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Vinnie’s eyes get wide like saucers at my words. He takes a half-step back.
“The fuck?” he blurts out. “You serious? You two aremarried?”
Theoh shitlook of guilt on his face tells me he was flirting with Aurora. Probably trying to get her to go home with him later.
I don’t say a word to Vinnie in response. A surge of anger wells up like a wave inside me, practically choking me.
What in the fuck is she doing here?
It’s been over thirteen years since she’s shown her lying, cheating face in this town. Long enough that I almost managed to forget her.
Almost.
Much as I hate to admit it, the years have been kind to her. If anything, she’s more goddamn beautiful now than she was before. Her clear blue eyes are still so deep you could drown in them. Her blond hair is shorter now, cut just past her shoulders. It frames her peach-hued face and her long, beautiful neck. She’s wearing casual clothes, just a T-shirt and jeans, but damn if she isn’t by far the best looking woman in this place by a country mile. Much as I hate this bitch, I can’t blame Vinnie for wanting to make a play for her.
How many men has Aurora fucked in the back alley of a bar since last time I saw her? How many men has she told she loved? How many has she told that she’d be with them forever? That she’d never even want to look at another man?
Vinnie clearly senses the crackling tension between us. A half-second later, he takes a step back in retreat, almost like that Homer Simpson meme where he disappears into the bushes. All the sound muffles like I’m in a tunnel. In my vision, everything recedes.
Everything but her.
Aurora swivels slowly on her stool, until she’s facing me. Her eyes flick away before coming back to rest on mine.
“Hi,” she murmurs.
Hi?! FuckingHi?!?
I let out a bark of stunned laughter. Isthathow she’s gonna play this? Like I just ran into her at the goddamn grocery store or something?
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I seethe, my hands clenching into fists.
If I didn’t know her so well, I might not see her tiny flinch at my words. She gives me an exaggerated shrug. “Having a beer.”
“Don’t play fucking coy. You know what I mean. What the fuck are you doing in Ironwood?”
Her chin juts. “I. Am. Having. A Beer.”
She repeats the words slowly, like I’m some sort of idiot.
“Yeah, well you’re done with that beer.” I grab her glass and hand it to Vinnie.
But the motherfucker just looks at me. He doesn’t take it.
Oh, we are gonna have fuckin’ speaks about this later, my friend.
“Excuse me,” Aurora says loudly. “I paid for that. It’s mine.”
Before I realize what she’s doing, she lifts the glass out of my hands. She lifts it to her lips, takes a deep drink, and smacks her lips loudly. “As a matter of fact,” she continues, turning toward Vinnie, “I think I’m going to order some dinner. I’ll be at that booth over there.”
And then, like a motherfucking princess, she stands, and glides past me like I’m not even here.
“Goddamnit, motherfucking cocksucking sonofabitch…”
I exhale slowly, then inhale, willing myself not to fucking explode.
I should walk away from this shit. Tell my club brothers I’m taking off and get the hell out of this bar.
But I can’t fucking leave until I know why the hell she’s here. And more importantly, when she’ll be gone.
