Page 26 of Tempting Fate

How is this so fucking awkward? It wasn’t supposed to be. That was why I said no in the first place—so that it wouldn’t be awkward when we hung out again. Maybe if I’d just—

I get a flash of sensation, skin on skin, a faint moan, and choke on air.

Jamie stares at me again, but now he looks unimpressed. “Fuck, are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah, I—” I’ve set my glass down, but Em gets to it first. He places a hand between my shoulder blades as he presses it into my grip.

“Here.”

I suck in a breath at that touch, which sets off more coughing, and Jamie looks like he wants to reach for me, too, but he holds back. After a few seconds, I get myself under control.

Em’s touch lingers, but he drops his hand when I stand straight again. My face is aflame. “Sorry. Sorry, I—”

“Don’t worry about it,” Jamie says. The grin he directs at Em is brittle and too bright. “Having fun?”

If Em sees what I do, he doesn’t show it. “Of course. Your friends are all so nice.”

Cecile hears that, saving all the awkwardness when she leans over and gives Em a side hug. “You’re too sweet! We’ll have to get you over to the gym some time after it opens. Dax should be running a class, you know?”

“You are?” Jamie asks.

“The gym?” Em says in a quiet, horrified voice at the same time.

“Not a big fan?” Vince laughs. It’s not mean, though, and Em seems to recognise that.

“I’ve never been to one.”

I sweep my eyes over him, and when I turn my head, I catch Jamie doing the same thing. We both exchange an incredulous look—yeah, Em isn’t bulky or anything, but he’s in good shape—and then like Jamie realises what we’ve just done, he scowls and stares into his glass again.

“…played cricket when I was in school, but that was a million years ago, so…”

“And no interest in football,” Nick says with an exaggerated sigh. I’ve missed some of the conversation, distracted by Em and Jamie both, and there’s a sudden itch under my skin.

Something is wrong.

I need to fix it.

Last orders are at half past ten, and Vince and Dax get the final round, which we all drink as the pub clears out. Leo faintly leers at Em as he leaves, pausing only to wink at me when he sees he’s got my hackles up. Dickhead. He knows better, but I think he’s trying to wind me up, which is even more annoying.

“Time to go,” Cecile says after she finishes the last of her wine. She raises an eyebrow at Vince. “Don’t you have a class in the morning?”

“Not until ten.” He shrugs his jacket on, and Dax throws an arm around his shoulders. Everyone else is getting their stuff, too, and when he swings his jacket around to put it on, Em brushes up against my side.

“Sorry,” he says, smiling. I hear Vince and Dax leave, Vince still chattering to Cecile, and the change in scents tells me that Flynn, Jamie, and Nick have followed them out.

“Are you, um…”

Em blinks at me. His glasses suit him, but I wonder what he’d look like without them.

“Am I what?”

“Do you want to get a drink?” The words come out too fast, all bumping into each other, but surprise flickers over Em’s face all the same. “Some time. With me.”

“Like a date?”

“Yes.”

“Aren’t you and Jamie together? Or exes.” His eyes narrow. “You’re not the guy—”

“No! Fuck, no. We’ve never—We’re not—” I’m not Tim. Fucking hell. I don’t want him thinking that.

His expression clears quickly, but he doesn’t smile, and he doesn’t say yes. “Let me think about it?”

“Okay.”

“Give me your number.”

It’s a firm statement, not quite a command, but I don’t bristle. I take his phone when he passes it to me, instead, and input the number and my name. My wolf lets out a little huff. Yeah, it’s not quite what we want, but my mate has my number. He has a way of contacting me.

Em pockets his phone again and stares at me for a moment. His expression is closed, and his scent gives nothing away that I couldn’t already assume—some reluctance, some hesitation, but he’s attracted to me too, so that softens the blow.

“Come on, Patch,” he says finally. “It’s time to go.”