My throat still burned from the glass of straight liquor I’d just downed, which I’d pulled from Colson’s fingers as soon as I stopped in front of his barstool, shooting back the drink before he had a chance to protest.
“We’re just getting started?” He smirked. “How?”
He was referencing the statement I’d barked at him before I stole his cocktail. A statement that had fallen from my lips without even thinking of what I wanted to say to him.
I should already be walking home—my condo was only a block from here. But once the four of us had gotten up from the table, I sped off to the restroom. My whole purpose of going in there was to cool off. My emotions were getting the better of me. The sink water I splashed on my face didn’t help, nor did the deep breathing as I stared at myself in the mirror. The two only worked me up more.
And whatever this was—this feeling consuming my chest and making my hands shake—I needed to get it out.
When I exited the restroom and saw he was still here, I knew it wasn’t by chance. An opportunity had presented itself, and I needed to take advantage.
“I—”
My voice was cut off by the bartender, who asked, “Would you like another round?”
“Yes,” Colson and I answered at the same time, not taking our eyes off each other.
“Why don’t you take a seat, Sophie?”
I grimaced. “I’d rather stand.”
He turned toward me, putting his back to the bar. “Go ahead, then. Say what you have to say.” He glanced down for a second, and when he lifted his head, looking at me through his incredibly long lashes, his smile was smug. “For what it’s worth, I’m shocked you have more you want to say to me. Since you running into me in Fort Lauderdale is nothing short of a nightmare, I would think the last thing you’d want to do is spend more time in my presence.”
“I don’t want to spend time with you. That’s not what this is.”
“No? Then what is it, Sophie?”
My feet pushed harder into the ground. “Stop saying my name.”
It reminded me of our time together at Lush—not that he had used it repeatedly while we were there, but it was the control that had pulsed through each of his syllables; the dominance in his tone brought me right back.
And back there wasn’t where my mind needed to be. It needed to stay in the present, on a face that made me furious, an attitude that clawed at my patience, a scent that made me want to lose my sense of smell entirely.
“But it is your name.” He waited a beat. “Or should I call you Mrs. Rivers?”
My neck craned back. “Why would you do that?”
“It’s what my daughter calls you. Although you don’t wear a ring, I’m assuming there’s a reason she uses that specific honorific.”
This conversation was completely off track, but my curiosity was winning.
“You think I’m married?”
“I don’t know anything about you.” He picked up his new drink, leaving mine on the bar top.
“Why would I be a member of Lush if I were married?”
The bar lights were illuminating his already-tanned face. He’d only been in Florida for a day, according to what Hayden had told me at some point, and the man was already rocking a glow. Damn him. And damn him for looking even hotter because of it.
“Listen, I don’t judge anyone’s circumstance. Everyone has a different motive for being there.”
My weight shifted while I laughed. “And you assume mine is because I’m in an unfulfilled marriage?”
“I don’t assume a thing. All I know is that you’re a mother.” His riveting green eyes never left mine. “Somehow, someway, that baby was created inside you. That I do know.”
I smiled, but it wasn’t out of happiness. “You really know nothing at all …”
He finally took a drink. “Are you going to explain what the hell you’re talking about?”
