Page 189 of Alphas Like Us

Akara sets his beer aside. “Is it just therain?”

“Yeah, it’s been a hotspot.” I comb my hair back and eye the beer bottle. “Don’t stop drinking on my account,Kitsuwon.”

Quinn swigs his beer at that, and Oscar gives his baby brother a look like he shouldn’t be listening tome.

I almost smile, my pulse gradually beginning to even out. And I take a gulp ofwater.

“Should you go inside the saloon?” Akaraasks.

“No, if I avoid it, it’s just going to persist.” This kind of PTSD isn’t new to me, and I’m fairly certain I have the tools to move past this. It’s just a process that takes patience, but the bad timing is frustrating ashell.

Rain on metal. It’s suddenly three times as pungent. “An orange?” I askvaguely.

“In the galley,” Akara tells Quinn, and Quinn leaves to return quickly with thefruit.

I concentrate on peeling the rind. Citrus overpowers my nose.There we go.My pulse is slowing, and Donnelly starts rehashing a story about how Quinn slipped off therib.

And I rise to my feet. More at ease, I lean on the sleek bar, and the glass doors slide open in front of us. I set down the partially peeled orange. Donnelly goes quiet, and we all look at who walks ondeck.

“Farrow.”

It’sRowin.

Fuckinghell.

My ex glances cautiously at SFO while he closes the saloon doors. “I need to talk to you,” he tells me. This entire yacht trip, he’s been passive aggressive and petulant towards me, but as he approaches me now, he’s neither of thosethings.

He’s acting cagey asfuck.

“Go ahead.” I wave himonward.

“In private,” Rowinclarifies.

I narrow my gaze. “No. I don’t give a shit if SFOhears.”

But he does. He runs a hand down his tense face, staying about three arm’s lengths away from me. “I just wanted to clear the air withyou.”

“You want to clear the air with me?” I repeat like his screw has come loose. “Today of all days?” It’s my boyfriend’sbirthday.

“It only just came up.” Rowin glances out at the starry night. Lanterns light up the wetdeck.

And the rain hasstopped.

I watch him shift his weight. I don’t likethis.

Something’s not right.My gut is screaming, and I straighten off thebar.

Rowin jabs a thumb behind his shoulder, pointing at the saloon. “I ran into Maximoff inside. And I misread a few signals. It shouldn’t be a big deal; he said he wasn’tinterested.”

My pulse spikes as I try to decipher this shit. “Are you…?” My face twists in agonized thought. “Are you saying that you came onto myboyfriend?”

There’s no way in hell that can beright.

Rowin avoids my gaze. “Like I said, I misread thesignals.”

I explode forward. “What the fuck is wrong with you?!” I yell between myteeth.

SFO yells over one another, trying to separate me from Rowin before we even collide. My ex stumbles back and holds up a hand insurrender.