Page 24
Chapter Five
Now
My gaze travels down the bar to where Tucker and Trey have been posted since I started my shift and I roll my eyes, letting out a heavy sigh.
“Guys, this is ridiculous. You don’t need to be here.”
Trey shakes his head as Tucker pins me with a look and I throw my hands up in exasperation as I turn away from them. The morning after Ryan slashed my tires, they showed up at my door and said they worked out a system to have someone with me at all times and no matter how much I protested, they wouldn’t back down. I get they are worried but this is insane.
“Hey, Emma.”
Glancing up from the bar, I meet a set of blue eyes that sets my body ablaze and suck in a nervous breath. “Phoenix.”
He shoots me a crooked grin and I forget to breathe for a moment. “My friends call me Nix.”
“We’re friends?” I ask sarcastically.
“Oh, come on now, sweetheart. We could be.” My body tingles with desire and excitement for a split second before I’m reminded of all the reasons that this is a really bad idea.
“Don’t call me “sweetheart”.”
His smile grows and he places his hands flat against the bar, shifting his weight so he’s leaning closer to me and I can just barely catch a whiff of his cologne. It goes straight to my head.
“Do you prefer “baby”?” he asks, the word almost a purr rolling off his tongue. My breath falters and I grip the rag in my hands tighter.
Hell yes…
NO!
“Do you need something, Nix?” This man is dangerous for my mental health and I need to get him away from me before I spontaneously combust…or jump his bones.
“Aw, see we’re friends now.” He winks at me.
Cocky bastard.
Damn it all to hell. I didn’t mean to slip but he makes it hard for me to think clearly when he’s around.
“No, I’m just lazy.”
He laughs. “Playing hard to get, huh? That’s all right. I’m a patient man.”
The moment the words leave his full, delectable lips, I freeze – my hands shaking violently as my eyes grow wide and my heart races in my chest for a completely different reason. The smile falls from his face and his brow furrows as he steps closer to the bar.
“Don’t ever say that to me again,” I whisper, my voice packed full of my barely concealed panic.
“Shit, I’m so sorry, Emma,” he says, his eyes filled with concern and I nod my head, willing my breathing to slow a little.
“It’s okay.” Inhaling deeply, I force the poisonous words out of my head and take a deep breath.
“No, I can tell it’s not. I swear I didn’t mean anything by it.”
I nod, acknowledging his words as Tucker stands and walks out of the bar, looking down at his phone. Logically, I know it was a harmless comment in an attempt to flirt with me but it doesn’t stop the painful memories from surfacing and ruining a perfectly good day.
This.
This is why I’ll never be able to be in a relationship again.
I’m ruined.
