I sit at the bar with James and Hudson, sipping on a glass of whiskey. We have been sitting here for a while, tasting different whiskeys from the menu. Hudson has been catching me up on everything I’ve missed the last few years. James sits quietly listening, grunting in response when Hudson prompts him.

“James is hosting a dinner for the neighborhood families on Saturday night. You should swing by. He could use a few more hands. It’s always a good time.”

I look to James. He is looking down at his beer bottle, peeling the label. He nods, but I don’t think he is listening to us.

“Yeah, I’ll go.”

“You know Monica still lives here.” Hudson waggles his eyebrows. I suppress a groan. Monica was a high school fling. She was my girlfriend for all of a week. I went over to her house after school, lost my virginity, and fell asleep. I woke up to her cutting a piece of my hair. I hastily got out of there and have been avoiding her ever since. Every time I come back to town, I usually see her somewhere. She tries to talk to me, but I do my best to ignore her.

Hudson shares the hair-cutting incident with James, who throws back his head and laughs. “That’s fuckin’ crazy, man. You gotta avoid that kind of crazy.”

A loud cackling cuts through the bar. Everyone turns and looks. I cut back to James and Hudson with wide eyes. James is wearing a full grin, and Hudson is smirking. James gets off his stool. “Let’s go see them.”

“Who?” I ask. Neither James nor Hudson answers my question, but I follow them to the back corner booth.

Savannah has her arms curled around her stomach. She’s cackling. I can’t believe that loud laugh comes from her small frame. She laughs with her whole body. Her hair is hiding her face. I can’t stop the grin from taking over my expression.

“Ladies,” Hudson greets the table. Savannah is sitting across from two women. Her head pops up, her gaze immediately locking with mine. My grin widens when her eyes drop to take me in. Her gaze sweeps over me and lands back on my face. I take my turn scanning her. I can’t see all of her because she’s hidden by the table, but she is stunning. Her long brown hair is curled down her back. One eyebrow arches over one of her green eyes. A smirk is playing on her full, pink lips. She’s wearing a dark dress with thin straps. Her creamy skin is on display. The front of the dress dips into a V, showing her ample cleavage. The table cuts off the rest of her, but I’m dying to know where the dress stops on her legs.

Hudson slides in next to her two friends and pops a piece of bread into his mouth. “Mind if we join you?”

“You can join us,” the girl with the curly hair says. “If you take off your shirt.”

Savannah and the girls burst into laughter again. Savannah’s loud laugh echoes through the space.

Hudson shrugs. He reaches his arm behind his head and starts to pull his shirt over. The blonde next to him stops him by slapping a hand over his arm.

“Oh, my god! Stop! You can’t do that here!” The girls are still laughing. Hudson smiles and pops another piece of bread in his mouth. I take the opportunity to slide in next to Savannah. I catch James looking at us from my peripheral vision, but I don’t turn his way. My focus is only on Savannah. Her cheeks turn pink under my scrutiny.

“Valerie, Harper, these guys are Hudson, James, and Liam.” She points to each of us. “Guys, these are my best girls, Valerie and Harper.”

I reluctantly tear my gaze from Savannah to meet her two friends. I reach across the table and shake their hands. James, who grabbed a chair and is sitting at the end of the table, shakes their hands, too, but he is still looking at me.

I level him with a stare as his brow arches. I need to find out what is between Savannah and James. He obviously doesn’t like me near her.

“Sav, you didn’t tell us you know these fine men.” Valerie looks at each of us. “She saw me drooling over you boys when you walked in, but she didn’t say a word.”

“James owns the gym I go to, and Hudson is there almost as much as I am. I just met Liam the other day.” She blushes when she looks at me. I haven’t moved my eyes for more than a minute. I can’t look away from her face.

“Well, if they all look like that, then maybe I need to sign up at your gym,” she says.

Harper laughs. “Didn’t you just convince your husband to build you a home gym because you swore you would work out if it were more convenient?”

Valerie waves her hand as if that doesn’t matter.

“Gabe goes to my gym. I’ve seen him there a few times,” Savannah tells Valerie.

“But, he’s never told me that there are men like this there!”

“Maybe that was the point. He doesn’t want you looking at anyone but him. And he doesn’t look at the men!”

Hudson points to the platters in the middle of the table. “I think we’re going to need more food.”

“Really, man? You ate their food?” James reaches around and pops him on the back of the head.

Hudson shrugs. “I’m going to order more.”

I lean down to Savannah’s ear and whisper, “Hi.”

She finally looks at me again. “Hi.” She gives me a small smile. “Were your poor mom and sister starved to death by the time you finally made it home?”

“Nah, they were fine. I was forgiven as soon as I handed over that cinnamon roll.”

“When did you two meet?” James questions us.

“I met him at the coffee shop earlier.” She looks over to James. He stares at her, and she stares back. Her head cocks slightly, and his eyes narrow. My eyes volley back and forth between them, trying to work out their relationship. Their silent conversation leads me to believe they know each other well. James finally nods his head one time, and I feel the tension release from Savannah. She continues, “He was getting coffee for his mom and sister. We got to chatting, so he was late delivering their breakfast.”

