Tempt Our Fate (Sutten Mountain, #2)(78)

Oh, hell no. This man doesn’t look safe. He lets his hand brush down her back, pulling her into a hug that’s way too fucking friendly for my liking. I push myself off the wall, heading in their direction. Fuck the five minutes.

I force myself in between them, leaning over the bar in both of their views.

“What do we have here?” I growl, my eyes boring into Pippa’s.

“Hey, man, we’re busy,” the asshat trying to talk to Pippa says.

I let out a disapproving hum, not looking away from Pippa. “She’s not interested.”

The guy gawks, a weird sound coming from his throat. “Do you know this guy, Pip?”

Does she know me? “I’d say so. She was coming around my co—”

“No, Chase, I don’t know him,” Pippa interrupts, giving the guy an apologetic smile.

You’ve got to be kidding me. My blood boils with jealous rage. She’d told me she wanted to play this little game and pretend we didn’t know each other, but that was before some country prick started looking at her like he was imagining her naked.

“Maybe we should go somewhere else,” the guy—Chase, apparently—offers, brave enough to put his hand over Pippa’s.

I see red. Wrapping my hand around her middle, I pull her closer to me. “Let me buy you a beer,” I growl. The words are angry, sending a shiver down Pippa’s back.

“What the hell,” Chase calls, trying to wrap his fingers around Pippa once again. She drops her hand from his, fighting his attempts.

Good girl.

“Who are you?” I bite.

“Her ex. Who are you?”

My eyebrows rise as I look back at Pippa. “Ex?” My words come out cool and full of venom.

This just got a lot more interesting.





42





PIPPA





“Funny. She never really mentioned her exes. Except for the fact they couldn’t make her c—”

“Alright, well, I’m going to order a beer,” I interrupt Camden, not wanting to hurt Chase’s feelings. He’s sweet; he just wasn’t for me. Not that I’d ever consider him an ex. No matter what, I don’t want him to be bullied by Camden because he’s jealous.

He’s really freaking hot when he’s jealous. A vein has popped up on the middle of his forehead. He’s tense all over, his jaw muscles showing off with ripples every time he clenches his jaw.

“A Miller?” Chase asks, trying to get the attention of the bartender.

I feel Camden’s deep growl against my back. I try to hide the shiver that runs down my body with excitement.

Damn. Why do I love jealous Camden so much?

Before I can answer, Camden has already gotten the attention of another bartender and is ordering. “Two Stellas,” he clips, handing over a hundred-dollar bill.

“I’ll get you your change,” Linna responds. She was two grades older than me in high school and one of my favorite bartenders here at Slopes. She knows how to make a mean limoncello shot. Good enough to make me hungover for days after a few.

“Don’t worry about it. Keep it.”

She looks at him wide-eyed. That’s a hefty tip, but I keep my mouth shut. Even when Chase lets out an annoyed sigh from my other side.

“You don’t even like Stella,” he mutters under his breath.

I actually love Stella. I just always order the cheap shit because I could have two beers for the price of one. I’m all about saving money. Beer is beer. But I’ll never turn down a more flavorful, expensive beverage.

“You can go now,” Camden drawls, his hand tightening around my waist again. “She’s not interested.”

His hand around my waist is possessive. I feel bad because I’ve lied to Chase and made it out like Camden and I are strangers when we’re anything but. I don’t change my story because I want to pretend that Camden and I don’t know each other so we can get that redo. Chase is just a casualty of it.

Chase stares at me, probably waiting for me to tell Camden off. I don’t. Instead, I give him a friendly smile. “I’ll call you later?” I offer politely.

“She won’t,” Camden counters from behind me. I give him a dirty look. Jealous Camden is something else.

Chase holds eye contact for a few moments longer before he backs away with his arms in the air. I groan, knowing he’s probably already texting my brother and telling him about this encounter. I don’t think Cade will say anything, however. He’s too busy killing himself getting things ready for the winter and pining over Mare. But it might be an interesting conversation if somehow he does pay attention and asks me what’s happening between me and the guy I brought to the ranch.

As soon as Chase disappears, Camden is pulling on my hip and facing me toward him. Jealousy is written all over his face. The clench of his jaw, his straight lips, and narrowed eyes.

“Did you have your fun?” he clips, nodding to Linna when she hands over our beers.

I avoid his question for a moment, taking a long pull of the beer. It’s delicious. No wonder it’s more expensive. It tastes so much better.

“This is amazing,” I mumble, my lips moving against the top of the bottle.

“Answer my question.”