My eye flinches. Hearing her say it like that just pisses me off. I can’t do it, can’t follow through here. I won’t let her think any woman could ever compare to her. “You know that’s not true,” I say, jaw clenched and lips tight.
“Do I?” She smirks.
Son of a bitch, she’s fucking with me. She knows that kiss meant nothing. She’s all that I want, and motherfucker, she knows that too. Shifting my body to the left, I pin her between the bar and me, set my palms on the counter, and bend into her. “Yes, you do.” I lower my voice. “You know that I want to rip your clothes off, bend you over, stuff my cock deep inside your wet pussy, and fuck you hard.” I press my hips forward and her head tilts back. She lets out a small whimper as my boner imprints her soft body. “I’d fuck you so deep, so hard that I’d tear that unscathed pussy of yours to shreds,” I say, her eyes flutter, “because that’s how the best damn lay in Galveston County fucks. So don’t come over here asking for something that you really don’t want. Being with you,” I shake my head, “that is one rule I will never break.”
“I’m sure,” she pauses, looking up at me with bridled confidence, “there’s some way I can convince you.”
“There’s not.” I sway back my hips. “That’s something that I would never take away from you.”
“But …” She presses her lips together. “What if I want you to?”
“Well, babe, then that means you did the one thing I warned you not to do.” I push back a step, feeling the coldness waft between us.
“Yeah,” she stands up straighter, “and what’s that?”
“You went ahead and fell for me.”
“I,” she pushes a few strands of hair behind her ear, “Ah ...”
“Listen, some guys call, some date, and some guys, they might even get married. But, sweetheart, I ain’t any of those guys. Sorry, Picasso.” I shove the tips of my fingers into the front pockets of my jeans and lift my shoulders. “You just fell for the guy,” I grimace, and before I can see her response, I spin around and walk away.
An hour later, hopping from one foot to the other, I slam my gloves together. Slate comes through the back door of the bar. Dammit. I wanted a few minutes alone before the fight. Need to clear my head. Need to get Lurlene out of it.
“Hey, fucker.” Slate stops. “You fighting next?”
“Yeah. Tommy Bigs can’t make it,” I say, throwing a few practice punches.
Slate shakes his head. “Rusty’s gotta stop putting him on the roster. He never shows up.”
“I wanted to get in the ring tonight anyway.” I bounce on my feet, preparing for the fight. If I don’t get it together, I will get my ass kicked. My opponent is huge, has a reputation of playing dirty too.
“Why? What’s up?” Slate’s eyes narrow.
“Just lookin’ to kick some ass.” I stop bouncing from one foot to the other and clap my gloves together. “You and Rayna gonna be here for a while?”
“Yeah, I’m meeting her up front after I shower. Why? You wanna hang with us after the fight?”
“No, just happy for ya, bro. She’s good for ya.” I jump again from one foot to the other, knowing that I’m going to have to let Jenny down again. Shit. I’ll deal with that later. “You two were really meant for each other.” I chuckle, smack my gloves together a few times, and stop. “You and Jax both being in relationships, that shit is kinda messed up, though. It’s good, but I never thought Jax would ever fall in love.”
“Right.” Slate laughs, and it’s good to hear the sound. My bro hasn’t laughed in years. “It kills me whenever I see the hard-ass bow down to Emmie Rue. But, hell, love does that shit to you. It takes the strongest part of you and bends it.”
“Fuck. I’m glad Rayna bent you. I was worried about you, ya know?”
“Yeah, I know, but Zeke, I’m good. What about you?”
My feet halt, and I shrug. “What about me?”
“Don’t give me that shit. I see the way you look at her.” Slate smiles, not having to say Lurlene’s name.
“Not happenin’, dude. This body has way too many strong parts. It ain’t ever gonna bend,” I say as though I believe every word. Yeah, right. Lurlene has me all broken, shit’s all over the place, and I can’t seem to find any of the pieces. I know why, she has them. She’s holding them hostage until I give her what she wants.
“That’s too bad. Besides that infamous dick in your pants, you really do have a lot to offer some chick.”