Page 19 of The Games We Play
There wasn’t time to finish my cigarette. I snuffed it out on the side of the building and tossed it into the can I kept by the back door.
Rolling my shoulders, I made my way back inside, walking down the narrow hallway from the alley and into the bar. My cowboy boots clacked against the sticky, tiled floor, the familiar sound bringing me back as I reentered the chaos.
By the time I slid back into position behind the bar, Dudley was already in the swing of things. Lucky for me, the crowd seemed satisfied enough that he had it handled.
I used the free moment to stock the bar, but my attention wasn’t really on the liquor bottles.
My eyes roamed the dimly lit space, searching, hoping, for a glimpse of Penny, praying she hadn’t left already. Considering the rest of the group was still here, it was unlikely she’d be the first to go.
Standing on the balls of my feet, I scanned the bar, the music loud enough to drown out the chatter, the pulse of bass thrumming through the walls.
I found her.
Chestnut hair swaying to the beat.
Penny was on the dance floor, moving with Aspen and Ellie, their hands linked as they spun and laughed, completely lost in the music.
My breath hitched.
I couldn’t look away.
The way she moved—hips rolling, body fluid, completely carefree—she was so unapologeticallyher.
I was fucking mesmerized.
A sharp pang of something unfamiliar tightened in my chest. Anxiety then took over, a feeling that was new and very unwelcome, yet it came regardless of how hard I tried to bat it away.
I quickly cleared my throat, forcing my gaze anywhere but her, but it was too late.
Penny spun at just the right moment, catching me watching her before I could fully turn my attention.
For a fleeting second, something unreadable crossed her face—surprise, hesitation, maybe even regret. But even quicker, she masked it, schooling her expression into something cold, detached.
Then, she looked away completely.
Fuck if that didn’t sting.
Jaw tight, I busied myself, swapping out the liquor spouts and tossing the empty bottles into the trash, each movement sharper, more forceful than necessary.
I couldn’t keep doing this.
This uneasy, gut-churning feeling. This constant, gnawing urge to make things right.
I was living in my own personal hell, watching the woman I’d fallen for pretend I didn’t exist.
Ignoring me. Taunting me, whether she realized it or not.
I’d had my eyes on Penny Hudson, and it pissed me off that it wasn’t going nearly how I had planned.
Glancing to my left, I saw Dudley on the opposite side of the bar, shamelessly flirting with a brown-haired girl I didn’t recognize.
My eyes roamed once more for Lizzie. I hadn’t seen my sister all night. Thank God for that. Dealing with her and Penny in the same room? That would’ve been a hell I wasn’t prepared for.
One stressor was more than enough.
Spinning back toward the front of the bar, I froze.
Penny was leaning over the counter, frantically waving toward the end where Dudley stood, trying to get his attention.
