AllFreeNovel
Share Us
After I convinced Duke to open and give love a shot, I was going to discover all the ways I could make her blush.
ABBEY
“Those boys haven’t taken their eyes off you since they walked in.” Grace nudged me.
“What? That can’t be true.” I glanced at their table, and sure enough, Liam was staring in my direction. My cheeks heated as I smiled.
“Believe me now?” Grace laughed.
“I think you’re exaggerating. It was only Liam.” I pursed my lips, afraid I’d say how much I wantedbothof them not to be able to take their eyes off me.
“Oh, Duke was laser focused on you the moment he stepped foot in the dining hall,” Jessie chimed in.
I shook my head. She had to be mistaken. There was no way Duke, of all people, looked at me like that.
“Those two want you bad,” Jessie tilted her head in the guys’ direction. She’d walked away from the kitchen to join us while we ate. Her husbands were leaving when we’d arrived, and it was like a punch in the gut watching the two men dote on her and love on her. They looked at her like she hung the moon.
Why wasn’t I that lucky?
Jeff treated me well enough in high school, but once we graduated, he stopped spending time with me, or finding special ways to show he cared, and while it wasn’t everything, he stopped giving me gifts and taking me out on dates. What hurt even worse was I wasn’t good enough to meet his new friends and coworkers, and any time I suggested we get together with them, I was shot down.
What I wouldn’t give to be treated like one of the girls here. Their men cherished them completely. It was hard to admit that I was actually jealous of my two best friends. For so long, I’d thought I’d had it all. The long-term boyfriend, the apartment in town, the stay-at-home life. But I was wrong. I realized everything I had was like nothing I wanted.
“Well, that’s not going to happen. Remember what happened with my last relationship? I’m not sure I’m ready for anything yet.” I propped my elbows on the table and rested my chin on my hand. “As much as I’d really love to, Officer Sexypants over there doesn’t want anything to do with me. I don’t know why I haven’t moved to the bunkhouse yet.”
Blake choked on her garlic bread. “Excuse me, did you call Duke Officer Sexypants?”
Shit.
“No.” I nearly burst into flames. I hadn’t meant to let that slip. The girls squealed, drawing all eyes to our table. I narrowed my gaze, and their squeals turned to laughter. “You guys are impossible.”
“Oh, come on, Abbey. You need to loosen up.” Grace laid her hand on mine. I blew out a breath.
“I think you guys need to get your heads checked. There is no way they would go for me if they knew the truth. No one wants someone who can’t even keep her ex happy. If wasn’t good enough for him, what makes you think I’d be good enough for both of them?” I took a sip of water to hide my watery eyes. They might think it was fun teasing me about Duke and Liam, but it broke my heart knowing I did like them but would never be good enough for them. Duke deserved someone who wasn’t broken like me to help him through his pain.
“Abbey, don’t you ever think that again. You are not sloppy seconds. You are a beautiful young woman with amazing talent and an awesome personality. Jeff didn’t see that, and that was his loss. Now you can find someone who will appreciate you and show you all the love in the world.” Leave it to Blake to make me cry. I let a few tears slide down my cheeks before I swiped them away and straightened my spine. If she believed that, then why couldn’t I?
Footsteps echoed around us, and suddenly our table was surrounded by tall men. “Come on, ladies, time to go home.” Gavin extended a hand to Blake. I pouted and looked from Blake to Grace. It hadn’t been nearly long enough to be considered girl time.
“Really? It’s so early.” Grace whined, then yelped when Scott gave her ass a firm swat.
I laughed along with Jessie as we watched the girls leave with their escorts. Their men were eager for my friends, and who was I to stop them from having a good time?
“You ready to go, Abbey?” I nearly jumped out of my seat at Liam’s voice behind me. I hadn’t seen him get up from their table.
“Sure,” I said once the initial shock wore off. “But what about you, Jessie? Do you want me to wait here with you?”
“Oh no, girl. I’ll still be here for another hour or so. One of my men will be here soon to help me and take me home.” She waved her arms, shooing me out. “Now, get out of here and go home with these boys.”
Before I could respond, Jessie was out of her seat, and I was left looking at a brooding Duke and a smiling Liam. My chest tightened at the sight of them towering over me. It would have been intimidating if they weren’t so handsome and made me feel safe in their presence.
Duke extended his hand to me. “Shall we?”
I blinked in surprise. “Okay.” I lay my hand in his and felt that same electricity surge through my body. For as much of a fight as I put up with the girls, these two had me weak in the knees every time they looked at me.
* * *
After Dukeand Liam walked me to the house, I hid away in my room for the rest of the night. I hadn’t wanted to, but I also didn’t know how I’d be able to sit on the couch with them all night with the conversation from dinner playing over and over in my head. I tried not to let the girls’ words get to me, but it would have been painful sitting between them, knowing I was developing feelings for them and not knowing if they felt the same way.
