Page 77 of Twisted Knight

I try to stop the smirk that automatically crawls on my lips.

He’s persistent. I’ll give him that.

“Is that what I think it is?” Gregory asks as I glance up and catch sight of Holden heading toward the men’s restroom as I stand from my seat. “His fucking phone number? As if you’d choose him over me. That prick probably doesn’t have a decent job and is buried in debt while driving some piece-of-shit car.” He puffs his chest out. “I’ll go handle this,” he says but then startles when he looks toward the bar and Holden isn’t there.

“No, please.” I put a hand on his arm to stop him. While it’s more than chivalrous for him to want to take care of the situation, the last thing I want is for him to fight on my behalf. “Just let it go. It’s nothing. He’s nothing,” I repeat again and dart a glance back over to the bathrooms.

Gregory looks at me, jaw clenched and with a scowl on his face as he crumples up the napkin with the phone number already programmed in my phone. “Only dicks do shit like that.”

“I know.” I offer a strained smile, understanding why he’s upset but a little shocked by his reaction. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to head to the restroom.”

“Sure. Yes. Not a problem.”

TWENTY-FOUR

Rowan

I head toward the back of the bar, down the hall, and right into the men’s restroom without knocking. Holden’s standing on the opposite side of the room, back to me, clearly using the urinal.

“You have a lot of fucking nerve,” I say before the door even shuts.

“Come on in. I don’t mind,” Holden says as he turns around, zipping his pants up. “If you wanted to see my dick to measure it up to how small Gregory’s is, Sunshine, all you had to do was ask.”

My eyes flicker down to where his hands are buttoning his pants and then back up to the grin on his lips.

“The farmers market. The country club. That dreaded fucking polo match. At the gym. In the goddamn warehouse.”

“Are you giving me a tour of Westmore?” His tone is wry and his eyebrows are raised.

“No. I’m telling you all of the places you have miraculously popped up at to purposely annoy the fuck out of me.”

“You forgot the office. I’m there too.”

“Funny.”

He angles his head to the side and meets my glare. “Like I said, Rowan, it’s a small town. If you give me your schedule, I’ll be sure to show up every other place I haven’t.”

“You have a quip for everything, don’t you.”

“Only for you,” he says as the door opens at my back.

I turn to find a wide-eyed guy looking at me like I’m crazy. Maybe I am. God knows Holden sure makes me feel that way. “Bathroom’s occupied,” I say, to which I just get a dumbfounded look that has me taking the few steps toward the door, shutting it, and twisting the lock.

“Oh.” Holden claps his hands together and rubs them as his cologne drifts through the small space and assaults my senses in the best way. “Things are getting serious.”

“You don’t get to barge in on my date and make him feel insecure—”

“That’s his problem, not mine.” He smirks, and I hate that regardless of how angry I am, I’m still drawn to the sight of it.

Of him.

“You don’t get to follow me around. Show up where I am. Assume I’ll drop everything for you.”

“The best part about you is that you don’t.”

His comment puts a hitch in my stride. The grin he flashes even more so. “Don’t. Just don’t.” I hold my hands up, frustrated with him for continually being charming when I’m mad at him. For what he’s doing right now to Gregory—taking me away from him. For having a comeback to every single thing I say. “You don’t get to follow me around. You don’t get to be everywhere but not talk to me when I approach you.”

“I’m talking to you now.”