Page 232 of One More Kiss

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Simon was takingthe first pull of his beer when his breath was taken away for the second time that night.

When Bailey entered a room, it was as if everything else shrank away knowing it couldn’t compare to her. She was absolutely stunning, and the fact that her date had obviously ended early had him angry. What had her date done to piss her off? Because the look on her face was definitely irritation.

“Brooklyn, I owe you so much,” Bailey said as she took her seat at the table.

“That bad, huh?” Brooklyn asked with a smirk. She was tucked into Tucker’s arm, and the closeness had Simon jealous. Not because of Brooklyn but because he wanted that kind of intimacy, the beginning of a lifetime with someone.

“First off, he took me to a restaurant known for their steaks and then orders vegetarian. Which wouldn’t have been a big deal had he not continued to tear apart my life choices after that.”

“Seriously?” the woman Simon knew as Emma said in disgust.

“Seriously,” Bailey confirmed. “He wondered why I was ‘just a designer’ and why I didn’t ‘do more.’ Ugh, I should have known better.”

“Sorry it didn’t go well,” Simon said easily. “Guy sounds like a jackass.”

Her eyes met his, and his heart stammered in his chest. “I’m glad to see you didn’t just order pizza.” She smiled. “And yes, he definitely was. Different food choices and political beliefs I can handle, but start attacking my career, and we have a problem.”

“He got into political beliefs on the first date?” Pam asked, surprised.

“Oh yeah, big time.”

“Well, did you at least get to eat your steak?” Adam, Lillian’s fiancé, wondered.

Bailey shook her head. “Luckily, Brooklyn came to my rescue before that happened.”

“Hey, guys!” The gorgeous Italian that Simon knew as Ada walked up to the table with a man who looked less than thrilled to be spending time with a group. He was covered in black leather and the parts of his skin exposed by the t-shirt he wore were completely covered in ink.

Simon’s back went up, something about the way the man was looking at everyone had him on edge. He felt a hand on his arm and looked over to see Bailey touching him while telling the story of their first encounter at the apartment.

He couldn’t hear anything else because his blood began to pound in his ears at the sight of her hand on his arm. What was it about this woman that had him feeling so out of control?

“So, yeah, Simon had to witness me in a towel earlier,” she finished, and the table erupted in laughter.

“That must have been quite a sight.” The man who sat down next to Ada said smoothly.

Simon’s fist clenched around the bottle of beer he was drinking. Who the hell was this douche?

“So, Simon, feel like joining us for poker night Thursday?” Adam asked. “We get together once a week at my place.”

“That sounds great, man, thanks,” Simon said with a smile.

“You’re welcome to join, too, Kep.”

The douche sitting next to Ada flashed a grin and leaned back in his seat. “Thanks, man, but I got plans that night.”

Simon didn’t miss Ada straightening in her seat. Something about their relationship was off, and he made a mental note to ask Tucker about it later.

“Did you get settled?” Bailey asked him as the rest of the table broke off into their own conversations.

He nodded. “Somewhat. I didn’t have much to get settled.”

“I noticed. I’m going grocery shopping tomorrow night after work if you want to join.”

He smiled. “That’d be great, thanks.”

She turned away, and Simon made another silent reminder to himself—he was going to find a way to get Bailey on a date. A good one that didn’t end with her needing to be rescued.

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