Tell Me You Crave Me (Search and Seduce #3)(18)

Holee-crap!

She smiled when she realized that the great Easton Ambrose was wearing her marks. Her fingernails had left deep red scratches in his skin. And that had her sitting up a little taller and giving a confident raised brow in his direction. That blonde could hang off his arm all night, because last night it had been Natalie who’d rocked his world. Anyone who touched him would see those marks, and even though they wouldn’t know it had been Natalie, they’d know someone had given that cowboy the ride of his life.

If she had a mic, she’d drop it. A surge of confidence raced through her. Funny how East had a way of making her feel things she’d otherwise not experience.

But in true prick fashion, he realized she’d noticed his arms and gave a little flex. When blondie then ran her hands along his skin, rage boiled low in Natalie’s stomach. It was absolutely not jealousy! She was just irritated that he was so smug, and some woman was touching him where she had just touched him last night and…

“Prick,” she muttered.

“Did you say something?” her date asked.

She smiled and shook her head. Her whole body was heating up to strangle East—or kiss him. Because he was annoying. Why did he have to come here? Why did he have to look the way he did?

Why does he have to look at me the way he does?

The blonde was laughing, and East’s eyes snapped back to the counter in front of him, where Chloe set down a round of shots. Natalie idled through more droning conversation with boring-date guy while stealing glances at East. She watched him toss a shot back, and so did the blonde. That looked like a good way to spice up a date…get drunk.

Natalie reached for her glass of white wine and finished the considerable amount in two swallows.

When East looked at her again and gave her a nod, it was like he was speaking to her, saying: Yeah, I see you’re here, but I have a hot date, and remember that one time we aren’t talking about, when we had sex in your cupcake shop? And Natalie was ready to tell him where he could go.

She didn’t need him to speak a word to know exactly the game he was playing. One night with him and now she was desperate for another fix of him. No. Absolutely not.

“You want more wine?” her date asked.

“I’m not that girl,” she responded, and realized she’d meant to answer the voices in her head. Not her date. Crap! He looked at her like she was crazy, and maybe she was. Because she wasn’t clingy. Wasn’t pining over East. She was…confused. Her body was confused. How could a man have this effect over her? She wanted him, he was hot, fine. She wasn’t picking out curtains for their house or anything, but she was thinking about him in a way she shouldn’t be.

If only she hadn’t had sex with him…

Hadn’t experienced passion…

She wouldn’t know what she was missing.

But she had.

And she had.

And she knew.

And now I’m crazy, and it’s all East’s fault.

“More wine?” she said.

“Yes, would you like some more?” her date clarified, and Natalie finally unfastened her eyes from East. Watching him flirt like an idiot with the blonde was getting her nowhere. She’d try harder to focus on the man in front of her. The man she felt zero chemistry with. “Um, yes please. Will you excuse me, though, just for a moment?”

He nodded, and she got up. She needed some fresh air. She had to clear her head and take a breath and convince herself that she was blowing things out of proportion.

Stop. Just stop.

She wound around the outskirts of the restaurant, past the bar, making sure she didn’t look at East, and went out the small hall that led to the back of the restaurant. The only people who typically came out that way were her and Chloe because they owned shops there. It wasn’t a main exit or entrance for customers, so she’d have a second to breathe.

As soon as she pushed the back doors open and the cool fall air hit her, she felt much better. It was quiet. Dark. And exactly what she needed.

“Stop thinking about him. You don’t care about him.” She paced by the brick wall. “You are not a crazy clingy girl that gets all antsy after one night together.”

Granted, she had no idea what kind of girl she was, since this had never happened to her before. She was so great at giving advice to her friends when they were going through their dating drama. Seemed simple: go after what you want.

Except she wanted what she couldn’t have.

“Careful, darlin’,” a familiar voice said as the back door made a scraping sound. “Walking around in the dark and mumbling to yourself will have everyone thinking you’re touched in the head.”

Natalie turned and found East leaning against the now-closed door, grinning at her like he was somehow seeking victory at her demise.

“You’re the one driving me crazy,” she said. She should probably play coy. Or not even acknowledge him. But Natalie had never been good at games, and she’d never really dated, or been this flustered in her life, so honesty was looking like the best route to go.

“I drive you crazy?” He took a step toward her. “You’re the one who’s a pain in my ass.”

“I didn’t even look at you,” she snapped.

“Oh, you looked at me.”

She threw her arms up and slapped them back down to her sides. “Real mature, East. So, what, you followed me out here to tell me to stop looking at you? What are you, twelve?”