“You, too? Seriously?”
“I mean, I haven’t seen you since you started your community service gig,” he rubs a finger along the bridge of his nose, “and I kindafeel like if I hadn’t turned a blind eye to the drinking, you might not have ended up in trouble.”
“Are you saying you’re the one who poured alcohol down my throat?”
“Might as well have,” he snorts.
“Look, we’ve never bullshitted each other before, let’s not start now. It’s not your fault I tried to drive drunk, and it’s not your job to keep me sober. I’ve got enough people trying to do that.”
“Carter?”
“Among others,” I grumble as the bartender, some guy I don’t recognize, puts a glass in front of me.About time Lennon got some new people to help out in here.
“I’ll agree to not forcing you to stay sober, but I’ll have to step in if you’re on your way to getting shitfaced.” He lifts his glass to mine as if we’re making a handshake deal.
“I haven’t been shitfaced in weeks.”
“Yeah?” He sets his glass back on the counter. “Guess that makes my end of the deal easy.” If he's curious as to the reason why, he doesn’t let on, which is one of the reasons I like Deacon. He gives me the space I need to sort through my shit at my own pace.
“Seen Blake around?” His question earns him a death glare.
“Trying not to.” I swirl my finger in my beer to reduce the foam.Why do all the bartenders here need practice with the tap?
“This isn’t gonna become one of those him or me situations, is it? I don’t want to pick sides in this thing. Especially considering I’m pretty sure you know he’s not responsible for what happened to Chase.”
So much for giving me space.“I’m not some fucking teenage girl who needs a posse to blindly follow me.”
“So, that’s a no? I can hang out with him without you losing your shit?”
“Have I lost it yet?”
He shakes his head with a little snort. “No, but only because you haven’t been hanging out much.”
“Wasn’t sure you’d noticed that with it being tourist season and all.” There aren’t a whole lot of single women in town, but fresh powder brings fresh faces. Or as Deacon would say, fresh pussy. I’m sure he’s been busy.
“It’s preseason until Christmas,” he says without missing a beat, “but I could go for a warmup round. You?”
“Do you ever not think about getting laid?” Deacon’s single-minded focus on getting his dick wet is refreshingly normal, making it hard to keep the amusement out of my voice.
“What else am I gonna do around here after the sun goes down?” He lifts a shoulder and takes a sip of his beer, casually scoping out the room for his next target. “There.” He sets the glass down and gives a little up-nod toward the other end of the bar.
Following his gaze, I spot a head of rich brown hair framing creamy porcelain skin. The same combination that comes to mind every time I think about taking a drink.Hayden.
Wait, that can’t be right. Deacon chases pussy, not cock.
“You need glasses? That’s a guy.” My voice is surprisingly level given the possessive rage coursing through me.Can’t wait to unpack that later.
“Yeah, and?” Deacon arches a curious brow in my direction, as if he didn’t just confirm breaking news.
My whole body goes stiff as his words sink in.First Blake, now Deacon?Granted, Deacon’s only lived here a few years so it’s not like he’s been keeping this a secret for a lifetime, but the fact I’m only learning about this now still stings. “Since when do you do guys?”
“Since college.” He must notice the white on my knuckles from how hard I’m clenching my fist, adding, “It’s not a secret, it’s just never come up. I haven’t picked up a guy since moving here.”
“Not sure why you think you have to pick up a dude before you mention that little factoid.” I shake my head dismissively. “Especially given that pretty much all our friends are into dick nowadays.”
“It’s kind of been a taboo topic with you recently.”
“The taboo part was Blake lying to me for years, not who he fucks.” I slam the rest of my beer and signal for another.
