Page 66 of Dealing Dirty
Swallowing the knot in my throat, I gasp.
“Yeah. Turns out, Dad had forgotten his scratch-offs on the kitchen counter. Needed the money for gas I guess, so he came back for them.”
I bite my lip, but she waves a hand. “No, it’s okay. You can laugh. Freaking gas station scratchers saved me that day.”
This time, our laughter twines together lightly, and I resist reaching across the table and hugging her fiercely.
“So I’ve made a habit of scoping places out. Always looking for a way out since then. I was trapped, you know. I had no escape, and I never want to feel that way again.”
We fill our pilsners with beer, and I raise my glass to her. “To friendship.”
A wide grin tugs her wine-colored lips. “And badass women who don’t take shit from men.”
Theclinkof our glasses tingles up my arm before settling deep in my heart.
“Mind if I join you?” A deep male voice sounds from beside us.
“Ethan, um…” I didn’t even realize the music had stopped.
I spare a glance at Hazel, and she shrugs.
“Sure.” I give him a tequila-induced smile. There’s a certain dark mysteriousness about him, and I can’t deny that I’m a tad bit curious.
Ethan pulls out a chair. Once his butt hits the seat, he leans over with an extended arm. “I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure of meeting?”
She hikes a brow. “Hazel,” she offers, giving him a firm shake.
The blue and red lights hanging over our heads cover him in an ominous glow. He relaxes back with ease. “What brings you ladies out tonight?”
I’m relieved when he doesn’t flatter us with compliments like ‘pretty’ or ‘beautiful.’ Given Alfonzo’s inappropriate behavior, I’ve had enough flattery to last me a long while.
“If you must know, your buddy is the reason we ended up down here,” Hazel snarks.
His ink-black brows form a frown.
“Alfonzo acted like a real dick at The Pound earlier,” I elaborate. “He got a little handsy with me and—”
Two young women lock arms while passing our table. Their laughter squeezes guilt from my stomach, and I purse my lips. Cassidy didn’t deserve the way I stepped out on her. It’s not her fault that men are stupid, arrogant assholes.
Ethan patiently waits for me to finish.
“Derrick didn’t care for that,” I say.
Air rushes from his chest as he sits forward, and curiosity glitters in his nearly black eyes. “I didn’t realize you and the blond heathen were an item.”
Hazel props an elbow on the table before cramming a fist into her cheek. She may be bored with our conversation, but the insult stirs something in my belly.
“We were never an item,” I assure him, the lie bitter and foul as it leaves my lips.
He studies me. “I apologize for my friend’s behavior. He lacks social skills and doesn’t know the first thing about women.”
Hazel snorts.
It felt like more than just lacking skills or wooing women. Alfonzo came after me hard and fast, leaving dread lingering even now.
“Let me make it up to you. I’ll buy you both a shot, and we can toast to outsmarting creepy assholes.”
Ethan’s eyes shine when I laugh. “You too, huh?”
