Strung(17)

“That he does,” he says, while looking hard into the room, as if he’s thinking. “I forgot to tell you that Parker Wright is stopping by the bar tomorrow and I thought maybe I’d introduce you two. He seemed interested when I mentioned you to him.”

I give him a surprised look, because usually he wants to keep me away from his friends. The last thing I expected was for him to want me to meet one of them. It’s a little odd and makes me wonder what he’s up to. “Who’s this Parker Wright person and why did you mention me to him without letting me know first, Xan?”

“He used to work for me. Once Micah leaves to open Express, Parker’s coming back as management. The girls think he’s cute and he’s respectful when it comes to dating. I just thought you’d be interested in him, and if you’re going to date anyone while you’re here I figured he was the best choice.”

“Are you telling me that you’re setting me up on some kind of blind date or something? What the hell, Xan? I don’t need your help finding a damn date.” I try my best not to sound nervous, but the idea of going on a date with some other guy after what just happened with Micah has me feeling anxious.

It’s definitely too soon.

“Parker is the only guy around here that I’d trust you to go out with, so yeah. This is me setting you up. If you guys hit it off then I can stop worrying about all the dickheads at Vortex trying to get with you. Micah included. I see the way he looks at you when he thinks I’m not watching. That shit isn’t happening. When it comes to women he’s nothing but trouble and I’ve already told you this.”

It’s already happened and it’s the only thing I can think about now. It’s completely taken over every single thought. “Dammit, Xan. You don’t have to keep warning me about Micah!” I wave my hands at him and motion for him to leave. “Now go. I’m tired and don’t feel like discussing this right now.”

“So . . . can I count on you meeting Parker tomorrow? I already promised him and it would mean a lot to me. Help a big brother out so I can get some damn sleep.”

I huff, while reaching over and turning the lamp off. I don’t even want to look at my brother right now, because he’ll only see how angry I am with him. He and I both know I’ve never had a problem wanting to meet a cute, respectful guy before, so I need to play this off as just being tired and cranky. “I’ll think about it. I need some sleep. I’m really stressed right now.”

“Fine. Text me in the afternoon and we’ll figure it out?”

“Fine,” I say annoyed. “Now go away, Xan. You’re making my head hurt even more and I’m close to throat punching you if you don’t walk away soon.”

“That’s what big brothers are for, but I’m tired as hell so I’ll let you sleep.”

“Oh, how nice of you, big brother. Lucky for me you’re tired.”

Once he walks away, I roll my eyes and punch my pillow to make it comfortable.

I lay back and try to imagine what this Parker guy must be like if my brother actually trusts him with me.

But all I manage to do is toss and turn for hours, thinking about Micah’s hard body and cocky mouth and how badly I want them both on me again.

Micah has a body that screams trouble with every rock hard muscle.

He’s wrong in every way according to my brother . . . yet it’s him that I’m thinking about when I fall asleep.



It’s well into the evening and I still haven’t messaged my brother like he asked me to last night.

I’m dreading it because I don’t know how to tell him I’m not interested in meeting this Parker guy without him putting it together that it’s for a certain reason.

Once he realizes it’s because I have another guy on my mind, he’s going to question me and all of the guys who work for him until he figures out who it is he has to hurt.

I don’t want that.

So, the only other option would be to meet this Parker guy to make my brother happy and then later tell him that we just didn’t hit it off.

Agreeing to go on at least one date with him will give my brother reason to believe there’s nothing to worry about when it comes to Micah or any of the other guys at the bar.

At least that’s what I’m hoping for.

After taking a quick shower and getting dressed, I shoot my brother a text and he asks me to meet him at the bar.

It’s getting close to sunset, which means Micah will be playing soon, but I’m hoping maybe he’s not there yet. I’m not sure I’m ready to see him again so soon.

My brother is waiting for me to show up because he wants to sit down and talk to me about this Parker guy, so Micah being there would only make this situation weirder.

My nerves are all over the place the second I step foot into Vortex and I can’t seem to stop wiping my sweaty palms down the front of my dress.

Seriously, how could one person’s hands sweat so damn much?

I nod and say hi to Colby as I pass through the bar to go out back where my brother told me he’d be at. This place is already packed, so it takes me a good minute to spot my brother out here.

I freeze in place, causing someone to bump into me, because the last thing I expected is to see Micah and some other guy sitting at the same table as him.

As hard as I try I can’t pull my eyes away from Micah looking so damn hot.

My heart instantly speeds up at the sight of him, sitting there dressed in a white button-down shirt and a pair of slim, black dress pants. The top two buttons are undone on his shirt and his sleeves are rolled up below his elbows.

But it’s the messy hair blowing in the breeze that has me feeling weak in the knees. It reminds me of how I had it in my hands last night, pulling on it while he was inside of me.

Micah was inside of me less than twenty-four hours ago.

The reminder has my body reacting in a way it’s never reacted before, and I have to clench my thighs to get rid of the sensations between my legs, making me sensitive.

Erase it from your mind. Don’t think about Micah’s hard body. Don’t . . .

“Shit. This isn’t working.” I begin to panic, about to back up and turn around, but my brother waves at me before I have the chance to escape.

He’s the first one to spot me and it’s not until he stands up and says my name that Micah and who I’m assuming to be Parker stands up and looks at me.

Micah’s blue eyes harden the moment he sees me and he slams back the shot in front of him. It’s as if he’s just now realizing why Parker is here and doesn’t like it one bit.

I swallow back my nerves and finally set my attention on the third person at the table, before I can get too lost in Micah.

He’s tall and fit with short, blonde hair and one of the cutest smiles I have ever seen.

He’s handsome, whereas Micah is sexy and breathtaking.

But as good looking as he is, it’s hard to appreciate the fact that he’s cute just as my brother promised he’d be with the way Micah is looking at me, as if he wants to bite me and be rough with me again.

“Parker . . .” My brother grips the tall guy’s shoulder and gestures toward me as I finally find the courage to walk up to them. “This is my little sister Tegan; the one that I’ve been telling you about. She just turned twenty-one a few weeks ago and is visiting for the summer. I thought you two would get along well.”

From the corner of my eye I catch Micah’s jaw flex as he watches Parker reach out and grab my hand, pulling me closer to him.

“Oh wow. You’re even prettier than I expected.” He shakes his head and flashes me an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be rude. It’s great to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you. But wow.”

I offer him a smile as he leans in to give me a quick hug. “Thank you.” My attention sways toward Micah, but I’m able to quickly catch myself and focus on the cute guy in front of me before anyone takes notice. “It’s nice to meet you too. I’ve . . . well . . . not heard much about you.”

I can’t tell if Micah has totally forgotten that my brother is here watching us, but he hasn’t pulled his eyes away from Parker. It’s as if he’s watching his every move and is ready to rip his throat out if he does or says anything he doesn’t like.

And from the annoyed look on my brother’s face he’s noticed it too.

“Micah,” he says stiffly. “I need you to help me with something in my office before your show. We should leave these two alone to get to know each other.”

“Wait . . . what?” I grab my brother’s arm and yank him out of earshot. He’s an asshole for setting me up like this. “What the hell are you doing? You’re just going to leave me with him?”

My brother flashes me a small smile. “He is your date, little sis. That’s how it’s works, in case you’ve forgotten.”

“What the . . . right now? Right here?” I begin to panic at the idea of being on a date in front of Micah. Not that we plan on being anything more than what we are, which is two people who need to stay away from each other, but still, I don’t feel right about it. “Why not tomorrow or next week or . . . I don’t know. A time when I’m ready. You tricked me and I’m pissed.”