Free Happily Never After by Bess George Page A

talking about his feelings like a school kid. “Nah, everything’s fine. Let’s go talk to the beautiful women.” Smiling, he pushed away from the bar, and they ambled over to the booth.
    When Bode sat down, Amber almost crawled into his lap and laid a hand on his thigh. He waited for a spark of excitement. Nothing. Maybe he was coming down with something. The foursome ordered another round of drinks and then the women excused themselves for a trip to the restroom.
    Steve’s eyes lit up and he let out a low whistle. “Don’t look now but the nothing special suit has every man in the bar’s tongue hanging out.”
    He shifted his body to follow Steve’s gaze and focused on the one person he wanted to avoid this evening. It was hard to miss a beautiful blonde woman who towered over everyone else.
    Kelsey was surrounded by a group from her office. Balloons floated in the middle of a table, announcing someone’s birthday. She laughed and seemed unaware that all the single guys had zeroed in on her. What was she doing here?
    When the women returned, he rose and let Amber back into the booth. She once again slid just far enough across for him to fit. She maintained a grip on his arm while managing to talk non-stop. He listened with one ear as man after man approached Kelsey. A polite smile and shake of her head discouraged her pursuers.
    He wet his lips, shocked at the unfamiliar sensation coursing through him. Jealousy. He knew he had no right to feel it, but admitting that didn’t douse his temper. She glanced toward him, and their eyes locked. Her curious gaze moved to the woman sitting next to him before sliding back.
    She lowered her gaze and turned back to the person standing next to her. He recognized Michael Miller and wished he could punch the guy. A sharp tug on his arm made him look down in surprise.
    “What? I’m sorry, what did you say?” He forced himself to focus.
    “You’re not paying any attention to me. Why don’t we leave and go back to my place where it’s not so loud?” Amber pouted her lips and tried to snuggle closer.
    He extracted himself from her python-like grip. There had to be something wrong with him tonight. A ball of fire was eating a hole in his stomach. I need some antacids .
    Kelsey didn’t want to date him, and he was okay with that. He didn’t want a woman who carried around the emotional turmoil she did. Hell, he had a beautiful woman sitting right here next to him.
    Several of the helium balloons popped. People jumped at the sound, and the volume of the bar lowered as everyone looked around. The noise was quick to rise again when they realized the source. Miller stood close to Kelsey. Too close.
    Bode got out of the booth. “I’ll be back in a minute. There’s someone I need to speak to.” He strode across the crowded room, certain in his current mood that he would be the jerk Kelsey liked to call him.
    When he reached her, he knew she had a problem. A light sheen of sweat coated her brow, and visible tremors raced through her body. She looked ready to implode and needed to leave. Now.
    He cupped her elbow in one of his hands. “It’s time for you to go, honey.”
    She didn’t say a word but nodded in agreement. He wrapped an arm around her narrow waist and herded her toward the door. A hand reached out and stopped him.
    “What do you think you’re doing, Taggert?” Michael’s voice threw daggers at him.
    He answered the other man in a voice low enough to be heard just by the two of them. “Don’t make this about you and me. She needs to get out of here, and I’m taking her.”
    His eyes must have conveyed what a huge mistake it would be to argue because Miller let go. Kelsey gathered to his side, they left the noisy bar. She shivered under his arm and he hustled her straight to his truck.
    When they arrived, he helped her into the passenger side. He hurried around the truck to join her and then slid her across the seat to wrap her in his arms.
    The quiet was a