Page 257 of A Matter of Time

“Yeah, I bet.” He nodded, leaning down to rest his forehead on mine. “But the way you’re acting is not friendly. Your whole vibe right now is ‘fuck off.’”

“Is it?”

“Yeah. I’ve counted nine guys that’ve tried to sit down, and they’ve all been shut down hard.”

I grunted, reaching up to put my hand around the back of his neck. “You wanna be number ten, Aid?” I sighed, letting my eyes drift closed. “You wanna take me home and fuck me?”

“Jory, you are such a tease,” he snapped at me, pulling back as I chuckled. “We both know you’d never even let me kiss you.”

I started on my fourth drink, which the waiter had dropped off. “There’s always a first time.”

“Jory—”

“Excuse me.”

We both looked up at the tall, dark-haired man hovering over us. He pointed at the chair where my jacket was. “Can I sit there?”

“Sure,” I said, grabbing my drink, snatching my jacket off the chair, and leaving fast.

I walked to a different table, higher and with barstools around it, and sat down.

“Jory, you’re such a prick,” Aiden scolded me as he walked up beside me and leaned on the table. “That guy was really hot, and he totally wanted to talk to you.”

“Whatever,” I grunted, leaning my chin on my hand to look at him. “So you wanna go get something to eat? I’m starving.”

“Jory, I’m here to pick somebody up. Unlike you, it’s work for me. I⁠—”

“No, it’s not,” I assured him. “There’s no guy in here you can’t have,” I said, looking around, my eyes finding Sam Kage. “Except him. You can’t have him.”

He chuckled. “You can’t have him, either, J. He’s straight.”

“You think so?”

“Look at him,” he said like I was nuts. “Yeah, J, he’s got the whole breeder vibe goin’ on.”

I checked out Sam Kage, and my stomach did a slow roll.

“Even you might let a guy like that sit with you, huh, J?”

“Maybe I would,” I said as Sam caught me staring and smiled.

“Oh shit,” Aiden moaned, watching Sam lever himself off the bar and start across the room, his eyes on me the whole time. “You know him?”

“Yes, I do.”

“God, Jory, how hot is he?”

“You have no idea,” I assured my friend.

He shivered as Sam Kage stepped up beside me, hand on the back of my neck.

“I want you to come outside and get in my car now.”

“I can’t do that,” I told him. “I’m here with friends.”

“This is bullshit. You made a date with me first.”

“And something came up.”