Doing her best to block out the stunning woman standing next to Brecken, January focused on Victor. He was as tall as Brecken, but his frame was much smaller. Dirty blonde hair was buzzed short on the side. The top was longer and slicked back. Tattoos covered what she could see of his neck and hands, but his eyes were what held her attention. His long, dark lashes made an interesting contrast against the color of his eyes, which were so light blue they were almost white. He was beautiful and, at the same time, looked like a total bad ass.

Movement caught her eye, and she watched as Nadia reached out and placed a perfectly manicured hand on Brecken’s bicep as she laughed at something Victor had said. Their eyes met, and Nadia’s red lips pulled back into a wicked smile. It told her everything she needed to know. She’d done this before—walked the gallery, met his friends, and she wasn’t going anywhere without a fight.

Brecken’s words interrupted the jealousy raging inside her. “Good to see you, Victor.”

“See ya later.” Victor turned to January and smiled. “It was a pleasure to meet you.”

She nodded stiffly as Brecken led her away without saying anything to Nadia. His hand never left her as they made their way around the room a second time. She barely glanced at the art this time. Her mind was reeling, and she didn’t feel like putting on a show as the happy, perfect date any longer.

With a smile, January shook free of his grasp, held her head high, and walked quickly to the front of the gallery and out the door. Brecken was right behind her, his hand finding her lower back and guiding her down the sidewalk as if he knew exactly what was going on. She ignored him and closed her eyes, taking a deep, calming breath.

When she was sure that she was capable of speaking calmly, she turned to face him.

“I’m sorry.” He placed his hands in his front pockets. “Nadia was out of line.”

“Are you sleeping with her?” She placed her hands up to halt him as he took a step forward.

A flash of guilt passed over his face, but his voice stayed even and clear. “Not anymore.”

She already knew the answer, or inferred as much, but the twist in her gut was so painful it hurt to breath.

“I should go.”

“No. Look—” He ran both hands through his hair. “There’s been no one else since you.”

She glared up at him and huffed a breath through her nose. She knew deep down she was being irrational. Of course he’d dated other women. Hell, she’d dated other men. It wasn’t fair for her to be acting like this. She’d let him consume her life, her thoughts, her whole world, and there she was, acting like a teenager who couldn’t handle the real world.

She tried to hold on to her anger, but when he reached over and touched her pinky finger with his, none of it mattered. That one touch told her that she was already in too deep.

He held her hand loosely as they walked to his car. He walked a half-step in front of her, allowing her to appreciate the view even while her emotions were all over the place. His version of dressing down had been to trade in his suit for gray dress pants and a black sweater. While it was casual for Brecken, she’d secretly hoped he had some jeans hidden away in the back of his closet. What she’d give to see him in a pair of faded Levi’s.

He pulled her to him and bent to kiss her, but she turned her face to the side.

He pulled back and laughed. Like tipped his head back, big belly laugh. “I like this jealous side of you.” He stepped forward until their bodies touched. “It means you like me.”

“Don’t flatter yourself,” she said through clenched teeth.

Laughing again, he ran his thumb over her lip.

“Admit it.”

“Admit what?”

That she was jealous? Yep. That she liked him? Oh yeah.

“That this—you and me—is real.” His eyes bore into hers, and her heart raced. “You like me.” He leaned in as if he were going to kiss her. “Really like me.”

She didn’t respond, and his mouth hovered just above her trembling lips. He dropped his hand down to her chest so his palm was flat over her heart.

“I’m in here.”

When she didn’t respond, he brought his lips softly down against hers. He nipped at her bottom lip until her body threw in the white flag and parted to let him in.

All of her resolve had nearly melted as he pulled away.

“Come on, let’s go home.”

“I think we should spend the night apart,” she said once they were in the car. The fact remained that she didn’t know where they stood, but she knew she was falling hard and needed to slow things down.

She heard the creak of leather as his hands tightened around the wheel. “Because I slept with someone before I’d even met you?”

It sounded petty. It was petty, but she remained resolute. “No.” Yes. “It’s been a long day. I just want to go home and crawl into my own bed alone.”

When he pulled up to the curb of her apartment, she stepped out and turned back. He was probably going to drive off and never call again. It was probably what she deserved.

“Get some sleep. I’ll see you in the morning,” he said with a hint of a smile.

She shut the door, and as she watched his taillights disappear into the night, tears filled her eyes.