James turns his head to the other side of the table. He’s like a silent sentry sitting at the head of the table. His head is on a constant swivel, watching us, and the surroundings. I notice his chair is not directly facing the table, but slightly turned, so his back is more toward the wall than the restaurant.

Returning my focus to Savannah, I see now she is watching me. Her moss green eyes are slightly glassy, a result of several glasses of wine. A thin, straight nose ends in the perfect little button. Her plush, full lips are the color of cotton candy. They’re fucking perfect. I’m dying to mold my lips to hers and consume her. Her eyes flit across my face. Her brows pull in and her lips pucker, a mask of confusion taking over her face.

The rest of the table has fallen away. In the background, I can hear murmuring of the conversation happening around us, but neither one of us breaks eye contact. I’d be willing to bet Savannah is just as curious about me as I am about her. “What are you thinking?”

After a long beat, she shakes her head, her expression smooth. “Not a thing.”

“I still want you to go out with me,” I whisper in her ear. “I’ve decided to try and convince you I’m worth at least one date.”

A waiter comes up to the table, stealing Savannah’s attention. I turn toward him, ready to order more food for the table. The guy, a young blonde, is leaning on the table between James and Hudson. His body is almost completely blocking Hudson, and his attention is focused on the women. “Do y’all want another appetizer?” He looks over at Savannah, his eyes dropping to her cleavage. “It’s on me.”

I put my arm on the back of the booth and drop my hand to Savannah’s shoulder, claiming something that is clearly not mine, but she sure as hell isn’t this fucker’s, either. Hudson coughs and speaks up. “Everything they’ve had tonight will be on our tab. We’ll take one more bottle of wine and another round of the same appetizers.” The waiter stands as Hudson places his arm on the table, turning his body toward Valerie and Harper, effectively blocking him out. The waiter turns to leave.

“Don’t be mean to him!” Harper complains. “He’s our usual waiter. We love him!”

“Yeah! He’s like our little puppy. His flirting is harmless.” Valerie says.

My finger is running up and down Savannah’s shoulder, she hasn’t moved a muscle since I put my arm around her. She looks at her friends, then to me. “He really is harmless, just a shameless flirt.”

James grunts. “Little bastard is disrespectful.”

“Cavemen. All of you,” Valerie says, rolling her eyes.

Valerie’s husband shows up soon after the rest of the wine and food is polished off. Only the women drank more wine, since they wouldn’t be driving. I’ve been nursing a glass of water, sobering myself up. Savannah and Harper are giggling and whispering to each other. Valerie is passed out, leaning against the wall.

“Standard girls’ night out, I see,” Gabe says.

“Gabe!” Savannah and Harper squeal. “This is Liam, James, and Hudson. They work out at my gym. Jamesy Bear is my best-est friend.”

Best Friends, I think to myself. I wonder if James just thinks of her as a friend. I shake the hand Gabe is holding out, then get up and drop enough cash on the table to cover the tab.

“I know who James and Hudson are, Sav. I work out there, too. Remember?”

She hiccups, looking confused. “Oh, yeah!” She bursts into giggles. Her laugh and giggles bring an automatic smile to my face. I can’t get enough of those loud, crazy sounds.

After Hudson and Harper exit the booth, Gabe hauls Valerie out, winding an arm around her waist to balance her.

“Come on, babe,” he says.

“One of us can take them home, so you can get her into bed,” I say to Gabe.

He looks straight at Savannah. She nods her head. “Are you sure?” he asks. She nods again, looking slightly more clear-eyed. The exchange woke her up a bit.

“I’ll take y’all,” I say quietly, reaching out to put my hand on her shoulder.

“No, that’s okay,” she says.

I’m confused. She seemed to be okay with us taking her home. “I really don’t mind,” I insist.

She looks straight at me, eyes wide and bouncing back and forth between the rest of the group and me. Her breathing slightly accelerated. “I don’t tell people I don’t know where I live.” What? Is she scared of me?

Gabe leans in, whispering in Savannah’s ear. “I’m okay,” Savannah says nodding her head. “James?”

“Yeah, I got you.”

I turn to James. He’s looking at me with an intense gaze I don’t understand. I step up to him and Hudson. “What am I missing here?”

“Hell, if I know,” Hudson says. “I see who I’m going home with, though.” He walks off toward a group of women, and in seconds, he has them laughing. I turn my focus back to James.

“Ain’t my story, man.”

I can respect that. I don’t pressure him for more. I’m not done with Savannah. I will get to know her, and she will tell me. “What’s your deal with her?”

“Just good friends.” I can tell there is more to their relationship than that, but I don’t see any jealousy on his face. He just cares for her as a friend. “I know you’re interested.”

“I am,” I confirm.

“You’re cool, I like you, but if you fuck with her, your body will never be found. It’s as simple as that. That girl may as well be my sister. I won’t stand in her way of something she wants, but I’ll sure as hell protect her.”

“Understood.”

He moves around me, going toward the girls. “I’ll see you on Saturday.” He claps his hand on my back. I watch as they exit the bar and get into his blacked-out SUV.