Page 73 of Blood Sport

“I should be the one apologizing,” I say, looking up at him, getting lost in the depths of his bright eyes.

The man smiles down at me, warm and comforting. He runs a hand through his brown hair which is short on the sides but long on top. His beard is rather impressive—well-groomed for its length. “You have very pretty eyes.” The corner of his mouth turns up into a half smile, almost as if he’s remembering a distant memory.

“You too,” I say without thinking.

In a flash, I’m standing behind Jaylen, his sandalwood scent wafting off him in waves. “You keep your hands off her,” he warns, his voice low and menacing.

I look past him to see the man laugh, not at all threatened by Jaylen. “I was just making sure she was okay.”

“I can do that,” he growls, and I roll my eyes.

Always so possessive.

The kind man chuckles and shoves his hands into the pockets of his long pants, his muscles flexing under the thin white shirt he’s wearing. His skin is a little more weathered like he’s seen a lot of sun, but he can’t be much older than forty.

“Ah, young love.” He smiles to himself and shakes his head as if remembering another past memory. “I used to have a love like this many moons ago. Cherish it because you never know how long it’ll last.”

“Love?” I squeak, stepping out from behind Jaylen.

“Who are you?” Jaylen quizzes, ignoring his statement about love which has me sweating.

“Fenrir,” he says and gestures around the room with his hands. “I own the Black Rose.”

I blanch at his words. He’s the owner? Trust me to fucking walk headfirst into the back of the owner. I’m such an idiot.

“And you’re Jaylen,” Fenrir comments, pointing at Jaylen. “I’ve seen you in here a lot these past few months.” He then turns his attention to me. “And you are?”

I swallow hard. “Evie.”

Fenrir smiles. It’s bright and warm, like the sun is shining down on me despite it being nighttime and I’m standing in the middle of a crowded bar. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Evie.”

I smile. My mind is fuzzy from the whiskey consuming my senses, so I have zero control over the words that leave my mouth next. “Random question, but what made you name the bar Black Rose?”

“Oh, I named it after the love of my life.”

The words make my insides melt. “That is so cute. I bet she’s a very lucky girl.”

A sad smile crosses over Fenrir’s lip but it’s soon replaced by a happy one. “She is. Now, I’m going to stop talking and let you get back to your night. It was a pleasure to meet you both, and if you ever need me, I’ll be around.” “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac begins to play, and Fenrir smiles, shaking his head. “I love this song.” He turns and walks away, heading toward the bar.

I wave goodbye while Jaylen continues to stare daggers into the back of Fenrir’s head. I slap his arm to grab his attention. When he looks at me, I point at his chest, jabbing my finger into his hard muscles. “You need to be nice. It was my fault I ran into him, so chill out.”

Jaylen huffs and guides me back to our table with a cool hand on my lower back. “I didn’t like the way he was looking at you.”

“And what way was that?”

He shrugs as he slides onto the stool. “I don’t know, but I didn’t like it.”

I roll my eyes and grab the glass of whiskey in front of me, needing a sip after all that dancing. “Did you not like my lassoing?”

Jaylen grins. “It was very cute. But you do have two left feet.”

I gasp, feigning hurt by throwing my hand over my heart. “I’ll have you know that I’m a great dancer.”

“With those moves? Yeah, right. You’ve been a terrible dancer, even when we were kids.”

I remember when I would put on a ‘performance’ for my brother and Jaylen in our backyard, pretending I was on Broadway or something. As Jaylen so nicely put it, I was a terrible dancer and couldn’t sing for shit, but it was the fun I had doing those performances that counted. And tonight is no different.

I roll my eyes. “You’re just a hater.”

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