Page 30 of Fly Back to Me
“I’ll let him know,” he retorts.
“Oh, you reach a limit on arguing?” I ask, collecting a sip of my beer. “That’s shocking.”
“Contrary to popular belief, I’m not a fighter. Most of the time at least.” He utters that last sentence softly, practically under his breath. “I guess you just bring out the best in me.” Electric sparks burst inside me when he curls around my side, swiping the beer glass I just placed down. His tattooed hand is too quick for me to refute the gesture, and a mahogany aroma hypnotizes me regardless. “I’ll be sure to salvage your night, ma’am. Least I can do, yeah?”
“Lucky me,” I manage, my voice dripping with sarcasm.
And then he’s gone, the draft of his movement knocking into me.
“So, he’s a little rough around the edges …” Lauren trails off.
I close my eyes, my fingers pressing into both temples. “I swear I have a headache from talking to him. Emotional whiplash between hating him and drooling over his looks.”
“I won’t judge,” she assures, lifting her beer. “You do you, Liv.”
“Excuse me?”
My eyes pop open, greeted by Jake’s shy smile. “Yes?”
“My boss told me you weren’t satisfied with your drink. He insisted that I make you another one without charge. Would you like another?”
A cinderblock plants itself on top of my belly. “Your boss?” I ask.
“Yeah, Cade.” Jake cocks a golden brow, his upper body twisting in his black t-shirt. Then he points out Cade, who’s at the end of the bar serving customers. “He’s the owner.”
A pool of heat radiates along my cheeks, and I don’t have to look in a mirror to know I’m as bright as a maraschino cherry. Of course, when Cade flicks a glance my way, his smug expression says it all.
He won.
I swiftly rip my gaze from him, telling Jake another drink isn’t necessary. And after repeating the same question three more times, he eventually vacates the spot in front of me.
A hushed grunt slips from my lips, my chest leaning over my tangled forearms. “Can someone please tell me what I did to deserve this man’s presence in my life? He’s practically getting off on tormenting me.”
“There could be worse things,” Lauren jokes. “He could look like Gollum.”
I sigh, planting my palm on my forehead. “You’re ridiculous.”
“Come on,” she insists, tapping my upper arm. “It’s not like we have to come here anymore after this. Let’s just make the best of tonight since we’re already here. What do you think?”
My lips purse. “Yeah, I guess that’s true. No one’s forcing me to come here again, and there are plenty of other breweries we could visit after tonight.”
Lauren springs a grin from ear to ear, floating her beer glass between us. “To tonight.”
I roll my eyes, showcasing a smirk when I hail Jake back over.
Chapter 13
Olivia
The adjacent corridor to the entrance is our last stop before leaving the brewery.
I whip my head to the middle-aged man exiting the restroom next to the one Lauren’s in. Slumping farther into the wall, my eyes shy away from his presence. My lungs pitch before I lay my ankle across my opposite thigh, and on instinct, my fingers graze the part of my Chelsea boot that covers the jewelry.
Instantly, the grinding of the thin chain relieves the tightness just enough.
I’m safe.
I spin my head to the throng of people surrounding the bar, only for hazy movements to fan around my left periphery. Behind the front window, a tiny orange bulb pokes through the midnight, Cade’s mouth the catalyst of the light source. His legs straddle what I presume to be his motorcycle in the front parking space, one palm cupping his phone as his free fingersnestle the cigarette.
