Chance Encounter - Jerry Cole Page 0,9
and Becca were up to. The girls were dancing at our favorite bar. Gray apologized for being buried in work, asking if he could see me later.
I met Becca and Mari at the bar, nursing two margaritas in between dancing and catching up. It was a lot of fun seeing the two of them fall harder for each other. I missed Gray but knew he was working. I admired that about him, having to remind myself that we were new. I needed to slow down.
That was my thought when I headed to the bathroom. I crashed into my ex, leaving, and he took me in slowly. “Hayden. How have you been?”
“Great. You?” I kept it short, ignoring his hungry hazel eyes. They used to make me weak, but right now, I felt angry.
“I see that Mari is visiting again.” I nodded, and he smiled a wicked smile. “The word is that Becca is having a party. What time should I be there?”
“Why would you even consider it? We’re over, and I am your only tie to either of them.” I knew that I could get upset and give him the loss of control that he was looking for. I just refused to play his games.
“She’s a drunk. She’d never even notice. Did you see the two of them dancing?” He smirked, and anger rose in me. He knew her dad was an alcoholic and that Becca and I kept our drinking in check.
“Get the fuck out of here and stay away from Becca. We’re done, so there’s no reason for you to be around.” My voice was low, and even I was surprised by my control. “I’m sorry I ever let you in.” I gripped his button-up shirt, shoving him into the wall. “Get out.”
Becca was sensitive to the damage done to her by her father before he died of liver failure. I knew all about it, confessing it one night in bed on the anniversary of her father’s death. I still felt pissed off that I wasn’t with her that night.
“Fuck. Fine.” Ryan scrubbed a hand through his long hair, looking annoyed. He turned on his heel, walking down the hall and, hopefully, toward the door.
“Mother fucker,” I said, walking toward the main room to see where he went. He grabbed the hand of a man, dragging him to the door as I shook my head. I looked toward the dance floor where Mari and Becca were dancing, seemingly oblivious to what just happened. I took a deep breath, intending to keep it that way. Why did I trust him?
I went and got some water to cool myself down, drinking it in gulps. A shot sounded great right now, and while Becca would never judge me for that, I just couldn’t do it. I finished the water, heading to the dance floor as I forced a smile to my face. I moved next to them, dancing to the Erasure song as they squealed and grinned at me.
We finished the night out, walking to our cars before driving to our homes. Becca invited me to stay with them, but I told her that Gray might be coming over. I took the time to calm down completely as I drove. I needed to be levelheaded if I were to see him, and I didn’t want to drag ex drama into such a new relationship, if at all.
I heard my phone in my pocket as I unlocked the door, closing and locking it before pulling it from my jeans. It was Gray, and he asked if he could come over this late, by text. We nearly closed the bar. I dressed in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. When I heard the knock at the door, I opened it to see Gray dressed in shorts similar to mine. He had his hair pulled up, making me salivate as I pulled him inside. “I love man buns,” I told him, closing the door as I kissed him.
“Of course, you do.” Gray chuckled, pulling me against him as he cupped my ass. “So do I.” His kiss was hungry, and I reached out to lock the door. I pulled him into my bedroom, pushing him to the bed as we both laughed.
We moved right to the good stuff, fucking hard and fast. Gray dominated, giving me the insight that he might prefer this. I didn’t care. I loved this part of the relationship, clinging to it as long as I could before letting