Page 62 of Loverboy

“You mean I know you won’t?” he said mildly, turning his attention to his menu.

“I totally will. I try new things all the time.”

“Go on, then,” he taunted, without even looking my way. “Let’s see it.”

He didn’t have to. The smugness was dripping out of his pores and bleeding through that stupid fucking sweater vest he had on, permeating the air in a way that made me choke. Would it be considered causing a scene if I reached out and strangled him with his tie?

“I’m sorry,” Allison cut in from beside Anthony, grinning. “Do you two need a room?”

Laughter erupted around the table.

My throat turned dry, the tingling sensation of heat creeping up my neck as the memory of the house party tormented me once more. I felt Jasper’s attention shift fully onto me, all too interested in my reaction to the playful teasing. I risked a glance, catching his raised brows and parted lips.

No one knew. I hadn’t told anyone. I hadn’t even talked to him about it. All I needed to do was act normal. Say something witty. Anything.

Nothing came out.

“Alright, on the house as promised,” the server interrupted us before I could speak, emerging at the end of the table with a tray of bottled wine and glasses. “A Pinot Noir. Light, fruit-forward. It pairs well with the game on the menu.”

She talked through the unique dishes they had on rotation, but I hardly heard any of it over the pounding of my heart. I watched quietly as she distributed the glasses around the table and began pouring. Before I knew it, she was back at our end of the table, notepad in hand.

“Is everyone ready to order?”

The table agreed unanimously.

“I’ll get the seared scallops,” Jasper started, his gaze drifting over to me.

Fuck.

He nudged my leg with his beneath the table, draping one arm lazily behind his chair and gesturing for me to get on with it. I stepped on his foot in retaliation, and he didn’t even flinch, responding with little more than an expectant blink.

I was going to kill him.

“I’ll get the salmon.”

28

Jasper

I HADN’T GOTTEN to the bottom of why Milo was acting like such a little shit, but my first instinct was always to tease him. More often than not, he’d snap out of it with a little playful banter. When he’d threatened to stab me over seating arrangements, I nearly lost my poker face. His methods were a little unconventional, but I recognized them for what they were.

He wanted to keep me close.

It had been years since Milo had leaned on me like this, and I drank it up like a man starved. Nothing frustrated me quite like watching him move from person to person, desperate for affection. They didn’t even have to be his type—as long as they showered him with attention, he’d convince himself that he was in love with them. The relationship would inevitably fall apart, leaving my brother with nothing but a broken heart. And yet, as awful as it was, I couldn’t help but savour these moments, as they were the only times when he would return to me once more. If only he would give up on these relationships and stay close to me, I’d make sure he never got hurt again. Unfortunately, I’d come to terms with the fact that Milo couldn’t live without someone to obsess over a long time ago. He just wasn’t wired to be single.

“The salmon?” Our server presented the dish, perhaps having forgotten which one of us had ordered it, judging by the way she slid the plate in front of me.

“Oh, no,” I drawled, pushing it directly in front of Milo with a healthy dose of prolonged eye contact and a shit-eating grin. “That’s for him.”

Milo gripped his nearly empty wine glass, and if looks could kill, I’d have been six feet under. Thankfully, the only thing his glare accomplished was making my heart squeeze. My fingers twitched with an ache to reach out and pinch his cheek, or to massage the deep-set V that had formed between his brows.

Cute.

“And the scallops,” she continued, setting my plate down next.

Everyone’s dishes looked beautiful—so much so, I wondered if shedding a tear would be too dramatic. Food was one of the few things I was passionate about, and most of the menu was intended to be shareables, so I was eager to try some of everyone else’s choices.

“You gonna take a picture of it?” Milo teased, having seemingly recovered from his earlier embarrassment.