I hear a snicker behind me, and I don’t need to turn around to know it’s one of the fuckers enjoying the show.
“For fuck’s sake, Josie,” I hiss as I push the piece of material into her hands, “just put the goddamn shirt on.”
She carefully takes it from my hands and pulls it on top of her dress. Once she’s covered, I feel so much better. I can breathe.
I don’t know what the fuck this fit was, but I’ve never felt such a violent gust of jealousy. I’ve always been a very territorial man, but this is a new level even for me.
She pulls her hair from under the collar and rolls her sleeves up since they are too long on her.
“Do you feel better now?” she asks with a raised brow.
I nod, not denying the truth. However she’ll see it.
“I like your exposed arms better this way too.” Her shy smile tells me it was said to my benefit, so I weakly smile back.
The bartender returns with two glasses of water and places them in front of us with an obvious smirk. I bet he’s enjoying my misery too.
With a grunt, I grab the glass and down half of it, thankful the water is iced. A heavy stare focused on me nearly makes me choke, but I swallow slowly and place it back on the counter. Josie’s watching me from under her long lashes—from the look on her face, I can tell she wants to talk about it, but she’s contemplating. I give her a slight nod, and her shoulders sag. Not with sadness but with relief. I guess she’s not in the mood for big revelations either.
Once I’m able to breathe and be myself again, I look her over. Drowning in my shirt, biting her lower lip, with all that wild hair, and tugging on the hems of the sleeves so they cover her hands, she looks like the very thing I didn’t know I’ve been missing.
“Everyone left,” she says in a small voice.
“Yes.”
My confirmation somehow brings her mood down. “That happens to me all the time.”
“Wait.” I tilt my head to the side. “Do you think they all just up and left you?”
She shrugs, not confirming. But it’s not really needed because her crestfallen face says it all.
“Josie,” I place my hand on her naked knee, feeling the warmth of her skin, “they left because I was there. It was a setup.”
Her forehead wrinkles in concentration, trying to put two and two together without success.
“They were playing matchmaker,” I explain with a sigh. Her eyes go round. “Yes, they were. As for the asshat who tried assaulting you, I saw Alicia holding Kayla and Leila so they wouldn’t chop his balls off. A couple more seconds, and someone would have had to hold Alicia too. To think of it, they probably should have been set free since I wasn’t allowed to act.” Her face begins brightening, so I keep going. “They’d never leave you there alone. Never. You’re one of us.”
“Of you?” she repeats in a small voice, making my chest ache.
“Of us.”
The bartender picks this time to bring the food. Placing it in front of us with a quirked brow, he asks, “Anything else?”
“No, thank you,” Josie replies for us both because I choose to ignore him.
We dig into our food in silence. It’s a strangely comfortable atmosphere, and I let myself relax. Until she tells me she needs to go to the bathroom.
“No,” comes my response.
She looks at me dumbfounded. “What do you mean ‘no’?”
“No, you can’t go there because this place is shady.”
“Do you want me to pee right here?” She nods at the floor beside us.
“Can you wait?”
“No!” She sounds outraged and rises to her feet. “Damn men with their misunderstood perception of the female bladder.” Flicking her hair back, she sends me an accusing glare and waltzes toward the bathroom. I take my wallet out, drop the cash—withthe tip—on the table, and follow her. When she disappears inside the unisex bathroom for one person, I lean against the wall by the door and wait.
