“Good Lord, I may explode,” Beth grumbled, leaning back in her chair. “I ate way too much.”
“You drank a lot, too.”
She pointed in front of me. “Pot, meet kettle.”
I giggled, realizing she was right. The mimosas tasted exceptional today, and I’d had quite a few. The whole room seemed a bit fuzzy.
“I think I need to take you home for another nap,” Daniel mused, glancing up from perusing the dessert menu.
I looked at him, and my breath caught.
Was he always this good-looking?
His messy hair gleamed under the lights. He hadn’t shaved today and his chin looked sexy covered in stubble. I wanted to lick it. The dark frames of his glasses set off his eyes that were staring at me with an intensity that made my thighs clench. He was entirely fuckable at that moment.
I needed to get him home, and fast.
He bent close, his smile so wide his eyes almost disappeared. He brushed his lips across my ear, his voice low. “Filter, Sprite. I’m not sure the woman at the table behind us needs to know how fuckable I am.”
I slapped my hand over my mouth, and he laughed, pulling it away and kissing the palm. “I’ll take you home.”
Beth laughed. “I have no idea what you’ve done to her, Daniel, but keep it up. I like seeing this wild side of her.”
Daniel’s gaze never left mine. “I plan on it.”
We said our goodbyes in the parking lot. Beth and Ryan left with promises of another get-together soon. I leaned against the side of the truck, staring at Daniel. He stepped closer, drawing his finger down my cheek. “I need to take you home.”
Turning my head, I caught his finger between my lips, running my tongue over it. “Yes, you do.”
His eyes darkened. He started to lower his head when a voice ran out.
“Daniel?”
He pivoted, shocked. “Karen?”
His firm body was suddenly gone, and I watched as the gorgeous, perfect ex-girlfriend flung herself into his arms. He laughed as he spun her, then dragged her to him and hugged her hard.
I thought I growled. I knew my eyes narrowed, my back tensed, and an emotion I had never experienced flooded my body.
Jealousy.
He was hugging her enthusiastically. She was touching what was mine with the same zeal. I dug into my pocket, fished out a mint, and chewed on it furiously.
She stood in front of him, talking, laughing, touching his chest, arm, shoulder as she spoke, her golden hair fluttering in the breeze as she beamed at my boyfriend. She was tall with long legs, and as beautiful as I knew she would be. I had to hold myself back from stomping over and removing her hand from his torso. I tilted my head to the side. She had particularly long fingers—like talons—and the way her hand rested on his chest it resembled a claw. I felt another wave of anger build when I realized Daniel hadn’t even glanced my way—he was too busy listening to Ms. Perfect’s long, rambling story.
I popped another mint.
“She doesn’t mean anything by her actions, you know,” an amused voice spoke from beside me.
I turned my head to meet the dark gaze of a man, grinning at me.
“Excuse me?”
“My wife. She’s harmless. Karen is simply being Karen. She has no idea about personal space.”
“Um. I wasn’t worried.”
He chuckled, the sound low in his throat. “If you hold onto the door handle any harder, you may rip it off. I don’t know Daniel very well, although from what Karen has told me, he would probably prefer it stayed in place.”