Much Ado About You

It was so unlike her, I couldn’t help but smile.

This was my cue to exit with Caro, and I should have. But the sick, masochistic part of me didn’t want to leave because I didn’t want to miss what would happen between Roane and Poppy. I needed to know if he was going to take her up on what she was clearly offering, because I knew if he did, as unfair as it was of me, whatever spell he had over me would be broken.

The confused, scared part of me that was determined to live the next few months without romantic entanglement almost hoped he would take Poppy up on her offer.

Yet a bigger part of me hated the idea so much, I wanted to cry.

God, I was such a mess.

Our table suddenly jerked upward as Roane let out a muffled curse. My eyes flew to him to see him pulling back from Poppy, and I realized he’d caused the table to move. My eyes narrowed at his flushed cheeks and the hard glint in his eyes.

“I think it’s time for you to go.” His voice carried down the tables, the hum of conversation drawing to a close as all eyes turned toward Roane and Poppy.

She was staring at Roane in disbelief.

Kylie tugged on her friend’s wrist. “Poppy, let’s go.”

With a huff of distaste, the brunette shot to her feet, her chair clattering toward the wall behind her. “No need to be so melodramatic.”

Roane glowered at her. “If the shoe was on the other foot, I doubt you’d say that.”

What had she done?

Had she touched him inappropriately, because I swear to God—

As if he sensed my growing indignation, Roane looked at me, his gaze softening, becoming reassuring at my obvious agitation.

Poppy huffed. “Come, Kylie, let’s go.”

Kylie’s cheeks were bright red as everyone watched the two of them march out of the pub.

“I hope they paid.” Dex broke the awkward silence.

Everyone tittered but kept side-eyeing Roane. He didn’t pay them any attention. Instead he got up and moved the now empty chairs back to other tables. When he sat back down, he moved his chair closer to mine.

I waited for conversation to pick up again before I leaned in to him to ask, “What happened?”

He cut Caro a look, and certain she was engaged in conversation with Viola, he bent to whisper in my ear, “She grabbed my cock.”

For a second all I felt was the brush of his lips across my ear, and all I heard was the word “cock” in Roane’s deep rumble. The low, visceral tug in my womb distracted me for a second, but when his words eventually sunk in, the sexual heat I’d been feeling was overcome by fury.

I jerked my head back from his, eyes blazing, and I instantly felt his hand on my knee under the table. He gave it a reassuring squeeze.

“That’s not okay,” I hissed. “That’s as bad as a guy grabbing a woman’s ass or pawing at her breasts without her permission.”

“Shh.” He shook his head at me, and I bristled, trying to calm. He obviously didn’t want anyone else to know.

“It’s not okay,” I repeated.

It was so not okay, I wanted to march out of the pub and hunt the handsy cow down and teach her some manners!

“I know.” A muscle in his jaw twitched. “That’s why I asked her to leave.”

“Has she tried that before?”

Roane shook his head. “She’s been persistently flirtatious these last few weeks, but I haven’t done anything to encourage her. She’s just . . . determined.”

“I’m going to kick her ass,” I snapped.

His gaze sharpened. “Why?” He bent his head toward me until our noses were almost touching. “Because she dared to touch me without permission . . . or because she dared to touch me?”

The word “dared” seemed to reverberate between us because the look in his eyes . . . He was daring me to speak the truth.

To admit I was jealous. Territorial. Possessive of him.

Suddenly all the air in the room seemed to go out.

“Knocking back another offer, Roane?” Milly’s voice suddenly cut through to us.

I leaned away from him, trying to catch my breath, and he shot Milly a barely concealed look of annoyance.

The pub owner took the empty seat on my left, and I glanced around. Dex had disappeared from our table, and the one next to it was entirely female. Milly and Viola; Bobby Hopeton’s wife, Hazel; Lottie Mulhern, who was a good friend of Milly’s; and Caro and me. They were all staring at Roane. Dex was up at the bar with the men, having taken over serving for Milly.

“What?” Roane asked, clearing the scowl from his brows.

Milly chuckled. “That gorgeous brunette was practically in your lap.” Her gaze flicked to me and then back to Roane. “Can’t believe you passed that up.”