Page 99 of Dirty Rock

“What are you hiding?”

“Don’t worry, Hawk. It’s nothing I can’t sort out. Just… girl trouble.” I smirked and turned back in my seat, staring straight at the back of Julia’s head again.

Hawk’s silence said a million things as he glanced between the two of us, and the only words I heard for the rest of the trip were the, “Oh, shit,” that fell from his lips.

Chapter Thirty-Four

BB’s was smart. Floor-to-ceiling windows covered three sides of the building, and it was lit up outside with orange and pink neon lights that made it look exclusive enough not to attract the trash, yet friendly enough to drag in the everyday cash of the locals. I could already see that there were quite a few people inside, but it wasn’t overcrowded.

“Tessa’s old boss, Bourbon, made it invite-only tonight. Hopefully, we’ll be okay here. Just… behave. Glass on every side means the press could be watching,” Presley warned just before we pushed through into the bar itself.

The four beefy security guards on the door looked a bit out of place for the small-town bar, granted, but even I could tell how much money had been ploughed into the place recently. Everything looked new—fresh.

Heads turned when we walked in, and a cheer went up around us. Cameras flashed in every corner, and a few women screamed, but they soon died down after we offered them a wave of acknowledgement.

Presley went straight to Tess who was sitting on a stool at the bar, and he scooped her up like he fucking missed her, which instantly made me seek out Julia who was walking next to Joshua. He was already getting handsy, a palm resting on her shoulder while he pointed up at the gigantic screens that were currently showing a music video ofGimme Shelterby The Rolling Stones.

“Bro.” Hawk nudged me and nodded to my hands. “Put the fists away.”

I looked down to see they were balled up tightly. A growl of frustration rumbled in my throat, and I shook them out and stretched my neck to try and loosen some of the tension.

“As soon as we’re alone, you and I are talking about this.” Hawk tapped me on the shoulder. “Don’t do anything stupid.”

I made my way to the bar, said hey to Tessa, called Presley a pussy, and I grabbed one of the glasses of fizzy champagne that one of the girls had lined up for the guests of honour. Leaning on the counter, I chugged it down in a few gulps, my eyes surveying the place before eventually landing on Julia.

She was looking right at me, her eyes creased at the corners, her face sombre.

I stared back, my face straight.

The fuck I was giving her a smile when she was all over that son of a bitch. He was leaning down to say something in her ear, but she was lost in me. It felt like a little victory amidst a battle I was certain I was losing, but the sense of impending defeat was the most prevalent emotion.

Jules sucked in a breath, those lips I loved to taste parting for a moment before she tucked her hair behind her ear and turned to say something to Joshua. That fake, ever professional smile was back in place, and it pissed me off that she could do that so easily. I had no idea how anyone did it. Every emotion within me was plastered all over my face the second I felt it. Most things came out of my mouth without thought, landing me in trouble.

Knowing someone was so good at putting on a facade unnerved me.

What if she’s been doing that with me this whole time?

I reached for another glass, glancing at the pretty girl behind the bar. I looked down at her T-shirt and saw her name badge.

Elle.

She gave me a shy smile, and her cheeks flushed as she scooped ice into an empty glass to prepare a drink for someone else.

“Hey.” I chucked my chin.

“Hi, Rhett. Can I get you anything?”

“Maybe later.”

“Just let me know.” She smiled.

“You can count on it.” I smirked, feeling a weird twisting of my gut the second I tried to flirt with someone who wasn’t Jules.

God, that was terrible. The worst chat-up line I’d ever used.Maybe later. You can count on it. What was I? Forty-five with some kind of erectile dysfunction?

Elle was a pretty woman. Pre-Jules, I’d have had my eye on her the second I walked through the doors of BB’s, and the perfect line would have slid off my tongue to tie her up in my spell. But it had taken me too long to see her tonight. That pissed me off.

“Have a good night,” Elle said before she twisted around to grab a bottle of something from the back shelf. I didn’t even look down to check out her arse. It felt like some weird kind of betrayal.

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