Page 44 of Nightmare’s Playground

The guy in the suit Paige had arrived with was two stools down with a beer in his hand and his eyes glued to the Cardinals game on the television. He wasn’t the slightest bit concerned that his date was chatting it up with another man.

Good for him.

Me: Maybe? Hard to say. (shrug emoji)

Figuring Ian would want to see for himself because he was nosy like that, I opened the camera’s app, zoomed in, and snapped a picture of the two of them.

Me: They look perfect together. I hate them.

Ian: oh honey (sad face emoji)

Ian: they really do tho

I set the phone face down on the table.

“Thanks, Ian.”

Isabella came by to clear my plate, and her eyes went to the bar, then to the empty chair across from me, then to my face. I could see her trying to figure out what the polite thing to do was.

I saved her the trouble.

“Can I get my check?” I asked. “Just my half.”

She hesitated. “You sure? You should make him pay.”

I chuckled. “Positive.”

“Be right back,” she said, and squeezed my shoulder on the way past.

And that was when I felt it. Barbs pressing in at the back of my neck.

Slowly, I turned around in my chair, and instantly my eyes connected with the giant who was standing in the doorway.

Butterflies erupted in my belly at the sight of him. Backward Cardinals hat. Black tee that fit him like a second skin. Jeans that hugged his thick thighs, and those deep blue eyes locked on me like there wasn’t another person in the building.

God. Just…God.

He was so handsome it was stupid.

Rosa said something to him from the hostess stand, and he nodded my way, then crossed that restaurant until he was beside my chair.

“Where is he?” he rumbled as he crouched down beside my chair so we were eye level.

My eyes slid to the bar. “Why?” I asked. “What are you gonna do?”

He followed my gaze.

I watched him find Ben. Then Paige. Then put two and two together.

“He fucking left you here,” he growled. “For her?”

I lifted one shoulder. “Are you surprised?”

His head turned back to me, and his eyes were blazing.

I snapped my mouth shut.

O-kay.