Page 33 of Untraced Magic
Instinct was a venomous thing.
Deliberate and ruthless.
It held no grudges, made no assumptions.
A naked thing inside that stripped you of any connection or bias.
But Wes had never been wrong where his gift was concerned.
He stepped away from the bag, lines pressed into his forehead. “Are we good?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “It is what it is.” I hated that line with a passion, but it fitted the moment. “I don’t want to believe it, but you’ve never been wrong about this stuff before.”
He wiped at his hairline again. “You know I can’t help the vibes I get. It just happens.”
An awkward silence lazed between us.
“Let’s get out of here and head out tonight. It’s still early,” I said, hoping to break the mood.
He smirked, and I knew he was up for it. “Beers and boobs for the win, you reckon?”
I stood up and clamped a hand onto his shoulder on the way past. “As you wish.”
We ventured upstairs, and I quickly showered, walking back down the hall with a towel wrapped around my waist.
Colt caught my eye from the kitchen where he leaned casually against the wall. “You rang?” He said with a smirk.
“Yeah.” I made my way into the room, flipped my thumb towards Wes. “He needs a night out.”
Wes hoisted himself until he sat on the counter, a half grin on his face. “And Ty’s blue balls need some attention.”
I laid a fist into his stomach on my way to the fridge and cracked open a beer.
“My blue balls are none of your business.”
Colt chuckled under his breath, eyeing me sideways. “Might find yourself a lady tonight, Ty,” he mused.
I threw him a beer, and he snapped the lid off with the opener. I hadn’t played around since losing Ava, but the digs were starting to come thick and fast.
Colt never gave me shit about women. He knew when to speak up and when to shut his mouth, so I knew he was being genuine. I veered my gaze to him with a shrug, his gaze following me across the room.
I clutched the frame of my bedroom door, turning to him. “Blue balls or not, I don’t do one-night stands.” I grimaced at the thought of getting laid with some drunk woman who I’d have to see around town again. That and the fact it meantnothingwas enough to keep my dick in my pants. I just couldn’t do casual.
“Who said anything about a one-night stand?” He tipped up his beer, still holding my gaze until his attention finally moved to something outside.
I ducked under my door frame to change into some jeans and a shirt.
There was no sarcasm or judgement behind Colt’s comment, and I knew he meant well. It was his way of telling me it was okay to move on, to start thinking of a life with someone else.
I eyed the photo of Ava sitting on my set of drawers, her sparkling orbs staring back at me, full of life. Until recently, I hadn’t indulged in thoughts of another woman since Ava’s death. To consider going to a bar in search ofsomeone elsefelt really fucking wrong, and a problem I didn’t need the morning after just to get my dick wet.
But in the back of my mind, I knew I already had a problem. In the form of a human that kept me up until the early hours of the morning, with thoughts I couldn’t rid myself of.
I shook my head, clearing them.
Chasing women wasn’t my style, but a night out with the guys I could do with. Good banter, no bullshit, and no drama was what I needed.
I heard Wes yell from the kitchen, “Ty, can we take the van? It’s pissing down outside!”
