AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Mortification had my skin crawling with heat. What an idiot I’d been. At seventeen, I was sick of not being able to say I’d had sex, so I slept with the first nice, attractive girl who flirted with me. It was awkward. And fast. And she moaned like I was a porn star.
News flash: at that time in my life, I was not anything of the sort.
I studied her in shock. “She looks completely different. She used to have red hair.”
The curves under her tight dress were also new, and some definitely looked like surgical enhancements.
Jax nodded. “She moved back to town about a year ago. Divorced with a couple of kids. I did some work for her at her place a couple of months ago. She’s nice, just not my type.”
Cameron rolled his eyes. “Your type is someone you’ll never see again.”
“Exactly.” Jax gave him a hard stare. “And don’t act like I sleep with anyone who looks my way. I haven’t had sex in at least six months, and you don’t see me moping around like this guy,” he said, jerking his head toward me.
“I’m not moping.”
Cameron and Jax traded a look.
“I’m not,” I said defensively. “I’m out, aren’t I?”
Jax eyed me over the rim of his beer. “How’s it going at home?”
I did what any sane man would do in my situation. I lied through my fucking teeth.
“Perfectly fine. Nothing’s changed at all.”
Even as the words came out, I felt the oily residue of deceit climb up my throat. I didn’t want anything to change. If feelings came in waves, all I had to do was wait this particular one out. The thought of ushering in too much change with Harlow filled me with a deep, crawling sense of dread, and the instinct to preserve what we had screamed to the surface.
What happened in the dark was a fluke that wouldn’t happen again, and when I saw her again in the daylight, all I’d see was my best friend.
“Glad to hear it.”
“Ian? Ian Wilder? Oh my gosh, is that really you?”
At the sound of Constance’s voice, Jax hid his laugh with a loud cough, and Cameron took a conspicuous sip of his drink. I grimaced briefly but managed a polite smile as I stood from my stool to greet her.
She was short, but because of the spiked heels on her feet, I didn’t have to bend over too far to reciprocate the tight hug.
“Constance, I almost didn’t recognize you. You look great.”
With a sunny, pleased smile, she eyed me from head to toe. Her tongue darted out to wet her bottom lip, an action that drew attention to the lush curves of her mouth. Not the only lush curves she possessed, and quite desperately, I waited for a spark of interest.
“Speaking of looking great, I almost didn’t recognize you.” Then she laid her hand on my arm, long scarlet red nails filed to a sharp point, and took another step closer. Her perfume was strong, not unpleasant, but too flowery for my taste. I held my breath while she leaned up to speak directly into my ear. “Want to join me over there for a drink? I’d love to catch up.”
For a few moments, I considered it. Seriously, too. Based on the look in her eye—nothing short of awe as she stared up at me—and how she lingered over my arm, the blatant way she pressed her admittedly impressive cleavage against the side of my bicep, I could have Constance tonight if I wanted to.
I could have a couple of drinks with a woman from my past, allow for some harmless flirtation, and show her exactly how much better I’d gotten in bed since the scrawny seventeen-year-old she knew.
In the extended cab of my truck, I could break my self-imposed drought, parked in some dark, out-of-the-way spot, and see if the tangled mess in my head disappeared from having a pretty woman in my lap. Because undoubtedly, that was all I needed. To wipe the slate clean and come back home with a clear head and no more confusion.
But it was wrong. All of this. Her. Me.
The idea of it made my stomach feel a little queasy.
Carefully, I pulled her hand off my arm and took a step back. “Not tonight, Constance. I haven’t been out with my brother in a while, so I think I’ll just stay here.”
Her eyes flickered with disappointment, but she recovered quickly, her smile going bright and friendly again. “Sure, of course. You guys have a good night.” With a little wave of her fingers at Jax and Cameron, she tucked some of her hair behind her ear and gave me another interested look. “If you ever change your mind, let me know.”
There was a charged beat of silence as she strutted back to the bar, the curves under that dress catching more than one set of eyes. I had a feeling Constance wouldn’t be lonely for long, if that was what she was looking for.
