Page 26 of Brazen

Oh shit.

Oh no.

Whoa. This was too much.

David’s eyes filled with tears. He set his fork down as a sob broke from his throat. “I guess I miss her, too.”

My eyes widened in panic. I glanced around the room, and the nearest diners had noticed the breakdown. Fuck.

I wasn’t sure what was worse–experiencing the world’s worst date or the humiliation of having Sam watch it fall apart after I told him to leave.

David snatched up his napkin and covered his mouth with it.

“I’m so sorry,” I murmured, trying to make David feel better.

Then looked over at Sam and grimaced.

I expected him to laugh at me. Gloat a little, maybe. But, instead, all I saw was his heated gaze. A laser focused on me, like I was the only person in the room. That a grown man wasn’t having a breakdown over his lasagna in front of me.

It was like he’d been waiting at an invisible line for me to fire the starter gun on this thing between us.

It was going to happen, and it was going to happen now.

Ready.

He tossed a twenty down on the bar.

Set.

He slid off his stool in one fluid motion, never taking his gaze off me.

Go.

“It, um, seems like maybe you aren’t quite ready to date,” I murmured.

Sam was making his way over. I had no idea what he was going to do when he got here, but I didn’t want him to humiliate David. The poor guy had been through enough.

“God, I’m sorry,” he sobbed. “I didn’t expect to fall apart like this.”

I shook my head. I reached out and patted his hand then pulled it away. “No, don’t be sorry. It’s fine. But, ah, I think maybe–”

“Hey, Clio, sorry to interrupt,” Sam said smoothly. “Ernie just called me because your cell is off. He said JT threw up.”

“Oh!” I jumped to my feet, sending my chair tipping behind me.

Sam caught it and slid it back into place. “I can give you a lift over there if you want. I was headed that way.”

I sent an apologetic look at David. “I’m sorry. My son is sick. I’m going to catch a ride home with Sam.”

“It’s okay.” David blew his nose in the cloth napkin. Gross. “You go. I ruined the date, anyway.”

Yeah, ya kinda did.

But for some inexplicable reason, I wasn’t the least bit annoyed. In fact, there was something akin to glee bubbling up in me. My pulse raced from the naughtiness of the jailbreak. Sam, my hot young hero, saving me from a horrible date.

I felt like a teenager again, ditching fifth period to make out in the field with Derek Jones.

I didn’t say anything else, not that Sam let me linger. With a hand at the small of my back, Sam whisked me out the back door of Orlando’s. My nipples were hard, and I was so wet and needy.