Page 27 of The Catalyst

“Shut up.”

She laughs before looping her arm through mine. “Stick with me, Mercer. These crowds can get a little crazy.”

I believe it. The entire place seems packed tight, which is insane given its size. The amount of people lessens the further we get from the inner circle, but it's still a squeeze.

Judy leads me to a makeshift bar giving out free beers, but the one running the show is busy with others.

“You really gotta yell or flash him to get his attention,” a blonde guy beside me says with a smile. His oceanic blue eyes shine with joy in a way that gives me pause. Something about him is…familiar, but I have to admit, he is smoking hot from his debonair smile to the way his dirty blonde hair falls in his face. He even has a light stubble along his jawline. His eyes remain focused on mine as if he's waiting for me to say something, but my dumbass is too busy staring at him.

Idiot.

I can’t help laughing. “He’s shit out of luck there.”

I almost brush off the flirtation as I turn my gaze away from the handsome stranger, but then the unmistakable sensation of someone squeezing my ass hits me and I’m stunned for a second.

What the fuck?

I snap my head back around to the guy beside me.

“Did you seriously just grab my ass?” I hiss at him, ready to kick him in the balls. He deserves the same treatment as Jordan for that move.

“Yeah, I did. Take it as a compliment, Beth. You have an incredible ass.” He’s not even slightly ashamed of his behavior. His response makes me freeze. How the hell does he know my name? No one has said it since I arrived. Do I know him from somewhere and just not remember?

“Um, excuse me? You don’t get to talk to me like that. Where the hell do you get off?”

“Hopefully, inside you by the end of the night.” He winks at me flirtatiously, and I almost slap him, but then Ronan and Judy are by my side.

“Leave her the fuck alone,” Ronan warns as Judy grabs my arm, but I’m not running away. Screw this asshole.

“Why? She your girl, Walsh?” The jerk has the gall to smirk like he owns the place.

“No, that would be me, dipstick,” Judy sneers protectively. “You better watch yourself. You’re about to step into the ring with her boyfriend.”

We haven’t had the official talk yet, but I think boyfriend is a pretty good term to use to get the point across. I’m taken. Even if I weren’t, I’d rather run into a burning building than screw this douche even if he is a ridiculously hot douche.

“Seriously?” His eyes widen, and he laughs, clutching his stomach. “I didn’t think O’Reilly was the settling down type. Aren’t you and your boys trying to screw your way through this town, Walsh?” The debonair smile on his face never leaves. “I get it. I’m all for sex-positivity and this pit stop makes sense.” Then, his eyes rake up and down my body like he wants to devour me whole. “If you ever get tired of slumming it with O’Reilly, my bed is plenty comfy, Miss Mercer.” He winks at me again before turning and whistling as he leaves.

How the fuck does he know not only my first name but my last name as well? Is he a stalker or something?

“That’s the douchebag Nigel is supposed to be fighting?” I ask, completely stunned by the whole exchange.

“Martin Gray, yeah.”

I can’t wait for Nigel to kick his ass. He deserves it for how he grabbed my butt against my will.

“He better keep his distance from me, or I’ll hurt him,” I say, my hands balled into fists. I’m so pissed.

“What started all that?” Ronan presses as he hands me a beer.

“That douchebag grabbed my ass, like no holding back grabbed it.” I make the motion with my hand to emphasize my point, and Ronan visibly pales.

“What?” Judy’s eyes are so wide I wonder if they’ll actually pop out of their sockets. “Are you okay?”

“Other than being mad at his audacity, I’m fine. I just hate assholes like that.”

“Trust me. Everyone hates Martin Gray. He’s simply tolerated because he’s the eldest Gray son,” she says as she rubs my arm comfortingly.

“Martin is just the bad apple. Michael is a good guy. He’s the one who trained Nigel.”

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