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“It’s real for him too,” I said.
Carter smiled, but his eyes were still dark and worried. “Good, I’m happy for you. And honestly, a little relieved. If it took Liam Macklen to turn your head, then there was no way in college or now that I would ever have a shot with you.”
To my surprise, Carter’s voice was soft, sad. I leaned across, my hand on his forearm. “You’re an amazing man, Carter. You will find someone equally amazing.”
He smiled, dropping his hand over mine in a platonic pat. Or at least he would’ve if another hand hadn’t come flying through the space, knocking Carter’s body away from mine. I jumped in my chair, turning to stare up into the thunderous face of Liam Macklen.
“Don’t touch her,” he snarled at Carter.
My jaw went slack, and I stared between the two men.
Carter bristled but stayed seated. Thank God.
This restaurant was not built for altercations like this. The sound carried quickly, and before I knew it, at least three other tables near us were casting interesting, curious looks our way. At least one raised his phone, camera no doubt rolling as the mayor’s son made a spectacle.
“Liam, what are you doing?”
He turned his face to me, eyes dark. “I should ask you the same thing, Miss Grove.”
My temper rose, tugging hard at the careful leash I’d place on it. “You’re causing a scene. Can we just talk about this over a drink?” I bit my lip before adding that he’d obviously already had plenty to drink at this point.
Carter nodded, reaching out for an unoccupied chair next to us. Liam slammed his foot on the floor, blocking the chair’s movement.
“I’m not going to sit in on your little date,” Liam slurred. The words were angry, but underneath that I could hear the hurt.
My temper receded. In its place, a strange sort of understanding filled it.
“Liam, I know you must’ve had a bad day, but I was only having dinner with an old friend. A friend. We were here to talk about work.”
Carter nodded, his lips tight and thin.
Liam hesitated, shifting back and forth between his feet as he searched my face for the lie. Finding none, he seemed to mellow, his shoulders dropping a little.
“I left the car outside. We are going right now,” he declared.
I could hear the whispers now, the phones trained on us. Liam watched me, his eyes still smoldering.
“Liam, you need to go.”
“Fine, but you are coming with me.”
“She doesn’t have to do anything she doesn’t want to.” Carter did stand now, his posture quiet but no less intimidating.
I quickly put a hand on his chest, ignoring the groan from Liam as he watched me with mournful eyes. I blew through my nose hard. Possessive much?
I had to get these two separated.
Any chance of them ever being able to work together was quickly becoming a figment of my imagination. Liam clearly wasn’t in a good place. Carter was, well, Carter and would put himself in a situation if even an iota of an issue for me was suspected.
“Fine, Liam, let’s go.” I let go of Carter, giving him a wide smile.
He looked at me then at Liam, who hadn’t moved an inch. I glared, and finally, Liam looked away.
“Are you sure you're good?” Carter was insistent, briefly raising a hand as if to brush away the hair on my cheek. But he stilled, waiting. Be still my heart. Too bad the grouchy, alphahole standing behind me had already stolen so much of it.
I smiled warily. “I know it sounds crazy, but I’ve got this under control. He’s not dangerous, just hurt.”
A small smile lifted Carter’s lips. He leaned down. “I think you’ve got your work cut out for you on the image thing.”
I snorted. “Since when do I do anything the easy way?”
He straightened, eyes bright but a little sad. “Never. Good luck, Ashlyn. Call me if you need anything. I mean it.”
I nodded, throat feeling suspiciously strained as I turned, sliding my hand into Liam’s as we made our way around the looping tables. His face was still tense and angry, but the hand I had tucked my fingers around was gentle, tentative even. As soon as we hit the street, I was tucked into a waiting car.
