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Maybe Ruth had one too.
She stiffened.
Gah. Seriously, Felicity. Get a grip.
She tipped her bottle back and finished it. Time to go.
“I’m heading out,” she said. “June, thanks for the invite. Have a great night.”
Before anyone could comment, she strode across the floor, weaving around poorly placed chairs and people who had no sense of spatial awareness. How dare they block her path.
She shoved through the doors and out onto the sidewalk, turning left without hesitation. The walk home would clear her head, because she was losing it if the simple act of Ronan laughing with another woman unsettled her.
She lengthened her stride, gone nearly a full block when she heard footsteps behind her — measured, steady, gaining.
She didn’t turn. If someone wanted to pick a fight, they were in for a shock. She was more than capable of defending herself.
And truth be told, she was in the mood for one.
His voice reached her a heartbeat later. “Felicity. Wait up.”
She stuttered to a halt and spun around.
He closed the distance between them with long, purposeful strides, stopping a few feet away as if mindful not to crowd her.
Her surroundings faded.
The passing cars, the glow of the streetlamps — gone.
It was just him. The night air. The steady rise and fall of his chest.
The fluttery sensation in her chest.
“You took off,” he said, voice low, controlled.
“I’m allowed to leave a bar,” she shot back.
His gaze held hers. Not sharp. Not amused. “How are you doing, Felicity? You’ve been on my mind since last week.”
Likewise, Marine. Likewise.
“I’m good,” she lied.
And remembered.
She reached into her back pocket, withdrew the key, and held it out between them. “I don’t need this.”
And then — because apparently, she had no self-preservation instinct whatsoever — she added, “I’m sure you’ll find someone else to give it to.”
He took a step closer, ignoring her outstretched hand and the offering in it.
She swallowed. “I was planning to stop by and drop it off after work, but I forgot about June’s party, and then I saw you—”
His hand closed over hers.
“What are you doing?”
He stepped closer.
