Chapter 19

The woman behind the hostess stand at the front of The Drunken Moose looked up from whatever she was writing on as we made our way in her direction. The professional smile she already had pinned in place morphed into one of appreciation as her gaze slowly raked over Vaughn's tall frame.

I couldn't fault her for looking. The man was gorgeous, no two ways about it. But the way her eyelids grew heavy as she batted her lashes at my fake boyfriend caused something territorial to spark to life deep inside of me. I had never been a jealous person, so the fire slithering though my veins left me more than a little unsettled.

"Table for two," Vaughn said in his signature monotone. A frisson of pleasure moved through me when I looked up and saw he was too busy scanning the inside of the restaurant to pay a lick of attention to the woman standing in front of us. I couldn't stop the victorious Cheshire Cat smile that stretched across my face at the flash of disappointment that swept over her features before she shook it off.

The Drunken Moose was split into two halves, one side for the bar crowd, the other for the diners coming in to enjoy a sit-down meal. As the hostess led us to the dine-in side, Vaughn placed his hand on the small of my back, sending sparks shooting up my spine like a firecracker whizzing into the sky.

I had given him permission to touch me when he asked because I wanted him to. I really wanted him to. Probably more than was healthy. I hadn't expected my entire body to light up like the sky when the clock struck midnight on New Year's Eve. It was so bad that when I felt his thumb rubbing gentle circles through my clothes, my knees turned to gelatin, threatening to give out. Luckily, they held out until we made it to the booth the hostess indicated with a sweep of her hand.

I slid into the bench facing the front of the building, expecting Vaughn to take the one across from me, but he surprised me by coming around to my side of the table and slipping in beside me, scooting close enough for me to feel his body heat before executing that man-spread that caused his outer thigh to press flush against mine.

Heat rose up my chest and neck, and I knew without having to check that my skin was turning an obvious shade of red. As much as I tried denying it to myself, I had dressed for this evening's fake date with Vaughn at the very front of my mind. The high-waisted, flowy summer skirt, chunky belt, and strappy sandals made me feel cute and feminine, but when I matched them with a fitted, white strapless body suit, I felt like I'd gone from good-girl-next-door cute to downright sexy. The tight material molded to my body and hugged my curves, giving my boobs just the right amount of boost. It was cut low enough to give a hint of cleavage without being tasteless and put my collarbones and neck on full display. However, with the furious blush currently heating my skin from the inside out, I was starting to regret my choice of top. It was damn near impossible to hide my body's reaction to the man sitting right beside me.

I licked my dry lips, my fingers fidgeting with the menu the hostess had placed in front of me as I kept sneaking sideways glances at Vaughn's strong profile. He wore a look of concentration as he scanned his own menu, and for the first time, I noticed his usually impeccably-shaven jaw was covered in a hint of a five-o'clock shadow I'd never seen him sport before, like he hadn't bothered to shave that morning. That stubble provided a ruggedness that, mixed with his typical GQ, moneyed style, took him from smoldering to forest-fire level hot.

"Um... i-is this how you'd sit with a real girlfriend?" I asked in a hushed voice.

His brows scrunched together as he lowered the menu onto the table and turned to look at me, shifting in a way that brought him even closer. He lifted his arm closest to me, stretching it across the back of the booth in a way that made me feel completely surrounded. And I would have been a bold-faced liar if I said I didn't enjoy the hell out of it. "Is this a problem?"

I shook my head vigorously, sending my hair swishing across my bare shoulders. "No, not at all." His brows rose at the eagerness in my voice. I cleared my throat and tried again, hoping not to give too much away this time. "I just mean, people will totally buy this... you sitting close like this. Makes it look real." I smiled to disguise the way my chest constricted painfully at the reminder that this was all for show.

From so close, I could see the way Vaughn's pupils expanded, swallowing up that unique teal blue as it spread closer to the band of copper at the edge of his iris. His spicy scent invaded my senses as he leaned in closer. When he spoke, his voice was a low, deep baritone that vibrated through my chest, sending goosebumps up my arms. "And what about this?" The hand that had been braced on the table only a moment ago lifted and tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. However, instead of dropping it once the task was complete, the tips of his fingers continued along my jaw and the sensitive cord of my neck before tracing over my shoulder. "Would something like this be okay?"

My throat worked overtime to swallow the wad of cotton that had suddenly formed. "Y-yeah," I stuttered, my pulse thrumming wildly as I bobbed my head in a dazed nod. "Yup. T-totally. Perfectly okay with me."

