Incidental Fate Book 1

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

I hustled to Calor Comida, trying to calm my nerves as I walked, finally feeling relief once I saw the crowds already gathered outside the restaurant. Crowded was a good thing, a quiet, intimate dinner with Kirk- was not. This date had seemed like such a good idea the other day; now, not so much.

The doors swung open, a group heading out while I slipped in, finding it just as packed inside as out. It was loud, everyone drunk yelling, fighting to be heard over the music while I fought to see in the dim lighting. I scanned left to right, nothing but a sea of people, so I walked in deeper, weaving through the bar height tables, spotting Kirk in the back, face down, scrolling on his phone. Think positive, maybe he'd surprise me, and we'd hit it off.

I continued through the maze, squeezing by yet another table filled with rowdy guys- when an arm flung out, grabbing onto mine. "Hey!" I jerked my arm back, whipping around to the a*s that thought he could touch me. "Oh." Gavin towered over me, fingers cuffing my arm, the heat burning right through me. "Gavin?"

His smile crept up, fingers curling tighter. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm-" I flashed my eyes to his hand, my arm suddenly throbbing. "I'm on a date." I gestured to the back table with the lone guy still staring down at his phone.

"With him?" He scoffed, following my eyes.

"Yes." I wiggled my arm, trying to free it from the cuff his hand had made.

He popped his fingers off, sliding his hand away- straight into his pocket. "You're too f*****g hot for him."

And you shouldn't be talking to me like that. "Looks aren't everything."

"No," he said with a chuckle, shaking his head side to side. "But I can tell just by looking at him that he's boring as fuck."

He was drunk, I had a date, and I shouldn't be here, in public, talking to him anyways. "I have to go." I walked away, taking the deepest inhale while rubbing my arm, the scorch from his fingers still burning.

"Sadie!" Kirk flashed his eyes up, sliding his phone away. "Want a drink?"

"Yes, please!" I met his light eyes- dull eyes that held no secrets, no desire... unlike the... stop! "A margarita!"

His chair was already pushing back. "I'll go put the order in; what do you want to eat? I was thinking the Taco Tuesday platter? We could share," he suggested as if I cared.

Just get me alcohol! "That sounds great."

He took off into the crowd while I turned my attention to the window beside our table, staring out at anything, and everything- trying to find a distraction.

The chair suddenly screeched across from me. "That was fast!" s**t! I practically jumped, grabbing at the edge of the table to steady me from the scare. "What are you doing!"

Gavin rested back in the chair, eyes smiling with his lips. "Nothing." He shrugged his shoulders, staring so intently at me. "I just wanted to see how the planter was coming along."

Liar. "You need to go before Kirk gets back, and it's still sitting next to the front door."

"Kirk?" He spat the name, huffing under his breath.

"Yes, Kirk, the guy from work that I told you about." I looked towards the bar, spotting him near the counter.

"You look good tonight." He leaned in, lips curling up at the edges, eyes bold- so hot. So damn hot, but so damn young.

"Thank you."

"You two drove separately?" He asked, taking a sip of a beer I didn't realize he was holding.

"I walked alone actually, not that it's any of your business." I crossed my legs, straightened in my chair, dropped my hands to my lap. "You need to leave. Kirk's going to be back soon." I glanced over, seeing Kirk almost to our table now, drinks in hand. Oh great.

Gavin followed my gaze, standing up as Kirk arrived, towering over him too. It was almost comical, Kirk's scrawny body next to Gavin's broad chest.

"Can I help you?" Kirk weaseled past him to get into the chair while Gavin's eyes flashed from me to him, and then he was gone.

"Next time, we'll meet away from the university." Next time? I grabbed the margarita, taking the longest sip possible. Good thing these were half off tonight because I was going to need a few. "So, how are you liking San Diego, Sadie?"

I took one more sip, reveling in it before setting the glass down in front of me. "It's great. I love that the beach is right here, and my house always smells like the ocean." And that nobody knew me, nobody knew Grant- it was a fresh start. "And I love living close to the campus, so much going on."

He gave me a polite smile. "San Diego's a little crowded for my taste. I prefer the countryside," he mused with another polite smile, and all I could hear was Gavin's voice in my head, 'boring as fuck.'

