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“I am a big boy, and I’ll be there,” I said curtly, cutting her off. Then I thought for a second. “Want me to drive you?”
“I thought you had to check your schedule?” she said smugly as she bit her lip. She returned to what she was doing but kept talking. “As far as a ride, no, I don’t need one, but thanks for the offer. I’m going to walk from the restaurant to the karaoke bar since it’s so close. I could use the exercise, plus if I’m early, I’ll just sit and enjoy the music.”
I scoffed. “You do not need exercise. You run almost daily, and your body is fucking perfect.”
She blushed and bit her lip again. As she turned and walked away, she smirked. “See you later… if your schedule is free.”
She knew damn well I wasn’t checking my schedule. Why did it make me so mad, yet so intrigued, that she could already read me like a book? I feel like I just got played into going there tonight. Honestly, it doesn’t matter. All I know is that I want to, and I will ruin their date if it’s the last thing I do.
After dinner, I walked with her to the karaoke bar. That way, if we drank too much, we could just rideshare home. Plus, the thought of her walking alone at night worried me for some reason. She is anything but a delicate flower, and I’m 90% sure she could kick ass if she needed to. We walked in silence the whole way to the bar.
Dan was ready and waiting to hug her. He picked her up and twirled her around and commented about her ass and how good she looked. I can’t believe she didn’t punch him. Instead, she smiled and smacked his chest like she was flirting. Then he walked over to get us drinks.
I wasn’t sure if it was jealousy before, but now I know it is exactly that. An image of me punching him for talking to her that way just flashed in my brain. I felt myself getting angrier with every smile and slight touch on the arm he gave her. I finally started calming down when he introduced us to everyone at the table. His friends were actually cool, which made my dislike for him suck even more.
Aubrey got up on stage and sang a few songs, which surprised me since she was the one who told me she doesn’t usually do that without her guitar. Aubrey was good, like really fucking good. She even did a duet with one of Dan’s friends.
Everything was going great, but then my mood went sour when Dan asked her to dance, and she accepted. She quickly looked back at me when she walked away, but I caught it. I watched them dance to a few songs. I never took my eyes off her; I literally couldn’t. She looked phenomenal tonight. I saw her whisper in his ear, and then he walked my way.
“Hey, Aubrey told me to get you off your ass and go dance with her.” He motioned over to where they had been dancing.
I looked at him, baffled. “I thought you were on a date with her. Why would you let her dance with me?”
His eyebrow quirked up, and a laugh billowed out of him. “I’ve only known Aubrey for a few days or so, and I could be totally off base here, but I don’t think anyone ‘lets’ Aubrey do anything. You should ask her why I’m ‘letting’ you dance together; the answer might surprise you.” He didn’t even look back at her as he walked away.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Aubrey
As Lincoln walked toward me, I couldn’t help the smile that covered my face. He looked so confused and a bit mad. I saw him watching me the entire time I was dancing. I knew it was time to put him out of his misery. When he finally reached me, I started breaking his stones a little.
“Hey, Mr. Grumpy Butt, why do you look so upset? This is supposed to be a fun night.” It was meant to be funny or sassy, but he didn’t think so.
He pulled me close and put one of his hands on my lower back, almost touching my ass like he was being possessive. My breath caught in my throat when my body hit his. He hadn’t touched me since the day we kissed, and I didn’t realize how much I had missed and craved his touch until right now. He slid his other hand into mine, lacing our fingers together. He stared at our hands joined together for a moment. Then our eyes met. He looked…different. It felt like I was just now seeing the real him for the first time. I wasn’t seeing the player who acts like he doesn’t have a care in the world. I saw a man who was genuinely hurt and actually cared enough to have a reaction.
“I’ve been watching you dance with your new boyfriend. He had his hands all over you.” My breath hitched again as his grip on me tightened. “What about that should be fun to me? I’m surprised he’s letting you dance with me. He’s a fucking idiot, but clearly he’s not worried about me. I wonder why that is? Did you tell him not to worry about me?” he asked.
I pushed back a bit to really look at him. Now I knew it was hurt that I saw reflected in his eyes.
“You sound jealous, sir.” I smiled, trying to break his anger, but it didn’t work. “You could have gotten up and danced too, you know?”
“I didn’t want to dance or spend time with anyone else, Aubrey,” he said in a way that I couldn’t misunderstand him if I tried.
“Link, I’m flattered by your jealousy, but…” I leaned into him and whispered, “You know Dan is gay, right?” I pointed over his shoulder. Dan was cuddled up next to his boyfriend, who had just walked in.
Link turned to look, and I saw the light blush creeping up his neck like he was embarrassed.
“Well, shit,” Link said with a bashful smile.
This man’s smile when he turned back to face me was something out of a movie. He was perfect. Why the hell does he have to be so close to August? Though I probably wouldn’t know him if he wasn’t. Why the hell do I have to be such a rule follower? I must be a glutton for punishment or something. Not that there is a rule for dating your dad’s foster son, but I feel like I just made up some rules to protect everyone involved.
He leaned his head down so his lips were near my ear. “You called me Link.”
He kissed the sweet spot behind my ear, and a shiver ran down my spine. He moved back a little to look into my eyes, but he didn’t let me go far.
I thought about it for a second. “I guess I did.” I smiled up at him. I placed my head on his shoulder as we kept dancing. I felt him gently rubbing one of his fingers up and down my spine. It was the sexiest and most intimate feeling I’ve ever had. It made my stomach flutter.
I pulled back a little to look at him.
