His tongue swiped out to wet his lips, and I smiled because I knew the jealousy was eating him up.
“I miss you.” He shrugged. “But I guess we’ll just have to see where things go for both of us.”
My phone vibrated, and I glanced down to see a text from Finn.
Chewy
I can’t believe the dude went behind my back and took you to his house. I’m still pissed off. Miss you, Miney. It’s country night at Garrity’s. Hugh and Cage don’t want to go. You want me to wait for you? We’ll go dance our asses off?
Normally, I’d say no and stay here with Carl. But at the moment, I had a good buzz going, and the thought of dancing to some good country music with my best friend sounded a hell of a lot better than hearing about the great sex Carl was having with someone else.
Let’s do it. Heading home in five minutes.
“Well, I’m not sure where things are going for either of us in the future, aside from having lots of rocking good sex with other people,” I said. Were my words slurring? Was rocking good sex a real thing? “But my boyfriend wants to take me dancing, so I need to get home.”
He nodded. “I miss the nights we used to go dancing.”
“Yeah. Well, now we have new partners, Carl. And that was your doing.”
His eyes widened. He wasn’t used to me being so confrontational. But the new me was done being a doormat. If we were going to have a future together, things did need to change. He was right about that.
He’d have to make the effort if he wanted to get me back.
Right now, there was only one place that I wanted to be.
Dancing with my best friend—my fake boyfriend and the guy who would take my mind off the fact that the man I planned to marry had just shredded my heart.
Again.
nine
Finn
“For fuck’s sake, dude. You need to chill,” Cage said as he carried our empty beer bottles to the kitchen. “She said she’s on her way home. Isn’t she your fake girlfriend? Wasn’t the plan for her to win Dr. Douchesack back?”
“It’s Dr. Limpdick now. It’s more fitting. And yes, that was the plan, but I don’t like the guy.”
“Agreed. He’s an asshole.” Cage dropped the bottles into the recycling bin.
“You two fuckers are being a little dramatic. Carl is not that bad of a guy. Reese wouldn’t want to marry him if he was as awful as you’re making him out to be. Yeah, he’s a little arrogant, but you just hate him because he’s dating your best friend,” Hugh said, pointing at me before turning his attention to Cage. “And you never got over the fact that he said you weren’t a real doctor.”
“I’m offended both for my best friend and my brother,” I said, throwing my hands in the air.
“That’s a bit of a stretch,” Cage said. “You laughed when I told you he said that. I think you’re actually jealous of him being with Reese.”
I gasped and made all sorts of sounds to let him know how appalled I was at the suggestion that I could be jealous of a dude like Carl.
“Not a fucking chance. He doesn’t deserve her. He never has. But after the way he treated her for chasing her own fucking dreams, I don’t know why she’s even trying to get him back.”
“Yet you agreed to go along with the plan. Interesting.” Cage had a smug look on his face.
“It’s not that interesting. I’m protective. Plus, I’m supposed to be dating her. So what kind of fucking loser boyfriend would be okay with her being out with her ex this late?”
“A guy who’s pretending to be her boyfriend,” Hugh said over his laughter. “You seem to be getting really worked up. Didn’t she say she was on her way home and she wanted to go to Garrity’s with you?”
“Yeah. Thirty minutes ago. The asshole lives five minutes away,” I said, looking down at my smartwatch. “I’m not going to let Carl treat me like I’m his little bitch. This is too much.” I stormed to the window and gasped when I realized his car was parked in my driveway.
That bastard thought he could try something with my girl in my driveway?
Not a fucking chance.
“Damn straight. You tell him, brother!” Hugh shouted. My brothers both laughed hysterically as I reached for my coat and whipped the door open.
Carl had fucked with the wrong guy.
I stormed toward his I’m-an-insecure-prick red sports car and saw them facing one another as I approached. I banged my fist against the passenger window, and Reese jumped in her seat.