dart around the bar. “Hey, man.” He pauses and holds up his hands. “I didn’t mean anything by it.”
“She’s my fucking sister.” Avie points to the door. “Get out of here before I finish the job.”
Grumbling, Gerry finishes his beer and leaves, popping off something about never returning and this bar being a shithole.
Believe it or not, this isn’t the first bar fight I’ve been in. Won’t be the last either. I stand there, unsure what to do next. I should leave, but the idea of leaving the bar, and her behind, well, it’s just not happening. I can’t even tell you why I defended her, just that I did, and I’d do it again.
The man who’d been holding me back motions to the bar. “Usually I’d kick you out for fighting, but since you were defending my sister—” He pats my shoulder, giving a careless nod to the bar as he picks up a chair that had been knocked over. “—drink’s on me.”
His sister? Jesus Christ. I keep getting myself in further, don’t I?
Knowing I shouldn’t, I follow him to the bar.
He motions to the wall lined with liquor. “What’ll it be?
I nudge my glass forward and take a seat on the same barstool I’ve been on for the last hour. “Whiskey straight.”
He pours me a drink, but my gaze shifts to Journey. She’s watching me with a newfound flush to her cheeks. I want to grab her by the face and kiss her until her lips match the pink rising in her pale skin.
Avie pushes the glass toward me. “I’m Avie, by the way. I own the bar.” He hands me a towel for my mouth. I guess Gerry must have gotten a hit on me.
I take the towel and press it to my lower lip. “I’m Lincoln.”
He raises an eyebrow, his hands splayed out in front of him as he leans into the bar toward me.
Panic rushes through me in a wave. My shoulders stiffen with anticipation. Does he know who I am? Does he know the connection I have to his sister? There’s no sense in lying to him about my name, so I nod.
His features relax. “Nice to meet you.”
Oh, thank fuck. Relief washes over me. I swallow nervously and down the shot. He pours another.
“Are you in port for the weekend?”
I pull my eyebrows together, analyzing his reactions. “Haven’t decided. Fishing’s still good about forty miles out. Might go out again.” I’ve never liked small talk, but if he’s serving up drinks, it’s the least I can do.
I drift my eyes back to the woman who has a hold on me at the moment. She’s watching our interaction closely, but her attention is on that kid standing next to her. He’s talking to her, standing closer than I’d like, and maybe he has a chance with her. Hell, he’d probably give her a life she deserves, but it doesn’t sit well with me. It festers like a bad infection and has me thinking of ways to get rid of him.
Avie must notice my interest in his sister. “Don’t even think about it,” he says with a dark laugh, crossing his arms over his chest. I don’t miss the way he spits the words through clenched teeth or the strain in his expression.
I consider my options. Ones I shouldn’t. Ones that have me pushing myself into her life and knowing it will never come with any good. At least not for her. A memory gnaws at the edges of my mind. It’s one I’d like to forget but can’t.
I push away and toss a twenty on the bar. “Thanks for the drink.”
I don’t say anything to her when I leave. I can’t. I know if I do, I won’t go anywhere. And honestly, I still don’t know if I’m leaving.
With Athena, I wanted to love her. Forever. And I will. Nothing will ever take that away. But with this girl, the need to consume her, to have her, to possess every part of her is more unbearable than I ever thought it’d be. From the moment I laid eyes on her beautiful heart-shaped face, I knew I’d never be the same.
Hard Over - Turning the steering wheel or tiller all the way in one direction.
After witnessing him defend my honor, I have to physically stop myself from running after him. Who the hell is this guy?
I don’t have an answer, but I will say this. After watching him fight Gerry, a wave of lust crashed