more or less fine, but my real work. I really had needed a job when I’d come to the ranch, but choosing to apply here had come with secondary motives.
One positive thing I could say about the blow-up with Nyx was that I wanted to stay busy. Throwing myself into work would be a good way to do just that.
After drying off, I draped the towel over my shoulders and used the end to dry inside my ears. I was still doing that when I stepped into my bedroom and discovered a naked woman in my bed.
And not just any naked woman either.
It was her.
“What the hell are you doin’ here?”
Two
Nyx
Alcohol.
“You know a decent bar?” I asked as I shut the cab door. “I don’t need anything fancy, but I don’t want a dive either.”
“I know a place.”
As the driver took us back down to the road, I was tempted to close my eyes, like that would block out the image of that naked brunette standing in the doorway and telling me that Bradyn was in the shower. It wouldn’t. I knew from experience that eyes open or eyes closed didn’t matter. Some shit just stuck in your head, and it was usually the stuff you most wanted to forget.
I’d been lucky, in a way, being put into juvie before I’d gotten hooked on negative ways to cope with my past. The juvie part hadn’t been the lucky thing. It’d been the fact that I’d been put in a room with Kaimi, who’d already done the whole rebellious thing and learned from it. She’d made sure I knew that I needed to learn how to deal with shit without drugs or booze. Not that drinking was a bad thing, just that I shouldn’t rely on it. And I never had.
Right now, though, I was too fucking tired to try to work through it in my head. Maybe after sleeping it off and dealing with the hangover, I’d realize how much better off I was now. I’d come back here because of the Huxleys and their connection to the Douglasses. All of their connections to the Traylor family. I hadn’t been sure how well I’d be able to handle dealing with Bradyn’s family if things with him had still been…confusing.
There was nothing confusing about a naked woman.
A flash of hot anger washed through me, and I let it burn away the hurt. Not away. Not really. But it made it more bearable, and that was all I really needed right now.
It was the shock of it that made it so bad. That had to be the reason.
We hadn’t made promises, exactly. We’d agreed to only fuck each other, and I’d been stupid enough to believe that he meant it. I’d never asked for exclusivity from any other partner because that hadn’t ever been part of the deal.
The taxi pulled into the parking lot next to a building with a neon sign that said Franco’s. I paid the driver, adding a tip for his willingness to stay at the ranch while I’d gone to Bradyn’s cabin. He thanked me and gave me his card, telling me to call when I needed a ride back to my hotel.
I’d gotten a voicemail from Shadae earlier this week, telling me that she’d keep my cabin for me until I called to tell her I wasn’t coming back. I hadn’t called, which meant I’d been able to leave my suitcase there and take the key she’d left under the mat. I could’ve stayed.
Which would have been a bad idea.
The bar was exactly what I’d asked for. On a Saturday night, it was busy, but not so packed that I felt claustrophobic. I took a seat at the bar with the wall at one side and an older woman at the other. She looked like she was here for the same reason I was. To forget something and be alone without actually being alone. Based on the blank way she glanced at me before turning back to her drink, I didn’t need to worry about her hitting on me.
“What can I get you?” The bartender was massive, his bulk taking up enough room that I wondered if he could even turn sideways in that small space behind the bar.
“Long Beach Iced Tea.” Close to the Long Island Iced Tea, I preferred the taste of this one when I wanted something stronger than beer but not strong enough to knock me on my ass. I also wasn’t in