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“Baby,” I called, “I’m home!”
I heard a sound like rustling and clattering pans coming from the kitchen before hearing Toby curse. I chuckled. He wasn’t great in the kitchen, I did all the cooking and cleaning, so I figured he must’ve dropped something. The thought that he was trying to make me dinner to surprise me popped into my head.
Toby had been out of work for the last few months, his contractor business drying up, and I knew that he’d had a hard time staying home. I felt so grateful at the thought that he could be making me dinner seeing as I had a tough day at work, and I couldn’t wait to kiss him hello.
I walked into the kitchen and blinked rapidly, unable to believe my eyes.
A good friend of mine who worked with me, Rachel, was bent over the kitchen counter with her dress pulled up over her ass, and Toby was cursing and adjusting himself back into his sweats. He must have hit his head on the rack of pans hanging over the counter when he heard me calling out to him, causing the racket I heard.
“It’s not what you think,” he said quickly, Rachel not even looking at me. I turned around, grabbed my keys, and stalked back out to my car, unable to think, unable to do anything but drive away. I only made it a block before I burst into tears and had to pull over.
Thank God my afternoon class was cancelled that day, allowing me to go home early, or I might have continued on with Toby, none the wiser.
I didn’t want to think about that, though, I wanted to enjoy spending time with my friends, so I swallowed and looked away, hoping Adam would realize I didn’t want to talk to him.
He still looked damn good, his hair slightly grey on the sides, his blue eyes still bright. He was just as handsome, if not more so, as he had been the day I met him.
“Who’s the silver fox who’s got eyes on you?” Addie whispered, and I choked on the water I’d finally gotten from the bartender.
I watched as Adam walked over to a table where a few other men were sitting. They seemed to be a group of friends hanging out just like we were.
“I don’t know,” I lied to Addie, and she raised an eyebrow.
“You should go talk to him,” she said, and I shook my head.
“Absolutely not,” I laughed, and took my water back to the table, where Sylvia and the others were sitting.
After a moment, the server brought over a round of drinks. I certainly couldn’t afford to pay for a round for the entire group, so I hoped Sylvia hadn’t ordered and put it on my tab.
The server smiled at us, placing the drinks down in front of us.
“It’s from the table over there,” she gestured, and I glanced over to see Adam staring at me with steel blue eyes.
I could only assume he recognized me, and my heart skipped a couple of beats as I realized that Iwantedhim to recognize me. It had been a year since I’d been with anyone, and Adam had left a big impression on me. Toby hadn’t introduced us at the Christmas Eve party and had I not run into Adam by chance that day in the kitchen, I was certain I probably would have never met him. Toby had been so secretive about his family, not to mention the fact that he was sleeping with my friend.
I groaned. Even if Adam did remember me and send the drinks, I didn’t want to get involved... or did I?
Toby wasn’t the world’s best guy, and surely a brother he said was worse than him would be bad news.
As I looked over at Adam again, unable to help myself, he smiled at me and made a “come hither” gesture with his fingers.
My face flooded with heat. Damn he was sexy.
He was sitting down with his legs spread wide, casually slumped back against the chair. He looked relaxed and comfortable, and I thought he probably had more to drink than I had.
A flash of seeing Toby with Rachel flashed across my mind. I’d been so devastated. It had taken months for Addie and my other friends to get me out of bed for anything other than work. Did I want to chance going through that again? Particularly with a brother even my asshole ex didn’t like?
I was in a real pickle.
Addie glared at me. “If you don’t go over there, I will,” she said.
The other men at the table were trailing toward the bar, but Adam sat there, still staring at me. He gave the signal again to go to him and I felt my body involuntarily stand up.
Good God, he was hot. You would think that after two years, I wouldn’t still be so affected by him, but there I was.
I couldn’t deny that I wanted to go over and talk to him. A year without men had helped me heal, but at the same time, it had also been a little boring.
I took the drink that Adam had sent me and chugged it. Addie blinked at me. I wasn’t much of a partier, but tonight, I needed the liquid courage.
