Page 74 of Spilled Coffee

The door swung shut behind him and drowned out whatever slew of curses Lisa might have thrown after him.

The noise hit like a physical force, and Devon paused just inside the hall for a moment, surveying the club.

It was a sea of bodies, neon strobes painting everyone and everything in flashes of electric blue and lightning purple. The bar was equally crowded as lines of patrons three-deep jostled for one of the many bartenders’ attention, while others lingered nearby with drinks already in hand.

Devon’s gaze swept over them all with quick and methodical efficiency until it landed on Brick in the far end booth. Abbey was again straddled across his lap, her hands roaming over his broad chest as she whispered something into his ear that made him grin wolfishly.

There was still no sign of Ethan.

Devon’s smile faltered as irritation prickled at the edges of his mind like an itch he couldn’t scratch.Where the fuck was Ethan?That familiar restlessness began to build under his skin as he scanned the room once more.

There were some faces he recognized: regulars who frequented the club almost as often as he did, strangers who blurred together into one indistinct crowd, women who eyedhim appreciatively when they caught his gaze, and men who either sized him up or ignored him completely.

But still no Ethan.

He let out an annoyed huff, then leaned back against a wall near the entrance and surveyed the room from a different angle. The night suddenly felt less promising than it had half an hour ago—and far less satisfying than it should have been after what had just happened in that bathroom stall. But then again... he hadn’t been looking for satisfaction—not unless it came with wide eyes, sandy curls and muscles.

Brick was lost in Abbey’s curves as she kissed his neck, leaving red marks. Tequila shot glasses sat abandoned on the table, their burn replaced by the heat of her grinding.

“Goddamn,” Brick muttered under his breath, his voice rough and low, more growl than words. His fingers slid beneath the hem of her dress, palms finding warm skin as he squeezed her ass hard enough to make her gasp and roll her hips against him.

Lisa was gone—Devon’s problem now—and Brick didn’t care. This was what he wanted: Abbey, no distractions, no sharing.

“You wanna dance again?” Abbey purred, her voice dripping with suggestion as she nipped at his ear.

“Hell yeah,” Brick slurred with a lazy smirk, his hands tightening their grip on her. “Let’s go.”

They stood up and stumbled from the booth together like they couldn’t untangle themselves long enough to walk straight. Abbey’s arm looped possessively around Brick’s waist while his cap sat crooked on her head—a trophy she’d claimed without asking.

The club spun around them in a haze of pulsing lights and deafening beats, blurring the lines between a drunken haze and the real world.

Brick barely noticed anything—the crowd, the lights bleeding into neon smears across his vision, or even the way Abbey’s nails dug into his side as she clung to him. But he didn’t need to notice. He didn’t care about anything outside of the moment. Lisa had been a fleeting thought, but he had no intention of letting her ruin what he needed.

And what he needed was to fuck Abbey.

What he also didn’t notice was Devon sitting at the bar, nursing a whiskey on the rocks with a scowl carved so deep into his face it might as well have been permanent.

Devon narrowed his eyes as he watched the couple weave their way through the crowd, Abbey practically dragging Brick in her wake. He swirled the amber liquor around in his glass before taking another slow sip, letting the burn settle in his chest as he leaned back against the bar.

The ice clinked softly when he set it down and his jaw tightened as he exhaled through his nose. He wasn’t angry—not exactly—but there was a simmering heat beneath his skin that refused to be ignored.

Ethan had bailed on him. Left him high and dry. But if he thought Devon was done… he was wrong.

He pulled out his phone and thumbed a text.

Space isn’t what you want.

I know you better than that.

He stared at the words for half a second before hitting send.

Ethan wanted him, Devon was convinced of it—even if Ethan didn’t know how to admit it yet. That nervous flush whenever he’d gotten close… the way his voice would catch in a protest that never fully formed… Yeah, Devon saw right through it all.

“You can run, little bear,” he muttered, tossing a crumpled bill onto the counter for his drink as he stood up. “But you can’t hide from me.”

The night air hit him like a slap when he stepped outside. It was cold, yet it carried an electric charge that prickled along his skin, like a static waiting to be released.

The thrill of the chase burned hot in Devon’s veins, and a smile tugged at one corner of his mouth. There was a storm brewing in his eyes as he shoved his hands into his pockets and started walking.

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