Page 31 of Slow Burn
With a sigh, I tore my eyes away from him and continued walking.
"I'm sorry."
This time when I came to a halt, I spun around and faced him.
His uneasiness was clear as day when he shuffled from one foot to the other. One of his hands scrubbed over the back of his neck, the action making his tatted bicep pop deliciously. "I shouldn't have been so rude."
I crossed my arms in front of me and popped my hip. "When are you referring to exactly? You know, since rude has pretty much been your default setting."
He winced. Only slightly but I didn't miss it. "Right." The word slowly rolled off his tongue. "How 'bout I start with Monday?" I narrowed my eyes but didn't say anything. "It wasn't my intention to snap. I just got so damn frustrated with you and that open door."
I parked my hands on my hips and glared at him. "You kinda have the wrong definition of an apology."
He brought both his hands up and dragged his fingers through his hair and over his neck. "Sorry." His sexy as sin voice was laced with so much defeat, it made my heart ache. "I haven't done this in a long time."
Taking pity on him, I half-smiled. "Apology accepted. This time." It was quite a sight to see his massive shoulders sag with relief. "I'll see you around, Adam." For the third time, I turned and walked away from him. Only this time the slightest smile touched my lips.
15
MADDIE
"Ooooh, that one looks promising."
I glared at Frankie over the salted rim of my margarita glass. We'd barely arrived at Oven and Vine for a girls' night out when she started looking for potential hookups…for me. Licking my lips, I set my glass down on the coaster and glared some more.
"What? You're not even going to look?" She leaned sideways and cast an appraising look to someone or something over my shoulder. "You're missing out," she mused. "He's got that tall, dark, and handsome thing down pat."
I dragged my finger up and down the smooth surface of the stem of my glass. "You know," I said dryly, "I came out to have a few drinks with my friend." I stabbed my index finger in her direction. "That would be you, by the way."
"Yeah, but you need some action too, and what kind of friend would I be if I didn't try and make that happen." Frankie curled her tongue around the straw sticking out of her fruity drink and waggled her perfectly shaped brows. Once the straw was nestled between her puckered lips, she sucked up a good amount of alcohol.
I shifted my focus, choosing to aim my frown at the countertop instead of my friend. When she'd texted me earlier in the day, I'd thought a night out was the kind of distraction I needed to help me forget about a certain six-foot-something man who seemed to have the ability to look straight into my soul.
But now that I was out, all I wanted to do was go back home and sort through the mess inside my head. Because really, Adam should not be taking up so much of my thoughts. I shouldn't care about how he got those scars. Or what had happened to make him so angry at the world. And I most definitely should not have been thinking about his mouth or how badly I wanted it on mine.
"Evening, ladies."
At the sound of the smooth voice to my right, I shot a death stare at the woman to my left. It did not discourage her one bit. She raised her hand and wiggled her fingers at the man next to me.
"Can I get you something to drink?" My eyeroll could not be stopped. "Maybe a glass of wine, or perhaps you'd like a refill of what you're having?" My eyes narrowed at Frankie's twitching lips. She knew how much I hated wine.
"I'm good, thanks," I answered as I turned to face him. He was incredibly handsome. Like he could be on the cover ofGQhandsome. A big, friendly smile showed off perfect teeth. There was no scruff covering his chiseled jaw, and even though I couldn't make out the color of his eyes in the dimly lit bar, I could still see them sparkle.
Yeah, this guy certainly did not want for female attention. And yet I didn't feel the tiniest bit of interest.
He stuck out his hand, the smile on his face spreading wider. "Jack."
I eyed his hand before gingerly slipping mine into his. "Maddie." Jack's fingers curled around mine and I waited. Waited for a zip of electricity. A fluttering low in my belly. Anything really.
It never came.
As irrational as it may have seemed, I blamed Adam for this. Before he came along, a guy like Jack would have piqued my interest. Hell, I might've been tempted to see where the rest of the night might lead.
But because some deeper part of my being was so unfathomably drawn to Adam, the prospect of a guy like Jack didn't entice me whatsoever.
"Maddie." Instead of getting those pesky little goosebumps at the sounds of my name, I wanted to scrunch up my nose. "Forgive me for being forward." He smoothed down his tie with his free hand; the other one was still firmly wrapped around mine. "But have you had dinner yet? I'd be so honored if you'd join me."
I was going to kill Frankie. The moment Mr. Polite over here released my hand, I was going to jab my friend in the boob. Slowly retrieving my captive hand, I pasted a polite smile on my face. "I've actually already eaten, but thanks anyway." It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him that my dear, dear friend was famished, but I let the words roll away.
