Page 128 of Bred

“All right, thanks,” she says, collecting her purse from beneath the bar. “I’ll see you later.”

She heads out the back while I go to Blaine and give him back his card and tab.

“We’re closed, Blaine. Time to go.”

Blaine stands unsteadily to his feet, pulling his wallet out from his back pocket. He sways a little as he thumbs through the bills before putting fifty on the table.

It’s too much for a tip but telling him so is pointless. It’s just another one of his ways of trying to butter me up.

“I already set you up with an Uber. It should be waiting for you outside.”

“You could come home with me.”

I follow him out. It’s an awkward affair with his bulky arm around my shoulders as I half-escort half-carry him to the exit.

“I could, but alas, I don’t want to.”

Blaine smiles down at me drunkenly. “You’re funny.”

We’re halfway to the exit when Blaine surprises me by suddenly gaining his equilibrium and facing me. I can only manage a squeak in surprise when he uses the arm he had around my shoulders to haul me closer to him.

Then his lips are on mine.

I freeze, stunned. Blaine has been coming into the bar forever. His flirting was harmless, and up until now he never got handsy, much less shoved his tongue down my throat.

He tastes like beer and Cheetos. It is not a flavor combination I recommend.

Fortunately, the gross kiss doesn’t last long, but confusingly, it’s not because I’m shoving against his chest to push him away.

One minute he’s kissing me, the next he’s flying across the floor.

“Get your fucking hands off her before I break your goddamn fingers.”

My heart stalls at the sound of that voice.

There’s no way I’m hearing correctly.

There’s no way I’mseeingthings correctly.

It’s been years, but I’d recognize that voice and that handsome face anywhere.

“L-Lucas?”

Familiar ice-blue eyes meet mine, a familiar glint of danger and possessiveness in their stormy depths.

“Hey, baby.”

CHAPTER TWO

BRINLEY

It’sthesameplotin romance novels. Girl meets the bad boy, girl falls in love with said bad boy, bad boy does something to break her heart. Girl spends the years growing into a woman trying her best to forget the bad boy she fell in love with in her youth, but just when she’s finally about to succeed, her lover that she never really got over comes back into her life.

Much angst ensues.

I used to love those books until the stories I loved to read became my reality.

Apparently, my life is at the chapter where loverboy comes back and fucks everything up.