Chapter Twenty-Six
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Tristan swallowed thelast sip of his beer and set the bottle on the bar.
“You want another?”the bartender asked as he polished a glass.
“Nah, I’m good.”He eyed Gavin, seated on the stool next to him.His twin was only half-finished with his drink, engrossed in a football game on the TV.They’d come all the way to this bar two towns south down the coast for a change.It was smaller than Sea Hag, the drinks were slightly cheaper, and it wasn’t as busy.
It also meant there was zero chance of running into Cassie.Which was a good thing, because after yesterday he was hanging by a thread emotionally, and it seemed like the need and frustration inside him were twisting tighter every hour.If he were in Crimson Point, he wouldn’t trust himself not to go back to her place and try again.
The bottom line was, she wasn’t ready for a relationship.At least not the kind of relationship he wanted, and he wasn’t going to settle for less.So he was trying like hell to bury his feelings, but they were just about choking him.
He glanced up at the TV.The game was only partway through the second quarter.It seemed excruciatingly slow tonight.Flag after flag after flag delaying the game clock even more.
“You got somewhere you need to be?”Gavin asked, eyes on the game.
“No.”It was just that he was about to come out of his freaking skin.
He took a deep breath, folded his arms, and tried to settle the raging storm inside him.Being out with Gav was much better than being at home by himself, and though he was always welcome at his twin’s place, he wouldn’t have been very good company for Autumn and Carly at the moment.
Off to the side of the room, he noticed a guy approach two young women sitting at a table.Within two seconds, he could tell they didn’t know him.He was much older than they were, early forties.
They quit talking and looked up when he stopped at their table and said something to them.Their polite expressions froze, and they darted an uncomfortable look at each other.
The guy smirked and said something else, planting a hand on the table to lean in.Deliberately crowding them.Both women shrank back in their chairs, shooting glances across the room as if looking for help.
Tristan was off his stool and heading over before he’d taken his next breath.The ladies saw him coming, stared at him with identical pinched expressions.
At the last second, the asshole turned his head and saw him.Straightened and sized him up.
Tristan was at least a few inches taller and had twenty pounds of muscle on him.But he wouldn’t have cared if this asshole had been bigger than he was.
He kept his gaze pinned on him, only looked at the women once he’d stopped at the table.“Hi.There’s a free table over near the bar by my brother and me if you’re interested.”Gavin was already on his feet, watching the situation intently from across the room.
The women stared up at him a moment, then the dark-haired one grabbed her purse.“Sure, that sounds—”
“They’re fine where they are,” Asshole said.
“I’ll take you over,” Tristan told them, ignoring him.
As the ladies started to rise, Asshole made the mistake of planting a hand on Tristan’s chest.“I said, they’re fine where they are.”
Tristan glanced down pointedly at the hand, then back up to meet the bloodshot eyes drilling into his.The frustration in him was desperate for an outlet.Begging for a reason to be unleashed.“Get your hand off me.”He said it quietly.But the tone was unmistakable.
That was the only warning he was giving.
