Page 63 of Grizz

“Shut up,” I snarl.

“Looks like your girl’s got options.”

“She’s not my girl.”The words are out of my mouth before I can even tag them as a lie.

“Mmm.”The skepticism rings loud.

The guy in question leans down and whispers in Daisy’s ear.She tilts her head toward him, smiling, and brushes his arm lightly, in a way I can tell she’s done many times before.It’s so natural, almost effortless, and that tiny movement detonates me.

“This is fucking stupid,” I mutter.

Tanner bites back a grin.“Jealous much?”

I turn and glare at him so hard he physically leans away.“Okay, okay,” he says, hands up.“Just observing.”

“Observe something else,” I warn, and then I’m walking somewhere, anywhere that might distract me.My strides are long enough that Tanner has to jog to keep up.

But everywhere I walk in this restaurant, I can see her in the corner of my eye with that fucking guy attached to her hip.I’m keenly aware of the way she moves and the way she listens to him so intently.What’s worse is the way this asshole looks at her with a sense of familiarity that sets my teeth on edge.A muscle twitches in my mouth with the beat of my pulse, which is running hot as the fury mounts.

Eventually, the rest of the team filters in, dispersing toward the private dining area.Daisy doesn’t see me yet—or maybe she does and she’s ignoring me.I can’t tell which one pisses me off more.

I’m painfully aware of the way jealousy coils within me, a feeling I’ve never experienced once in my entire life.No woman has ever been worth the emotion.But now I feel ready to snap and I’m barely hanging on to my control.This night is going to be a goddamn problem and I’m thinking, it might be best if I just stay away from her.

But then fate intervenes and her eyes land on me, delight sparkling within.Her face softens.Not enough to make me feel better, but enough to make the turmoil inside me flare warm and uneasy.She approaches, a smile on her face, and the man follows.My hands involuntarily curl into fists.

Daisy reaches me… stops toe to toe, but she doesn’t touch me.She can’t hug me, kiss me or otherwise indicate that she and I are fucking.But I can see it in her eyes.She’s happy to see me and that’s confusing since she seemed to only have eyes for this guy not thirty seconds ago.

She clears her throat.“Grizz… this is Elias Reed, my dearest friend in the world.”

Friend?“You don’t say?”

She nods with a smile, loops her arm through his to draw him closer.“We met freshman year at Duke.”

I nod once, stiff.I wait for him to stick his hand out for me to shake, and I truly hope he does so I can crush his fingers.Instead, he merely raises his brows in Daisy’s direction.“He’s charming in person.”

Daisy shoots him a look—Don’t start—but he ignores it, instead beaming a confident smile my way.I want to knock his teeth down his throat.

“So,” I say, folding my arms, “how’d you end up in New York, Elias?”

Daisy jumps in first before he can answer.“Elias is from New York.He’s actually the person who talked me into moving here after undergrad.”Daisy nudges her shoulder against her friend’s.“Best decision I ever made.”

I grit my teeth as he casually drapes his arm over her shoulders, eyes locked onto mine in defiance.“We’re thick as thieves, Daisy and me.”

For a moment, I succumb to the fantasy of ripping off his head, then tossing it over my shoulder so that it rolls underneath a table.But Daisy elbows Elias playfully, getting him to dislodge his arm.

“Elias helped me get my job with the team.”

“Excuse me?”

Elias sips his drink.“Uncle’s the owner.You might’ve heard of him.Julian Langley?He likes to hire people with… potential.”

Daisy smiles, seeming completely oblivious that I don’t like her friend or that he’s yanking my chain.“Elias put in a good word for me.”She beams at him and he smirks at me.

“Uh-huh,” I say.

She finally catches on that something is brewing and her brows knit.“What does that mean?”

“It means… uh-huh,” I reply smoothly.