Page 13 of Always My Comfort

“Logan, and you guys?”

“I’m Luke, and this buzz kill over here is my friend, Jaxon. Usually, he’s better company. You’d think he’d be happy we won today, right?” He nudged Jaxon, who rolled his eyes.

“Jaxon, as in Jaxon Dexter, the guy who pitched that 105 mile-per-hour ball today?” Luke’s eyes went big.

“Don’t tell me you’re a cleat chaser in disguise. You actually were there?”

“Not a cleat chaser. My, uh, ex is one of the Braves.” Jaxon perked up. Leaning forward, he rested both his elbows on the counter and stared at me.

“Who’s your ex?”

“Doesn’t matter. Can I get you two anything else?” He settled back into his seat, arms crossed over his chest.

“We’re good for now, sweetheart. Come by in ten minutes with refills. We’re celebratin’ tonight.” Noticing the slight twang in his tone, I noted he wasn’t from Florida.

Moving away from the pair, I filled the orders of some of the other players, who were just as kind. Most of them told me briefly about their wives or girlfriends as I refilled their drinks.

“I forgot how good you are with the guests.” Joe leaned against the back of the bar as I took a small break. “How about a drink? Looks like you could use one.” He was offering me a small shot glass filled to the brim with clear liquid.

Taking the shooter from him, I threw my head back and swallow the tequila. It burned all the way down my throat, warmth settling in my stomach. Some of the guys near me cheered at my execution, but I gave them my back. I wasn’t here to impress them.

“How’d you know?”

“Overheard your conversation with those two over there,” he said, jerking his head the tiniest bit in Luke and Jaxon’s direction. “When did things end with you and Richard?” He nursed a beer, his eyes roaming the room before settling back on me.

“When I walked into our apartment and found him cheating on me.” He poured me another shot, and just as I was about to throw my head back, Luke called out to me.

“Hey, Logan, get us two of those!” Joe handed me two more shot glasses, and I poured the drinks before putting them in front of Luke, who was grinning. “Now, go get yours. It’s not fun to do shots alone.” Joe was already in front of me, handing me the shot before I could reject.

“On three,” Jaxon said, his deep voice sending a shock wave down my spine. “One, two—"

“Three,” I said, throwing my head back and downing the liquid, welcoming the warmth.

An hour later and four more shots down, I was no longer helping Joe man the bar. Instead, I was barely sitting upright on my barstool next to Luke, who was slurring his words with every story he told me.

I knew all about how Luke and Jaxon became friends. I knew that Jaxon had three brothers and was from a small town in the middle of nowhere. I’d heard all about Melanie, Luke’s girlfriend, who he wanted to marry, and I also knew that Jaxon Dexter did not talk a lot.

“I think it’s time you went back to the hotel, man,” Jaxon interrupted Luke when he started to tell me how he thought Jaxon was a class-A douche bag for the third time. “She’s already heard that story.”

Luke flushed and then looked down at his phone. “Yeah, alright. Mel should still be up—might even be in the mood for some fun,” he wiggled his brows, “if you know what I mean.” He stood and staggered out the bar, some of his teammates following.

“Aren’t…” I looked after them and tried to form a coherent thought that would hopefully turn into a sentence. “Aren’t you worried?” My words were slurred, and my tongue was heavy. The music was too loud, and I just wanted to close my eyes and sleep right there on the bar.

“Nah. He’ll make it to the hotel. You, on the other hand—you don’t look good.” He pushed a glass of lemon water in front of me, the same one he’d ordered for himself ten minutes ago.

“I’m not much of a drinker,” I said, sipping on the cold liquid.

“You could have fooled me, sweetheart.” He pushed a hand through his thick hair, and I longed to feel the strands between my fingers.

“My college days are over.” He chuckled at my response as I eold my head up on the bar with one hand.

“You barely look a day over twenty-one.”

“Flattery won’t get you into my pants, Dexter.” He snorted, looking around the bar that was getting quieter as the early morning hours rolled around.

“Not interested in sex, sweetheart. It only gets people into trouble. You remind me of my sisters-in-law.”

“And how is that?”

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