Reese turned, finding himself nearly face-to-face with none other than Cyrus Jernigan, Brantley’s ex-fuck-buddy and the bane of Reese’s existence.
Just like every other time he’d seen Cyrus, his first instinct was to punch the guy in the mouth.
He refrained.
Barely.
“I didn’t know I’d be seein’ you boys tonight,” the man with the goofy grin said, his dark brown eyes pinned on Brantley in that way that pissed Reese off.
He knew he had no right to be jealous of the fact Brantley and Cyrus used to be friends with benefits. That was all it was according to Brantley, and Reese believed him. However, he knew Cyrus liked to pretend they were still carrying on, mainly to get Reese riled up. As much as he wanted to ignore those intruding stares and the come-hither glances Cyrus projected at Brantley, he couldn’t.
“Hey, Cy,” Brantley greeted as he passed Reese a beer. “Thought you were in California.”
“Am. Was.” Cyrus grinned. “Will be. I’m just in town for a couple days.”
Reese took a swig of his beer, silently willed Cyrus to vanish into the ether, with no luck.
“You know if Trey’s comin’ tonight?” Cyrus asked, his full attention on Brantley.
“He mentioned he might,” Brantley told him. “But if I were you, I’d keep your distance.”
“Why’s that?” Cyrus smirked. “You jealous I’ve been intimate with your brother?”
Brantley snorted. “Not even a little.”
“Then why’re you warnin’ me off him?”
Brantley’s response was a wide, knowing grin as he nudged Reese with his shoulder. “See ya ’round, Cy.”
“Maybe we can catch up,” Cyrus called out when they were walking away.
“Maybe not,” Reese muttered and heard Brantley chuckle softly.
Brantley’s tone was meant to reassure when he said, “Nothin’ to worry about there.”
Reese knew that. He did. But that didn’t mean Cyrus didn’t get on his very last nerve.
“Did you know Magnus was gonna be here?” Brantley asked from behind him.
Magnus was sitting at a table, chatting it up with a couple of ladies who were blushing and giggling like he was the most interesting man in the universe.
“No,” he told Brantley. “Had no idea.”
As he weaved his way through the room, he found he was still watching the man with the quick smile and the glint in his eyes.
While some probably considered Magnus attractive, Reese didn’t think that was his most appealing feature. It had more to do with his personality, that easy charm that drew people to him, along with the mixture of vulnerability and determination Reese could see in his eyes.
Brantley motioned toward an empty table. “Care if he joins us?”
Reese answered with a nod of his chin, encouraging Brantley to invite him over.
Brantley cleared his throat, the sound loud enough to have Magnus glancing over. Magnus shot them a surprised but exuberant smile, and he was instantly on his feet, saying his goodbyes to the ladies, who didn’t appear pleased with his abrupt departure.
“I didn’t know y’all’d be here,” Magnus said in a gravel-laced drawl.
“Have a seat.” Brantley nodded toward one of the empty chairs. “We could say the same to you. Since when do you hang out in our neck of the woods?”
“Got a wild hair up my ass. Needed to get outta the house tonight, go someplace exotic.” Magnus gestured toward the bar, grinning, his wide hazel eyes glinting with amusement. “Seemed to fit the bill.”
