Page 8 of Wasted On You

“I didn’t punch the wall.” Ivy glared at the man.

“No, you didn’t,” Zach replied good-naturedly with a wink. “Which is why the repair bill is going to Mike Paul. Just warn me the next time you two end up in here. Together.” He reached for a glass. “In a bad mood.”

She made a face. “Is my order ready?”

“Will be in fifteen minutes or so. Kitchen’s busy.” Zach handed her a diet coke while Kip ordered whatever was on tap before heading to the men’s room. Zach pushed over the frosty mug, and she drew circles in the condensation on her glass, eyes on the bartender.

“I hear he’s in the hospital.”

“Who’s that?” Zach asked.

“Mike Paul.”

“Oh. Yeah. I heard that, too.” Zach narrowed his eyes. “Didn’t you tell him to take a flying leap off of the jumping rock in the middle of winter when it’s frozen solid?”

“Without any clothes on.” She shrugged. “You forgot that part.”

“Trying not to visualize.”

She couldn’t believe she was asking. “Do you know why?”

His eyebrow rose questioningly. Why was every single man she encountered today pissing her off?

“He’s in the hospital.” She couldn’t have hidden the sarcasm if she tried.

Zach scratched his head and looked over her shoulder. “No clue, I mean, he looks fine to me.”

“How would you know?”

Zach raised his chin as if she was supposed to know what it meant. But then she froze. Wait. What?

“He’s here?” Ivy peered into the mirror on the wall behind Zach but couldn’t see shit.

“If I were to rate your mood on a scale of one to?—"

“I’m at a five,” she replied, shoulders so damn tight they felt as if they were made of stone.

“Shit. Okay. Well, try to think about puppies and rainbows because he’s headed this way, and I don’t want another hole in the wall.”

“Who’s he with?” she asked quickly.

“Cal and Millie Sue.” Zach’s eyes widened. “Crap,” he muttered.

“What?” Ivy yanked her head around just in time to see Kip walk out of the men’s room. He stopped to chat with a table of guys who had hauled out their cell phones for some pictures. So far, Mike Paul hadn’t seen him.

She exhaled slowly as she eyed up the only man on the planet who could make her so mad she couldn’t see straight.

Mike Paul looked good. Too damn good to be honest. His thick hair waved from underneath a black knit hat, and he’d pulled on a red and black plaid coat. His smile was devastating, his eyes too damn sexy, and his voice was like melted chocolate with a bit of rasp. God had a bad sense of humor gifting such things to a man who used them every day. All day. With anyone who was interested.

Which was pretty much every single female that crossed his path. As always, her body reacted to him in a way that pissed off her brain. Would she ever be free from the pull she felt?

She saw the exact moment Mike Paul spied Kip. The smile slowly left his face, and his expression went from something light to something much more serious. He said a few words to Cal and Millie Sue, then squared his shoulders and walked toward Kip.

“Are you kidding me,” Zach growled. “I swear I’ll call the sheriff if he starts something up.”

On edge, she could do nothing but watch and hope like hell both men played nice. But then something peculiar happened. Something totally out of line with the previous Saturday night’s shenanigans. Mike Paul offered his hand to Kip, and after a few moments, Kip shook it. They talked a bit, and then both of them looked her way. Before Ivy could escape or hide, Mike Paul began to move.In her direction.

Ivy didn’t know if she wanted to punch him in the face, kick him in the balls, or something worse. In any case, she had no choice but to talk to the one man in Big Bend she wished would go away forever. Because Kip was right. As much as she would like to deny it, Ivywasstill in love with Mike Paul.

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