We both stand up, he with Bella in his arms.
“Clara?”
“Yeah?”
“Any man would be lucky to have you. Any man.”
Yeah, just not the one that I want.
*****
I was drunk.
Summer let me finish my shift early just so I could drink with her and her brother, Xander. Xander is a handsome man with shoulder-length brown hair and deep hazel eyes. He is covered in tattoos and is also one of Tag’s best friends.
“Another shot?” Summer asks, slurring her words.
Xander chuckles and shakes his head. “Slow down, Sis. Clara looks like she’s done for the night.”
I nod in his direction. “Yeah, that’s enough for me.”
“Not much of a drinker?” he asks.
I hiccup. “No, how can you tell?”
He laughs harder and puts his arm around my shoulder casually, then lowers his voice. “So what’s going on with you and Tag? He’s been looking like he wants to strangle me all night just because I’m sitting next to you.”
“They’re both in denial,” Summer adds, lifting her hair off her neck and tying it in a ponytail. “The sexual tension is thick, but apparently, they’re only friends.”
I purse my lips at her. “Thanks for that.”
“Anytime,” she replies chirpily.
“We are just friends. Trust me, I’d know,” I tell them in a dry tone.
Xander squeezes my shoulder gently. “Don’t worry, it won’t be long before he realises.”
“Realises what?” I ask, touching my hot cheek. My face always heats up when I drink.
“That he wants you. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him act possessive over a woman before, and he hasn’t taken his eyes off you all night.”
Really? I look towards the bar and find that Xander is right. Tag is watching me. I quickly look away and grab one of Summer’s shots.
“I’m going to need this,” I mumble, tipping back and letting the tequila roll down my throat. Xander quickly pushes Summer’s other shot away and out of my reach. Probably a smart move.
“I haven’t seen Tag show any real interest in anyone since Kaley,” I hear him say to his sister.
Summer shrugs. “He likes Clara.”
“He doesn’t. We’re friends, and I’ve accepted that.”
Kind of.
“If he wants to hook up with someone, then I’m going to have to deal with it because,” I lower my voice, “Men have needs.”
Xander and Summer share a look.
“Men have needs,” I say louder. “He’s going to take someone home sooner or later. Maybe even tonight.”
I glance at Tag to see a woman talking to him. I point in his direction. “See.”
Xander cups my face, turning it in his direction, a mischievous look on his own. “Stop taking about men and their needs. How drunk are you?”
“Not drunk enough that I don’t know what I’m doing.”
“Good,” he murmurs, his throat working as he swallows. “I’m going to prove to you that Tag wants you.”
“And how are you going to do that?” I ask, wide-eyed.
When his lips come down on mine, I have to admit, I didn’t see it coming. His lips were soft, and he tasted amazing. But he wasn’t Tag.
Xander pulls back after a few of the longest seconds of my life and flashes me a boyish grin. He lets go of me and turns just in time to have Tag pull him up by the shirt.
“What the fuck?” Tag barks, looking like he wants to kill his friend. I look at Summer who is staring at the two men with wide eyes.
“She said she was single,” Xander replies, trying to sound innocent. “And that you didn’t want her.”
Tag’s eyes find mine, and I suddenly wished I had the power to turn invisible. He and Xander disappear outside, and Summer and I decide to head to the dance floor. I try and push Tag away from my thoughts.
It is harder than I thought.
The ride home is tense. Tag is silent¸ the air thick between us. When the silence becomes too much, I open my mouth to speak.
“Tag—”
“Did you like it?” he asks, his voice emotionless. I see his fingers tighten on the steering wheel as he waits for my response.
“Like what?” I ask, my gaze still on his hands.
“The kiss.”
I swallow. “Tag, you know that I—”
“Did you like it?” he asks again.
“I didn’t know he was going to—”
“Fuck,” he grits out, cutting me off once more. How rude.
“Will you just listen for a second?” I yell, losing my temper. A muscle ticks in his jaw as he stares straight ahead at the road, but he stays quiet.