Page 614 of The Tempted

“I’m Deuce, this is Linc and the guy with the tattoo of a snake crawling up his arm is Cobra,” Deuce told Daniela as he took a seat next to her.

Ladies and Gentleman we have a charmer on our hands.

I rolled my eyes and looked back at Riggs.

“Look, Mack is outside and I don’t need another babysitter,” I said hastily.

“Is that why they call you Cobra? Because of the snake tattoo?” Daniela asked.

“No,” he muttered.

“Tell her why everyone calls you Cobra,” Stryker taunted as he threw an arm around his shoulders, swiped the baseball hat off his head and messed his hair.

“Dude, you’re stomping all over my game,” Deuce argued, eyeing Daniela.

“How‘bout a drink darlin’?” his voice had a twang to it, making it clear he wasn’t a Brooklyn native.

“Mack’s not outside, Lacey,” Riggs informed me, pulling me away from the distraction Stryker, Deuce, and Cobra provided.

“Guess it’s a good thing you’re here then,” I replied as I pushed back my chair and stood up. “I’m going to get a refill.”

I wasn’t in the mood for Riggs, or any of them for that matter. They all reminded me of Blackie. I made my way to the bar and ordered myself another beer before digging into my pocket for some money.

“I’ve got it,” the person behind me said, stretching his arm around me and slapped a twenty on top of the bar. I glanced over my shoulder and saw it was Brandon. “Consider it my attempt at a truce,” he smiled.

“A truce,” I repeated.

“I shouldn’t have insulted your boyfriend,” he clarified, stepping around me and taking the beer from bartender and handed it to me, clinking his bottle to mine. “I was jealous and out of line.”

I studied his features for a moment and decided he looked sincere enough. I tipped the neck of the bottle to his.

“Thank you,” I said, taking a sip of the beer.

“Friends?” he asked. “I mean I don’t want him to show up and beat the fuck out of me for buying his girl a drink,” he explained.

“We broke up,” I replied, wondering if we were even officially together. “You’re safe,” I mumbled, watching as Daniela walked away from our table with Deuce and the rest of the guys to play pool. Minus Riggs. He probably went to call my father.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Brandon said, taking a swig of his beer.

I looked over at him and raised an eyebrow.

“No you’re not,” I accused.

He brought the bottle down and smiled at me.

He had a nice smile.

Not nearly as nice as Blackie’s.

“Maybe not,” he admitted. “I’m starving, why don’t we order some wings and you can tell me all about it.”

“How about we stick to wings and beer and leave the rest out?”

“Deal,” he said, pressing his hand against the small of my back and guiding me back to the table me and Daniela had been sharing.

By the time we finished the food and Brandon ordered another round of beers the bar was packed and I was actually having a half-way decent time. Brandon was funny and had me laughing which was a breath of fresh air after all the crying I had been doing over the last month, especially the last twenty-four hours.

I turned my head slightly, still laughing when I spotted Blackie standing by the door staring at me. The laughter died as I closed my eyes and prayed my mind wasn’t playing with me.

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