now.

And he lowers his mouth to my ear, his stubble rasping against my cheek as he murmurs, “Save them for when I get you back in the truck.”

I pull back laughing breathlessly, and Jason releases a quiet chuckle of his own, and he tucks me against his chest as I face Riley again.

Whose charming smile is still in place, but there’s a new curiosity behind his sharp eyes.

I swipe my palms over my flushed cheeks, laughing nervously as I signal the bartender again.

I mean, the least that I can do right now is buy the guy who travelled all this way to make sure that I’m okay a drink, right?

“Sorry,” I say to Riley, swallowing nervously as I try to calm my emotions.

It’s such a weird thing when people from different parts of your life come together, and it’s been so long since I was in this environment that I’m a little overwhelmed.

“No problem,” Riley drawls out, but when I look up he’s watching me curiously.

And something about his expression… it just puts me on edge.

“Hey, so what you said to that chick back there,” Riley starts, that gravelly voice of his coming closer as he leans beside me on the counter.

“Which part?” I ask warily.

“The part about you moving away from Nashville.”

And my eyes fly up to his as my stomach flips.

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