Page 35 of Ruled Out

“They have servers on staff tonight,” Leo counters.

“It’s fine. I, um … I want to order a cocktail, and call me weird, but I love to watch them make it. All part of the experience.”

Leo chuckles and points to the table number. “Just put it on that, and we’ll split the bill at the end.”

“It’s fine. I got it. Birthday gift,” I reply. “Same again?” I point to Hugh’s half-empty beer and then to Leo’s.

“Yes, please,” they both say in unison.

“I’ll go for a porn star martini, please, babe.” Tara closes the cocktail menu in front of her.

“Okay. Got it.” I say over my shoulder as I head for the bar, all the while keeping my eyes trained on the floor and away from Jessie.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

JESSIE

She thinks I haven’t noticed her.

The truth is, the second she walked around that corner, I almost dropped my beer in my lap.

Because. Wow.

Did she know I would be here tonight?

The short, pleated black skirt and knee-high leather boots she’s wearing are doing things to me I can only hide while sitting down.

Fuck me, Mia. What are you trying to do to me?

It’s been years since I touched her, but in that time, she’s grown into a literal goddess.

As Mia rises from the booth, she leans forward to grab her bag. She’s wearing thick black tights, but I can still make out the curve at the bottom of her ass. Her tight purple sweater creeps up slightly, and a slither of her lower back comes into view.

Stop staring, Jessie.

She whips around, saying something to her friends over her shoulder and then makes a beeline for the bar, her head down and eyes on the floor.

I know she’s trying to avoid me. The second I saw her, I had to fight with everything I had not to let my inward reaction show on the outside.

Not only will Graham Jenkins put out a hit on me if he knows I’m drinking in the same bar as his daughter, but he’ll also demand she return to Dallas. Jensen’s right; she’s old enough to make her own decisions. But I’m not about to come between Mia and her dad. He means the world to her, even if he’s an overbearing asshole at times. He’s all she’s known since her mom died.

I sip my drink and watch from the corner of my eye as she comes to stand at the bar, waiting for the bartender to finish up with another customer.

Felicity sits at the end of our booth, a glass of wine to her mouth and a smile on her lips as she watches me track Mia’s movements. I know she has no clue who Mia is to me, but my appreciation for how fucking stunning she looks is unmissable.

“I gather you weren’t expecting to see her tonight,” Jensen quietly says from across the booth.

“Nope.” I smile and look at him. “She’s here with her friends.”

And Leo. Unfortunately, I wasn’t the only one to appreciate her a second ago.

The need to stride over there and tell him to keep his eyes to himself rolls through me. I’ve got zero claim over Mia, but if there’s one element of this fucked-up mess the possessive part of my brain wants to have a say on, it’s that no other guy can claim her either. And Leo one hundred percent wants her in his bed tonight.

Trying my best to keep my reaction casual, I attempt to engage in the conversation between Zach and Jon.

“Look, all I’m saying is, it’s time, buddy. You have Aster and another baby on the way in August. I’ve got the time and the resources to make your day unforgettable.” Jon presses his lips together and leans forward on his forearms. “Let me plan your big day. I can have you hitched in the offseason.”

Felicity holds up a hand to her husband. “Whoa, whoa. Got the time? Jon, you’re the head coach of my son’s team. You leave the apartment at, like, eight a.m. and don’t come home until midnight some nights. I have no idea what you do in that time, but something tells me you haven’t got the capacity to dabble in the wedding-planning business you keep threatening to start.”