Page 44 of Stags

“Yeah, okay. Well, you’re the one who assumes the gaze was a leer and not respectful. I am incredibly respectful ofthis.” He gestured at her, up and down. “All you got going on there. This is the way I show respect for that.”

She rolled her eyes. “Seriously?”

“I mean, it’s dwindling. You’re fucking attractive, lady, but the longer you talk, the less attractive I find you, for some weird reason. On the other hand, whatever, I’m at this damned thing to get laid, so I got sex on the brain.” He blew out a huff of air. “What are the odds we can sit here in silence waiting for the bartender to come back?”

“I’m not interested in talking to you.”

“Great,” he said. “You know, the other thing is, with your type, it’s weird how all that respect-me business fades out when the guy who’s saying it is someone you find attractive. You could have just let me down easy instead of turning it into some morality lesson. We all know it’s not about men doing things the ‘right’ way, it’s about men being the kind of men you want. Women gatekeep mating. Always have, always will.”

“That is…what?” She took a gulp of her mimosa.

“I mean, amongst swans—”

“Who gives a shit about swans?”

“Well, my ex-wife is a swan,” he said, shaking his head. “Whatever. You do not want me to come near you, and I got the damned message, so can we just be quiet now?”

“I never said I didn’t find you attractive,” she snapped.Okay, why am I sayingthatto him?

He straightened, gazing at her, looking at her earring again. “So, thisishow you flirt?”

“No,” she growled.

He nodded. “Got it.” He shifted on his feet, looking her over again.

“Stop it,” she said. Her voice wasn’t strong.

“You divorced too?” he said, tilting back his head, tilting back that rack of antlers. “That why you’re here? You trying to have a consolation baby?”

“Fuck you.” Her voice shook.

“I just met this guy who’s here with his son,” he said. “A buck whoknowshis son.” He licked his lips, furrowing his brow.

It was quiet.

She sipped at her mimosa. “I thought swans, like, really mated,” she said.

“With each other, yeah,” he said wryly, looking away.

She dragged her upper teeth over her lower lip. “Sorry. I was in an interspecies marriage, too. I wanted kids. He said he did, but apparently…”

“Sorry,” he said.

It was quiet again.

The silence went on and on, but they were staring at each other. So, even though they weren’t speaking, some sort of communication was still happening.

She wasn’t sure what they were saying to each other, saying by staring at each other, by the expressions on their faces, by the way they were holding their posture. She wasn’t sure at all.

But…

They were sayingsomething.

He moved closer to her.

She could have told him to back off. She could have moved away. Instead, she stayed put, holding her ground as he got closer and closer and closer.

“You’re invading my personal space,” she managed. Her voice was fucking breathy.

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