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“I don’t want things to be awkward between us,” Cade says. “If Gavin’s happy, I’m happy for him. It’s as simple as that for me. You and I were friends at one point, and I hope that we can be again. Easy. And that’s all I wanted to say to clear the air.”

“I appreciate you saying it.” A weight lifts off my chest because now I have another friend in the crowd. “And we most definitely can be.”

The Moose is loud and rowdy tonight, probably because everyone was going stir crazy trapped at home and is ready to let loose.

Cade pulls out the chair beside Gavin for me, and I smile at him gratefully.

“I was just warning Ashley about you,” Cade says, smacking Gavin’s back on his way to sit beside Victory.

“Perfect, Victory and I made plans to elope.”

The faces around the table are familiar, but it’s funny how memories work. The last time I saw them, we were teenagers and that’s how they stayed in my mind. Seeing them again is both a blast from the past and a reminder of how quickly time passes.

Gavin is seated with the wall on one side of him and me on the other. Cameron and his date are across from us, talking in hushed tones. We’re taking up the entire back wall of the establishment, and I forgot how nice it is to have such a big group of friends to count on.

I was brought into Gavin’s world when we started dating in high school, and his friends adopted me as their own. I definitely took some slack for being a bookworm, but Gavin was high enough on the popularity chain that his love for me was a protective bubble.

And I hope his presence can still diffuse tension.

Cameron glances at me with disdain – or so it feels – before clearing the expression and saying hello. He introduces me to his girlfriend Lisa, the pretty brunette sitting beside him.

I wonder how long I’ll have to start every interaction by proving myself or providing an explanation. Surely, people will get sick of me and my story sooner or later.

My hand rests on Gavin’s thigh, stealing both his strength and warmth, while he gives the menu a cursory glance. When the server comes around, he orders for both of us, and I don’t mind the display of dominance.

It reminds me of what it was like to be his girl.

Gavin and Cameron are talking about the upcoming calving season, and Lisa and I start a conversation about the bakery she started in town.

I’m absently rubbing Gavin’s thigh while we chat. When my hand brushes against his cock, the movement makes his body still. Thinking that I’m pushing past a boundary, I start to pull away. But he wraps a hand around my wrist to keep it in place.

Deciding to try my luck, I gently stroke his cock through his jeans, feeling it start to harden under my touch.

He keeps up his conversation as though nothing is going on, so I increase the pressure. When I squeeze his hard dick, his legs spread open a bit wider to give me better access.

I’m the only one close enough to see his nostrils flaring.

“Do you make fancy cakes?” I ask Lisa, using my free hand to take a sip of wine while pretending that I’m not trying to make Gavin break beside me.

“I do!” Lisa replies cheerfully. “I have some pictures that I can show you. I’m heading into work super early tomorrow morning to make hundreds of buttercream roses.”

She’s younger than me, so it’s possible she doesn’t know who I am and that Cameron didn’t bother to tell her. Or else she just doesn’t care about an old Ponzi scheme.

I make the appropriate “ahs” and “ohs” while looking at pictures of her confectionary creations, which are actually works of art. She beams under my praise and the questions that I ask her about Baking and Pastry Arts school.

Meanwhile, Gavin’s cock is wrought-iron in my hand. I wish that I could subtly reach inside his jeans because I’m craving the feel of his skin.

“You’re going to make a killing when we go to market, man,” Cameron is saying, and I assume he’s talking about cows.

“It’s been a good… a, uh, really good year,” Gavin agrees.

I miss his sounds, and I wonder if it’s killing him as much as it’s killing me to be silent. Wetness is pooling between my legs because there’s something so sexy about teasing him in public.

While Cameron talks about their pricing strategy, Gavin leans close and bites my earlobe. He finally lets out a very soft groan that only I can hear, and it sends pleasure radiating to my clit.

Being in public is turning him on too, but there isn’t a chance I’d be able to hide it if he was fingering me under the table.

Why isn’t he fingering me under the table anyway?