Page 24 of Loco

I turned back to Loco, who looked as if he were thinking about something deep and unpleasant. “Are you mad at me?”

He turned frowning eyes on me, his expression still icy. “Why would I be mad at you?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe because you, um, expected more from me?”

He sucked in a deep breath and released it before moving away from between my legs and wedging himself between me and the person on the other stool.

He lifted his big shoulders indifferently. “Know you’re not from this life, darlin’. You pulling away just reminded me of that.”

I hadn’t pulled away from him all that forcefully, and I got the impression that he was using that as an excuse. I pressed my lips before snapping, “You knew that from the beginning, Loco. If you brought me here just to have sex in pubic, you should know I’m not that girl. I don’t know you well enough, for one thing.” I wanted to, though. Was I crazy?

He snorted. “Yeah, know that.” The look in his eyes when he swung my way was sharp and glittering with irritation. “That’s why I don’t get involved with civilians. My fault for forgetting that.”

What the hell was that supposed to mean?

I took another sip of my beer, lifting my eyes to catch the look in the bartender’s. The corners of his mouth were turned down, indicating his displeasure at something. He offered me a wink, and I knew then that he didn’t agree with the way that Loco was treating me. Maybe these men weren’t all self-consumed jerks. As I brought my beer down, I smiled.

“So what does that mean?” I decided to ask. Even though Loco was glaring at me, I got the feeling that his anger was more directed at himself. “You can’t be friends with a woman? Can’t take the time to get to know one before you fuck her in public?” I cringed inwardly at saying the work “fuck” out loud.

Regret filled his eyes. “Look, darlin’, it’s not your fault, okay?”

I hated the way he was trying to placate me.

“Won’t lie and say I’m not attracted to you. But I know better than to act on that kind of shit. It only complicates my life, and I like to keep things simple. Forgot that for a minute.”

Who was he fooling? “Don’t you think it’s a little late for that?” I shook my head, unwilling to accept his poor excuse. Something had soured his mood, and I wasn’t about to accept the blame for that. “You know what I think? I think all you wanted in the first place was to get into my pants.”

“Now you know what kind of man I am,” he snarled. His hands were hurtful on my shoulders as he yanked me off the stool and up against him. I caught my breath. “You just don’t get it, Millie. It’s my fault for not ignoring what my dick wanted. I should have ignored you that day at the pool. Should have reminded myself then that you were not for me. But I fucked up.”

What had happened to make him act this way? I was so confused! “Then why am I here tonight?”

He thought about it for a second, and then grated close to my face. “Like you said, I wanted to fuck you in public.”

With that, Loco pushed me against my stool and walked away.

Chapter 12

Millie

What the hell had just happened? I stood frozen for a moment, staring after Loco in disbelief. I was so confused by the whole situation. One minute he’s kissing me senseless, and the next he’s cold and aloof. What an asshole! I clenched the bottle of beer in my hand tightly, fighting the urge to throw it after him.

“Don’t do it, sweetheart.”

I looked over at the bartender, who was standing directly in front of me on the other side of the bar. “Loco’s trying to do right by you. He’s never gonna change, even for a beautiful woman like you.” His tone revealed that he was convinced of that.

I’d never asked Loco to change. “Would have been nice if he’d figured that out before getting involved in my life,” I said with disappointment and a little bit of anger. “And you don’t need to defend the jerk.”

He laughed, and I noticed how young he was. Probably a few years younger than me. He still had that fresh out of high school look about him. Young, innocent, without a care in the world in his clear blue eyes. He was sporting long blonde hair and a braided goatee. He looked as if he needed a lot of years to toughen.

“What’s your name?” he asked me.

“Millie. Yours?”

“Right now, it’s Asshole, Stupid, Minion, Fuckface.” He chortled. “Take your pick. Until I get patched in, I answer to anything that doesn’t get me a beat down.”

In spite of what he’d said, I found myself laughing. “Really? No one likes you around here?” With his easy smile and friendly demeanor, I found that hard to believe.

“Oh, they love me,” he said without hesitation, and I could tell that he truly believed it. “But I’m a prospect. Have to pay my dues to get my patch.”

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