Page 1 of The Right Guy
One
Best friends & broken glass
“Ada—Earth to Ada!”
A deep rumble penetrated my daze, pulling me away from a daydream where my roomie’s big brother, Cicero ‘Ro’ Huxley, was my devoted boyfriend.
“Seriously, Ada, if you keep mooning over that cum stain, I’ll fire your ass.”
Theo’s firm tone yanked me back to reality. Lifting my chin from my knuckles, I prodded the thick black frames resting on the bridge of my nose.“What’s wrong with my ass?” I stepped away from the beer taps lining the wooden bar.
His tiny black pupils flared ever so slightly, and the outer ring of crystal blue glistened under the lights. Those magical eyes of his were even more languid than the rippling seas back home in Ireland. When I found his gaze, time and time again, it never failed to invoke a harmony for my topsy-turvy life, which was utterly absurd, given my phobia of open water.
Theo scraped his long fingers through shoulder length wavy tousles and joined the coal-colored strands in a heap, securing them with a rubber band. “There’s definitely nothing wrong with your ass.” He winked, and the bearded edges of his mouth crept up. “But your head—that’s a whole other problem.”
I understood exactly what my best friend was talking about. My not-so-subtle Ro obsession. Ro had me at the first waft of his fresh cologne when he waltzed into my dorm room behind his little sister, Kim.
“Whatever do you mean?” I pulled open the glass washer and jiggled dirty glasses with false motivation.
“They’re not washed, Ada. That’s what I was trying to tell you while you were dribbling over the beer taps.”Theo screwed the lid off a vodka bottle and secured a thin liquor pourer to the neck.
My gaze slid sideways, eyeing his brawny shoulders that stretched the fabric of his tee as tight as a drum. Black tattoos decorated bulging biceps, filtering down to his leather-clad wrists. When he finished, bulky arms crossed his broad chest, and he cocked a brow at me.“I asked you to turn it on.”
“I forgot.” I offered a goofy grin. “I’m sorry. You should fire me, Theo. I’m a terrible friend and an even worse employee.”
“You’re not terrible.Perhaps,mildly irritating.” He smirked.
Theo always knew how to make me smile. “You’re such a charmer, for a Neanderthal. Now I remember why we’re friends.”
A low chuckle echoed in his chest, and he scratched the dark layer of bristles on his jaw. “Friends forever.” His gaze lingered, watching me stack a few more glasses into the washer under the counter.
While cramming in the last pint glass to the already packed wire rack, a sudden sharp pain rocketed up my arm, followed by the sound of glass splintering. Within seconds, Theo was tight against my hip, and my bloodied finger pressed firmly with a clean tissue. “Jeez, Ada. You nearly cut off your hand.”
His body was rock hard, oozing power and protection. “I’m okay. You don’t need to mother me, big guy. It’s only a scratch.” I lightly nudged my elbow into his ribs and pretended the slice didn’t sting like hell.
Theo grunted and kept the pressure firm. He peeled the crimson-stained tissue from my indexfingerand let out a long puff of minty air.
“See, it’s only a tiny flesh wound.” I giggled, wiggling my free fingers to check they worked.
“You two look cozy!” The caustic tone of Fia Harper burned inside my ears.
Theo’s embrace instantly fell away. I stepped sideways and noted her classic features and glistening pink lips. “Go to the office and get a Band-Aid, Ada. I’ll see to the drinks order,” Theo ordered, like he sensed how much her comment irritated me.
I glanced back at her, noting how she fluttered her tinted lashes and drummed the counter with ‘just manicured’ nude nails. “Yeah, run along.” She flashed a taunting smile.
Theo sauntered to the bar with his usual casual swagger. There was no effort to impress; the guy was just fucking cool, whatever he did.
“What can I get you?” He sounded almost pleasant. Not by choice. He had to treat every customer in The ReefBar, professionally, or he’d lose his job. I worked alongside him most evenings, not because I needed the cash. We had fun together, and it didn't matter he was technically my boss.
I hesitated by the doorway, hearing Theo’s gravelly voice carrying disinterest. I caught Fia’s sultry gaze and a slow lick of her pouty lips. If I was honest with myself, I envied her confidence and hated how Ro continually took her back.
Fia was Ro’s on/off girlfriend. They fell out more times than I’d replaced the vodka bottles during happy hour. One day they’d be kissing in the corner, and the next, he’d be partying with the guys, shamelessly chatting up a bunch of girls because ‘they’d broken up’.
Whatever he saw in her wasn’t obvious to me. I’d seen better legs hanging from a crow’s nest, and her wicked green eyes weren’t far from reptilian. Her long yellow hair looked like loose straw, and she had a dress sense from the nineties.
Okay, perhaps I’m being a little judgmental. A girl can joke, right?
Fia was stunning, and the perfect pretty partner for the devilishly hot Ro Huxley. Where she was tall and lean, I was short and curvy. Golden hair poured down her back likeit was kissedby the sun itself, yet my wavy black bun resembled a wasp’s nest. Her complexion was fair like a porcelain doll, whereas I had just zapped a zit from under my left nostril that very morning. Fia always wore a new outfit of the day, sometimes an outfit of the hour. I, on the other hand,clung to comfy baggy jeans and a boxy green tee. To stand beside the fiery female wasn’t even an option. I mean, not to sound all down on myself or anything, but she’s stunning. Like a Victoria’s Secret’s model, and I’m more like a frumpy hobbit with smaller feet. Although, I have dainty feet, which is a blessing, I guess.
