“Or have you changed your favorite beer to something else?”
I looked up to find her staring at me with a grin on her face. A grin that made me wonder if she knew what had been running through my mind while I was so obviously looking her over from head to toe.
“It’s still my beer of choice,” I finally replied. “I guess I’m just surprised to see you here without your shadow.”
“She had a date.” Maddison placed her beer on the bar top at my side. “Don’t look so sad, big guy. It won’t last. It never does.”
“That woman is a little much for me.”
Mad looked like she was about to fire back with some smartass comment when the sound of Rhett’s voice echoed through the bar.
“I have arrived.” We both spun around just as he came barging in through the front door, holding his hands high in the air. I’d known the guy long enough to be able to read him. He was anything but happy. Ten to one, it had something to do with the envelope of shit Harley had sent to his parents’ house. She needed to just leave him alone. After all this time, I agreed…why now?
He had moved on, and from the history on Harley’s Facebook page, she did too. Or she had. Not sure if that time had faded. The problem was she couldn’t just decide to fuck around, then, when you realized it was a mistake, come back as if nothing even happened, picked up where she left off, and pretended the past didn’t even take place.
“A round of shots.” I looked back over my shoulder and spoke with Jim, the regular bartender. “Make ‘em doubles.” Turning back around to face Rhett, both Mad and I shared a glance. She’d seen it too—that look of irritation, anger, and maybe even a little sadness.
“You okay?” Maddison was the first person to ask when Rhett joined us at the bar.
“I think I’m falling in love with AJ.” Maddison leaned in and looked at me once more with a smile on her face before she quickly hid it. “She’s all I think about, and when I’m not with her, I feel like there’s something missing.”
“That’s a good thing, though, right?”
I was quiet while the two of them shared a conversation about Rhett’s troubles.
“It’d be even better if Harley wasn’t choosing now to drum up old shit.” I couldn’t help chuckling when Maddison’s eyes grew wide and her nose crinkled, getting that hateful look she got when she didn’t like something.
“What the hell does she want?”
The two of them continued about Harley. Each time Rhett told her another piece of the puzzle, Maddison grew even more irritated. One after another, Rhett downed shot after shot, not realizing he’d drunk all three that were meant for all of us. When Jim saw the same thing I did, he looked at me, and I nodded my head, giving him the go ahead to fill them once again. Rhett deserved a little unwinding. He needed it, in fact.
Terrance finally found his way over to us and joined the shootout Maddison and Rhett were having, both slightly slurring as they went on and on about AJ and how perfect she was for Rhett. Maddison made a few threats about what she’d do if Harley didn’t back off, and had she said them sober, I may have worried, but my guess was, tomorrow, she wouldn’t remember a thing. She’d feel like shit, but her words would be nothing but a blur.
I spent the night nursing my single beer, knowing I’d need to get the two of them home safely later.
A couple hours later, Rhett was hanging on Terrance, or I should say they were hanging on one another. Talking about baseball and their friendship like a couple of pussies. Mad leaned against my side, surprising me because, to be honest, last time I saw her, she was a few tables over talking to a couple of friends she’d known from high school but hadn’t seen in a while.
On instinct, I lifted my arm and wrapped it up and over her shoulder. She sighed, or so I thought. “You smell good, Mike.” Her voice was low, but I could hear her whisper. “But you always have.”
“Thanks,” I said with humor, wondering at that moment just how much alcohol she had consumed.
“Stop laughing at me.” I looked down to find her head tilted back almost like she was watching me, had her eyes been open in order to do so.
“Sorry, Mad.” I forced the smile to go away and did my very best to keep a straight face. “Thank you for saying I smell good. You smell pretty amazing yourself.” I wouldn’t lie. It was damn cute to see a pleased look on her face when I gave her a compliment in return.
“Dance with me.”
“I think you’re beyond drunk if you think I’m dancing.” I didn’t dance.
“Please. For me.” She pouted, pushing her bottom lip out dramatically. “You don’t have to do much but stand right here.” And with that, she stepped around to my front and started shaking her hips way too seductively.
Okay, fine, it was sexy as fuck, her hands on my chest, moving downward slowly when she moved lower before rolling over my waist and then back up again. But this was Maddison. I kept repeating that phrase in my head.
Suddenly, she was slouching before me, her body rolling over mine entirely too close, and then it happened. Her face was level with my dick.
“Okay,” I moved back in a hurry and gripped her beneath her arms, “that’ll do it. I think that’s
