“Yeah, but he’s yours. I can see it all over the poor bastard’s face.”
I noted the pink tint of Liam’s lips against his bronzed skin. A faint echo deep inside me suggested I grab his face and pretend not to care that Tyler hadn’t come like Watts had said he would. The taste of Liam’s drink on my tongue wouldn’t be the worst distraction. The more I imagined his strong hands on my skin, the unhappier I felt. Sterling was supposed to have been my rock bottom, but Tyler had given up on me, just like I had—there was no lower feeling than that.
Just for one night I wished I could return to the pathologically selfish asshole I once was. Even drinking back-to-back Hurricanes couldn’t erase Ellie two-point-oh. Jojo was happily sloppy drunk, but guilt and an ache for Tyler consumed me. Exhaling, my back hit the hard wood of my chair as I wondered if more experienced company could have helped me lose myself. I needed someone supremely manipulative, heartless, and cruel—someone like me.
“You’re terrible at flirting,” I said, deflated.
Liam seemed surprised at my retreat, and then he closed one eye and wrinkled his nose, almost like he was in pain. “I really fucked that one up, didn’t I? Just forget I said that. Let me help. I’ll buy you another drink.”
“I’ll take it.”
The door swung open, and Tyler walked in alone, shoving his hands in his pockets and looking around. When his gaze landed on me, he paused. My breath hitched, and my heart banged against my ribcage. It was all I could do not to leave my seat and run across the room and tackle him.
Tyler casually strolled over to the bar to greet Annie and grab a beer before navigating the tables to stand next to our corner booth. Each step he took seemed to take an eternity, but finally he was there, standing just a few feet away.
He eyed Liam before smiling at me. “Hey.”
“Hey,” I replied, nervous and embarrassed, knowing we sounded ridiculous in front of the crew.
Tyler grabbed a chair and sat next to Jubal, who patted him a few times on the back for encouragement. “Glad you decided to join us after all, Maddox.”
Watts smirked. “I’m sad to know we weren’t good enough for a sendoff, but add Ellie to the mix…”
“Shut your hole, Watts,” Cat growled.
Tyler took a swig of his bottle and leaned back, looking unaffected until Liam lifted his arm and rested it across the back of my chair. Tyler’s eyes darted to Liam’s extended arm, and then to Liam, a murderous glare in his eye.
“We were just talking about you, Maddox,” Liam said.
I let out an involuntary, awkward chuckle. “No we … no we weren’t.”
Tyler stayed guarded, unsure of Liam’s intention but clearly undaunted. He took another sip of his beer, then leaned forward, his elbows on the table. “Is that so?”
“No, it’s not so,” I insisted, trying to wade through the Hurricane to be present enough to avoid humiliation.
Tyler smiled at me, and I melted. “It’s okay if you were. I was just thinking about you.”
“And there we have it,” Liam said. “Told ya, love.”
Tyler’s gaze left me and targeted Liam, a line between his eyebrows forming. “I don’t know what you’re trying to do, Liam, but if you want to leave here with both arms, stop.”
Liam laughed, genuinely amused.
“Liam,” I warned.
“I’m just having a go at you, mate. You make it too easy.”
Jack’s chair whined against the floor as he leaned forward. “Liam. Enough.”
Liam held up his arms. “I’m sorry. I was just trying to get her to take a trip with me. I don’t think it’s Colorado she’ll miss.”
Three lines on Tyler’s forehead deepened when his eyebrows pushed upward. The crew shifted in their seats, uncomfortably witnessing the exchange.
“Another round!” Jubal said, lifting his half-empty glass. The rest of the crew lifted their glasses and hollered their agreement in unison.
Tyler leaned in, lowering his chin as he stared at Liam. “What are you doing, man?” He took the tone he did with Taylor when he was disappointed in his behavior.
Liam smiled his most charming smile. “I’ve tried, mate. She doesn’t want me. I’m an excellent wingman. Ask Jack.”
All of Jack’s teeth gleamed when he smiled. “Truth.”
One corner of Tyler’s mouth curled up, and then he looked at me. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, a man I vaguely remembered stumbled into the table.
“Maddox!” he slurred, slapping Tyler’s shoulder. His