Page 11 of March’s Bad Boy: Ty

"Hurry back. I have a riveting story about my latest business trip," he says.

Once in the bathroom, thoughts of my date with Ty fill my head. How much different it was, how comfortable I felt. Even if nothing happens with me and Ty, I know that David and I will not have a second date. He’s not for me.

But he drove us here. Do I really have to sit through a full date with this guy? Maybe this was something I should have covered with Ty. While I know I could call Ty and he'd be here in a heartbeat, no questions asked, I don't think I can face him right now. Not after that kiss.

So I shoot a message off to Caitlin.

Me: Bad date. Can you come get me? At the Flathead Steakhouse.

She replies almost immediately.

Caitlin: I'm on my way.

Okay, I just have to survive a little bit longer. Maybe I can convince him to order an appetizer while I wait. When I get back to the table and sit, I notice our menus are gone.

"The waitress came to get our order. I didn't want to hold her up, so I ordered you my favorite. The liver and onions," he says with a proud smile, launching into his promised but deadly boring story.

I try not to gag. I absolutely hate liver. There is no way I can eat it. At this point, I'm done. I'd rather go out in the cold to wait for Caitlin or hide in the bathroom.

"Hey,” I say, cutting him off mid-sentence. "Can we talk?"

CHAPTER 5

TY

I can't sit still.For the past hour, I've been pacing my damn living room, glancing at my phone every other second and checking her location on the app we share. I’m acting like an idiot.

Kara's on her date right now, and it's making me insane. I tell myself it's no big deal, just some guy, just some night, but I know better. That kiss? That kiss wasn't just a lesson. It wasn't a practice. It was everything. And now she's out with someone else.

Scrubbing my hand down my face, I groan. This isn't like me. I don't pine. I don't obsess. My entire life I've spent keeping things casual, never letting myself get too attached. But Kara? She's always been different. And now, I'm realizing she might be my everything.

A knock at the door pulls me from my thoughts. I yank it open to find my buddy, Levi, standing there, holding up a six-pack.

"Figured you might need this," he says, stepping inside without waiting for an invitation.

Earlier today, he stopped by the tattoo shop and we had lunch together. I filled him in on everything with Kara becauseI realized I needed someone to talk to. Levi is my closest friend behind Kara.

I grunt, shutting the door behind him. "What makes you think that?"

Levi gives me a shit-eating grin, dropping onto my couch and kicking his boots up on my coffee table. "Because you've got that look, man. Like you'd rather punch something than sit here stewing."

I glance at him, knowing he's not wrong. Grabbing a beer, I pop the cap, and take a long pull before sinking into the chair across from him.

"Talk to me," Levi says. "What's going on?"

I exhale hard. "Kara's on a date tonight."

He nods because he already knows that. "And you hate it."

As he takes another sip of his beer, he watches me closely.

I set my beer on the coffee table because just that one swig makes my stomach roll. I think about his question.

"Yeah. I do," I say, clenching my jaw.

"Then go after her." He acts like it's the easiest thing in the world.

I snort. "Right. Just storm into the restaurant and demand she leave with me?"

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