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I peer at her over my shoulder. “I don’t have one. Why? You got any bright ideas?”

“For once, no. Good luck. Gimme a signal if you need backup.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know, just something.”

“All right. Sure. Thanks, B.”

“Any time.”

I check the street for traffic before jogging across the asphalt, not bothering with the crosswalk. With each pound of my foot on the pavement, my heart beats faster in my chest. The distance between Verity and me closes with each second that passes, and I start to get nervous.

I’ve spent the last few weeks observing her from afar, letting her go about her life without any direct interruptions from me. It has definitely bordered on being a little creepy, like Hannah pointed out, but it was all I could do.

I crave Verity like a drug, and no amount of detox can rid her from my system.

God. I didn’t think it was possible for her to get any more beautiful, but somehow, she has.

The light turns her golden hair into rays of sunshine. She tucks a stray tendril behind her ear, exposing the smooth skin of her neck. That natural urge to run my tongue down the column to her collarbone rises with a twitch of my cock. She smiles, drawing attention to her rose-tinted lips. I’ve missed kissing those lips, missed sucking and biting on them in a way that causes little moans in the back of her throat.

They’re sitting at a table that is set up for three people, but only the two of them are present. For some reason, Garrett has inched his chair so he’s practically sitting next to Verity. He leans his head a little too close for my liking, so he can whisper something. Why he needs to whisper with no one else present is lost on me. It just cements Bridget’s observation that he is making a move.

Garrett rests a palm on her shoulder, his fingers touching her bare skin, and any common sense I possess goes flying out the window.

I grab his hand and peel it from her skin, barely containing myself.

The two of them startle, Verity looking up at me with a doe-eyed expression, while Garrett seems as though he doesn’t have a guilty bone in his body.

“You good, Garrett?” The words pass through clenched teeth.

“Cullen, hey. What’re you doing here?”

“Keeping you in check, it seems.”

“What’re you on about?”

“Really. Did you think you could take Verity on a date behind my back?”

“Wait, Cullen.” Verity pries my hand from Garrett’s, taking it between her own. Her touch grounds me, causing reality to reappear. “It’s nothing like that.”

“You two aren’t on a date?”

Garrett scoffs. “Why would I be on a date with your girlfriend? That’s weird, even for me.”

Wait.

He doesn’t even know we broke up?

Verity didn’t mention that to him?

I eye her cautiously, trying to get a read on the situation. I stormed in here believing one thing and am now finding myself lost and potentially looking like an ass. I don’t want to fumble this any more than I already have.

Verity averts her gaze and subtly chews on the corner of her bottom lip. She releases my hand and balls her own in her lap.

“You’re both still here? Wonderful.” A shadow falls across the table, the assured voice breaking into our little bubble.

“Nick.” Garrett stands up, straightening his tie as he greets the man. “We just finished, but there are still a couple of glasses of red left in the bottle, if you have the time?”