“Then stop wallowing.” Ruby’s face is stern as she glares. “I’m giving you a free pass tonight. But tomorrow, when you get done puking all this up, you’re going to put on your big girl panties and you’re going to forget about him.” She shifts her attention to her left. “Why don’t you start now?”
“What?” I swing my head in the direction she’s looking and the world tilts. Whoa Nelly. I stop moving and hold my breath. That’s when I notice a 6’2” tall god with a backward baseball cap stalking toward us. He has a goatee.
Goatee. That’s a stupid name. I wonder why they called it a goatee. Because goats have them? I bet that’s where the name comes from.
“He’s hot.” I fan the front of my shirt. Skintight jeans and a T-shirt that’s filled out with defined muscles. The man is good looking. Not as gorgeous as Jake. I growl under my breath. But Jake is fucking Amanda tonight so that removes all his good looks with one swipe.
The guy smiles as he stalks toward the table with the fried mushrooms. We really need to get something to eat. I’m starving. Would they notice if I snatched one on the way to the bathroom?
Why does that seem familiar? I frown. Did I already grab one from them?
“Yes, he’s hot. And he appears to be on the lookout for a dance partner.”
He doesn’t stop at the table with the appetizers. When he smiles, his eyes twinkle. Why is he coming over here? Do I have something on my face? I swipe the back of my hand across my mouth.
“Hey gorgeous, you look like you could use a dance.”
“What?”
“I said, hey gorgeous, you look like you could use a dance.”
“Why?” I frown, trying to make sense of his words.
“I….” His eyes widen as he looks at Ruby who rolls her eyes.
I wrinkle my nose and tilt my head, surveying him from his work boots to his freshly cut hair. “Are you a stripper?”
“No.” His head snaps back as if I’ve insulted him.
“An escort?”
“No. What in the hell?” His attention shifts to Ruby who lowers her eyelids and raises her hands in surrender.
“Sorry dude, she’s usually not this slow. She’s had a bad night and too much to drink.”
“Right.” The man shuffles from foot to foot as if he’s ready to bolt back across the bar.
“Oh, I get it. Ruby asked you to ask me to dance, didn’t she?” I slump into my seat. “I’m more pathetic than I thought. I can’t even get a guy to ask me to dance on his own.”
“Just go dance with him. You know what–”
“Don’t.” I slam my hand on the table and lurch upward. The guy grabs my arm and settles me into an upright position as a lurch forward. “You’re right.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, never better.” I lace my fingers through his and smile. “Let’s dance.” I attempt to waggle my eyebrows but I’m not sure if my eyebrows are moving or not. “And then go from there.”
Chapter Forty-Three
Jake
Xavier smacks me on the back as he waves the bartender over. “Hey, man, what can I get you?”
“I’m good. I’ll just take a water.”
The place is booming compared to Rusty Nail. At the tavern, there were only a handful of customers. Even though it’s a weeknight, Callahan’s is packed. The dance floor is full of people jumping and singing along with the band. Rusty Nail hasn’t had a band in decades if they ever had such an event.
After the night I’ve had, I don’t need to add fuel to the fire. Seeing Emily so soon after she left my bed without so much as a thank you for rocking my world, my mood is in the toilet. Maybe I didn’t rock her world?
