Page 73 of In The Dark
She laughs, but stops abruptly. “Fuck my life.” She glances over my shoulder, a frown pulling at her mouth. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“What’s wrong?” I look around us, confused. “You okay?”
“My ex is here.” Max hesitates, pinching the bridge of her nose. “He also… I didn’t want to tell you this, but Skyler said she saw him drive by the house over the weekend. Three times.”
“She did?” My blood runs cold. I touch the knife attached to my hip on instinct, ready to fight for her if needed. “Did you talk to him?”
“No. Maybe it was a coincidence.”
“A coincidence that he shows up at your school and repeatedly drives past your house? That’s intentional, Max.” I survey the bar, pretending like I don’t know exactly what this douchebag looks like. “Which one is he?”
“The blond in the corner with a group of friends. Stripped shirt. Khaki shorts.”
Ofcoursethis shithead wears fucking khaki shorts.
“Has he seen you?” I ask.
“I hope not. I don’t want—I don’t understand why he’s doing this. He didn’t… he never told me he loved me. Ten months together, and he never said the words.” Max shakes her head, blowing out a sigh. “And, I’m glad he didn’t, because it made getting over him so easy, but I just don’t get why hecares. Why now?”
What a fucking idiot.
I’m fighting not to tell her how I feelweeksafter meeting her. I can’t imagine going months without letting her know I’m crazy about her.
“Men are stupid creatures. There’s no rhyme or reason to a lot of what we do,” I tell her. “The second he makes you uncomfortable, I’ll take care of him.”
“Are you going to protect me, Hunter.”
“Yeah, angel.” I tilt my neck, brushing my lips over hers. If this guy is watching, I want to give him a show. “I’ll always protect you. I’m the only one whose name you’re going to say, and that includes when I save the day.”
“My hero.” She giggles, a hand on the back of my head so she can kiss me. I taste the glass of whiskey she drank at my place earlier on her tongue, and I walk her backward until her shoulders press against a wall. Max smiles against my mouth, letting out a gasp when I nip at her bottom lip. “Oh.”
“You’re mine.” I move my mouth to her neck, sucking on her skin so I leave behind a little mark. “I’m going to take care of you.”
“Call me yours again.” Her fingers slip into the waistband of my jeans, and I roll my hips into hers. “I like hearing it.”
“You’re mine, angel. My girl. My pussy.” I brush my hand over her stomach, and she whines. “My obsession.”
Movement out of the corner of my eye catches my attention. Brian—Connor—is leaving his friend group and making his down the hall to what I assume leads to the bathroom. Now’s my chance to get him alone, and for as much as I don’t want to pull away from the gorgeous girl slipping a warm palm under my shirt, I need to take care of this piece of shit once and for all.
“I’m going to use the bathroom.” I kiss Max’s cheek and step back. “I’ll meet you at the Skee ball lane when I’m finished so we can put all your showboating to the test.
“Deal.” She smirks. “I can’t wait to kick your ass, Hunter.”
I toss her a smile and sidestep past a group of women fighting their way to the bar for drinks. I follow Brian’s path, whistling as I push open the door to the restroom and let it slam shut behind me.
He’s standing at one of the urinals with his dick out, and I feel so sad for what Max had to deal with before me.
“You look familiar.” I stand next to him, breaking every urinal rule, and pull out my own dick. “Do I know you?”
“Huh?” He turns to look at my and frowns. “I don’t think so.”
“You sure? I could’ve sworn I’ve seen you somewhere before.”
“I don’t know. Maybe. I have one of those faces, you know?” He flashes me a grin, and I’d really like to punch his skull in. Or cut out his eyes and feed them to the birds. “What’s your name?”
“Hunter.” I finish peeing and tuck my dick back in my pants. “You?”
“Brian.”
