Page 6 of Further To Fall

Liam’s phone buzzed on the side table, causing the remnants of my sparkling water to vibrate. He grabbed it and tapped at the screen while I lay back on my lounge and turned my face towards the sun. I could get used to the Southern California life. “Austin’s on his way over.” Liam’s words were a bucket of ice water on my blissfully warm skin.

“Great,” I said, drawing out the word in a super mature manner.

Liam raised himself to a sitting position, swinging his legs over his lounge chair so that he was facing me. “What is it with you two?”

“He’s a jerk,” I said, setting the sunscreen back on the table with a clang. “I’m sorry. I know he’s your friend, but he’s rude.”

Liam sighed. “I know he didn’t give the best first impression, but he did apologize.”

“And oh, so convincingly.”

Rubbing the back of his neck, Liam trudged on. “Look, he’s had a rough go of it. He got burned by his ex pretty bad. Do me a favor and give him another chance?”

I nibbled on the corner of my lip. “Fine,” I said. What I really wanted to ask was what Austin’s ex could have done that had turned him into such a bitter Betty.

“Thank you. He should be here any minute.”

“Super,” I replied.

“Love the enthusiasm,” Liam shot back.

I stuck out my tongue, I was grown-up like that.

About fifteen minutes later, Austin strode out onto the deck, looking unfairly gorgeous in workout shorts and a worn tee that clung to his broad shoulders and well-defined chest. Crud. His steps faltered when he caught sight of me, and his jaw hardened. Suddenly, my bikini had me feeling very exposed. I quickly stood and wrapped the towel I had been lying on around myself. “I’m going to grab some more water. You need anything, Liam?”

“No, I’m good,” he answered as I scurried past.

I let out a quiet “hey” as I passed Austin. He, of course, said nothing, simply glared in my direction as if I had run over his puppy. What a freaking jerk. Sliding open the glass door, I made my way into the kitchen and grabbed a Perrier from the ridiculously fancy fridge.

The large picture window over the kitchen sink looked out onto the deck, and I could see that the guys were in a heated discussion. Liam was standing now, gesturing in an aggravated manner towards the house, while Austin just shook his head. Great. A few tense moments later, Austin said something and turned to head back inside. I had to fight the urge to sink to the kitchen floor or look for a pantry to hide in. Double crud.

I heard the door slide open, and then there he was, filling up every inch of the doorway with his giant, angry, mountain man body. “Hey.” The word was low and clipped.

“Hi.” Of course, my voice came out in a squeak.

Austin gripped the doorframe, forearms bulging, and I found myself wondering if he could rip the wood out with his bare hands. His hands were very large. “Look,” he started, and I tore my eyes away from his hands and moved my gaze towards his face. “I’m sorry I was a dick at the club. I just got the wrong impression because of how you were dressed.”

My heart stuttered, and I felt my blood start to boil. “Excuse me?”

“Come on,” he said with a smirk. “You were wearing one of those stretchy miniskirts and hooker heels, I was supposed to assume you were Mother Theresa?”

I was moving before I knew what was happening, and then I was poking him in his rock-hard chest. “You are a misogynistic piece of work, you know that? If some guy had groped me, would I have been asking for it?” The smirk he had been wearing fell from his face, and his eyes went stormy. “It’s guys like you that give your gender a bad name. But it’s clear to me that you’re just trying to overcompensate for some serious shortcomings.” I eyed his crotch with my last words, and before he had a chance to reply, I sidestepped him and bolted for the front door.

4

Austin

“Dude, what in the actual fuck? What did you say to her?” Liam’s face was getting redder by the second, but I was just standing there slack-jawed. I hadn’t meant the words the way they had come out. I was just trying to explain how I could have mistaken Carter for a groupie. But something about this girl just brought out my inner asshole.

Clearing my throat, I straightened. “I’m sorry. I was just trying to explain why I got the wrong impression of her at the bar. I apologized, she just took it the wrong way.”

“She just took it the wrong way? Let me guess, hertaking it the wrong wayhad nothing to do with you insulting her in some way.”

I grimaced. “Come on, she looked like a groupie! I saw her swiveling her hips over your way, and I jumped to the wrong conclusion.”

Liam’s eyes bore into mine. “What is going on with you? Is your head really in that much of a fucked-up place? You assume every girl has their cat claws out, using whatever it takes to snag a man and then rake him over the coals?”

“Not every woman. Just most. I’m not saying Carter’s that way, but I don’t know she’s not.”

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