Page 6 of Fall Apart

“I just… I have to leave. I’m sorry.” I stand there, dumfounded as she walks past me, heading towards the front of the bar. She snags Mandy’s attention and gets her card, grabbing her jacket from the stool and turns to head towards the exit.

As she reaches the door, she looks over her shoulder, back at me. She bites her lip before her eyes flit away.

And like that, she’s gone.

My heart is pounding. Who the fuck was she? This little spitfire that has my skin burning.

I guess this tracks though.

This is the kind of shit that always happens to me.

I hangmy keys on their hook just inside the door to my kitchen from the garage.

Fucking hell. What a rollercoaster. This is not how I thought my night would go.

No. Not at all. I was going to go and just grab a beer. My usual Wednesday after work routine. Nothing special.

Then I ran into the insane little blonde that got under my skin in all the right ways and clearly wanted to have somefun. Or at least I thought so until she ran off and I have no idea what I did. She just stared at me in shock before she dashed out of the bar leaving with zero explanation.

I hear a familiar rumbling coming from across the living room into the kitchen, instantly brightening my mood a bit.

“Oh hey, bud.” I kneel down as Ani runs up to me, tail wagging. “Have you been a good boy while Daddy was gone?” I say in a deep, playful voice. “Or were you my bad little shit starter?”

I smile when he rests his head on my shoulder and licks my ear. I’m 6’3”, but he’s big for a Belgian Malinois and I love how he can still jump up on me like this when I’m kneeling down.

“Thanks for the kisses. It’s been a rough night.” That’s an understatement. I left the bar without even finishing my beer. I figured I might as well get home and get a good night’s sleep after that cold shower at the bar.

Fuck. I need arealcold shower now. I’m still so wound up after that.

I stand up, patting Ani and head over to the coat rack, putting my jacket on its hook and my work boots neatly in their tray. Ani follows me in his perfect heeling position, the one I spent months perfecting and still work on every day with him.

Walking through the hall along the polished concrete floors to my room, my mind is racing. I still can’t get over this.

Who was that and why did she leave like that?

Was it something I did?

I know I can be a domineering, cocky asshole. But I’m still respectful. I pride myself on being respectful. That’s how we were raised to be. That’s what Dad expects from me, what Mom would have expected from me. I thought I was reading her signs right and we were going to have a good time.

Shefollowed me and seemed to be calling the shots.Shewas touching my chest.Shekissed me.Shepulled me into her with her leg. Fuck. Just thinking about it is sending a rush of blood below my waist.

She was so gorgeous too. I wanted to do unspeakable things to that snarky little mouth of hers. She was clearly down for it. Or at least she was until something changed.

I don’t know why I’m surprised though. That’s what these tourists chicks do. Come into town, have some fun with the locals, then disappear until their next trip. But they usually aren’t hanging out, alone, at Roxy’s on a Wednesday night.

When I get to my bedroom, I toss my clothes in the hamper and head to the en suite bathroom to start a cold shower. I really need it. Work has been hell lately.

The project at the Aspen Grove Club has been going smooth, but remodeling an entire floor of a giant condo building in the Utah winter is less than ideal. I’ve been there night and day trying to stay on top of it. We’ve been doing demo for weeks and finally have the place stripped down to the studs, but the job site is cold even with our portable heaters and wrapped windows. At least the project at the Grand Lodge is almost done. I remind myself that this is why I just got promoted, because I can handle these things and not get distracted.

When I finally get in the shower, the cold water feels amazing. Between beating myself up at work, my constantly sore and stiff knees, and the raging hard on I still have from thinking about my mystery woman, it’s exactly what I need.

I rest my head against the glass, finally feeling like I can exhale and let the tension fade away.

This is just how my life is.

This is nothing new.

Every time something good seems like it’s finally about to happen, life comes in and snatches it away.

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