Page 17 of Make it Real
I wasn’tsure how many times I could fake a smile while simultaneously wanting to punch a guy, but tonight had to be a record. I’d dropped in on enough MMA classes with Harper to know how to do a little damage if it came down to it. The only real question, should I go for Greg’s jaw or his stomach?
I should have just called it a night after dinner and gone home, but I’d let him coax me into walking the two blocks to The Broken Hammer, and now, I guess he’d figured he could coax me into whatever else he wanted, too. I’d gotten myself into this uncomfortable situation, but I sure wasn’t going to do anything to make it worse.
“How have you never seenFight Club? It’s a classic.”
Greg ran the backs of his fingers over mine where they cupped my soda glass. I didn’t really think his praise of a movie about dudes beating each other to a pulp paired well with this level of flirting, but whatever. I moved my hand, looping it onto my other elbow, blocking him out.
“It’s not really my taste.”
He leaned closer. “What is your taste, Cassie?”
A laugh bubbled out of me, which I immediately regretted not so much because it was rude, but because he’d probably take it as encouragement. Getting my name wrong all night irritated enough, but saying it in a seductive way? Kind of hilarious.
“It’s Callie, and I like actual classics, like with Katharine Hepburn and Jimmy Stewart.”
“TheIt’s a Wonderful Lifeguy? I didn’t know he did anything else.”
Oh, he was definitely getting punched now.
“Seriously?Mr. Smith Goes to Washington?The Shop Around the Corner?The Philadelphia Story?Vertigo?” I could have gone on, but Greg’s blank look said not to bother.
“I’m more of an Oliver Stone, Quentin Tarantino guy.”
I hated it when guys made sweeping conclusions about me when they found out I read romance novels, so I didn’t want to be a judgey judgerson, but only liking violent movies wasn’t a huge turn on. “They’re not my favorites.”
Immune to my hints, he lowered his hand to my knee. I drew in a breath, my body turning to steel as if I could erase the contact. He’d been pretty decent at the restaurant, but walking into the bar had apparently switched on his unwelcome touches setting.
“You just haven’t seen the right ones. You know, my place is right around the corner. I’ll introduce you toFight Club.”
Not wanting to make too big of a deal out of it, I brushed his hand away without acknowledging it, like a bug or a piece of lint. “It’s pretty late to start a movie.”
“Then we can skip the movie.”
He probably thought his smile radiated charm, but I wanted to slap it off.
Just like he’d gone right on calling me Cassie despite my corrections, his hand went straight back to my leg—a smidge higher this time, to prove how thoroughly he ignored what I wanted. For Gran’s sake, I behaved as politely as I could on these set-ups, but this guy had crossed my personal boundaries one too many times. I made to brush his hand away again, gearing up to call it a night and steer clear of his presumptuous plans, but a man’s hand wrapped around his wrist before I got there.
Greg and I looked up to see Jed standing right behind us, eyes blazing fire. He lifted Greg’s hand away from me.
“I think it’s time for you to say goodnight.” He didn’t raise his voice or get in Greg’s face, but every word carried a threat. This was no friendly suggestion, but a command.
Greg, unfortunately, didn’t take commands very well. The contempt in his eyes as he looked Jed up and down made me want to roundhouse kick him straight in the teeth.
“I don’t know who you are, but she wants to be with me.”
Jed released his hand with the slightest shove, like tossing away a piece of trash. “You sure about that?”
Greg turned to me, but I couldn’t stop staring up at Jed. I’d never seen him so deadly serious. Usually, he was all fun and games, but tonight, he held a dangerous edge. His mouth almost had a smile to it, and anyone watching would probably think we were all buddies, but the steel in his brown eyes looked lethal.
I was no damsel in distress, but he had some A-plus rescuing going on here.
Remembering I should probably say something, I dragged my eyes away from Jed to face my craptacular date. “I don’t think this is going to work out, Greg.”
He goggled at me for a second—had he really thought I’d choose him over Jed? Wouldanyonechoose him over Jed? Greg might come in a fancier package with expensive clothes and a perfectly-styled haircut, but Jed’s wrinkly T-shirt, faded jeans, and mussed-up hair did more for me than Mr. Fancypants ever could. Jed’s innate confidence and appeal wasn’t a suit he put on, it was justhim. He didn’t have to try, he was just…Jed.
Oh. Oh, my sweet, stupid heart. I could not have a crush on Jed Evans. Sure, he’d just done some mighty fine rescuing, but he’d also been pretty vehement when he rejected my cuckoo fake dating proposal.Absolutely not.Plus, he was the bacheloriest bachelor in Magnolia Ridge. It’d be like getting a crush on Leonardo DiCaprio, which—ew. Not as bad as that, but in the same ballpark ofThis can’t possibly go anywhere.
I needed to use the logical part of my brain and stop ogling the man. In, like, five more minutes.
