Hard Checked (Ice Kings #4) - Stacey Lynn Page 0,21
change?”
“No. And would you talk to me?”
“About what?” It comes out as a snap and I inwardly cringe. This is silly.
He jerks back, stunned and then he shrugs. I wonder if he’s always been this sheepish or if it’s something new. I’ve tried not to pay too much attention to him since he’s married and all.
“Well, how have you been?”
This guy. A laugh bursts from me at the inane question. “How have I been? Good, Sebastian. I’ve been just fine, same ol’ same ol’ over here. But shouldn’t I be the one asking you that question?”
“Yeah.” He scrubs his jaw, the beard on his cheek, and shrugs. “About that.”
“How are you doing with Madison gone? You guys talk yet?”
“No. She won’t have anything to do with me. Even called her dad today and he wouldn’t put her on the phone either.”
“Her dad?”
“Yeah. Ever since she left me, she’s been staying with her family.”
“Madison left you?”
The outburst comes from a newcomer. Sebastian’s lips press into that line again, and his shoulders tighten before he turns to Jason, the new arrival. Behind him is Klaus, I’m pretty sure is his name. Cute and blond, I know he was born in Sweden but has lived in Canada and then the States for most of his life.
He does not look cute right now, though.
Both guys look like smoke might plume from their ears at any second.
“Madison fucking left you and you didn’t tell us?” Klaus sounds shocked. Pissed.
Jason looks like someone stole his most beloved possession.
“Maybe I shouldn’t have brought her up.” I take a step back, away from the sudden surge of male anger pulsing along the other side of the bar.
“No,” Sebastian snarls at me. “You shouldn’t have. But maybe I shouldn’t have told you in the first place.” He shoves the pitcher in Jason’s direction, tosses another glare at me like this is somehow my freaking fault and grabs his keys from his pocket. “I’m out of here. You guys can have this.”
“Hendrix—” Klaus calls out but Sebastian doesn’t stop. Instead, the door flies open and he disappears out of it. The slam of it hitting the hinges causes a silence to fall over the whole bar.
Which is mostly his teammates.
“Shit,” I mutter, staring at the door.
“Well fuck,” Jason says. “Now I know why he’s been in such a shitty place lately.” He says it, speaking toward the door as well, and then his head swivels in my direction. “My question is… how in the hell did you know?”
I’m pretty certain I’ve said enough tonight. “Talk to your friend. I’m just the bartender.”
And I’ve most definitely been reminded of my place.
Chapter Seven
Sebastian
It occurs to me as I wake up from a night with little sleep, head thumping but not nearly as bad as the last time I went to George’s, and replay the events of the night before… that I might have overreacted and been a massive dick to Jason. Not only to him, but all of my teammates, and worse, I was an absolute ass to Gigi.
She’s been nothing but kind to me except for her attitude when I went to the bar and overheard her talking to her dad. Considering my earlier behavior, her bluntness wasn’t unwarranted.
Worse, I only went to the bar because I couldn’t stop trying to catch a glance of her all night. I tracked her around the bar, knew her every movement and yet every time she turned to look our way, I scowled at my drink.
It makes no sense. Why would I care where she was? Why would I like watching her pour drinks, kiss her dad, laugh with the other regulars at the bar?
Why did it make my jaw tic when she went and stood by the pool table when Klaus and Duke were playing, giving them crap, laughing along with them.
Why did I care about any of that when I was trying to hide my face from her? And worse… what difference does it fucking make anyway?
None of it does, but I’m not this guy. I’m not a jerk to my friends. I don’t fly off the handle and storm out of a bar. I don’t avoid hard conversations. Hell, the last two years of my marriage were filled with nothing but hard conversations. I should be a professional with them by now.
Sighing, I shove off my bed and hit the bathroom where I take a few minutes and get cleaned up. It’s early, only eight in the morning and we have