Page 19 of Go Deep

“That’s unfortunate.”

“For whom?”

“Both of us.” I snicker and rake a hand through my hair. Fantastic. Two shots render me a goddamn motor-mouthed moron.

But he still doesn’t back away, which tells me one of two things — he’s either bisexual or closeted. And screw it, I’ll take either.

Hell, I’m even down for a three-way. I’ll fuck his girlfriend if I can get a crack at him.

Vince’s eyes cloud over, and in an instant, the walls are back up. Shit, I knew I’d gone too far. He drums his fingers on the table, mouth opening to say…something, but what?

Speak, dammit! Tell me I’m off my nut so I can just get on with my life and fuck the next faceless guy.

The phone on the table buzzes and Vince’s mouth snaps shut. “Excuse me for a second.” He stabs the screen. “Castro.”

I need to splash some cold water on my face. Scratch that. I need to submerge my entire body in an ice bath. I motion toward the men’s room and he nods.

Talk about a battle of the wills. My head knows I need to steer clear, but my groin says no way. Waves of dizziness crash over me as I walk, but it sure ain’t because of the booze. It’s because of Vince. And the mixed signals. And the fact that I’m horny as fuck.

The restroom is empty. I turn on the faucet and scrub my face with my wet hands, but it’s impossible to rid myself of this desire, something I’ve never experienced, not even with Shane.Bang and bolt. That’s all I can handle, especially if my expiration date is rapidly approaching.

I lean onto my hands and stare at the running water drizzling into the drain when the door slams open. My heart thumps as I jump ten feet into the air. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Shane steps forward, a look of rejection gripping my heart. I’m not a total asshole. I broke up with him because I know my limits, but I was too much of a pussy to speak up sooner and spare him the heartbreak.

“I miss you so much, Gabe.”

“I told you?—“

“I know. You can’t commit.” He creeps closer. “I see you’re with someone new now. Did I really mean that little? Or were you fucking him while you were fucking me?”

I let out a defeated sigh. “We’re not involved, Shane. It’s a business meeting.”

He lets out a dry laugh. “Business, huh? From where I was standing, it looked like you wanted to mount him right on the table.”

“If I did, it shouldn’t matter to you since we’re finished.”

“But it does, Gabe.” He closes the space between us and cups my balls, his palm rubbing against my dick. His hands fist my hair, pressing me against the wall. “Because this is mine. You took it away, but it’ll always be mine.”

I shove him backward, watching him stumble into a wall. “Get the fuck off me. It’s over, understand? I don’t love you, Shane. I never wanted to hurt you, but it’s time to move on.”

“Are you going to have your new fuck toy move into our apartment? I haven’t been gone a week, you goddamn whore.” His dark eyes spit malice.

Finally. We agree on something. That’s all I’ll ever be, sowhy does he keep trying to get me back? “I’m not about to move anyone in. I’d rather just fuck them at their places.”

Shane recoils as if I’ve just bitch-slapped him. And I’m damn close, too.

“Fuck you, Gabe. You made the biggest mistake of your life when you let me go.”

Negative. My biggest mistake was… shit. I really have to narrow it down to one?

The door slams shut, and I’m alone again. I rub the back of my neck, trying to untangle the stress knot that is again tormenting me.

Fucking stalker. Hadn’t I known it would come to this? He’d always been suspicious of everyone and everything that commanded the tiniest sliver of my attention. Did I really think he was going to walk away quietly?

Seems like I’ve been deluding myself more often than not these days.

I groan before splashing more water on my face, trying to erase the memories that are now bubbling up in my mind.