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Instead I feel arms around me and we tumble to the snow-covered bank.
“Spence?”
Wincing in utter embarrassment, I peek one eye open. Travis is beneath me, chuckling as he pushes a strand of hair from my face.
“Ugh, I told you I’d fall,” I groan.
“And I told you I got you.”
“Red?”
I snap out of my thoughts and silently reprimand myself for allowing my mind to go back there. Back to before it all fucking blew up like a hand grenade. Laying waste to my future.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I snarl.
Chapter fourteen
Travis
Everything about her has always made my heart skip a beat, even more so today. Her fiery, cherry red hair that’s pulled into a high ponytail, and her angry emerald green eyes, glowing as the neon lights from the bar dance off of them. I can feel the irritation radiating from her in pulsating waves, and it feels so good getting beneath her skin. Making her tick.
“We need to talk,” I wink at her, as I run my thumb across my bottom lip.
“Too bad. I’m busy closing up right now, and I really thought I locked that fucking door how did you get in here anyway…” she trails, stacking glasses beneath the bar, attempting to look unaffected. She’s always had a shitty poker face.
“You ready to tell me what it is you’re running from?”
“Get bent Travis,” she hisses, crouching down to pick up scattered dollar bills and change from the floor.
“See, the thing is Spencer, someone came into one of my clubs last night asking questions about you, and I need to know what the fuck they want.”
Her entire body stiffens, and she sucks in air sharply between her teeth, but she doesn’t say a word, and she doesn’t look up.
“Red?”
She noticeably shivers at the sound of my voice, and goes back to cleaning up the cash.
“You need to give me some fucking answers,” I grit my teeth, shoving my hands into the pockets of my jeans.
As she puts the last dollar bill into the bag, she stands up quickly and eyes me up and down, “I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about. Now leave!”
Lies.
“You don’t want to tell me? Fine. I have my resources. I’ll uncover all of your dirty little secrets. But in the meantime… I could use a drink.”
“We’re closed, get the fuck out,” she snaps, slamming the deposit bag into the back of the safe and kicking the safe door closed.
“Come on, just one drink?” my gaze wanders, devouring every inch of her skin. I know she feels the energy between us, because her body tenses and her breathing speeds up. Her fingertips tap against the bar-top rhythmically, but she doesn’t say a word.
Biting my lower lip, I pull my hands from my pockets as I turn and slowly walk the length of the bar, trailing my fingers along the smooth cherry wood, locking my eyes with hers. Never looking away.
“Y-you need to leave,” she whispers this time, shifting uncomfortably.
As I round the corner, I shake my head slightly and slip behind the bar. Silently, I stride closer to her and she doesn’t breathe a word, she’s frozen in place. With one hand, I grab a bottle of bourbon and continue making my way toward her. When we are toe to toe, I stop. Her back pressed against the bar-top, she has nowhere to go, and I can practically hear her heart racing. Setting the bottle of bourbon down next to her on the bar, I reach for a glass with my opposite hand. Placing the glass beside the bourbon, I pick the bottle up and pour slowly.
My eyes never stray from hers, but I watch from my peripherals as she fidgets with the hem of her shirt, and I smirk.
As I set the bottle down, I pick up the glass, resting the rim against my lips. Swallowing the contents in one gulp, I place the glass back on the bar-top and run my fingertips down her arm. She finally exhales, and the way she trembles beneath my touch tells me everything I need to know.