Page 47 of Burn Me Down

“Excuse me?”

“I’ve never had anyone jealous over me before. This is…this is a first. To answer your question though, no, I didn’t sleep with anyone, and I know that because Chase was pissed that I wouldn’t fuck anyone and bitches about it every so often.”

I sighed and looked away from his blue eyes that I wanted to drown in. “I want to believe you, but if you were both drinking, then how can he be so sure?”

“Chase wasn’t drinking much, and I’d never drank before because of my father and then being locked up. Nothing happened, I swear.”

“Hey stranger, I’ve missed your sexy ass,” the pretty brunette waitress said as she stepped up to the table. I looked at Derek and watched his eyes dart back and forth between the waitress and me. “Do you want your usual?”

“Yes, please. Beck, what would you like?”

I needed to get my emotions under control. As I slid out from the booth, I looked at the waitress. “I’ll have the same,” I said, then marched for the bathroom. Logic and emotions were rarely on the same page when it came to men, but up until this moment, mine aligned perfectly. Now, all my insecurities were steadily reaching the front of my mind.

“Why had I been so stubborn and insisted we come in here?” I mumbled as I pushed my way into the women’s bathroom.

Derek

“Ouch, what did you do,” Angel asked as we watched Beck march away.

“Honestly, I’m not sure what’s going on.”

Angel swung her eyes down to me and laughed. “Um…sweetie, that right there is what we call a jealous girlfriend.” Beck wasn’t officially my anything, but I wasn’t going to correct Angel. “She’s not happy about being here. Which number date is this?”

“This is our first official date.” I rubbed the back of my neck. That was also technically a lie.

Angel stopped smiling as she stared at me. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah why? The food is great here.”

“Oh, Sweetie, you just fucked up. Unless, of course, you’ve already decided you never want another date. Is that it?”

“No, I…she’s…fuck, I really like her.” Saying, I was hopelessly in love, seemed like too much to admit, but the stupid voice had been right. The longer she stayed the harder I was going to fall and now I never wanted to let her go.

Angel cocked a hip, and I suddenly felt like I was on trial. “So, just to be clear, you do like her?”

I sank back into the hoodie and wanted to disappear. “Yeah, of course.”

“Then you never should’ve brought her here for your first date. At least not until you had the talk.”

“What talk?”

“How much dating have you done?” I crossed my arms and glared at Angel. “Fine, you don’t have to say, but you should’ve had the ‘I like to watch other women’ talk. Is watching other women her thing? Does it get you both all hot? Like, does she want to jump you when you see other women together or have hot, angry sex?” I couldn’t answer a single question and shook my head slowly, and she lifted a brow at me.

“No offense, but I don’t come here for the show.”

“We know. That’s why we all love you. You tip generously, keep to yourself, never get handsy, and don’t offer to take us around back. But your girl doesn’t know that. All she knows is that you chose to bring her to a spot where people normally stare at naked women and….” She made a hand gesture like she was jerking off, and my jaw cracked as I clenched it tight.

“I don’t do that.”

“Again, not the point. Your girl doesn’t know that. See the error? I mean, it’s kind of a major fuck up unless a place like this is something she’s into.” Angel looked over her shoulder toward the bathroom. “Let’s put it this way. Say your girl asked you out and took you to an exotic male dancer club. Hot guys are coming up to your table and flirting with her because it’s their job, they’re calling her pet names, and she is smiling and flirting back. How would that make you feel?” She tapped the pen on her notepad. “Think on it. I’ll go get your food and let the girls know to give you two some space.”

“Thanks.”

Angel walked away, and I closed my eyes. Opening them, I tried to see this place from Beck’s point of view. There were a dozen guys in the front row smiling and tossing money on the stage while one of the dancers did her routine. Mostly naked waitresses were wandering around while some other girls perched on guest’s laps. This might have been the stupidest thing I’d ever done, and that was saying a lot with my track record.

When Beck came back from the bathroom, her face was neutral, but her eyes were cold as she took in her surroundings. As soon as she sat down, I pushed the table out and pulled her onto my lap. She opened her mouth to say something, but I gripped the back of her neck and kissed her. I didn’t let up until we were both gasping for air.

Beck’s eyes were calmer as I smoothed her hair away from her face. “I’m sorry I brought you here. I wasn’t thinking about how you would feel. The food is the only reason I come here, not for all the other stuff, just the food. I never even notice them, which I’m sure sounds ridiculous to you, but if I were thinking of anyone, it would be you.” I kissed the side of her neck. “It was stupid. I’m stupid, and I’m sorry.” My breath tickled her ear, and she shivered. “I don’t want anyone else, and if that were a bunch of guys dancing and looking at you, I’d rip their eyes out and then burn the building down with them in it.” She smiled, her cheeks darkening with her blush.