"The countryside is nice too," I replied, staring at the almost finished drink in my hand. Even alcohol couldn't help with my lack of attraction to Kirk. "So, do you have any kids or family nearby?"

"Kids?" He half laughed. "I'm only thirty-three; kids are far in the future."

"I see." I pretended to grab something from my bag, discreetly stealing a look back at Gavin, finding his eyes already locked on me. s**t. I twisted right back towards Kirk just as the server swung by, dropping off our platter with Kirk immediately grabbing a plate, piling it with food. So much for ladies first. "Will you excuse me?" I stood from my chair. "Ladies' room, and will you order me another margarita?"

He nodded yes with a full mouth as I sprinted away, escaping to the back hall, turning the corner into the only empty space here, throwing my head back against the wall, cursing myself for wasting yet another night. I knew better than coming here- I should have canceled, avoided him and Gavin. Suddenly, there were heavy steps coming my way, so I lunged for the bathroom door.

"Hey."

My feet stilled, body automatically turning around. Of course, it was Gavin. "Hi." I fell back against the wall once more.

"How's it going?" He stepped a few feet closer, the air slowly being sucked away.

"He's so boring!" I was too buzzed to lie. "We don't have any chemistry. I don't know what I was thinking."

His smirk turned to a full-fledged smile. "Glad to hear."

Glad? "What do you mean?" I stayed against the wall; he stepped even closer, the draw between us growing too strong.

"I mean," he rasped, face tilting as he raked his eyes down and back up my body. "I don't want you here with him. So the fact that he's boring makes it easier for me."

"Easier for you?" I laughed, cleared my throat, laughed again. "This has nothing to do with you. I don't even know you."

He lowered his face, so close I could almost taste his breath. "I still can't stop f*****g thinking about you. You don't think it's fate that you walked in here tonight?"

"Fate?" I attempted to laugh, trying to deny the force field pulling me to him- two magnets desperately trying to unite. I only had so much self-control. "I was meeting Kirk, and I live nearby. So no, definitely not fate."

"Now you're here with me." His breath became mine; mine became his. "That's the definition of fate."

I sucked in another breath. "You're, you're too young."

"I think a night with me might change your mind." The tip of his nose brushed mine, his lips that much closer.

"I, a night-"

His lips crashed to mine- sparks flying, lips a raging fire, faces smashing- friction igniting, heat engulfing me- us. I threw my hands around his neck, locking his mouth to mine, kisses growing stronger, my tongue lapping up the beer on his. Then his hands slid around my waist, fingers adding to the fire, my legs suddenly weak, body falling into his.

I was lost, lost in a feeling I'd never felt before. Lost in a passion, I didn't know I was capable of. I was lost in him, Gavin, gorgeous, hot, sexy… college student. s**t, what was I doing! He was twenty-two. College Sadie! And we were in public! Kirk right around the corner.

I twisted my face away, lips panting, chest heaving, body quivering- meeting his eyes one last time before sliding into the bathroom door beside me.

Whoa. I slammed my palms to the counter, facing the woman in the mirror. Watching her mouth, parted and panting heavily, wet in all the wrong places, swollen lips from a kiss that was way more powerful than it should have been. And a kiss that should have never happened. I gave her a stern warning before pushing back through the door, peeking out to make sure it was clear, slowly making my way back to Kirk.

I steadied my breathing, sat down, crossed my wet thighs, and reached for the new margarita, taking a long, hard sip. I needed to drink that kiss away.

"Another round?" Kirk asked hopefully, but I could already feel the buzz, and I still had to manage to walk home.

"I'm good. I actually need to get going." It wasn't right to be here- with either of them.

"Really? So soon?" He looked slightly disappointed but I couldn't handle him or Gavin right now.

"It's been fun though, we should do this again." I lied.

"Yeah."

I grabbed my purse from the seat back, reaching in to pull out some cash. It didn't feel right letting him pay but he insisted. Great, now I felt even worse. I needed to get the hell out of here. "See you later."

He pushed out of his chair, arms up, swinging me into a hug, a very tight hug. "Want me to take you home?"

"Nope!" I stepped out of his embrace, backtracking, before spinning around, catching Gavin's furious black eyes in the distance, his body stiff, fists rubbing at his sides. He was the last thing I wanted to deal with right now. I looked to the exit past him, then around, seeing the side door- veering right for it, rushing straight out onto the street.