“Ash, order’s up!” Another waiter hollered across the bar, and he turned.
“Yep!” he called back. Then threw me another grin. “See ya later.”
As he sauntered off, Tessa, Marcie and Kelly all squealed at once. Tessa squeezed my knee under the table, and I jumped.
“Oh my God girl, he’s so into you!” Tessa said excitedly. “He said ‘See. You. Later.’ You know he’s a Sigma Chi, right? A senior, too. Uncanny how I found that out so fast, don’t you think?”
“Cut it out,” I said in a harsh whisper. “What did you do, Tess?”
Tessa poured beer into a glass and pushed it into my hand. “I only warned Jenkins to stay away from us or I’d call the cops. Now bottom’s up, chica,” she said. “Relax. Hot Sigma Chi Ash the senior is after you.” She clinked her glass to mine. “Smooth sailing from here, my darling.”
“You said you’d call the cops? And us, with our fake IDs?”
“Shh! Are you loco?” Tessa said, followed by a string of Spanish none of us understood. “Now lick your glass, Liv. Ash is watching you. God, he makes my ovaries quiver.”
Kelly and Marcie looked at me then burst out laughing. I shook my head at their giddiness and Tessa’s vulgar humor. Seriously, Ash probably pushed that line on all the girls. Besides—I wasn’t going to hook up with the bartender. I forced myself not to think about Brax being directly behind me, and it wasn’t an easy feat. I didn’t really like the taste of beer, but I raised the glass to my lips and let the cold brew slide down my throat. I didn’t have to look over my shoulder to know Brax watched me. I could feel that profound stare burning into me like a red-hot branding iron and it was so intense that I had to fight to ignore it. But after a few minutes, whether it was the brew or the atmosphere and giggling friends or all of the above, I relaxed a little. We laughed. People watched. Finally, Kelly called it quits.
“Okay, knuckleheads,” she said. “I have to get up early in the morning. And since I’m the DD, I say it’s time to scram. It’s past midnight.”
“God you’re such an old lady,” Tessa accused. “But I still love you.”
We gathered our bags and I eased off the stool, still careful that my skirt didn’t fly up. The crowd had thinned out quite a bit, and I couldn’t help but peek over my shoulder. Brax and Cory had already left. I felt relieved. I felt disappointed Brax hadn’t approached me. Stupid girl …
We’d just stepped out the door and were heading down the ramp when a voice from behind stopped me. “Hey—I didn’t get your name.”
“Olivia Beaumont,” Tessa offered, and gave me a little shove in his direction. God, I was going to pound her in the noggin later for that.
Beneath the outdoor lamp Ash’s smile was wide, warm—and predatory, if I had to label it. Maybe the shadows playing across his face gave me that impression. I didn’t know for sure. He held out his hand. “Well, Olivia Beaumont, it’s nice to meet you.”
I reached for his hand, and he enveloped it with his. “Nice to meet you, Ash—”
Suddenly a body shoved between Ash and I, and I was staring at the back of Brax’s head as he faced Ash. I heard Tessa swear, then Brax turned his body around and faced me. Those eyes that would never stop shocking me stared down, and even in the shadowy light I could see the fury in them. “I gotta talk to you, Gracie.” His voice was raspy and low and edgy, and he’d had more than his share to drink. He placed his hands on my hips and started to turn me around. “Now.”
“Dude, what’s your problem?” Ash said.
Brax ignored him. “Let’s go.”
“Wait a minute,” I said, confused. “Brax, what are you doing? I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“She doesn’t want to talk to you, bro,” Ash said, and grabbed Brax’s shoulder, spun him around.
Brax launched a punch, his fist to Ash’s jaw. So fast I almost didn’t see it. “Back the fuck off,” Brax warned. He turned to me, his eyes angry and pleading at the same time. “Gracie, now.”
“Brax, you’re drunk. Leave her alone,” Tessa said, and grabbed my arm. “Come on, Liv.”
“You heard the girls,” Ash said, facing Brax. He rubbed the spot Brax had walloped. “Leave her alone, man.”
I didn’t have time to even pull in a breath before Brax had slammed his fist into Ash’s face. His head snapped back with the force of Brax’s hit, and he stumbled, but then Ash, who was the same size as Brax, threw back and the two went at it. Brax lit into Ash full force until they both hit the concrete.