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Taking a huge gulp of the cold beer in front of me, there is some part of me that feels jealous tonight. Seeing that fucking dude throwing his arm so casually around Dakota, it annoys me. The probability of him being her boyfriend is very high, but that doesn't mean that I have to like the fucker. He has been giving me nasty glares for the last hour and it pisses me off, Dakota isn't a possession and he needs to stop acting like it. 

"Anyone want to go out for a smoke?" Jack asks and a few of them agree, including her boyfriend. Jack, Wyatt, and Travis leave the table and allow me to finally enjoy the sight of her in her little black dress. She doesn't know just how marvelous she looks, but I won't be complaining. There is something completely attractive about her not knowing. 

Dakota turns in my direction with an easy smile on her lips, "Congratulations on your win, Lij."

A smile threatens to slip, "Thank you."

"Are you okay?" She leans in and whispers to me, her grey eyes flickering between my own. The short distance to her full lips is a constant fucking reminder of how much I want her, but I can't have her. Not when she's in a relationship. 

"I'm fine," I state with finality. 

She tilts her beautiful face and her freckles are more prominent in the new light, "Aren't we past the whole lying ordeal? We did too much of that in high school."

Drinking a little from my beer, I look into her eyes once again and allow myself to enjoy having her thigh rub against mine. "I don't particularly enjoy myself tonight."

A little frown falls upon her delicate features, "Why not?"

"Because you're here with him," I find myself admitting and it shocks her. 

"I'm not only here with him."

Placing my arm on the seat behind her, "I know. Some fucked up part of me hates seeing the two of you like that. I apologize, love, because you deserve to be happy, but you wanted the truth."

She leans even closer and I'm immediately thrown back to the other times I've had her this close, outside the party in high school before our first kiss. She was mad at me, but I couldn't help myself from kissing her. I have this intense thing for her and I have no idea how to explain it, it can't be put into words. Every part of me wants to be near her and my mind thinks about her all the time. She's much more to me than any of us dare to admit. 

"I don't have a boyfriend, Lij," She says quietly, the sweet smell on her tongue drifts over my lips and I lick them by instinct. "I never did."

Her honest words register in my mind, "So you're not with Wyatt?"

"No," She smiles and the relief in my body is extreme. 

I tuck a stray curl behind her ear, my hand lingering there for a second before I drop it again. She is so fucking beautiful and to believe that she's single, it almost seems unreal. My heart pounds in my chest by having her right next to me like this, I truly should control myself and think about what's best for Tilly, but I can't control myself around Dakota. 

"You guys totally fucked each other!" Lucy suddenly screams with a finger pointed accusingly at us. Her red hair is wildly thrown around her flushed cheeks, it's clear she must have been listening for quite some time now. 

"No, Lucy," Dakota tries, the annoyance pretty clear, but her friend doesn't stop there. "Don't start."

"And here I thought you would be sleeping with Jack tonight," Lucy jokes and ignores the hateful stare Dakota is giving her. The others join the table again, but none of the girls look at them. The tension is incredibly heavy, "Is he the reason why you literally refuse to touch another man?"

My eyes cut to Dakota and she meets them with a frustrated glance. Some part of me is fucking ecstatic that she hasn't been with anyone else, I would never blame her if she had, but this just makes me so happy. The red tint to her cheeks shows me how embarrassed she is by her friend's outburst, these things are secrets that Lucy should keep to herself. At least she shouldn't declare them like this in front of everyone.

"Lucy," Travis warns and this finally makes her shut up, looking away from Dakota in what seems to be shame. 

Without thinking I place my hand on Dakota's thigh, her body stiffens next to me, but her small hand lands on top of my bigger one. Touching her delicately soft skin and having her reciprocate the touch is too fucking amazing and I try to hide the smirk as the guys scoot in again. The darkness here allows our moment to be private, it gives us the opportunity to be affectionate without having to face our friends and their intrusive comments. 

She squeezes my hand momentarily and I smile down at her, her long eyelashes hide the grey eyes I adore and my body is screaming to reach out and touch her. The distance is excruciating, both of us want some part of this. Hell, I would go all fucking way with her. 

"I'm getting kind of tired," Travis says and Wyatt agrees. Lucy seems sad that her boyfriend wants to leave, but they silently agree to leave together. 

"Dakota," Lucy says when they stand up from the booth. "You coming?"

She shakes her head, "No, I think I'll stay for a little."

"Fine," She huffs, her attitude clearly needs some adjustments. "Guys, don't go too rough on her, this one is a lightweight."

"You have nothing to worry about," I nod at her without showing emotions on my face, she's getting on my nerves. After saying their goodbyes, the three of them leave and some part of me is relieved. It feels horrible to say, but her friends act like idiots towards her and no one deserves to have shitty friends. 

Jack turns to Dakota once they're gone, "Well, aren't they a little group of pure fucking sunshine."

She laughs and my muscles ease up immediately, "They aren't that bad."

"Yes, they are," Levi cuts in, smiling. "Good thing you outweigh the bad."

Her elbows are on the table as she leans forward, there is an insanely attractive playful glint in her eyes, "I'll take that as a compliment."

I squeeze her thigh lightly with a smile and she looks at me in surprise, her full lips are parted and I rip my eyes away from them, "As you should, love."

"Now we lost the deadweight, anyone up for shots?" Jack laughs and leaves the booth without waiting for an answer. He returns minutes later with a tray filled with shots, I don't want to be absolutely smashed, but I do want to have fun with Dakota and she seems hooked on the idea of drinking shots. 

Shrugging, I throw the first one down my throat and my eyes meet Dakota's, she is radiating happiness and I can't help the smile creeping onto my lips. She is absolutely marvelous and fucking hell I've missed her. 

******

"You know, if Tilly sees me here she will surely have a fit. Don't you think?" Dakota asks me as I open the door to my apartment, throwing the keys onto a cabinet next to the entrance. 

Removing my shoes I smile at her, she removes hers as well and looks around the room, "She is at a friend's house, so don't worry."

Urging her to follow me into the kitchen, I grab a glass and fill it with cold water before handing it off to her. We barely made it past three more shots at the bar and then she began feeling lightheaded, we decided to stay away from the alcohol and go home to relax. Apparently, she never wanted to go out tonight in the first place, it was all for Lucy. Her friend really pissed her off tonight though, which is why she asked if she could stay with me. 

Standing in this small kitchen, she leans her back against the wall. The distance between us feels endless and yet it feels like I've never had her closer, it's this weird balance of wanting to have her and having to protect myself and my family. Taking that one step will blur the line for us, making it hard to separate private life and professional life. I would never place her in that situation. 

Her hand leaves the glass on the table as she takes two steps in my direction, my heartbeat quickens immediately. This is dangerous for both of us. My eyes find hers and her stare speaks volumes, there is a lustful gaze underneath those beautiful grey irises and I don't fucking know how to control myself. 

She takes a final step, her sexy curves moving torturously against my body. Her lips are parted and when her big eyes stare up into mine, I am completely done for, "Kiss me, Lij."