This can’t be Cori.
I looked her up and down: a black lace tank to accentuate her modest breasts, a red mini skirt, and black platforms. I couldn’t see it… why her? She wasn’t Will’s type at all. My stomach twisted again, and I nearly doubled over. Was he on drugs or something? Or slumming it to try something different?
Well, she had said he loved her on her knees.
I shook my head to wake myself up as if this were a dream. If I were in the bathroom with Cori, that meant Will was here too.
Oh, God!
The two women left, and suddenly I snapped back to reality. What else was I to do but follow them? I exited the bathroom discreetly. All I wanted was to confirm if the redhead wastheCori.
I lagged back so they didn’t notice me. Sure enough, the women stopped at a booth at the opposite end of the restaurant. Had I not seen them in the bathroom, I wouldn’t have known they were here.
Will stood for the redhead. Before she slid into her spot, she looked up at him. Their eyes were locked as she kissed him, cupping his ass.
My heart stopped beating. It was the other woman. The room wobbled as I labored to breathe.
I felt like I was in one of those scenes in a movie where the woman ran toward a door, desperate to exit the building, but the camera panned back, making it look like the door moved hundreds of feet out of her reach. The same was happening to me, seeing Cori kiss Will. Their table panned away from me until Will was out of my reach.
Like an obsessed stalker, I spied on them. Would Will smile at her the way he smiled at me? Would he lean into her, brushing his lips across hers? Or kiss her below her earlobe the way he did to me?
It killed me to watch, but I couldn’t look away. I needed to see if Will would ask her to dance. If he would press his hand against her lower back the way he held me. I needed to see the love in his eyes like he once had for me.
But Will didn’t look like he was having a good time. He drummed his fingers on the side of his scotch glass—his tell. He looked bored or pissed off about something.
Contrarily, Jason seemed to be having the time of his life with the blonde from the bathroom. She was nestled close to him. I hated him with every morsel of my being.
The party of four was an eclectic mix. Hipster Jason in a black T-shirt and jeans, his black beard trimmed to define his strong, pointy jaw. He could be Satan himself. Over the last few months, I’d become uneasy around him again. Thankfully, I rarely saw him, but the desire in his eyes couldn’t be missed when I did. Despite the icky feelings Jason gave me, I never told Will.
I studied Will, looking handsome as ever in a white oxford button-down shirt, open at the collar, and a navy sport coat. The jacket was my favorite, with gold embossed buttons on the cuffs adding a nautical flair.
I loved that gorgeous man, but my brain urged me to not let him hurt me anymore. I deserved to be respected and not be made a fool of ever again.
Of course, my heart refused to listen to my head when the need to feel his lips pushed me toward the table with no plan or grand statement in my head. Hell, I didn’t even remember where my booth was anymore. By now, Lily had to be wondering what had happened to me.
None of that mattered as my eyes connected with Will’s.
“Well, hello, Miranda. You’re looking mighty fine tonight,” Jason taunted. I hardly heard him. Will jumped to his feet, stopping me from approaching the table.
As if nothing inappropriate was amiss, as if he wasn’t cheating, Will kissed me. And not just a friendly peck you’d give a relative or friend but a kiss you’d give the person you loved. Will parted my lips, slipping his warm tongue into my mouth. It was sensual and passionate and heartbreaking.
I hated how he made me tingle even after seeing him kissher. I hated how I wanted him to take me home and fuck the memory of that bitch out of my mind. I hated everything I felt as Will moved his lips over my mine desperately.
“Billy!” Cori’s high-pitched shrill didn’t faze Will. It had the opposite effect actually. He cupped my face, deepening our kiss.
I was entirely confused. What in the hell was going on?
My heart wilted on the spot when Will pulled away and our eyes met. Beyond the shame and grief in his dark depths, I saw love, but it didn’t matter anymore. Nothing about this situation was okay.
I swallowed down the heap of emotions stuck in my throat as tears pooled, and Will became nothing but a blur of adultery.
“Let’s go home.” He took my hand gently from my ear with a look of determination in his eyes. I hadn’t realized I was tugging on my earring—damn nerves.
“Aw shit, but we’re out with our ladies.” Jason groaned. “It’s not Miranda’s night. It’s Cori’s.” He laughed wickedly. Since he’d arrived in town, he hadn’t once cared about my feelings. Why would I expect him to start now?
“Yeah, Billy, it’s my night!” Cori whined.
“Shut up!” Will glared at them. “Come on, baby, let’s go home,” Will repeated, gripping my waist.