Page 16 of Needed You

I clear my throat and smile at him, nodding. His voice is light and airy. Smooth, even.

He shifts to the other leg and says, “If that’s the case, we should probably say hi. So . . . hi, Lev.” He has this shit-eating grin on his face, and I can’t figure out why he’s being so coy. He runs his eyes up and down my body, sticking just the tip of his tongue out and toying with his lip ring.

Whatever it is about this guy, it lights me on fire. “H-hi,” I stammer, reaching out my hand to shake his.

Pull it together, Lev!

I almost groan at the ridiculousness of it all. I’m a twenty-four-year-old professional and business owner. I am a full-on man. But yet, I can’t make a sentence around this guy. He laughs—laughs—at me and takes my hand.

“Welcome back. It’s good to see you.” His hand is warm and soft. It fits perfectly in mine, and I find myself not wanting to let go of it. My body sparks when Dare rubs his fingers lightly over my wrist. The sensation startles me, and I pull my hand away, tingles running up my arm.

Garrett must have been needed elsewhere, because another bartender approaches right then and takes our orders. While the bartender makes Dare’s drinks and the drinks for my table, Dare turns to me again. I barely register what he’s saying because my hand is still tingling from our contact. I wipe it on the side of my jeans.

“How have you been?” he asks me.

I’m able to put a few words together after a thick swallow. “I-I’m good. Doing well. Thanks for asking. How are you?” I sound like a freaking robot. I do know how to make conversation with him, but for some reason I’m rattled. I shake my head.

“Look,” I say at the same time that he says, “I know.”

We both pause.

“Go ahead,” I tell him.

“No, it’s cool. You say what you wanted to.” He motions to me to talk.

I take a breath. “So, yeah. I’m back. Here. For good. If you need anything, let me know, okay?” My voice is soft and genuine, and I mean every word that comes out of my mouth. I may have run away after Nate died, but I’m here now, and maybe he’ll allow me to make it up to him somehow.

Dare lets me know immediately that’s not happening any time soon. He scoffs. “Yeah. Welcome back, Lev, but . . . I’m good. I’ve had to make it this long, and I think I can make it without you for a bit longer.”

My chest tightens.

He takes his drinks and walks away, and I swear he’s sashaying, leaving me staring at him wide-eyed as he heads back to the section where his friends wait.

I almost feel dizzy. I’m not sure what just happened there. He went from almost flirting with me to completely cold . . . and fucking sashaying away!

Dazed, I shake my head. Once I collect myself, I grab our drink order and head back to the table.

My sister puts her hand on my arm after I’ve set all the drinks down. “Everything okay?” she asks.

I nod.

“You sure?” She raises her eyebrows as she sips from the straw in her new drink. “You look like something’s up. You’re flushed and acting all weird.”

Nolan glances my way as she talks to me.

“Yeah. I mean, I ran into Dare at the bar. We keep running into each other, so I figured I would say hi. You’re the one who told me I would see him a lot since I’m back now, Linds.”

“Then why do you look like you just saw a ghost?” she says with a chuckle.

“Have you guys kept in touch or something?” Nolan asks.

I turn to him and can’t explain why I suddenly feel protective of Dare. “No, no. Not at all. I’ve just seen him a few times since I’ve been back and figured I might as well say hi.”

Nolan laughs, then raises his eyebrows suggestively. “I’m sure he didn’t mind that.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

Nolan’s fiancée shoots him a bewildered look.