“Legs, what the hell?”

Where the fuck was this coming from?

“Hey, you can’t talk to my sister like that,” Amy hissed, sitting taller like she was fixing to climb over the other two to get to Tori, who when I looked at her was standing less defensively now, her one hand sliding off her hip and the other pressing flat to her stomach.

She blinked, her chest rising and falling severely. “She’s your sister?” Tori asked quietly.

“Yeah,” Amy replied, heavy on the attitude. “They both are. And you aren’t going to talk to them like that.”

Tori ignored Amy and turned her head to look at me instead. The hurt was back in her eyes but it was mixed with something.

Disgust.

I stared at her. I didn’t understand why she was looking or acting the way she was. Wasn’t like I was flirting with them or appearing the least bit interested.

“Hey, don’t I know you?” Becca questioned, speaking up for the first time. “You look really familiar …”

I watched Tori slowly turn her head and glare at Becca. Her nostrils flared. They stared at each other for several breaths, then Becca snapped her fingers and pointed, waving at Legs.

“Ohhh, that’s right.” Becca dropped her hand to the table and nudged Sue, leaning into her to ask, “Remember I told you I saw that girl watching us the night of the party?”

My eyes sliced to Tori. Something pinched in the center of my chest.

Fuck. She saw me with them. She came looking for me that night.

“Oh, yeah,” Sue replied, appearing to think back to that conversation. “That was you?”

I watched Tori squeeze her eyes shut and draw in a breath, then she turned her head and slowly looked at me as Amy muttered an indifferent, “Huh. Small world.”

Heat burned across Tori’s cheeks. She was embarrassed. And I knew why.

God-fucking-damn it.

I slid to the edge of the bench, moving to stand so I could explain and do it touching her.

“You can leave, too,” Tori informed me.

I froze, held her eyes for a breath, then wiped my hand down my mouth. “Babe, look—”

“I’d like you to leave, Jamie. I’m asking you to leave,” she repeated, her voice back to shaking again. She turned her head and glared at the Baker sisters. “Get out,” she snapped. “Or I’ll have Stitch remove you.”

“Who is Stitch?” Sue asked, but Tori was already moving away, fleeing in the direction of the kitchen but she wasn’t stopping there.

I knew where she was headed.

“Jeez. What was her problem?”

I looked to Amy after she spoke, eyes hard and jaw tight. “Get the fuck outta here,” I ordered.

Amy blinked. Her face went slack, wiped clean of attitude, and she pushed into Becca with her shoulder, saying, “Get up,” on a hurried voice.

I was standing before Sue had a chance to get up and pushing past her when she finally stood, causing her to gasp and lean back into her sisters so she wouldn’t collide with me.

Smart move.

I kept walking, heading to the back of the restaurant and passing Syd, who was standing behind the bar, arms crossed over her chest and face in a scowl.

“Check that attitude, Sunshine. I’m handlin’ it,” I called out.

“I’ll check it once it’s handled, thank you very much,” she returned at my back, possibly going heavier on the attitude since I was telling her to do the opposite.

Jesus. Forgot how good she was at hating on me. Between Tori and Syd, I was sure they could teach a fucking class on it.

I reached the back of the restaurant and the door to the employee lounge I saw Tori disappear behind, and pushed through it. Legs was pacing in front of the lockers but stopped when she saw me, head lifting, breath getting pulled in sharply and eyes going round with alarm.

“You are not allowed back here,” she bit out, sounding and looking like she was only letting herself feel anger, but I knew there was something else there. “Get out. Right now, Jamie. I mean it.”

I pushed the door shut and reached up, sliding the lock in place. When I looked back at Tori, her eyes had grown even rounder and her face was heating.

“No.” She shook her head quickly. “I don’t want you in here. I don’t want to see you right now. You need to go.”

“I ain’t goin’ anywhere.”

She flinched, hissing, “Get out,” between her teeth after pulling in another breath.

“You went lookin’ for me,” I said, knowing the truth now but still needing her to admit it. “Came to that party wantin’ me, babe. Only reason you were there.”

Eyes closing through a heavy blink, she shook her head, laughing under her breath. “Fine.” Her eyes flashed open. “Is that what you need to hear so you’ll leave? Yes. Okay? I did come to that party for you. And I did go looking for you, after I waited thirty fucking minutes in a bedroom I thought was yours. Had a bunch of surfboards in it and trophies. All of which had your name on them. I checked. I waited in that room thinking you’d come find me, but you didn’t, did you? Because you’re not that guy, Jamie.”

My brows lifted. “Say again?”

“You’re not that guy,” she repeated. “You’re the guy who gets the chance to fuck three girls at once and takes that over going to find the one girl who’s waiting for you. It’s all about how much pussy you can score. You’re that guy. And now what, you’re having lunch with them? Chatting and looking all cozy. I can’t believe you’d ask them to come here.”

“Babe, you don’t know shit,” I told her, arms crossing over my chest.

Her mouth dropped open again. She blinked. “Excuse me?”

“Didn’t invite them here. Didn’t know they’d show up. And when they did, told them I didn’t want them sittin’ with me.”

“Well, unless I’m imagining things, I’m pretty sure that’s where they were sitting,” she shot back. “And it didn’t look like you were dragging them away either. In fact, you were smiling at them. I saw it.”

Hearing that, I couldn’t help it. I laughed. “Jesus, Legs.”

And seeing me laugh and interpreting that wrong, Tori started moving at me, eyes flashing and lips curling against her teeth.

“Get out,” she snarled. “I don’t want to see you right now. I’m getting back to work and you’re leaving.” She stopped, jerking back before crashing into me since I hadn’t stepped aside. Chin tipping up and fists clenching at her sides, she glared at me. “Move, Jamie.”

“Wanna know why I was smilin’?” I asked, still not moving.

“I don’t give a damn. Now move.”

I bent down, getting closer to her. “You give a damn, babe,” I said harshly, watching her eyes blink and dilate. “Probably more than you’d like right now considerin’ what you’re lettin’ yourself believe, but you’re wrong, Legs. Everything you’re thinkin’ right now. Didn’t ask them here and sure as fuck wasn’t smilin’ ’cause of them.”

“I don’t believe you,” she replied, voice quiet.

“Can’t say that surprises me,” I returned.