Without a thought, she walked toward the bar. Michael was working tonight. Maybe he could talk her down from the level of crazy she’d stepped into.

Michael wasn’t behind the bar like she’d expected. There wasn’t anyone behind the bar. Odd.

“Hey, guys, have any of you seen Michael?” she asked a couple of regulars.

One of them raised his bottle and tipped it toward the back.

“Thanks.”

She could hear voices as she rounded the bar and entered the back office and kitchen area. The hair on the back of her neck stood seconds before she got an eye full of Michael’s white ass through the open office door.

“Oh my God.” She covered her eyes with a hand and placed the other over her rapidly beating heart.

“Shit, January. What are you doing here?”

Eyes squeezed tight, she could only guess by the scurrying sounds that bodies were fumbling about and clothes were being righted. “I was stopping in to see you. What are you doing? Carrie?”

“Hi, Jan,” Carrie’s breathless voice yelped.

“Yeah, hi. I’ll just wait out front.”

The boys at the bar smiled as she returned to the front. “Thanks for the warning,” she grumbled and took a seat at the opposite side of the bar.

Michael appeared first, wiping his hands on a towel and throwing it over his shoulder.

He grabbed a bottle of wine and a glass from behind the bar and set them in front of her. Her anger and all the turmoil of the day bubbled up, and she laughed. It started small, just a chuckle and a shake of her head, but soon, she was laughing so hard there were tears streaming down her face.

“In the back of the bar?” she got out between hoots.

Carrie walked out, ducking her head, and it only added to the hilarity. The guilty parties shared a confused look while January filled her own wine glass.

“I should get going,” Carrie said. “Good to see you.”

January nodded while she took a big drink.

“I’ll call you later,” Michael called after Carrie as she pushed the front door open and stepped outside.

“What the fuck, Jan?”

“Me? You were banging in the back of the bar.”

“That doesn’t give you the right to be an ass.”

“Oh, come on.” She set the glass down. His face had disapproval written all over it. “Okay, you’re right. I’ll call and apologize later, but you two seriously stunned me. What was I supposed to do? Invite her to sit and have a drink after that?”

“She is your friend.”

He stuck out his thumb in the direction of the two patrons still left in the bar. “I gotta close out those two and then you’re gonna tell me what in the world is going on with you. You’re a mess. And January Lyle doesn’t do mess.”

While he was gone, she checked her phone. No word from Brecken, which wasn’t surprising considering how she’d acted. Sending an apologetic text to Carrie, she went out on a limb and suggested they meet up for coffee next week. Maybe it was time to make more time for her friends before she ended up alone and looney like she was tonight.

“Okay, shoot.” Michael sat next to her, and they turned toward one another with their feet dangling and intertwined.

January had no idea how much time passed while she talked and Michael listened, but when she’d told him everything, she felt worse than before.

“I don’t know what’s gotten into me. Sticking my nose where it doesn’t belong and going into jealous rages isn’t my style.”

“Well, it’s obvious to me, and you aren’t going to like the answer.”

Raising her eyebrows, she waited for him to go on.

“You like him.”

Rolling her eyes, she groaned. “That’s the second time I’ve heard that tonight.”

“You do. He’s forcing his way in, and you want to let him in. But, you’re scared.”

“We talked about this.”

“No, I don’t think it’s his social status that has you this worked up. I think you’re afraid of getting hurt. Not knowing what’s in his past scares you, as does the thought that he has other options.”

“Of course, he has other options. He’s rich and gorgeous.” A clear picture of his easy and confident smile flashed in her mind, making her heart clench.

“It’s one thing to know that other women are out there. Seeing them fawn over him is another thing entirely. You two have spent the majority of your time together holed up—probably in bed. Taking it public is a big step.”

“Please, I beg you, let’s talk about something else now.” She waved her hands in front of her warm face. The wine had worked its way through her body, and Michael reminding her of how she’d spent the last few weeks had her wanting to drive over to Brecken’s condo and throw herself at him. “Tell me what’s going on with you and Carrie.”

“I’m not sure. I didn’t plan to see her again after the night at Sensual, but she keeps calling, and I keep answering.”

“Sounds like you like her,” January mocked in a deep tone that was as close to his as she could mimic.

“Yeah, I guess I do. Come on, let’s go home. It’s late and you need your beauty sleep for all the groveling you’re gonna have to do tomorrow.”