Page 17 of Rough and Rugged
Everett: Oh, yay. Talking.
Mindy: I swear. You’re the most boring gay man I know!
Everett: I’m the only gay man you know. Old man Gibson doesn’t count.
Mindy: Not true! My little brother is gay. And he’s a lot of fun.
Everett: I still think you’re making him up.
Mindy: You wish! Just wait. You’ll meet him soon.
Everett: Yippee.
Mindy: Ah, look, you can read sarcasm through a phone!
Everett: Bye, Mindy.
Mindy: Bye, Everett. *Sticks out tongue emoji*
I grinned despite myself as I tucked my phone away. Mindy always put me in a good mood, even when I fought it. She was the sunshine to my grumpy nature, and according to her, if I were straight, we’d be her favorite romance trope. I pretended to not know what she spoke of, but secretly, I read as many romance books as she did. Mine just happened to be gay.
Taking a sip of my beer, my eyes returned to the beautiful man at the bar. This time, his eyes were trained right on mine. His evergreen orbs reminded me so much of the trees I logged that I wanted to scream out,Timber!
His eyes swept over me, giving me a good once-over. I choked on my beer, the liquid lodging in my throat.
Was he checking me out? No. Way.
His eyes lingered over my forearms, the barest of tattoos peeking out from the cuffs I’d rolled up. He traveled further up, slowly taking in my chest, then lingering on my beard. My hand twitched; the need to scratch where he stared overwhelming. But what if I spooked him by moving? Did he realize he was checking me out? Would I scare off the straight guy if I shifted?
The second our eyes reconnected, all my questions fled, and heat ignited in the space between us. Mutual attraction and desire swirled in his evergreen eyes. They were so bright I almost didn’t believe it.
Okay, so the hot guy at the bar wasn’t so straight, after all.
Those perfectly pouty lips tilted up in a grin, sending goosebumps skirting over my arms. He lifted his drink and took a deep swallow, his tongue peeking out to lick the drops off his lips.
I’d never been more jealous of a liquid in my life.
My cock was fully aware of the hot guy sending us direct signals. It pressed into the zipper of my jeans. I kept staring, oblivious to everything that didn’t include him.
He gave me another flirty smile, this one a little more teasing. He gripped his glass and stood, and my heart raced at the gesture. He stopped, his face changing as he turned his head. An arm draped over his shoulder, and he sank back onto the stool with a grimace.
Disappointment hit me squarely in the gut.Green eyes was taken.It figured the new queer guy in Applewood would be off the market. I watched the interaction longer, and got the distinct impression the guywasn’this date. Not even his friend if the scowl and closed-off body language said anything.
The hottie didn’t glance my way, but his demeanor had shifted. He shoved off the other man’s arm and turned away, and stared at his glass. The other man continued to yammer in his ear, but the hottie ignored him, his face turning redder by the second.
No, this wasn’t a date.
With how he kept shielding himself from the man, he might have been an ex or bully. There was a level of familiarity, but it didn’t appear friendly, much less wanted.
I gripped my pint and laser-focused on the intruder. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but it felt oddly like possession—like this stranger was messing with something that wasmine.
It didn’t make sense. I’d only shared a heated moment across the bar, but it had been profound.
Something twisted in my gut, and I knew I would make a monumental move—one so out of character for me but something I couldn’t seem to stop—not that I wanted to.
Regardless if it made sense, the guy with the evergreen eyes felt like mine, and I’d be damned if I’d let some asshole mess with him.
Draining the last of my beer, I pulled out a wad of cash and shoved it on the bar. My eyes never left the duo, my hottie becoming more distressed with each passing second. There was only one course of action left for me to take.