Page 56 of Keep Your Guard Up
That was what happened when I got involved with fighters.
And I was still living with the damage.
“Look, Chance.” My heart thumped in my chest, nerves short-circuiting all over my body. “I think you’re really great, but—”
“Relax, Trevino. I was asking if you needed a lift in tonight, not for your hand in marriage.”
Post-sex bliss, over.
“Oh, uh … I—”
“Assumed I’d fall head over heels in love with you after having sober sex with you?”
I fumbled with the navy blue shirt in my hands, avoiding his heavy gaze.
“No,” I snapped, temper flaring when I met his darkened gaze. “Just wanted to make sure we’re on the same page. I’m not interested in you.”
Stupid, stupid liar. You know this will come back to bite you in the ass.
“Glad we have an understanding.” He slung his duffle over his shoulder, that mask of boredom strapped into place over his no-longer-glowing face. “See you ’round, Trevino.”
Chapter 30
Mari
Ibarely wanted to be here at this party, celebrating, let alone seeing my boyf—whatever we were off having afantastic fucking timeover in his corner booth.
The corner booth that was surrounded by women.
Beautiful.
Gorgeous.
Model-like.
Women.
JJ wasn’t here tonight, which meant I had noget out of jail freecard when it came to awkwardly standing by the bar by myself.
“Long time no see, Trevvy,” a raspy voice said from beside me, suddenly but gently breaking me from my blank stare with a childhood nickname I hadn’t heard in years.
I immediately knew who the owner was from the use of it.
Beau Beckett was a country boy gone city man. He’d graduated dux of our high school and left Soggla without a second thought. Last I’d heard, he was big in the finance world over in the United States. With a head of shaved, dark hair, high cheekbones and striking green eyes, he’d been the darling of Soggla when he was around. His family owned one of the larger farms on the outskirts of town that provided most of our dairy products. Loveliest people anyone could ever meet, as well as the hardest working. But Beau knew humble beginnings. With parents living a busy, bustling farm life, they’d refused to feed their only son everything life had to offer on a silver platter. When Beau turned fourteen, his dad had told him to get his backside down to the main square and find himself a job.
And so, he had. And that first job had led him all the way to the big leagues.
I plastered a bright smile on my face for my old friend. From the look he gave in return he wasn’t buying it—but he simply pulled me in for a hug. I hadn’t seen Beau in so long that we both knew it wasn’t his place to question it.
“Always too long, the time between visits,” I replied. I signalled to the bartender to pour Beau the same as what I was currently drinking. The bartender was young, new, andveryintimidated by the sheer size of the crowd in his workplace. I slipped him a five-dollar-note in tip and turned my back on him before he could try and give it back.
“The big city is like a minefield, Mari,” Beau replied with a grin, clinking his glass against mine. “You step out at the wrong point and your fuckin’ leg blows off.”
I laughed, taking a deep swig from the glass in my hand. “At some point you’ve gotta learn to outrun the blast,” I teased. A familiar warmth spread across my chest and along my arms, alerting me that I had gathered the attention of another person in this bar.
I downed the rest and signalled for another. On either side of me, the bar was completely overwhelmed—people throwing their hands up in frustration as they watched the person beside them get served. Within half a thought, my boots were up on my chair and I was jumping the bar.
With a deep breath, a good steadying of the slight sway in my boots, I put on a fake-as-hell bright smile and started pouring drinks left, right and centre for the wave of community we’d brought in with us. Laughing with friends, old and new. Downing shots with one or two.
