I wiped my cheeks with the back of my hand.
I only had one friend. My parents are god knows where enjoying retirement.
The elevator doors dinged open, and I stepped out into the parking garage.
It didn’t take long to find my car. She was beat up, sure, but reliable. I made a decent salary from Essence, but I wasn’t a big spender. I never had a rainy-day fund—or anything close to it.
As I approached my car, my gaze flicked to Chad’s shiny new ride parked beside it. The glossy black paint job practically gleamed under the dim garage lights, mocking me.
I stared at the keys in my hand.
Don’t do it, Harper. He’s not worth it.
I glanced around the empty parking garage.
Maybe… just maybe… it’d be a little worth it.
Harper
Damien, a solid wall of muscle and black fur, with the kind of broad shoulders that made women weak in the knees, set my third glass of tequila on the rocks in front of me. He casually slid it across the bar like he knew exactly what I needed before I did. Damien opened the Howl three years ago, and somehow, I couldn’t imagine working through my dumpster fires without his bar to keep me company.
Before Chad came along, I’d always believed the best way to heal a broken heart was with two things: good tequila and good sex. The first part, I could manage. The second? Well… seemed like that was going to be a little more difficult to come by tonight.
I didn’t waste any time. I brought the glass to my lips, letting the cold liquid splash down my throat in a smooth, fiery rush.
Perfect. Just like it always was.
Damien watched me down my drink as he polished a whiskey glass with a white cloth. As his arms moved, I could see the tight contours of his broad chest rub against the fabric of his shirt in the kind of way that might make a girl wish she wasn’t still hung up on a pathetic cheating loser.
If I didn’t know Damien as well as I did, I might understand why women who stumbled in here tended to throw themselves at him.
But tonight? Tonight, I just needed a drink. Not a distraction.
I glanced at the text messages lighting up my phone—the very distraction I needed to get away from.
6:09 pm
You are a fucking PSYCHO.
Did you key my fucking car???
7:30 pm
You STUPID BITCH.
Missed call 7:45 pm
Missed call 7:47 pm
Missed call 8:01 pm
Missed call 8:30 pm
Missed call 8:49 pm
Missed call 9:15 pm
9:25 pm
