Page 11 of About That Night

But before I can comment, Conway raises his hand and waves. “Chastity’s here. Damn. She’s looking good. You’ve got some competition, brother.”

“You would do that?” I ask, immediately ready to fight. I will take a swing at my little brother right here.

“No, you stupid fuck, not me. Every other guy in this bar. They’re already sniffing all around her.”

I turn and see Chastity. She’s wearing jeans that show off her narrow waist and curvy hips and a red sweater that looks too small. The cleavage is plunging, the swell of her breasts spilling out the top of it. Several guys have taken notice of her, including one in his early twenties who has already approached her. She smiles at him, but she waves him off and points to me.

The young, overeager asshole gives me a death glare and proceeds to blatantly stare at Chastity’s backside as she walks over to the bar. Now I want to fight him. I consider the guy a complete and total dirtbag, even though I did the exact same thing to her earlier today in Pops’ room. It’s no different, but I tell myself it is, and I believe me because I’m a great storyteller.

“Conway Young,” Chastity says as she approaches us. “It’s been a while. Wow. It’s so great to see you.”

Her voice is husky and enthusiastic, and I’m instantly jealous. I’m straight-up petty-as-fuck jealous at the way she greets my own brother, who already assured me he wouldn’t interfere. I have no idea why I’m overreacting, but I am, so I take a deep breath and concentrate on being normal.

Conway has come around the bar and envelopes her in a hug that she returns with a big smile.

“Hey, Chas, how you been? You look amazing,” Conway says, pulling back to assess her.

“Oh, thanks.” Her voice is breathless, and she sounds flattered. “I’m good. Busy. How are you? I haven’t seen you since high school.”

Since the night she was in my room. I wonder if she realizes that.

“Hi,” she says to me, slipping onto the stool next to me before returning her attention to Conway.

I feel unnecessary to this reunion, so I just sip my beer and try not to form fists.

“I’m living the dream,” Conway says with a grin, holding his hands up to gesture to the bar. “Spending my time in The Swamp.”

Fortunately, the dirtbag yells out to Conway, “Can I get a fucking beer?”

“You can get a fucking fist in your face,” Conway says to him without missing a beat. “I’ll be right there, asshole.”

I wouldn’t mess with Conway if I were a customer. He’s not as big as Cash, who’s an overgrown beast, but he’s still a big guy. He was a tackle in high school football. I got none of my brother’s brawn. I got the speed and the ability to have a six-pack if I really work at it. In high school, I was the quarterback, and I will be my brother’s backup if he needs me in a fight, no questions asked.

Chastity looks alarmed as Conway stalks away. “Was this place always so…dark?” she asks. “It feels a little more dangerous than I remember.”

“It was always like this. Don’t worry about it, though. That guy was just showing off for you.”

“For me?” She looks startled.

“Yep. Didn’t he hit on you?”

“He asked me if I wanted a drink.”

“So, yes, he was hitting on you.”

“I didn’t notice.” She sets her purse on the back of the chair. “I think my ability to recognize flirting is broken. Actually, I probably never had it.” She glances around the bar. “I can’t believe I’m at The Swamp. Legally. And I feel unnerved being here, in a way that I should have felt when I was a teenager. What the hell were we thinking? Underage girls in a place like this. God, that was so stupid and dangerous.”

“The mom vibe is running strong in you right now,” I tell her. “You sound just like my mother.”

Chastity laughs. “I do sound like a mom. I can’t help it. I’m so glad I had a boy. If I had a daughter who did the stupid stuff I did, I would have a heart attack and die before her sixteenth birthday. She would literally kill me.”

“Did it kill your mom?”

She makes a face. “No. She just sent me to live with my grandmother when I turned up pregnant, and then she disowned me. She just started talking to me again a couple of months ago.”

“What the fuck?” I ask, genuinely astonished. “People still disown their kid for teen pregnancy?”

“Mine did.”

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