Page 66 of Dark Surrender

Iris and that sultry, make-my-dick-hard voice.

Iris and her brilliant mind and quick wit.

That’s the worst fucking combination.

Goddamn Kryptonite to a man like me.

Snatching the fresh pint of beer from the bar, I tip my head back and chug it to make me forget, to call me off, to do something about this obsession.

Sure, I couldn’t stop thinking about her.

So now I bought her a house in the town where my family lives.

What the fuck was I thinking?

Oh. Right? I was tryin’ to give her a decent life. Maybe a bit of space to figure out shit. Not to complicate everything more with my fucked-up brain.

Till, the sassy brunette bartender and my ex-wife’s close friend, rests her hands on the bar across from me. “Dark, four beers in fifteen minutes is a lot, even for you.”

“I’ve got a lot on my mind that doesn’t need to be there.”

“Does this have anything to do with the blonde moving into Todd’s old place?”

Massaging my forehead, I groan. “Who told you?”

“Cell. Kali. Sunshine. Everyone’s talkin’ about it.” Till collects my empty and puts it in the sink.

“Great.” That’s just what Iris needs. The small-town gossip mill running a thousand miles an hour about her moving into town.

“You can’t buy a woman a house and expect nobody to say somethin’,” Till explains.

“Can we not do this right now?” I already got the whole fuckin’ spiel from Cell and Pops. Trust me when I say, I don’t need to hear it again.

As if I summoned the bastard, or someone named Till texted him, my father claims the stool beside me. He knocks his shoulder into mine and orders us a round of beers.

“Long day?” he asks as if he doesn’t already know.

“Iris moved in.”

“And?”

“I’m here so I stay the fuck away from her.”

Pops claps me on the shoulder and chuckles. “That bad, huh?” Notching his chin at Till, he taps two fingers on the wooden bar top. “Four shots. Top Shelf. Make ‘em burn.”

Rolling her eyes, Till sighs. “Are you sure?”

Pop nods. “Yep.”

“Have you run this by Kali?”

“Till,” he growls.

“Fine. Fine. I’m just lookin’ out for you both.”

“And I appreciate ya, but we’re on a mission to get fucked up.”

“Great. I can’t wait to make that call.”