Part of me wanted to ask more about the whole saving the world thing, considering tonight he’d set out to rescue me, but Kale was already tossing out a hand of entreaty between them.
Or so I’d thought.
“All right, all right, man. We get it. You think I’m the smartest guy around. No need to run it into the ground. It is kind of common knowledge.”
A scoff from Ollie. “Such a cocky bastard.”
“Says the guy who thinks he’s a dream.”
“Just keeping it real.”
“Right,” Kale drew out.
There was no holding the laughter back any longer, amusement rolling from my mouth when I finally pushed my hand toward Ollie, feeling more comfortable than I ever could have imagined. “It’s really nice to meet you, Ollie. My best friend tells me this is the place to be.”
He shook my hand, gentler than I would have imagined he could manage. “Ahh, she sounds like my kind of girl. And you have no idea just how great it is to meet you.”
Without releasing me, his eyes darted between the two of us. “So, tell me what you two were up to before you stepped into my house.”
“Dinner,” I immediately answered.
I had to wonder if it was the wrong one when Kale flinched.
Ollie’s eyebrows shot to the sky. “Is that so?” This was all directed at Kale.
Kale hesitated for a second before he met his friend’s demanding eye. “What, I can’t have dinner with the most gorgeous girl in Gingham Lakes?”
Puddles.
God, he left me a mess of gooey puddles right at his feet.
How did he manage that?
In disbelief, Ollie shook his head. “Nah, man, it’s no problem. No problem at all. Just comes as a surprise someone as pretty as her would want to hang out with the likes of you.”
“Jealousy.” Kale muttered it under his breath before he looked at me, mischief playing all over his striking face. “Pure jealousy. Do you see the nonsense I have to deal with?”
But there was no tension between either of them, and Ollie was all smiles when he stepped back, placating hands set out in front of him. “Sorry to cut this short, but duty calls. Need to go check on the band and see if they need anything. Cece’s manning the bar. She’ll take good care of you.”
“Shit,” Kale mumbled, rubbing a hand over his face.
Kale started to lead me toward the bar.
“What was that all about?” I asked.
“Seems you and I are both stepping out of our comfort zones tonight. When’s the last time you were on a date?” he basically shouted as he wove us through the horde of people jammed shoulder to shoulder.
“Um . . . I’m not sure you want the answer to the question.”
“What if I wanted you to tell me anyway?”
“Then I’d tell you I was twenty-one and naïve.”
The look he gave me from over his shoulder was one filled with guilt. Maybe regret. I didn’t know. All I knew was it twisted around my chest like a band.
Constricting.
Cinching tight.
“What about you?” I hurried to say, still keeping up with him as we jostled through the crowd.
“Twenty-two.” Somehow it sounded like a warning.
As if he were telling me something intrinsic about himself when I’d already made my own conclusions. That I saw this devastating kindness radiating from him, and it didn’t have a thing to do with my naivety.
Without giving more, he angled his way right up to the front of the bar, and the woman behind the bar sauntered right up. She was tall and curvy and wearing a leather corset, tattoos covering the flesh exposed on her chest and shoulders and arms.
Oozing sex, she flashed him a red-lipped smile. “Kale Bryant. I’ve missed you. You haven’t been around to visit me lately.”
Her eyes dropped to me when she said it. Sizing me up.
Unease spun through my senses, and Kale squeezed my hand in reassurance. “Ah, Cece, I’m sure you’ve been keeping yourself plenty busy since the last time we ran into each other.”
She threw her head back and laughed, smile widening with a wicked sort of glee. “Oh, you know I have, but none of these other boys are nearly as fun as you. But, clearly, you aren’t here for me tonight. Tell me, what can I get you.”
“I’ll take my regular.”
No. It shouldn’t have. But that stung, too. And I knew I was getting myself in far too deep, getting attached the way I would. Wanting something that just wasn’t there, wondering how it was possible I wanted to claim him when I’d been the one to tell him I could give him absolutely nothing more than just one night.
And a short one, at that.
Not the kind I was sure this beautiful man was accustomed to.
But then Kale was looking at me that way again. With that tender knowledge.
The man my conflict.