Page 39 of Crossing the Line

“Friends,” Kelsie’s response overlapped mine, and it took a second for what I said to sink in for her. Then, her head snapped in my direction so fast that I was worried she might give herself whiplash. She yanked her hand away from Henry’s. “What did you just say?”

“It seems like I might be getting into the middle of something,” Henry cut in, looking uncomfortable.

“No, you’re not,” Kelsie said, but she was biting her bottom lip and didn’t look like she believed her own words. “Damien’s kidding. Trust me, he’d be the first to tell you that there’s nothing between us.”

Okay, I deserved that. It still stung, though.

“Tell me about yourself, Henry,” I said, knowing that arguing the point with her wouldn’t get me anywhere. “You live here on the island?”

I caught the waitress’s eye and pointed to Henry’s beer. She nodded in understanding and headed to the bar.

“Yes,” Henry said. “I came here for a vacation about five years ago and just never left. Bought a little house with a view of the ocean and started making handmade pottery to sell at the market.”

“And you often find women briefly visiting the island to spend time with?”

I made sure to put emphasis on the right part of my question so that my meaning wouldn’t be misunderstood. I wanted him to know that I didn’t approve of him trying to seduce Kelsie. Henry leaned back in his chair, his expression cool.

Meanwhile, Kelsie was a fidgety bundle of nerves. I could see her twisting her fingers together in her lap out of the corner of my eye, and I wanted to reach over and put my hand on top of hers to calm her, but I had a pretty good idea that wouldn’t be well-received. Best to keep my attention on my competition for now.

“I find that many women come here looking for an escape from their real life,“ Henry said. “If they want to connect with a local while they’re here, who am I to say no?”

He wouldn’t be connecting with my girl. Not tonight or ever.

“Kelsie’s special,” I said as the waitress placed my beer down and walked off. “She deserves the world from whatever man is lucky enough to have her attention.”

“Damien, you really shouldn’t be here.” Kelsie sounded almost sad, like it pained her to hear me talk like that about her. “I think you should go.”

“Or maybe I should leave,” Henry said, already pushing back his chair. He stood, pulling out his wallet. “It’s a shame it didn’t work out, but I recognize a man willing to fight for what’s his. I’m not looking for that kind of trouble.”

“I’m not his,” Kelsie protested weakly as Henry tossed cash onto the table, enough to cover all three of our drinks.

Henry didn’t seem angry or even disappointed as he looked at Kelsie with an apologetic smile. “Maybe that’s so, but I was just looking for a good time with a beautiful woman. Things have gotten tense, so I’m going to head out.”

“Nice to meet you. Have a good evening,” I called out cheerfully as he walked away.

I took a sip of my beer as my eyes shifted to Kelsie, giving her all of my attention and bracing myself for her inevitable anger. But I couldn’t bring myself to regret what I just did, no matter how mad she was.

“What is wrong with you?” she asked, and my dick twitched in my pants as I saw the fire in her eyes. It wasn’t ideal, but it was a reaction, a genuine emotional response that let me know she felt something.

“Nothing, now that he’s gone.”

Kelsie let out a soft, disgruntled sound as her eyes followed Henry out of the resort bar. “I can’t believe he just left like that.”

“I think he knows a lost cause when he sees one. At least he had the good sense to bow out early.”

Kelsie stood so abruptly that her chair fell back onto the floor with a crash that drew attention from just about everyone in the small bar. Her face flushed in embarrassment, and I rushed to pick up the chair for her.

Unfortunately, she took advantage of my distraction and hurried away from me. She was fast, making it all the way out of the bar by the time I realized what she was trying to pull.

But I wasn’t going to let her get away. Hurrying after Kelsie, I caught up with her in the lobby. She was standing in front of the elevators, tapping her foot impatiently as she waited for one to open up.

“You’re not getting rid of me that easily,” I said, coming to stand beside her.

She kept facing forward as she rolled her eyes at me. “That’s quite a change of heart for you.”

Taking her arm, I turned her to look at me. “Hey, I never wanted distance from you. I’ve been right here all along. I’ve been blind as fuck, but my eyes are open now.”

Kelsie let out a groan and yanked her arm out of my grasp. Without acknowledging what I just said, she marched off, slamming her way into the stairwell nearby. Of course, I followed her. She was stomping up the first flight of stairs when she stopped so suddenly that I nearly ran right into her. Hands on her hips, she glared down at me two steps below her.