Before You (Before You #1)(55)
Jax pierced Bre with his eyes, and a tremor shot down her spine. “Bre, do you mind if I come? I know you wanted to spend some quality time with your boyfriend this weekend.”
The way Jax said the word boyfriend made her stomach turn. To anyone else, it was just a simple word, but to Jax and her, it was clear that he was mocking her relationship with Cam.
“It’s up to you, Jax. Cam and I have all weekend together, so I don’t mind if you come with us.”
Jax recoiled. “I can’t wait,” Jax said sarcastically. “Let me get my wallet and we can head out.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
After thirty minutes of shopping, Cam and Jax claimed they needed something to drink, so Bre graciously agreed to meet them in an hour at a nearby restaurant for lunch. Shortly after they left, she found the perfect dress. It was sheer black with black passementerie over an antique gold underlay that was fitted with a strapless sweetheart neckline. Gold peep-toe heels completed the outfit. She spent more than she wanted, but she rationalized it as a celebration of selling her own artwork. She couldn’t wait to wear the outfit.
When she arrived at the restaurant, she found Cam and Jax drinking beers at a table on the outdoor patio. As she approached, she noticed a few women in the restaurant eyeing Cam and Jax. They didn’t seem to notice, but it both amused and annoyed her that women fluttered around the members of Chasing Ruin even when they weren’t performing.
“Hey, Babe. That was quick,” Cam said, pushing a glass of iced tea to the open spot next to him at their table.
“This restaurant is nice. I love the outdoor patio. It’s a private oasis out here,” Bre said, sliding into the open chair.
“So did you find something to wear tonight?” Cam questioned.
“Yes.” She slid her shopping bag underneath the table.
“Are you going to show me?” Cam asked, smiling.
“You’ll have to wait until tonight. It’s a surprise.” Bre squeezed the lemon into her iced tea.
“You know how much I love surprises,” Cam replied suggestively. He leaned his shoulder toward Bre and ran his finger lightly down her neck to her collarbone, pausing with his eyebrows raised.
Jax cleared his throat and Bre turned her attention to him. His expression was unreadable. “So, who’s sitting at our table tonight?”
“Just the band and our dates.”
Jax groaned. “Does that mean I need to find a date tonight to make the eight top complete?”
“No, you have a date. You’re going with Anna, remember? You asked her last weekend.” Cam let out a forced laugh.
“Strange, I don’t remember asking Anna. She’s not someone I talk to on a regular basis, so I can’t imagine that I would have asked her to go with me. Are you sure about that?” Jax’s eyes were hard and challenging as he studied Cam.
“So many girls, so little time. Who could remember them all, huh, Jax?” Cam refused to meet Jax’s eyes.
“Not too many that I would forget asking one on a date, and I would never ask Anna to go anywhere with me.”
“Wait. I’m confused,” Bre interrupted, turning toward Cam. “You told me Jax had been dating Anna for a month now.”
“I think Anna might have been dating someone recently, but that person is certainly not me,” Jax replied, returning his attention to Cam.
“Oh come on, Jax. You don’t have to hide your relationships from Bre. I know Anna isn’t marriage material, but you don’t have to be callous. I saw Anna last night, and she’s looking forward to tonight. You can’t cancel now.”
“You can’t be serious, Cam. You really want me to bring Anna? You think that’s a good idea? Because I can’t fathom spending an entire night with her hanging on my arm, whispering her venom in my ear.”
Cam speared one of the appetizers with his fork. “Don’t be an ass,” he said. “It’ll be fun and Anna is friends with Marc and Alec’s dates, so you won’t have to worry about her hanging on you all night.”
“Seriously, you want me to do this,” Jax replied derisively.
“Wait, I’m lost. Cam, why do you want Jax to bring this Anna girl if he doesn’t want to?” Bre questioned. “It doesn’t sound as if he likes her.”
“You’re right. I don’t like her at all.” Jax’s body became rigid.
Cam raised his beer to his mouth. “Well, you should have considered that before you invited her.” He took a long drink from the bottle. “Look, I don’t want to talk about this. It’s just one night, and it would look bad if you cancelled. We don’t need to deal with that shit.”
Cam and Jax stared at each other, both refusing to blink. Evidently, Bre was missing a major part of the story involving Anna. “Why is it so important that Anna goes?” she asked, her eyes shifting from Jax to Cam and back to Jax again while she stirred raw sugar into her iced tea.
“Cam, why don’t you enlighten Bre and explain why it’s so important that I take Anna tonight?” Jax shifted his body in the chair so that his elbows were leaning on the edge of the table in a confrontational manner.
“She’s connected to the record label that has expressed some interest in the band. I don’t want to screw up the deal, especially if you’re not going to take your dad up on his offer.”