Page 1 of The Beautiful Mess

Keegan’s heart was in his throat, pulsing in time to the music blaring through the speakers.Just breathe. In and out.There was no reason to be nervous. Returning to the Thirsty Cowboy was his big idea, though his mission and sidekick vastly differed from his previous visit. Eighteen months ago, he’d thought men flocked to the bar for the drinks. He might’ve even asked if they served good food. His friends had colorfully explained that the patrons were there to quench a different thirst. And now, Keegan was there to do the same, and he’d brought Sven, the king of seduction, for guidance and moral support.

They’d chosen a table near the corner that let them observe a large expanse of the bar. Keegan’s gaze kept returning to the couples on the dance floor, but he wouldn’t let it linger for fear his memories of the one perfect dance he’d shared with Kerry Hart would ruin his chances of getting laid. After shooting down Sven’s suggestions for twenty minutes, Keegan wondered if it was too late to save himself from a lifetime of longing. He compared each man to the one he’d never have, and they always fell short.

“Oh! What about him?” Sven gestured to a tall, dark-haired guy approaching the bar. A pale blue Henley stretched across an impressive chest, and dark-wash jeans hugged a nice ass. “He has a gorgeous smile, and look at those dimples. Bet he has a matching set just above that fine ass.” Sven mimicked an alarm going off. “And I’m picking up big dick energy, even from this distance.” Keegan wasn’t sure what range Sven got with his big-dick detector, but he wasn’t about to question the master’s verdict. Sven waggled his brows at him and said, “I know you have a thing for dark-haired, brawny men.”

It was the closest his friend had come to calling out Keegan’s crush on Kerry, who also happened to be Sven’s stepbrother. Lately, Keegan detected a little push in Kerry’s direction from Sven and the rest of the Hart clan. The idea was ridiculous, especially since Sven had once cautioned him against falling for Kerry. Keegan would neither confirm nor deny his friend’s suspicions. He tilted his head and considered the hot guy who leaned against the bar while waiting for the bartender. The man was fit and fine, for sure. He wore his dark hair short and neat, but the gelled strands didn’t invite someone to touch them. Kerry was a few months past due for a haircut, but the longer curls framing his face were sexy and tempted Keegan to test their softness. Keegan usually loathed beards or facial hair, which should’ve been a point in the stranger’s favor since he rocked a clean-shaven look. But Kerry’s thick bristles made him look more like a plush-mouthed pirate and didn’t remind Keegan of the bearded Salvation Anew members who’d wielded crushing slurs as painful as physical blows.

“Ahh. Have we found a winner?” Sven asked.

He hummed as if considering the question. The guy turned and scanned the room, and Keegan saw that his eyes were light, not black as pitch. Miriam—he’d stopped thinking of her as his mother—had warned him about black-eyed demons and the chaos they could cause during her fanatical religious teachings. He’d grown up looking for soul-snatching beasts around every corner, but it had taken Keegan twenty-three years of abuse and nearly two years of intense therapy to recognize the real monster had given birth to him. Keegan had since witnessed the visual representation of the black-eyed demons Miriam mentioned while watching reruns ofSupernatural. Kerry’s eyes weren’t anything like those portrayed on the show, but Keegan was sure the man was on a first-name basis with chaos.

“Well?” Sven prompted.

“He’s cute.”

Sven growled and briefly hung his head before meeting Keegan’s gaze. “Cute? Baby, no. We don’t throw that word around unless we want to insult someone. Cute is for kittens and puppies. Cute is the kiss of death for a romantic endeavor.”

“Oh.” Keegan mentally added that to the list of things he didn’t know or understand. Who the hell made up these dating rules, anyway? “Sorry.”

Sven knocked his shoulder against Keegan’s and patted his thigh under the table. “Not to worry. That’s why I’m here, Goldilocks.”

“Goldilocks?”

“Too big. Too hairy. Too horny.”

Keegan snorted. “That isn’t how the fairy tale goes, and I didn’t say any of those things when I—”

“Rejected every eligible man in the building?” Sven asked.

“I…” The denial died on Keegan’s tongue. He had dismissed every single suggestion with barely any consideration. Keegan forced his gaze back to the bar and was surprised to find the hot guy staring at him. The stranger winked, and Keegan sat taller despite his earlier dismissal. Keegan hoped his smile didn’t look as forced as it felt. It certainly hadn’t discouraged the man, who held their eye contact until the bartender arrived to take his drink order. Keegan sighed with relief and forced his attention back to Sven. “I’m trying.”

“It’s not too late for trivia night,” Sven offered. He’d missed the exchange between Keegan and the stranger, or he would’ve jumped all over it. “If you’re not ready for intimacy again, then you’re not ready.”

“I am.” But he didn’t want it with just anybody. He wanted it with—

“Kerry!” At first, he thought Sven had read his mind, but then his friend waved dramatically to get someone’s attention.

Keegan turned his head and locked eyes on not just someone butthe one. Shit! He’d come to the Thirsty Cowboy to get Kerry out of his head, but there he was, striding purposefully toward their table.

“Oh! Oh!” Sven cried excitedly and slapped Keegan’s leg. “I think we’ve caught a live one. The guy from the bar is heading over,” Sven said.

Keegan forced his gaze away from Kerry and saw that the hot guy from the bar was heading toward their table too. His stride was every bit as determined as Kerry’s, and he had the advantage since he was closer. Kerry noticed the guy from the bar and must’ve recognized the man’s intention because he lengthened his stride to arrive at the table simultaneously. Side by side, the similarities were startling, but the differences were glaring. One oozed seduction and warmth, while the other was a walking thundercloud.

The stranger smiled at Keegan and said, “Hi, I’m Ken.”

“No, you’re out of here,” Kerry told him.

Ken turned to object until he saw the scowl on Kerry’s face. “Bye.”

Sven threw up his hands in frustration as Ken hightailed it to safety. “The cockblocker strikes again!”

Keegan wanted to ask Sven what he meant, but he couldn’t look away from the dark gaze trained on him.

“What are you doing here?” Kerry growled.

“Um, duh,” Sven said before Keegan could form a response. “We’re here for the same reason as everyone else.”

Kerry kept his eyes locked on Keegan and only managed a grunt. The sound triggered a primal response in Keegan’s belly, and he fought the urge to squirm.

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