Page 19 of Break my Heart
If I were smart, I’d let it go.
And yet… I can’t stop thinking about her.
I try to shake off the strange sensations that have taken root inside me, but they refuse to be dismissed.
There are plenty of girls here tonight to lose myself in.
What I need to find is someone uncomplicated.
I glance around, the flashing lights and dark corners of the bar offering more than enough options.
All I need to do is smile, and the groupies will be lining up, vying to spend a little time with me.
Even as I tell myself that, deep down, I know it’s not what I want.
I’m not looking for a tall brunette or a fiery redhead. I’m not interested in anyone else except a snarky blonde with sharp blue eyes.
And an even sharper tongue.
And that’s a problem.
I release an irritated breath and spot my teammates already heading toward our usual table in the back that’s reserved just for us.
“Shut the fuck up before I do it for you,” Bridger snaps, his voice strung tight.
Even though Garret smirks, a mean look flashes in his eyes. “I’m just asking a question, man.”
“Well, don’t.”
“When you can’t make a clean pass, it becomes my business,” Garret shoots back. “That last goal? It was totally on you.”
Bridger swings toward him with his hands clenched at his sides. Only a couple of inches separate them. I’ve never known Bridger to have a short fuse, but the pressure inside him has been building over the last couple months. He’s become a ticking time bomb. Garret’s an idiot for pushing him. The last thing we need is a full-on brawl in the middle of Slap Shotz. It’s one thing to get into it with your opponents and quite another to start with your own teammates.
I slip between them, shoving Garret back a few paces. “Hey, we won tonight. Let’s not start shit here.” Garret’s eyes flash with irritation as my hand presses against his chest to keep him at a distance. “You’re being a dick.”
He scowls as tension crackles in the air between us. “You’re always taking his side, huh, Van Doren?”
I meet his glare head-on before lifting my chin. “That’s right.”
Garret looks like he might say something else until Wolf steps beside me, his menacing presence enough to shut anyone down. With his tats and shaved head, Wolf’s not someone you want to mess with. Garret’s face pales, and he mutters something under his breath before stalking off in the opposite direction.
Wolf raises an eyebrow. “What’s his deal?”
I shake my head. “Same as always. Just being an asshole.”
We settle at the table, and the moment my butt hits the chair, a curvy girl drops onto my lap. She beams, flashing perfect white teeth. Her hands slip around my neck as she leans in, pressing her breasts against my chest.
“Hayes,” she purrs, running her fingers through my hair. “You were amazing tonight.”
I offer up a smile. “Thanks, sweetheart.”
She’s pretty. The kind of girl I’d usually go for without a second thought. And yet… all I can think about is how she’s not Ava.
My brow furrows at the thoughts that have taken up residence in my brain.
“Wanna get out of here?” Her lips brush against my skin as she whispers the question.
Normally, that’s all it would take, and I’d already be out the door with her on my arm.