"And what about this?" Without breaking contact, he trailed those same fingers across my clavicle from one side to the other, stopping on my pulse point just long enough to feel how it was beating at the pace of a hummingbird's wings.

My eyelids fluttered on a blink as I slicked my tongue across my bottom lip before pulling it between my teeth and biting down.

His gaze darkened even more as they traveled down to my mouth and locked on it.

Oh my god, he's about to kiss me, my brain screamed before adding, please, please, let him kiss me!

I wasn't sure when he'd inched closer—or maybe it had been me that had closed the rest of that miniscule distance. Either way, there was barely enough room for sunlight between us now.

My chest rose and fell as my breathing accelerated. He was all I could see, his own ragged breaths all I could hear. He surrounded me completely, taking over everything, and in that moment, I couldn't find it in me to care. It felt like something really big was about to take place and I was simply along for the ride. However, before anything could happen, the sound of a clearing throat burst our little bubble like a pin being stuck into a balloon.

I jolted back into the present, the haze that Vaughn had sucked me into clearing up like the sun burning off a dense fog. I blinked, bringing everything back into focus, and found Eliza standing with her husband, Ethan, at the very end of our table, tucked into the crook of his arm.

"Sorry to interrupt," she said, but the knowing grin on her face said otherwise. The little shit wasn't sorry at all, and I was seriously starting to question our friendship.

The side of me that hadn't been laid in far too long and was desperate to know how it felt to kiss Vaughn Cavanaugh when he finally lost grip on his control wanted to tell that clam jammer to get lost so I could get back to what was maybe, possibly about to happen before her interruption.

"Vaughn Cavanagh," Ethan said, a smile of familiarity tugging at his lips. "Man, I thought that was you. It's been a while."

My gaze bounced between the two of them before settling on Vaughn, watching as the furrow of confusion on his forehead slowly smoothed out as recognition took over. "Well, I'll be damned. Ethan Prewitt."

Ethan let out an abbreviated laugh. "Wasn't sure you'd remember me. It's good to see you." He held out his hand. I felt Vaughn's body tense at the gesture and unconsciously reached out to place my hand on his forearm in a show of comfort. I hadn't given any thought to the action or expected anything to come of it, but then he turned to give me a brief look, and the stark appreciation I saw swimming in his hypnotic eyes rendered me speechless before he pushed out of the booth to greet the man from his past.

What was supposed to start as a handshake morphed into one of those dude hugs, complete with clasped hands and back slapping when Ethan used his hold on Vaughn to pull him into his chest. The discomfort etched into his features wasn't outright obvious, but I'd gotten familiar enough with the man to catch the slight tightening around his eyes and mouth. Curling my lips between my teeth, I bit down to keep from outright laughing at his discomfort as I slid out of the booth to greet my friends.

I gave Eliza a hug, shooting her a quick narrow-eyed look when she giggled in my ear before shifting to Ethan and getting a kiss on the cheek. The manners my mother had instilled in me since birth wouldn't allow me to be rude. "Hey guys. It's good to see you." As soon as I pulled away from Ethan, Vaughn's arm shot out, wrapping around my waist from behind and yanking me back into him. The hold was unexpected and possessive. And so damn hot it sent a bolt of heat to my core. The way his large hand spread out over my belly, pressing deep, made my breaths short and choppy as my most intimate muscles clenched and my nipples tightened into stiff peaks.

"Are you just getting here or heading out?"

Please say heading out. Please say heading out.

Eliza's grin turned downright wicked. "Actually, we're just getting here. It looks like you guys haven't ordered yet. How about we turn this into a little double date?"

Well that settled it, I was going to have to commit murder. It was a shame. I really liked Eliza.

I was sure my attempt at a smile made me look like a lunatic as my back molars ground together. "Sure," I offered too brightly, causing Ethan's confused gaze to bounce back and forth between me and his wife like he was watching a tennis match.

He opened his mouth like he wanted to object at the same time the tips of Vaughn's fingers dug further into my belly, creating a whoosh deep in my core, but Eliza was already sliding her way into the booth that had been vacant since Vaughn and I sat down.

"Great," she chirped happily. "This'll be so much fun."

Ethan followed after her hesitantly, and I turned to the man clutching me. My eyes must have projected the question I wanted to ask, because he gave me a single abbreviated nod before releasing me so I could return to the seat I'd vacated. Just like he had the first time, he scooted until there was no space between us, but this time, instead of placing his arm across the back of the bench seat, he made no pretenses about hooking it over my shoulders as he returned to the study of his menu.

