Page 3 of Menace in Vegas

She looks away, and the moment is gone.

She closes her eyes and sways to the music, unaware that she just set my entire goddamn world on fire.

I exhale sharply, my grip tightening around my drink.

Jake smirks. "You need a priest, man."

I glare at him. "Shut the fuck up."

He grins. "Nah. I’m enjoying watching you unravel."

This is bad. So fucking bad.

And I can’t do adamnthing about it.

2

ALLISON

Iamnotheartbroken. Nope. Not me. I’m absolutelyfine.And if I keep drinking, laughing, and pretending hard enough, maybe I’ll actually believe it.

The wedding reception is chaos. Ford and Harper, the groom and bride, are gone. Big shocker. Those two couldn’t keep their hands off each other, especially with Harper provoking Ford until he snapped.

But the rest of us? We’re still going strong, the open bar fueling our poor life choices.

Music pulses, glasses clink, and somewhere, Gram is probably making a public menace announcement.

I wouldn’t know because I’m currently on top of a damn chair, singing my heart out, barefoot and buzzed, holding Gram’s flask in one hand and a microphone in the other.

The music plays and I tilt the flask to my lips, but it’s empty.

Oh, damn.

But I refuse to be sad tonight. I won’t let my pathetic, cheating, jackass ex ruin this for me. It’s my best friend’s wedding reception, after all. Even if she disappeared with her caveman husband to start their honeymoon early.

So I sing, loud and dramatic. Like I’m a damn Nashville superstar and not just a tipsy idiot making a spectacle of myself. Maybe, just maybe, if I sing loud enough, I won’t hear his voice echoing in my head. The idiot who broke my heart when he said, "Maybe we should take a break."

I should’ve seen it coming. I should’ve known better.

No. Stop this. Don’t think about it.

The song ends, and applause erupts, Connor’s teammates cheering the loudest.

Like a magnet, my gaze locks onto him.Connor walking red flags Byrns.

My heart clenches at the morose expression on his normally cheerful face.

This is my fault. I shouldn’t have kissed him when I was upset over my ex. I just wanted revenge. A way to dull the pain.

Instead, I ended up with a big complication. A sexy, sarcastic, and hilarious hockey player I can’t stop thinking about.

Instead, I ended up with a big complication.

A sexy, sarcastic, hilarious hockey player I can’t stop thinking about. Even though I should.

Like a trainwreck I can’t look away from, my thoughts flash back to the moment I kissed him.

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