I started to say yes, because . . .

I started to say yes, because . . . well, because I wanted to be a bitch, and that ugly icy feeling was back in my stomach. My feelings were hurt and I was embarrassed, and I wanted to play that game, but that’s not what I said, because I had no idea how to play that game. “No. This isn’t casual for me. Not in the least.”
His expression softened as he stepped forward. “Baby, this isn’t casual for me, either, and the fact you think it might be blows my mind.”
“It does?”
“Honey, every signal, every act and word I’ve sent in your direction from day one says this isn’t casual for me,” he said, leaning his hip against the wall. “I know you don’t have a lot experience with relationships and that’s cool, but I really don’t know how else to show you that. And the whole label shit?” he continued as he curved his fingers along my chin. “I think you know what we are.”
The thing was, I didn’t. I might’ve had a guess Sunday night when I’d stripped down to my undies and he’d worshipped my body like I was some kind of goddess, and he did so every time since then, but seeing him with Aimee? Yeah, I was inexperienced when it came to relationships, but I wasn’t dumb and I wasn’t stupid.
And it wasn’t like he’d been caught making out with her or that he even knew my friends would be popping by, but there was still the fact that every night he worked, Aimee was here. And every night he worked, Aimee was up his ass. And every night he worked, as far as I could tell if I was being honest with myself and unless she was the densest chick alive, he didn’t really do anything to stop her advances.
And he let her touch him.
Repeatedly.
And that wasn’t cool.
The back of my eyes stung, because that was that. What was happening wasn’t a huge thing, but it was inappropriate. For fuck’s sake, I worked right here. And I really didn’t know what to say right now, because I wasn’t okay with that.
I drew in a deep breath. “Look, I’ve got to get out on the floor. We’re busy.”
“And we’re not done talking.”
“Yeah, we are. For right now, okay? We can talk about this later or whatever.” I started to turn around, and his hand slipped off my chin.
“I never thought you’d be the jealous type.”
My feet came to a complete stop as I turned back to him and stared. Oh boy, that was the wrong thing to say. “I’m not jealous.”
He arched a brow.
I narrowed my eyes on him. “Fine. Maybe I am. Is that so surprising? I mean, I just said this”—I waved my hand between us like I was having a seizure—“isn’t casual, so yeah, I’m not going to like seeing a girl get all up on you night after night. Especially a girl you’ve hooked up with.”
Jaw tensed, he inclined his head. “You have nothing to be jealous of, Calla.”
A dry laugh burst from me. “Seriously?”
“Yeah, seriously. And the fact of the matter is all you have to do is trust me. Not her. But me. And if you trusted me, then you wouldn’t be jealous.”
I gaped at him. Part of that made sense. It took two to tango and all that jazz, but seriously?
“And if this is going to work out between us, you’re going to have to trust me,” he continued, and that—the if this is going to work out between us—caused my stomach to drop. “Because your financial aid came through and you’re going back to school in August, there’s gonna be some miles between us, and all we’re going to have is trust. You get what I’m saying?”
I totes-ma-goats got what he was saying. Half of my heart did a little jump and squeal, because he was planning for when I returned to school and that was great, but the other part of my heart was somewhere in my stomach. Trusting him was one thing, but this wasn’t okay. I could trust him all I wanted, but that didn’t mean I had to be cool with him letting the chicks feel him up and chalking it up to me being jealous.
I needed time to think about this.
He sighed. “Calla . . .”
Shaking my head, I backed away. “I really need to get back on the floor.”
When I turned away this time, Jax didn’t stop me. I walked back out onto the floor and it took everything in my power not to jump on the back of Aimee’s luminous blond head like a rabid spider monkey.
Yeah, I was jealous.
I was also human.
Jase and Cam were over with the girls, and Brock was with them. Katie was nowhere to be seen and I wondered if Teresa was going to be looking into a new profession. I wanted to chat with them, but when I saw Pearl, she looked like the rabid spider money.
Sending Pearl an apologetic look, I started working tables and running orders from the kitchen out to the floor. Before long, my brain was empty with the exception of drink and food orders, and that was perfect. Even though I needed time to think about what had happened, I didn’t want to think about it then.
I’d just ran an order of fries smothered in cheese and crab meat—what I planned on gorging myself on during break—to a table along the wall near the door, when I turned to head toward the cluster of round tables circling the pool tables and felt a hand curve around my arm, just above my elbow, and then there was a voice I didn’t recognize, right in my ear.
“Cause a scene, and I’m going to light this place up.”
Every molecule in my body turned to ice as I froze. The only thing that moved was my pounding heart.
“Good girl,” the man said, his hand tightening around my arm. “We’re going to walk right out of this bar. Behave and no one gets hurt. Got me?”
My mouth dried, and I jerked as I felt something press into my lower back. A gun? Shock blasted through my system, halting comprehension of what was going on. The man behind me started guiding me toward the door, and I imagined that to anyone around us, we looked like we knew each other. Well, other than what had to be a horrified look on my face, but we were at the door in seconds.
There was a crowd around the bar. Roxy and Nick and Jax were all serving drinks, and there were enough people that I couldn’t even see Aimee or my friends as the man reached around me and opened the door. No one looked over. No one stopped us.