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Hugh clapped me on the shoulder when I walked into the bar. “Hey, brother. She’s had an awful lot to drink, so don’t be a dick.”
“Why does everyone always lead with that? I’m not a dick,” I grumped, my eyes scanning the room.
At the very least, I hoped that I wouldn’t have any reaction to her. That I wouldn’t feel anything for the woman I’d loved fiercely in another lifetime. Feeling nothing for her would be fan-fucking-tastic. Hell, maybe her visiting would be a form of closure for me. Maybe I’d stop comparing everyone else to her, as if she sat on some sort of goddamn pedestal.
But it was the fucking parting of the seas when my gaze found hers on the dance floor.
There was nothing else in the room anymore. Not my brother’s voice babbling in my ear about how I should act, not the fifty locals who had been on that dance floor surrounding her just seconds ago.
All I saw was her.
Raven.
She’d always been the prettiest girl in the room, but after years of not seeing her, I hadn’t been prepared to have the wind knocked from my lungs.
Her dark jeans fit her like a second skin, and her white blouse accentuated her perky tits, with the button dipping low enough to make my mouth water at the sight of the pink lace peeking out. She had on tall brown boots, and her blonde hair fell in loose waves around her shoulders.
She looked up, as if she felt that same pull that I did. Her gaze locked with mine, and she raised a brow. Honey-brown eyes with pops of copper and gold brought me back to a time in my life I had tried hard to forget.
We both started walking toward one another, but her lips stayed in a straight line, giving away very little.
“Cowboy.” The single word slurred as it left her lips, and she held her chin high. Presley had never been a big drinker, but I didn’t know what she did anymore, did I?
“Hey,” I said, shoving my hands into my pockets because the urge to touch her was strong. “You all right?”
“Am I all right? Do you mean because I’ve had more cocktails than I can count on two hands? Or do you mean because my father had a stroke, and my mother is the coldest human on the planet?” She narrowed her gaze. “Or let me guess, you’re referring to the fact that my husband is having a baby with his assistant?”
Shots fired.
“I guess I’m asking about all of it.”
“Well, I’m not your problem anymore, am I?” Her tone was harsh, and she stumbled a bit on her feet. “Obviously, I have a thing for guys who like to get other women pregnant.”
That shit pissed me off. But she was drunk, and it was a stupid thing to say. We weren’t together when I got Gracie’s mother pregnant. Hell, Presley was in a full relationship with her current asshole husband at the time.
No one was unfaithful, and maybe it would have been easier if one of us had been. It was just bad timing. Bad luck. Life throwing us a shit-ton of curveballs. I narrowed my gaze as I studied her, but I bit my tongue before I said anything that made matters worse.
We’d always been explosive together. The way we loved. The way we fought. The way we existed.
Lola came running over and gripped her best friend’s shoulders. “Hey, Cage. Uh, Pres, you look a little wobbly. Let me find us a ride home.”
“No. You’re having fun. You don’t need to leave. I can walk. Stay and have a good time. I just haven’t slept much, and I didn’t eat today. And now”—she glanced over at me—“I’m aggravated. I’ll walk home.”
“I’m not letting you walk home alone,” Lola said, her gaze shooting in my direction.
“I’ll take you home,” I said, wrapping an arm around Presley’s shoulder to stabilize her as the sweet citrus scent that literally brought back every one of my teenage memories hit me all at once.
Presley groaned as she turned to her best friend. “I hate askinghimfor a favor.”
“Himcan hear you, so stop being a brat, and let’s get you in the truck. It’s not a favor; it’s on my way home. I don’t even have to stop the truck if you don’t want me to. I’ll just slow down and you can jump out.”
Lola laughed, and Presley turned her head and glared at me as we walked out the door.
“You sure you don’t mind taking her home?” Lola asked.
“I’m sure. I was leaving anyway,” I said as I balanced Presley on one side of me and pulled the truck door open.
She attempted to lift her leg multiple times, all while remaining in the exact same spot, and Lola laughed hysterically.