Across the table Eliza shot me a giddy grin, holding two thumbs up over the edge of the table. My stomach sank at her approval. It didn't sit well with me, lying to her, but I did my best to shake it off. Fortunately—or unfortunately, depending on how I looked at it—my focus was stolen away from the guilt churning my insides when Vaughn began sliding his fingers up and down my arm from shoulder to elbow, over and over. Goosebumps pebbled my skin and a zing shot from my nipples straight between my thighs at the featherlight touch.

I cleared my throat and tried my best to be discreet as I shifted in my seat, clenching my legs together against the ache that had formed there. It was a gentle caress, for crying out loud. There was no reason for my panties to be as wet as they already were.

Even though my brain was shorting out, I was still with it enough to notice that our table had grown quiet, and not in the comfortable way it would have been if it were just Vaughn and me. "So, uh... h-how do you two know each other?" I asked, looking between Ethan and Vaughn.

The tension melted away as Ethan spoke up. "We grew up on the same block." He chuckled and shook his head good-naturedly. "Used to run around getting into all kinds of trouble. Remember that one summer when we found that squirrel out in the woods behind your place?"

I shot a glance Vaughn's way and could practically see the wheels churning in his head as the memories started piecing together.

"That's right." His mouth started to hook upward, and I held my breath as I waited to see if he might actually smile, but he caught himself before it got that far and reined it back in. "You thought you could talk your grandmother into letting you keep it as a pet, only she screamed bloody murder when you walked through the door with it and you ended up dropping it."

Ethan's laugh was unrestrained and carefree, and I couldn't help but wish Vaughn was able to do the same, to let go long enough to... be happy. Truly, unreservedly happy. Because the better I got to know him, the more I realized he deserved it.

"What happened to the squirrel?" Eliza asked, as interested to see how the story played out as I was.

"Didn't it take something like, two hours for us to catch that squirrel?" Vaughn asked, his voice sounding lighter than I'd ever heard it before as he recalled the past. Almost on the verge of laughter. Something about hearing that made my own chest feel lighter, and the smile I hadn't realized I was wearing stretched even bigger.

"Yeah, it did. She grounded me for a week for that stunt. Didn't let me keep the damn thing, either."

At the sound of my giggle, Vaughn's head turned, his gaze catching mine before sliding down to my smiling mouth. Those ocean eyes of his darkened, his nostrils flaring on an exhale. Before I knew what was happening, his hand came up, his index finger and thumb cradling the tip of my chin and tilting my face up so he could press his lips to mine. It wasn't a kiss, really. More of a brush of his lips as our breaths tripped over each other's. Back and forth, back and forth, but it was still enough to cause stars to burst behind the backs of my eyelids once they fluttered closed. Still enough to make my belly flip like an Olympic gymnast and my skin to grow tight everywhere.

My chest rattled on a stuttered inhale, and it felt like it took an eternity for my eyes to peel open once Vaughn broke that tender kiss. It took a moment for my fuzzy vision to clear so I could see him clearly, but once I could, it was as if I were seeing him in a whole new light.

"Oh my god. You guys are so freaking cute."

My body jerked as the busy restaurant full of people faded back into focus. Until Eliza had spoken, I'd forgotten all about our new dinner companions. I buried my face in the crook of Vaughn's neck on a groan, my face heating up to the color of a stop sign.

His arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me so close to his side I was practically in his lap, but with his heat enveloping me and his smell filling my lungs stronger than it ever had before, the embarrassment I'd been feeling a moment ago quickly melted away.

"All right, baby," Ethan said in a warning tone that was mixed liberally with humor. "Stop trying to embarrass her already. She looks like she's about to melt into the booth's vinyl covering."

Vaughn's arm moved, but before I had a chance to miss the hold he'd had on me, his large, rough palm slid onto my leg beneath the table, a good few inches above my knee. His fingers curled around my inner thigh in a hold that made my inner muscles tighten and my lower belly hollow out.

His hand clenched, the tips of his fingers digging into my flesh in a way that made the apex of my thighs wet and achy, desperate for him to slide his grip just a little higher.

"My girl's made of tougher stuff than that," he said, the meaning of words throwing me off kilter just as much as the affection I heard laced within them. "Isn't that right, Calamity?"

I curled my lips inward to temper the ridiculously giddy smile that wanted to break free as I nodded. "I'd have to be to put up with you, City Slicker."

That earned me another corner lip tremble, and I nearly swooned on the spot. A voice in the back of my head was screaming at me to slow my roll. That I needed to get my head out of the clouds and remember what this really was before I ended up getting hurt. Only, I was afraid I was already too far gone to care.