Page 32 of Swept Away
“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me,” I add, this time offering him a genuine grin.
He leans toward me again and places a kiss on my cheek, and his gesture is so unexpected that I turn to stone.
This is such a big deal for us since our lips have never touched before.
I try to understand the significance of this kiss while he shifts his focus back to the table and continues his conversation with his friend.
Carter’s eyes hover over my face a few times, his stare brushing mine just as many times.
He seems perfectly aware of everything that happens between Mason and me.
Every little touch, his leaning into me, the smiles curling my lips.
He also has something else in his stare, a genuine curiosity about me outside my dynamic with Mason.
Something tightens in my chest every time he does that, and I swear it has to do with being wanted by Mason and having both men’s attention on me at the same time.
“How is your fish?” Monique asks, talking around a bite of pizza.
It’s the first time she’s talked to me since we got seated at the table, and it takes me some time to answer.
“It’s good. Very good, in fact.”
“Can I have some of that? I want to taste it before I order it for myself.”
“Sure, help yourself.”
She’s a little weird in how she picks a tiny piece of fish I haven’t touched and then, satisfied with how good it tastes, signals to a waiter.
Carter places the order for her, while I slide my plate back.
A few jokes about women sharing stuff ring in the air, and I smile at a few, still unsettled about this girl.
The good thing is that once we leave the restaurant, she only talks with Carter.
She’s all over him as if a different personality has taken over her, and I watch them in silence, keeping to myself.
Once we reach the car, she and I go in the back and no longer interact.
The other good thing is that the club we hit later is on the outskirts of town, and there are plenty of parking spots in the front.
The night is young, and it’s getting cold, and I shiver a little as a gust of wind blows over my shoulders.
Draping an arm around my shoulders, Mason presses me into his body, giving me the warmth that I need.
Boy, the crowd is loud when we walk in.It’s a club, so what should I expect?
We find a spot at the bar where we, the girls, squeeze ourselves into the bar stools while the men stand next to us.
Once that happens, I’m no longer close to the man who’s invited me here.
As much as I’d like something different, that’s what happens in a group.
Monique sits next to me, and she’s as loud as I expected her to be.After downing her first drink, she talks all the damn time.
Mason and Carter are reserved, nursing their drinks and mostly observing me, and once in a while, engaging me.
Carter is as handsome as they come. Tall. Athletic. Dark hair. Fiery eyes. Wrapped in the kind of silence that speaks more than a string of words would.
