Nicole’s lips pucker, like she’s been told the juiciest piece of gossip around. ‘Oh, honey, it’s obvious. Nobody’s seen AJ for days. I just didn’t figure you into the equation.’
My cheeks are now flaming hot. There’s no point in me trying to hide it. I glance to my left, at Chase, who is trying to listen in on our conversation.
‘Though now I think about it…’ Nicole muses. ‘He was talking to me about that graduation party…’
Chase leans in, resting his weight on his elbows. ‘What graduation party?’
‘You remember,’ Nicole reminds him. ‘Amber Bradshaw’s crib in Electric Hills.’
‘What about it?’
Nicole draws her shoulders up to her neck, her smile filled with intrigue. Chase just looks confused. I sip my beer. Chase’s confusion seems to turn to annoyance, and he pushes his seat away from the table.
‘I’ll be right back,’ he mutters, stretching out his spine.
Nicole watches him go, then leans into me for a second time. ‘Oh my lord, you guys are so super cute together,’ she squeals. ‘Did it all start that night? The night the sheriff showed up?’
‘Oh,’ I say, and my lips twitch. ‘Um. Yes. The day after.’
She presses her palms together, then gives an excited little seal clap. ‘I could see it in his eyes when he was talking about you. I told you, honey, they be lining up for him. I don’t know what you did, but I ain’t never seen AJ into a girl for longer than a one-night stand.’
Something prickles inside me. I don’t like the idea of AJ having one-night stands. I wouldn’t like to contemplate how many he’s had either.
I hear a voice above me. ‘Ladies, ladies, what’s happenin’?’
I glance up. Nando the barman is pulling out Chase’s chair, the legs scraping across the floor. He takes a seat but pulls it closer to my own. A moment later, his face is right up close to mine. He raises his chin to me. ‘Who’s this sexy mama?’
‘Uhh,’ I mumble, unsure how to react. My hands are under the table, and I squeeze them together between my thighs.
The next thing I know, his right arm slides around my shoulders and he’s brought his lips close to my cheek.
Chapter Twenty-Two
AJ
The moment Nando slides his ass into the chair next to Hollie, I’m on my guard. Nando should be behind the bar, so why the hell is he coming over here? Watching him lean closer to her, I can feel something twist in my gut. Reyes is saying something to me, but I can’t hear over the rushing sound in my ears. My breaths turn shallow as my world narrows to Nando’s face. I know that look. I’ve seen Nando charm women before, and I’ll be damned if he’s going near Hollie.
When he slings his arm around her shoulders, my thoughts turn violent, though Hollie didn’t like it when I almost hit Noah at her apartment. It means I’m not gonna toss my cue stick, leap over the width of this pool table and grab Nando by his fucking tank top, haul his ass out his chair and slam him against the wall. Which is really what I wanna do right now.
Instead, I place my finger and thumb against the tip of my tongue, curl my lips over them and let out a sharp, shrill whistle that gets his, and everybody else’s, attention.
‘Yo, Nando,’ I holler in their direction. ‘You mind taking your arm off my girl?’
Nando raises his brow in surprise. His arm falls away from Hollie’s shoulders. He looks her way.
‘AJ’s your boyfriend?’ he asks her, at the same time pointing in my direction.
I think I see her blush. But then she grins, looking over at me and making eye contact, and it makes my heart swell. ‘He is,’ Hollie confirms.
‘I knew it!’ Nicole squeals toward Reyes, clapping her hands. ‘I knew it! Didn’t I tell you? I told you he was hot for her!’
Nando throws up his hands. ‘Hey, well, I’m sorry, man, didn’t see no signs. I just like talking to them pretty girls.’
‘Yeah, well, she’s mine.’
Something occurs to me. I glance toward Chase, whose smirk tells me he set this whole thing up.
‘Bren put you up to this?’ I shoot toward Nando.