The Rules of Dating My Best Friend's Sister(59)

Warren slipped some money across the bar and finished talking to the bartender. A minute later, a woman walked over and the bartender pointed to Warren and me.

“What’s going on?”

Warren beamed. “I got us a table up front.”

“What? How?”

“Gave the bartender a hundred dollars, and one of the two round tables with the little reserved signs suddenly became available. I told him we would only be about an hour, though.”

The last thing I wanted was to be front and center. I shook my head. “It’s fine. I’m good here. We’re only going to stay a little while anyway.”

But it was too late. The woman motioned for us to follow, and Warren put his hand on my back, guiding me to walk.

Holden spotted us before we even sat down, his eyes tracking my every step as he drummed away.

Warren pulled out my chair, and we sat. He looked pleased with himself as he leaned forward and yelled over the music. “Now isn’t this better?”

No, it makes me want to throw up. Yet I had to muster a smile. “Yes, thank you.”

The next half hour was brutal. After Friday played seven songs in a row, each one going right into the next, but Holden and I couldn’t stop staring at each other. I’d force my eyes away after a few seconds, but somehow they kept finding their way back. And each and every time, I found Holden looking at me. I started to worry that my fiancé was going to notice. But when I glanced over, he seemed completely oblivious and smiled. I smiled back, and the brief interaction caused Warren to reach across the table and lace his fingers with mine. The next time I stole a peek at the drummer, Holden was no longer looking at me; he was staring at our joined hands—actually glaring was more like it. His playing also seemed to get louder and louder. We were sitting so close that I’d already been feeling the beat in my chest, but as time went on, my heart pounded so hard I started to sweat. When the band finally stopped playing, the lead singer said they were going to take a short set break, and I told Warren I needed to use the ladies’ room.

The hallway had a line of six individual bathrooms, and I was glad to get a few minutes alone in one. Once I caught my breath, I decided as soon as I got back to the table, I’d tell Warren we needed to leave. I couldn’t possibly handle another round of what had been going on out there. But when I opened the bathroom door, Holden was waiting right on the other side. He backed me up, locking the door behind him.

“What are you doing?” I said.

Holden looked crazed. He kept walking forward, making me step back, until I hit the sink. Then he put one hand on either side of me, blocking me in.

He leaned down so we were eye to eye. “Tell me, when you hold his hand, do you feel like you do right now?”

My heart raced, and I couldn’t speak.

“Answer me!” His eyes were so angry. “How do you feel right now, Lala? Does it feel the same when he touches your hand?”

I shook my head.

“How about when he was in your fucking bed last night? Did that feel like this?”

I shook my head again.

“That’s fucking sad.” Holden trailed one finger along my arm, and goose bumps broke out all over my skin. “Does he make your hair stand up like this? Give you goose bumps?”

I shook my head yet again.

Holden leaned in, bringing his mouth to my ear. “Can he make you come just by talking to you? Without ever laying a finger on you?”

This time I didn’t answer. I wasn’t even capable of moving my head anymore. Holden’s hot breath at my ear had my body trembling with need.

But he stepped back. An angry smile spread across his face.

“I didn’t think so. Enjoy the rest of your dull evening, Laney.”

He unlocked the door and walked out without looking back, leaving me standing there like a puddle of mush.

It took people banging on the bathroom door to get me to come out after that. I was an emotional wreck and needed to get the heck out of the club and away from Holden. But when I walked back to the table to tell Warren we needed to leave, I found Holden sitting in my chair. And now he wasn’t alone… A scantily clad, beautiful woman was sitting on his lap. It stopped me in my tracks. Out of the corner of his eye, Holden noticed. He flashed an evil smile and nuzzled his face into the woman’s neck. Coming out of the bathroom, I’d been a sad, emotional mess. But seeing Holden that way flipped a switch inside me. Sad and emotional became angry and jealous. I marched over to the table and spoke to Warren.

“We need to leave. I have a migraine coming on, and I just got sick in the bathroom.” I turned to face Holden and glared at him, ripping my jacket from the back of the chair as they continued to canoodle. “It must’ve been the loud music. Enjoy the rest of your night, Holden. Though it looks like you already have that covered.”





CHAPTER 16


Holden



A week later, the fog of jealousy had barely lifted.

Sure, I felt like shit for what I’d pulled at the club last weekend. It was immature and selfish. But every word out of my mouth had been true. And every reaction from her proved how she felt. I still had no right to act like a jealous dick, though. Warren showing up had caught me off guard and brought to the surface just how strong my feelings were.

Once again this week, I’d had to remind myself to take a step back. Luckily, I’d successfully avoided running into Lala since that horrible night, because if I’d done or said anything else stupid and gotten her into some kind of trouble with him, I wouldn’t have been able to forgive myself. Even so, at this point, I stood a very good chance of losing Lala as a friend forever.