Page 44 of Touch My Shelves

Adan’s eyes light with smugness. “When I kissed your cheek, I thought he was going to march over here and knock me out, but his friends held him back.”

I cover my laugh with my napkin. “That’s um…my boss, Brax Sullivan.”

His gaze connects with mine. “And he’s the one?”

I shrug. “I don’t know if I can claim that. I thought so, but then he…”

“Fucked it up?” Adan finished.

“That about sums it up.”

Adan leans back in his chair and looks me directly in the eye. “Well, we can play this one of three ways. We can continue to have a pleasant dinner and forget the chum is here. Or I can excuse myself to go the restroom so he can come over and take my place. Or we can have some fun with him and I can make him regret whatever fool thing he did to you.”

My brows pull together over the interesting options. “Exactly how would we do that?”

“I can scoot over closer and play with your hair, nuzzle your neck, put my arm around you.”

I consider it, but it doesn’t feel right. I don’t play games. “That does sound like fun, but it isn’t me. How about option two?”

“Of course.” Adan pushes his chair back and stands, but then he leans over and brushes another kiss against my cheek and whispers, “But don’t expect me to make it easy for him.”

I giggle and grin.

Adan isn’t even out of sight before Brax is lowering into the now vacant chair. I watch in astonishment as he nods to the waiter and points to Adan’s plate. In moments, the waiter removes the place setting, replacing it with a new water glass and napkin.

Once all signs of Adan having been my date are gone, Brax finally lifts his gaze to mine. “Hello, Poppy.”

My mouth opens to give him hell for the audacity of butting into my date, but then it closes when I’m confused aboutwhyhe’s butting into my date. He’s acting jealous and that doesn’t play with how he broke things off. “What are you doing?”

His jaw clenches and a flicker of something crosses his face. “Saving you from making a huge mistake.”

I can’t figure him out. “Having dinner with a charming man is a mistake?”

His serious gaze meets mine. “He’s not for you, Poppy. He’s much too self-absorbed. I mean, just look at what he wears.”

There’s nothing wrong with the blazer and slacks Adan wore tonight. From being around Naudi, I know they’re designer and expensive.

“Where’s Freeya?” I ask, not sure what’s happening. My rapidly beating heart thinks something monumental is getting ready to occur. My jaded brain doesn’t believe it.

He takes a sip from the water glass like he has all the time in the world. “She’s sleeping over at Carly’s tonight.”

“Oh,” I reply, distractedly. He’s gone to a lot of trouble. Or he’s simply taken his friends out for dinner.

Except he never goes out.

The back-and-forth hopefulness is giving me whiplash.

“How’s the date going?” Brax pauses and scowls on the word “date” like it gives him indigestion to say.

“It’s good. Adan is a very nice man.”

The muscles on the left side of his face twitch as he swallows. “Were you planning on going home with him?”

His question hits me wrong. “That’s none of your business.”

“He wants to fuck you, Poppy.” He snarls as he stares sullenly back at me.

I gasp at his bad-mannered response. My chin tips defiantly. “Whether I sleep with him or not is also none of your business.”

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