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I shook my head with laughter, feeling the buzz of the alcohol wrap around me. I veered my gaze in his direction right as he turned his shoulder away from the brunette who wouldn’t leave him alone. The brunette laughed, touching his arm again. Reid shifted sideways. She followed.

Fuck it. The guy didn’t need this. Not tonight.

I stood, scooting out of the booth. “If this turns pear-shaped, it’s on you guys.” I pointed my finger at them, just as Colt and Wes appeared at the table. They gave me a quizzical look and Morgan and Skye launched into a fit of laughter.

Skye winked, slapping me on the ass. “I’ll be sure to buy you a fruit bowl.”

I rolled my eyes as Wes slid in beside her, wrapping his arm around her waist. I wanted that so badly. To have someone care for me the way he did her. I saw it in his eyes. He had fallen hard.

My heart ached as I left the table, making my way over to the other side of the bar. As I approached Reid, I noticed a subtle shift in myself. The music seemed louder. Or was that the thump of my heart?

I didn’t have a plan.

It had to be bold if I had any chance of fending off this new groupie of his.

Pulling in a deep breath, I straightened my shoulders. I rarely lacked confidence, usually quite happy in my own skin. But, right then, I felt it wane ever-so-slightly.

“You got this,” I said to myself as I moved through the bar in his direction. My footsteps suddenly felt louder than the music, a plan forming in my mind the closer I got to him.

Act like he’s mine.

The thought surprised me. But I had no time to question it before Reid came into view. Sex. On. Legs. Time to rescue the man who had absolutely no idea he was about to become my fake boyfriend.

Reid

I did not want to be here tonight. I just wanted to climb the steps to my apartment and chill the fuck out. I also needed the previous week to be deleted from my life, because shit had gone from bad to worse. The fire. The botanical. If that botanical died… I shook my head, slamming aside the thoughts threatening to invade my calm demeanor. I would deal with this tomorrow. Talk to Colt. There had to be another way.

Jinxed was heaving tonight. Turned out my attempt at a cocktail evening had been a huge success, bringing an entirely new clientele to the bar. And this crowd knew how to spend money. They liked their cocktails neat, and, if it wasn’t top shelf, it was shots. I wasn’t complaining. I knew I’d already turned over more revenue in one night than in the last two days. But with these new customers came additional attention I wasn’t in the mood for. And I swear, if the brunette currently hellbent on rubbing up against me didn’t take a hint right the fuck now, I wasn’t sure how polite I would be in another five minutes.

“So, are you working all night?” the brunette asked, pushing my buttons further.

“Afraid so.”

“That’s a shame.”

Send me a motherfucking lifeline.

“Hey, sorry I’m late. I got held up at work.” Red slipped between me and the annoying brunette before I could ask what she was doing, her hand landing lightly on my waist.

The fuck?

My brain barely had time to catch up.

Then she kissed me.

The contact floored me, and I struggled to hide my surprise. Her lips were confident, lingering just long enough for something inside me to crack.

A kiss shouldn’t feel like this.

Even without tongue, I found myself lost in the moment, a feeling I’d not felt in my life. Because, in the limited number of times I’d kissed someone before I’d set my boundaries, a kiss had never come close to this. Like vines digging their thorns into me, she scratched something untouched. Something deeper. Panic quickly replaced my temporary lack of judgement, tearing through me and pinching me back to reality. I pulled away, trying to keep my cool, attempting to play along with whatever Red was acting on.

My lifeline. Or so she thought.

I steeled my poker-face, feigning unaffected. Even when my nervous system was crumbling. I didn’t kiss. Ever. Because to kiss was to feel. And I couldn’t afford to feel anything.

Red’s hooded eyelids stared back at me momentarily before they morphed back into character. Her palm landed on my chest, as if taking ownership, and that sent me spiraling.

Fuck. Get yourself together.