Page 105 of Heartbreaker
He sounds overly excited to see a group that can’t stand him.
“Someone call security, they let a stray dog in,” Raelynn says.
“Oh, come on, Rae. Don’t be like that. I’ve missed you guys!”
Rae scoffs. “We didn’t miss you. It’s been nice without you around here.”
“Be nice,” Brody says, not even trying to hide his laugh.
“Thank you, Brody,” Drake says. “I’m glad somebody here is happy to see me.”
“Oh no, I’d kick you out myself,” Brody says. “But if they want to let you back in for some reason, that’s none of my business. I’m not here to get into a tussle with you, Drake. Not tonight. This is supposed to be when we put our differences aside and celebrate the careers of our peers.”
“That’s all I’m here to do.”
“Somehow, I doubt that,” Brooks says under his breath, but it’s loud enough that it catches all of our attention. The gaze of the man who put a wedge between me and Brooks, not once, but twice, finally turns on us. His eyes trail up my body in a slow, steady pace that makes my skin crawl. When he meets my gaze, his brows raise suggestively, and I can feel the tension building behind Brooks’s grasp. I take a steadying breath and plant my other hand on his forearm, giving it a gentle squeeze. This is not the place.
“I was wondering if the rumors were true,” Drake says, his gaze flickers to where our hands meet and back. “You know, I guess you didn’t need my help all those years ago, after all. You always were good at sweet-talking them into your bed, Brooks.” He laughs when Brooks lunges forward, but Brody steps in front of him.
“Get the fuck out of here, Drake,” Brody hisses over his shoulder.
“Yeah, you’re right. I don’t want to be around a bunch of pompous, washed-up has-beens anyway.” Drake turns back to me with a smile. “Oh, and Savannah, if you decide to stick around for a while, come find me when you’re ready to be with a real man. I’m sure one night with me will remind you why you left in the first place.”
“Fuck you, Drake,” I say, knowing full well this is what he wants. He wants to get under my skin, wants to antagonize me, and I know I shouldn’t let it show, but I don’t care. Glancing around him, I look directly at the blonde and say, “If I were you, I’d run the other way before he places a bet on you, too. This guy doesn’t know the first thing about being a man.”
Her mouth falls open before she stalks away. That shuts down his laughter, and he glares my way before chasing after her.
“Well, that was fun,” Wolf’s voice rings out from behind us.
Brooks walks one step ahead of me, putting the same distance between us that wiggled its way in as the night went on. His hands have been shoved deep in his pockets since we got out of the car, eyes trained on the carpet ahead of his feet. Things had been fine until he disappeared backstage to prepare for his speech introducing “Top Dollar”Clarence Kennedy.
Clarence Kennedy, who donned the ring name “Top Dollar”Clarence Kennedy,was one of the first wrestlers Amos signed and developed in EWE under his leadership and is still a fan favorite. Clarence stands a few inches shorter than Brooks, and since retiring five years ago, doesn’t maintain as much muscle mass, but he’s “always ready to answer the call and jump back in the ring.” Brooks gave a heartfelt speech about the impact “Top Dollar” had on his career, starting on his first day in NextGen sixteen years ago. But from my seat, I could see there was something on his mind, and it wasn’t just the speech.
When Brooks returned to his seat following Clarence’s speech, I placed my hand over his, giving it a gentle squeeze, but got nothing in return. Eyes forward, he didn’t even seem to notice when I slipped my hand out of his, but Rae did. So did Brody and Wolf at the after party as the space continued to grow, until he asked if I was ready to head back to the hotel.
“Tonight was fun,” I say after a moment of silence outside my room.
Brooks finally looks up, and his blue eyes are as dark as the deepest parts of the oceans.
Clearing his throat, he rocks back on his heels and crosses his arms. “Thanks for coming with me.”
“How could I resist a night withtheBrooks Taylor?” It’s meant to be teasing. I hoped it would put a crack in his armor, and it does the trick because I see a twitch lift the corner of his mouth.
Brooks rolls his eyes and takes a step back, ready to turn and leave. “Goodnight, Savannah.”
That’s it? That’s all I get?
He starts to walk down the hallway, and the realization hits me that it’s now or never.
“Brooks,” I call out, and his feet plant firmly into the carpet, pausing his retreat, but he doesn’t turn around. “That’s it? After all of this…you’re just going to say goodnight and leave. Is this about what Drake said earlier, because if it is—”
“This has nothing to do withDrake.” He all but spits the name, scrubbing a hand down his face with a heavy sigh. “What do you want me to say, Savannah?”
I don’t know, but I know it’s not this. I know that I don’t want to walk away from this weekend without having bridged the gap between us a little.
“Look, it was never my intention to cause any confusion. I was—”
“Then what was your intention? Because if I’m being quite honest, it hasn’t been very clear the past ten years.”
