Page 25 of Love Is Ale You Need

He grabs my hands and intertwines our fingers. It’s comforting and eases some of my reservations about him. He may have made a small hole in the wall I erected.

“So for today, you’ll go to your house, and I’ll go to mine. Then tomorrow we can do this all over again.”

I laugh. “I’m starting to think you like the chase more than you actually like me.”

“Don’t get me wrong, the chase is fun, but I know what’s waiting at the end will be worth it.”

A warm blush covers my cheeks. “Do you have a book of lines you memorize so you know exactly what to say and when to say it?”

“No. I actually have a tiny earpiece and Miles feeds me lines.” He holds a finger to his ear and pretends to look around.

I slap his chest. “You’re so full of it.”

“Yeah.” He places his hand on mine, holding it to his chest. “No one would buy that. Miles doesn’t have any lines.”

“As much as I would love to stay and chat with you in the parking lot. I do have to go.” I pull away, but Trey stops me.

“Ooor we could always do other things in the parking lot.” His eyebrow raises.

“Oh my god. You are relentless.”

He flashes me a dimpled smirk. “Okay. Okay. I guess I’ll let you go.” He releases my hand, and it slides down his chest.

“Have a good rest of your day.”

“Once I'm home, thinking about you, it will most definitely be good.” He winks.

Warmth spreads over my cheeks. I spin on my heel. Without looking back, I offer a wave over my head. If I see him, I won’t be able to resist jumping into his arms and kissing the hell out of him. So, I don’t. In fact, I rip open my car door and slam it closed so I don’t do just that. I reach over my shoulder and pull my seat belt, locking it in place to also prevent me from jumping out. It’s been years since I’ve felt anything remotely close to this and that scares me the most because I know how it ends.

After pulling out of the parking lot and onto the street, my grip on the steering wheel loosens. The physical distance from Trey is exactly what I need, so there isn’t a repeat of the parking lot romp. I glance in my rearview mirror as a late model pick-up truck pulls out behind me. Maybe I should say yes to a date with Trey. Would it be so bad? What am I thinking? Of course it would. Guys like him are a dime a dozen and the last thing I need is another broken heart.

Distracted from all my thoughts on Trey, I notice the truck is still following me several blocks later. With the tinted back window of my SUV, I can’t decipher if the truck is black or navy in color. Even from my side mirror the glare from the sun makes it indistinguishable. The hairs on my arms rise as a bead of sweat forms on my brow even though it’s a comfortable seventy degrees. I make a right turn and then another, the truck still trailing me, but this time they ride my bumper and then back off almost in a threatening manner. I make note of the missing passenger side mirror and missing license plate. My heart hammers in my chest as I swallow the giant lump in my throat.

There’s been a few times where I’ve encountered suspicious vehicles following me. Sometimes it’s been customers from the bar or leaving the parking lot of a store. I keep a bottle of mace in my glove compartment just in case. Thankfully, I’ve never had to use it, but it’s worth being proactive.

Blindly I pat the passenger seat for my phone, preparing myself to call the police over the bizarre driving behavior. When I make another right turn, instead of following me the truck continues straight. Another car passes me, blocking my view of the passing truck before it disappears behind a building. I exhale a deep breath. My paranoia about Trey has led to paranoia about everything else.

ELEVEN

UNEXPECTED ADVICE

Trey

I stay rooted in place until her taillights blend with the afternoon sunlight. A raging inferno sparked inside me when she mentioned she has a daughter. It’s not because she has a daughter, but it’s the idea that she’s been with someone else to give her a daughter. Not to say I want to be that person. Fuck. I scrub my hands down my face.

She consumes all my thoughts. It's rare for women to reject me, and when they do, I quickly move on. I don’t chase women, but I will run to the end of the earth for Rylee. It’s been years since I’ve had to navigate these waters and if I’m not careful, I could easily drown. I need to keep everything at surface level. My thoughts. Feelings. Actions. Nothing deep.

I want to convince myself that it is just sex or friends with sexy benefits, but it’s not. I genuinely enjoy spending time with her. The number of times we’ve seen each other without having sex outweighs the number of times we’ve seen each other and have, which is completely unlike me. I don’t hang out with single women for fun. We fuck, then I leave, or tell her to leave. No small talk after. She’s turned my entire life upside down and I’m clueless on what to do. She’s turned me into Miles.

Tomorrow is the SBL meeting. I’ll have to recruit the guys for some advice. Even though whatever comes out of their mouths might be questionable, it’s all I’ve got. I climb into my SUV and start the ignition only to go home and be left with thoughts of Rylee instead of worshiping her naked body.

* * *

The following day, I send a message to the guys to tell them the meeting is back at my house instead of Porter’s. Also, I include a list a of pre-approved snacks, so there isn’t another cheese incident.

Standing behind my new custom-built mahogany bar, I pour beers out of the tap for Miles, Tim, Darren, and Owen.

“First things first. I never got my gavel back from Jake and the squeaker fell out of the other one, so just pay attention. Anyone have anything they want to discuss?” I wait a second before responding. “Okay. I’ll go.” I blow out a breath. “I need your help.”

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