I scowl at him. “I haven’t been moping.”
“Right.” He snorts. “And I’m the goddamn Tooth Fairy.”
The Brew is packed when we arrive, just like Ryder predicted. Bodies are crammed into every available space, laughter and conversation nearly drowning out the music playing overhead.
“Told you,” Ryder says, scanning the crowd.
I follow his gaze across the room and spot them immediately. Noia, Claire, and Sasha are sitting at a corner table, heads bent together in conversation.
My heart does that stupid flip-flop thing again as I take her in. Tight black jeans hug every curve, her hair falling loose around her shoulders over the sexiest sparkly green top I’ve ever seen.
Before I can make a move to cross the room, Sasha glances up. Our eyes lock, and her eyes go wide before they narrow into slits. She leans over to say something to Noia and Claire before abruptly standing up.
“Well, that’s not obvious at all,” I mutter under my breath as I watch her slip away from the table and cut through the crowd toward the bar.
I track her progress, watching as she weaves between bodies. More than a few heads turn to watch her, which makes me want to clench my fists.
“You coming or what?” Ryder calls over his shoulder.
“Yeah,” I reply, not taking my eyes off Sasha as she leans against the bar, flagging down the bartender.
She’s clearly trying to avoid me, and for some reason it pisses me off. After what happened in the bathroom, I figured she’d need some time to process, but this? This is just childish.
“Two whiskeys,” Ryder orders when we sidle up to the bar, only feet away from where Sasha is standing.
Leaning against the bar, I purposely angle my body so I can keep her in my line of sight. She’s chatting it up with some tall,clean-cut guy—probably a tourist since I’ve never seen him before. As I watch the dude eat her up with his eyes, something hot and ugly twists in my gut.
“Here.” Ryder shoves a whisky into my hand. “You look like you could use this.”
I take a long sip, trying to ignore the heat that has nothing to do with my drink, rising in my chest. “Thanks.”
“You gonna stand here all night glaring, or are you actually gonna do something about it?”
“I’m still working on it,” I growl.
“Work faster,” he says with a smirk. “Cuz’ whateverthisis…” He waves the palm of his hand in a circle in front of my face. “… it’s killing my vibe.”
I flip him off, which makes him laugh.
When I glance back, Sasha is smiling up at the guy in a way that makes me want to punch a wall. He leans in close to her ear and says something that makes her laugh. Okay, maybe his face.
I growl under my breath.
“Come on.” Ryder claps a hand on my shoulder. “Let’s go.”
I tear my eyes away from Sasha and the douchebag and follow Ryder as he makes his way through the crowd. My jaw is clenched so tight it’s starting to hurt, and I have to force myself to relax when we get to our table.
“Hey, kitten.” Ryder bends down to kiss Noia before sliding into the seat next to her.
I nod at Claire, who’s sitting across from them, and take the empty chair Sasha vacated.
Noia looks directly at me. “Hey there, Jax,” she says, eyes sparkling.
“Who’s got your panties in a twist?” Claire adds with a knowing smirk.
I just grunt and take another sip of my drink, trying to act casual as I scan the room. She’s over by the pool tables now,talking to some guy who’s got his hand resting on the small of her back, and it makes my blood simmer.
“So, Jax,” Noia says, clearly trying to distract me. “How’s the planning going for the fundraiser?”