Page 4 of The Mechanics of Lust

Holden tipped my chin up. “And you’remy bestmate. I’m so fucking glad we made it through.”

There was no explanation needed, and I swallowed hard around the lump in my throat, around all the what-ifs and might-have-beens, because Holden was right. “Yeah, me too.” The silence stretched for a few awkward seconds before I finally remembered why I’d come over. “But while we’re on the subject of mates, I have a bone to pick with you.” I poked him in the chest. “Did you forget to tell me something,mate?”

He frowned, then caught the flick of my head toward the dance floor, and bit back a smile. “Oh, you mean Luke moving to Oakwood?”

My glare said everything that was needed.

Holden rushed to explain. “Well, he did only accept the job a week ago. Plus we figured it was his business who he told and when. We haven’t mentioned it to anyone.” He hesitated. “Except Emily. Oh, and Tom.” Holden’s cheeks pinked. “And okay, so maybe I avoided telling you because Gil and I think the move is a great idea for Luke. He’s been... struggling. And maybe also because you obviously don’t like the guy.”

Shit.“It’s not that I don’t like him—”

Holden eyeballed me and I huffed.

“I just don’t click with him like the rest of you seem to.”

Holden shook his head. “To be honest, I don’t understand why. You generally get on witheverybody. It’s one of the most annoying things about you.”

I wasn’t about to explain that keeping Luke at a distance was mostly down to self-preservation, so I settled for, “I don’t like what he did to Gil.”

A roar went up from the dance floor and we jerked around just in time to see Charlie drop Gil into an impressive dip before hauling him back to his feet.

Holden chuckled, then sighed. “But what does any of that have to do withyou? Gil and Luke have made their peace, and that’s all that truly counts. And what happened wasn’t all Luke’s fault. You know that, right?”

I did know.Have I mentioned the being-a-dick part?

“You know it would be nice if we could support him. No matter what you think about what happened, Luke lost his child too, and he’s had a rough ride of it lately.”

I fired Holden a sceptical look and he returned his infamous puppy dog eyes. “Ugh. Don’t look at me like that,” I grumbled. “But okay, I’ll try to be less of a dick. No promises though.”

Holden clapped me on the back. “That’s all I ask. Now, I’m gonna grab my boyfriend for a dance. Do you need a ride back to the station tonight?”

“With you two?” I almost choked. “God, no. You’re nauseating enough to watch at a distance. I’ll leave my ute and catch a lift with Tom and the others.”

Holden grinned and planted a kiss on my cheek, and I caught myself in time before I covered the spot with my fingers.Idiot.

I headed for the bar and another shot of tequila... or six.

CHAPTERTWO

Zach

Several hoursand I have no idea how many shots later—because who fucking counts that shit anyway—I was dancing, aka swaying slightly drunkenly, with Spencer to some rock-techno nobody band that neither of us was sober enough to keep up with, while at the same time lamenting the failure of the local rugby team to take away the previous season’s regional trophy.

“I blame Happy George,” I slurred, referring to a local station owner who’d produced a hat trick of towering muscle-bound jocks for sons. “He should never have let William go to Auckland University. Best flanker we ever had. Should’ve made him go to Christchurch.” I slammed a pointed finger in the air, almost taking out Spencer’s left eye. “Oops, sorry.” I patted his cheek.

“There’s no medical school in Christchurch,” Spencer pointed out, tripping over my right foot and almost sending us both to the floor before stumbling into a miraculous recovery that set us both laughing.

“Pfft.” My head lolled on Spencer’s shoulder. “Doctors are a dime a dozen. William was the Best. Flanker.Ever. Players like that are as rare as chicken’s teeth.” I hesitated, then giggled. “Hen’steeth.” I poked Spencer in the ribs. “It’s a stupid saying anyway. And what about roosters? That’s sexism right there.”

Spencer nodded far too many times to make sense. “Yeah, of course.”

“Of course...what?” I squinted to try and bring him into focus, failed, and whined, “You’re not listening to me, Spennnnncerrrr. You’re a vet. Youmustknow about this stuff.” I swayed a little on my feet and Spencer blinked.

“What stuff? What the hell are you talking about? I don’t—” His face paled and he swallowed hard. “Oops, gotta go.” He gave me a crooked grin and slapped me on the shoulder. “Thanks for the dance, Zach. Awesome night.”

“No, don’t go.” I went to grab his hand but he was already lurching for the front door, so I sighed and sank into a seat. The music finished and the bar fell spookily quiet.Huh.Where is everyone?Nola generally kept the doors open until at least ten.

I checked my phone and blinked in disbelief. Almost midnight? What the hell? I glanced around. There were a couple of people at the bar watching the server clean and pack up, and two tables of four quietly chatting. One held a group of Gil’s friends from Wellington who looked about as trashed as I felt. The other was a bunch of guys from the rural supply store. There was no sign of Holden and Gil or any of the station crowd, and a vague memory of Tom offering me a ride back to the station popped into my head, along with me calling them a bunch of pussies for leaving too early.Shit.Guess I’d be sleeping in my ute.

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