Page 53 of Embracing Trust

She takes the tray from my lap and sets it at the end of the bed. She slides under the covers, and I’ve forgotten about that food. I grab her hair and let her work her magic.

Fuck, it’s going to be a good night.

We’re awake most of the night making love. We sleep a bit and as soon as we’re awake, I’m hard again and she’s ready for me. In the bed, on the rug, and in the shower.

When the sun rises, I take her one more time before we fall asleep until nearly noon and when we wake up, the rain is still coming down.

Chapter Twenty-four

Ryan

Since Mark claims he’ll only turn 25 once, he convinces me and our friends to do some bar hopping with him for his birthday. I like a party as much as the next guy, but I feel like I’ve gotten the whole bar hopping scene out of my system when I was away.

We’ll be heading over to Collingsworth for Mark’s excursion—only because he insists there are a bunch of good bars. I would’ve been happy to hit our usual sports bar in Hamilton, had a few beers, and headed home.

Knowing Mark, this will probably be some crazy, fucked up ordeal with shots and excessive drinking. Not really my scene anymore. I got that shit all out of my system in the Army.

Mark’s cousin Isaac is our designated driver. He picks everyone up and besides Mark, Isaac, and me, Brad and Kevin are with us too.

We start at some biker bar in Collingsworth. We stick out in here like a sore thumb, but thankfully the bikers keep to themselves, and we have some beers over a game of pool and darts.

The next stop has more of a 20s-something feel—mostly a college-aged crowd. It’s overly crowded tonight, and as we enter Mark pushes his way through the throngs of people and makes his way back to the bar. He greets the bartender, and she points to a table in the corner with a reserved sign. We make our way through the lines of patrons three deep at the bar as they wait to order drinks. I slide into the booth and Kevin slides in next to me. Isaac and Brad sit across from me, and Mark drags a chair from another table and sits at the end.

A cocktail waitress appears and wraps her arms around Mark. “Happy birthday.”

“Thanks, Rae.”

She takes our drink orders and comes back shortly with my beer.

The front door is partially open as more people are trying to enter the establishment in the crowd. I don’t see how even one more body is going to fit in this place.

I wipe my sweaty hands down the front of my pants. My heart pounds in my chest, practically trying to make an escape.

I crane my neck to look at the front door again. Full of people. My head jerks around as I try to spot another exit. Kevin’s arm accidentally bumps into mine as he pops a chip into his mouth.

“…gotten that done, right McCormick?”

All eyes are on me.

“Huh?” I mumble.

“Where’s your head, man? I asked who you thought would win on Sunday,” Mark says. He takes another long pull from his beer bottle.

“Dallas.”

Their stares burn holes straight through me. Apparently, they’re waiting for me to expand on my thoughts. When I have nothing more to offer, they go back to their conversation.

The air conditioner comes to life with a clunk and my heart rate kicks up a notch. I eyeball my friends who aren’t phased by the noise. Cold air envelopes us from the vent above our table. I close my eyes and take a deep breath of much-needed relief from the bar’s stale odor.

Thank goodness for the cool air.

I study the front door and the people are gathered in groups around the bar. I look down a hall that most likely leads to a second exit and notice it is filled with people waiting in line to use the restrooms.

If I had to get out quickly, I couldn’t. Too many people. Maybe there’s another exit. Is there another way out of this place?

My heart hammers in my chest when I hear a loud noise.

“What the hell?”

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