Page 4 of Stunner (Whiskey Dolls 3)

Well, ouch. Not that I didn’t deserve it. I hadn’t exactly been an adult about the whole her-dating-my-friend situation, and I tended to be a little cold and short-tempered whenever she came around. Okay,verycold and short-tempered. Jealousy wasn’t a good look on me, and I was shit at handling it like a mature adult, so sue me.

“How many fucking guys in tuxes you got following you today, dollface?” the younger of my intimidators asked.

“Supposed to be none,” she answered before shoving that burger back in her face. “He’s my ex-asshole’s best friend.” Her words were muffled by the food packed into her puffed out cheeks. “He was supposed to be the best man today. You can let him through, Dagger.”

I arched a brow and moved to Asher, taking the stool beside her. I was sure the two of us made quite a pair, sitting side by side in a freaking biker bar, her in a wedding gown and me in a tux, sans bow tie and jacket. “Dagger? Really?”

“I’ll have you know, he’s a very sweet man.” She finished on a hiccup, swaying slightly on her stool while I looked over my shoulder atDagger, thinking the man was anything but sweet, and that he most likely got his nickname because thatwas his preferred weapon of choice when it came to committing homicide.

And Jesus, but of course she’d hit up a bar no law-abiding citizen would dare set foot in and somehow manage to wrap all the criminals inside around her little finger. That was just Asher.

She stuffed another bite of burger into her mouth as she eyed me speculatively. Something that resembled chili glopped out from under the bun and plopped down on the plate below, a plate that was also piled high with fries covered in chili and cheese. She dropped the burger back onto the plate, never once shifting her scowl from me as she reached down and used the tattered material of her dress as a napkin. From the stains all over it, that hadn’t been the first time either.

“Jesus, Ash. What the hell happened to your dress?”

“I made it more functional,” she said, lifting a shot glass full of amber liquid to her lips and throwing it back like a college kid during a frat party. “Now what the hell are you doing here, Owen?” She lifted a finger before I had a chance to answer. “Let me guess, you’re doing Jackson’s dirty work for him, like always. Don’t you ever get sick of it?”

Oh, she had no clue, but I didn’t bother telling her as much. “I’m not here because of him. I came to your suite earlier to tell you what had happened. Sloane said you’d already heard and had disappeared after claiming you needed some air. She was panicked, so I started looking for you.”

She narrowed her eyes, closing one of them, probably to keep her vision from doubling. “How’d you even find me?”

I plucked at her chili and cheese smeared skirt. “Not as hard as you’d think. You stuck out like a sore thumb in this thing.”

She popped a cheesy fry into her mouth and used the expensive gown as a napkin again, wiping her mouth this time. “Okay, fine. But why you? Why didn’t one of my friends come looking?”

“Because I offered.”

She swayed forward, her breath downright flammable. If I were to ring her out, I’d probably get a gallon of whiskey. Her eyes narrowed so much, for a moment I thought they were closed and that she’d fallen asleep on the stool. Then she spoke. “Butwhy?” she repeated with unnecessary emphasis. “You hate me.”

“I don’t hate you.”

“Yuh huh.” She jabbed a finger toward my face accusingly, but given her inebriated state, was off by a few inches. “You’re always mean, and you told Jackson you didn’t think we were a good match,” she said with near-perfect recall given the whiskey steaming from her pores. “And when we got engaged, you told him you thought it was a mistake.”

That fucker, I seethed silently. I didn’t know why I was surprised though. Telling Asher I’d said shit like that was absolutely something he’d do. As far as Jackson was concerned, life was one big competition, and the fucker wasn’t happy if he didn’t think he was in the lead at any given moment.

“You never liked me. Not from day one. It’ssoobvious.”

“I like you plenty, Asher.”Too damn much, I reminded myself silently. A whole hell of a lot more than I had any business liking the woman who’d been with my friend for a year and a half, who intended on spending the rest of her life with him.

“It’s getting late,” I coaxed in a gentle voice. “Why don’t you let me give you a ride?”

She let out a loud hiccup. “But I can’t leave. Ruger’s going to teach me how to play pool.” She ended that statement on another hiccup, tottering on her stool as she flung her arm back toward the pool tables.

“You made friends with a guy namedRuger—” I cut myself off with a shake of my head. “You know what? Forget I evenasked because of course you did.” That was just who she was. Asher couldn’t walk into a room without walking back out with at least three new friends. There was this magnetism to her that pulled people into her orbit. I knew from experience. “He can teach you when you’re sober,” I said, all the while thinking it would be over my bloated, rotting corpse that she’d set foot in this bar again, but that was an argument for another day.

“Okay.” It surprised me how easily she let me guide her off the stool. She called good-byes to a group of men over at the pool table, getting the same in return. “I’ll be back next month for that poker tournament, Butch. Just you wait. I’m going to wipe the floor with you.”

The old man whose grin had my balls drawing back up into my belly earlier gave Asher an affectionate smile that softened his haggard face somewhat. “I’m counting on it, little lady.”

Jesus Christ.

“And Judd,” she continued, looking at the grizzled old bartender. “That was the best burger I’ve ever had. How much do I owe you?”

He held up a hand that was roughly the size of a Christmas ham. “On the house, darlin’.”

“That’s so nice,” she muttered as she began listing to the side. I grabbed her by the arm to keep her on her feet as she turned to me and whisper-yelled, “He’ssonice! They all are. They’re my new favorite people.”

I began moving her toward the exit. “Uh-huh. Sure.”

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