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“You were too young for me back then,” he says, and I nod despite my longing for what we lost. “I might have broken your heart. I know that won’t happen this time around.”
Sniffling, I try to hear the common sense in his words. Though I was legally an adult, I was also terribly naïve that summer. I hadn’t understood how those ranch hands would react to my rowdy behavior. I still saw myself as a kid with them, even while I planned to seduce Walla Walla.
The rational reasons behind why we wouldn’t have worked can’t soothe the disappointment over never getting that shot with him.
MARTIN
Austen wants to get in my pants. The vibe coming off her isn’t subtle. Her fingers grip my belt buckle as if she’s struggling with the urge to tear off my clothes.
Or at least, that’s what I assume the sexy smile on her face is telling me. Every time I kiss her, she breathes easier. We’re inside our own little bubble, where our future is coming into view. I see Austen in my life so easily now.
“What’s your favorite movie?” I ask, leaning down to brush my lips across her throat.
“Transformers.”
Her bullshit answer makes me laugh. I kiss her lips and try to imagine what she would be doing if my life hadn’t touched hers. What was an average Thursday for Austen?
“What’s your favorite part about those movies?”
“There’s more than one?”
“Oh, yeah,” I say, chuckling at how she has no idea.
“I like the part where they’re robots but also cars.”
“I can see how you’d enjoy that.”
Austen flashes me a totally unguarded smile. Right then, I feel her locking down my heart. All her surface stuff is intoxicating. I even like when she’s just quietly worrying. Her lips get the sexiest pout when she’s unsure.
However, she’s currently forgotten to be shy. I don’t think she remembers other people exist in the world. We’re alone on this dance floor while shitty music plays overhead, and a half-full restaurant hums with dull conversation.
Nearby, Goose is making the moves on Coco. Or maybe it’s the other way around. I haven’t glanced over in the last ten minutes. My gaze remains locked on Austen, willing her to come out of her shell.
As she does, I embrace how I’m not wrong about us. This woman has power over me. That same magic I witnessed with my club brothers and their women sinks deep into my bones, hooking me on this feeling.
Austen freezes as someone walks up behind me. I glance over my shoulder to find one of the earlier assholes ready to touch my shoulder. I zero in on his hand and shake my head.
He hesitates immediately. Oh, I bet the fucker felt like a real badass when getting riled up with his friends. However, he’s a foot from me now. My size dwarfs his.
When this asshole falls silent, his dumbass friend decides to pick up the slack by stating, “We think you should leave.”
“Do you own this place?” I ask, turning to face him while tucking Austen behind me. “Is that why the manager was coddling you? Is he your bitch?”
“That’s my dad, asshole,” grumbles another guy.
In total, five guys stand before me. One is clearly less interested in the action since he’s barely in their orbit. The guy directly in front of me has lost his testicular fortitude. The two biggest troublemakers look similar enough to be related. They’re younger than me by a decade and sporting short mullets.
I could easily trample those two. That would send the other three running. But I have Austen behind me. I don’t know if she’ll think to run if I’ve misjudged the five men’s talents. Plus, throwing down in a restaurant with kids nearby seems like the kind of thing Ruin might frown upon.
A little part of me knew trouble was coming as soon as I dared to complain to the manager. The men seemed temporarily nervous after I made a quick video of them for Ruin. I don’t know why they didn’t catch the hint and leave.
Instead, they lingered, built back their confidence, and angrily psyched themselves up about how I was on their turf. So, even though I’m clearly no pretty-boy hippie, they decide to take a stand.
If this went down in McMurdo Valley, I would have already gone berserk on these guys. I learned as a kid how turning the other cheek doesn’t work with most people.
Violence isn’t an easy answer, right now, though. Austen isn’t a tough chick. She nearly died days ago. Her heart wants me, yet her head is telling her to run home.
That’s why I decide to back down with these assholes to avoid interfering with my long-term plans with Austen.
