Page 32 of Total Shutdown

CHAPTERTWELVE

COLLINS

An hour ago, I was sprawled across my couch, dressed in my favorite sleepwear and fluffy socks, with a bucket of sweet and salty popcorn and the originalTerminatormovie set to keep me company all night. But then Kendra called and asked what my Wednesday night plans were.

They were exactly as I just described them, but my closest friend had other ideas—along with a convincing plea—when she ordered me to “get dressed up” and come to a cozy cocktail bar on Smith Street because we were having an impromptu celebration for Darcy, her new job, and her newfound freedom from “Fuckface Liam.”

At that point, I was in. Drinking to the demise of asshole men is one of my favorite pastimes. If anyone can relate to new starts and breaking up with cheating boyfriends, then it’s me. Like I said, my Mike era was a waste of my early twenties and a mistake I’ve learned from when it comes to trusting guys.

Naturally, the boys are here, too, and the second I push through the door, my eyes instantly find the back of Archer’s head. He tips his face toward the ceiling, laughing at something Darcy said as she sits next to him, perched on a barstool.

“Babe!”

I’m halfway to the bar when Kendra’s voice stops me, and I spin around to find my friend, Jack, and Sawyer sitting around a table for six.

“Where’s Jenna?” I ask, pulling out a chair and taking a seat, hooking my shoulder bag over the back.

Other than for the briefest of moments, I haven’t looked at Sawyer, but I can sense his eyes on me.

“In France,” Jack replies absentmindedly, picking up his beer and taking a pull.

Turns out, Sawyer isn’t the only one staring since the Blades center can’t tear his gaze away from the bar—or more specifically, his sister.

“Stop staring!” Kendra nudges her elbow into Jack. “They’re just friends, and Darcy flies back to the UK tomorrow night. You can’t blame them for wanting to catch up.” On an eye roll, she sets her attention on me. “The Storm has a four-day rest period, and Jenna’s brother has a big game in Paris. She flew over to watch him.”

I nod once and pick up the cocktail menu, anything to prevent my eyes from landing on the one man I want to look at.

“He plays pro rugby, right?” I ask, fully aware he does since Jenna told me before. But again, anything to keep me distracted.

Jack wraps an arm around Kendra, pulling her into him and kissing the side of her head. She giggles, twisting her hand in his shirt.

“Yeah, plays in the Top 14 league.” She pauses and eyes Jack with a playful smile. “He’s pretty hot.”

His attention immediately snaps from his sister to her. “I am here, you know.”

He brushes his lips over hers, and they share a kiss that belongs in the bedroom. In a moment of weakness, I glance over at Sawyer.

My senses were right.

He’s dressed in a gray henley with the sleeves rolled to his elbows. His enticing green eyes, framed by dark lashes, study me intently. I’m wearing the same dress as the night we hooked up, although it wasn’t intentional. In a hurry to get changed and out the door, I grabbed my favorite outfit and threw it on, only to connect the dots halfway into town.

Sawyer picks up his pint and takes a large pull, condensation dripping down the glass and over his fingers. I know I could look away, focus on the drink menu in front of me. Yet I can’t pull my attention from him, nor can I quell the familiar tingles as they dance across my skin.

It’s likely only a second or two, but it feels like forever when Sawyer sets his drink down and points at the menu gripped in my hand.

He tips his lips up, harboring satisfaction at the effect he has on me.

Cocky asshole.

I’m half tempted to ask him if he enjoyed his snoop session in my garage and if he makes a habit of going through people’s things in secret, but that would run the risk of having a conversation about my former motocross career—something I’ve buried in the back of my memory and not talked to anyone about. Not even Kendra.

“Are you planning on ordering a drink from that or just babysitting it all night?” Sawyer asks, dipping his head at the menu.

I narrow my eyes and push back my seat, breaking Kendra and Jack from their make-out session.

I look around the table, smiling sweetly at the broody captain opposite me. Injecting brightness into my tone, I say, “I’m going to grab a mimosa. Can I get anyone?—”

“Yeah, I’ll take another beer.” Sawyer lifts his half-full glass from the table, taking another sip.

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