Page 6 of Scarred Hearts

“Fair.” He didn’t dare say more as he lifted his glass to his lips, taking a swig of his liquor. “Well, welcome back.”

Overwhelmed, I darted my eyes back and forth between him and Amber, ready to divert the topic that still scarred me. “First of all, I’m not back quite yet.” I tugged at a strand of my hair playfully. “And yesss, I wanted a change for now. Didn’t feel really pink for a while.”

Chance draped his arm around my shoulder as Kirsten took a seat next to Chance’s younger sister, Lizzie. “Everyone, this is the girl we were telling you about who abandoned the club, but I love her anyway. We go way back.”

“Stop.” I laughed, pressing a hand to his side, scanning the few unfamiliar faces in the group. “I’ve merely been taking a break.”

“So, you are coming back then?” Amber asked as she took a seat, waving me over to sit between her and Tyler.

“I…” I flickered my gaze to his, then back to hers, “I don’t know right now.”

“Well sit!” Chance ordered teasingly. “And maybe we can talk you into it after some drinks. You’re like the sister I never had.”

“Hey!” Lizzie whined playfully.

“Shut up, hater,” Chance shot back.

“I’m telling Jenna that!” Amber taunted.

I giggled, weaving through between the table and them, sitting between her and Tyler. Not wanting to be completely weird, I twisted to him with a cordial smile. “Hi.”

“Hi,” he replied, studying me for a moment, “how have you be?—”

“Hey!” Victoria beamed, reaching her hand across him, causing him to lean back surprised. “I’m Victoria but my friends call me Tori!”

I was taught from a very young age that you never reach in front of people. It’s rude and you avoid shaking hands whenever possible. You never know where their hands have been. Grinning, I held up my glass, then guided the straw to my lips with my other fingers. “Nice to meet you,” I murmured with a faux smile barely above the music.

Awkwardly, she withdrew her hand, and the corner of Tyler’s lips twisted up in subtle amusement. “Why’d you quit the club?” she asked loudly with a slight sneer in her tone. “Was Luxe just too much for you to handle?”

Instantly, I tensed up. I knew Tyler felt it. Before I could reply, he spoke for me. “She’s been doing some family stuff.”

His reply was way nicer than mine would’ve been. A part of me wanted to slap that smile right off her face. I only offered Tyler a polite nod before turning my attention back to everyone else. Trying to remain still in my little space, I took several shots with everyone, chatting about life away from the club. But it wasn’t long before Chance began grabbing every bottle of liquor in the center of the two tables.

“No, babe,” Amber laughed, pulling his arm into her lap with a teasing grin.

“Chance,” Lizzie reached across, snatching the bottle of Patron. “Don’t mix this one in that shit!”

“Oh shit!” he gasped sarcastically. “Is that Ashton?!”

“What?!” She almost broke her neck twisting back. He yanked the bottle out of her hand, causing her to whirl around. “Thank you!” he chuckled.

“I’m not drinking that shit, bro.” Tyler shifted in his seat.

His deep voice cut through the music, causing my hair to flutter against my neck. I was too nervous to look toward him. And being nervous was something I never was. Though he was beside me, I could feel him. His mood, his thoughts, everything. It’d never been that way for me when it came to men. Only him.

Before, when he and I hooked up, he shared so much with me that, had he been sober, I would’ve thought we shared a genuine connection. I even opened up to him about my real life, but not about my family. That was probably one of the many reasons he stood out in my mind from any of the others. I never opened up to clients. And now, it was easy to tell, my presence annoyed him.

“I’ll take a few shots with you!” Victoria shouted at Chance.

Ignoring her, he darted his gaze to me and then eyed the liquor he was pouring. “Mafia Princess, you ready to make the news with me?”

I laughed, now feeling like I’d crossed the threshold from tipsy to drunk. “How could I ever turn down THE Chance Hardwin?” I replied with total sarcasm.

Phones flashed in our direction with every move we made. He nodded toward the crowd as he handed me the shot glass, mocking our popularity. “They’re all ready to be the first to leak this.”

“Then let’s give them what they want,” I snorted, yanking it out of his hand. “How bad can it be?”

“You’re going to die, girl!” Amber laughed loudly.

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