Page 15 of From the Embers

“Gotta go,” I say, making my escape before things get more awkward than I need them to be.

As I’m hedging through the sea of people to get back to the bar, I’m sure I hear her friend holler something, but I don’t catch the words.

Hannah isn’t usually that full-on, but it felt more awkward than usual, probably because she’s a little tipsy.

When I finally make it back to the guys, I plonk down in my seat like that took it out of me. Both Eric and Brax look at me but my eyes are on Adi down the other end of the bar serving more customers.

“You okay?” Brax asks.

“Thought you’d gotten lost,” Eric says as I place the buzzer on the bar top in front of me. “We were about to send out a search party.”

“Hannah bailed me up in the queue,” I say. “I couldn’t get away.”

“Poor you,” Brax quips with an exaggerated roll of his eyes. “Your hot ex fawning all over you must be a hardship, even if she is hard work.”

“Well, she might be hot, but she drives me insane,” I reply. “And not in a good way.”

“Why’d you break up again?” he asks.

“For one, she always liked attention from other men when we were out together. And she’s a party girl who likes the big social scene. Nothing wrong with that, it’s just not me. I don’t think it ever was.”

“Dodged a bullet if you ask me,” Eric adds his two cents. “While she might have the looks and the body, that can only sustain things for so long. She’s as thick as two bricks.”

I choke on my pull of beer. He’s not that far wrong.

“Who are you now, the I Ching of relationships?” Brax chuckles over his beer. “How long have you and Rachel been dating again?”

Eric gives him a two finger salute because it’s been about two months.

I chuckle. “A person can know a lot in two months.” I give Eric a sly wink.

“I’m doing better than you two right now,” Eric mutters. “Hannah is trouble, bro. You and I both know it.”

When it comes down to trusting the woman, I have to agree with him. Her flirting with other men while she was with me made me wonder about a lot of things, but that’s in the past now.

“I’ll drink to that.” I take another pull as I absently watch Adi preparing drinks, talking to customers and ringing up their orders at the register. The fact she’s even here in the same space as me after over ten years is kinda surreal.

My eyes skate down the back of her body. I don’t know how she wears those heels all night, her feet must be killing, but I like the way the dark denim hugs her hips and ass. Her hair sashays against her back as she moves, and her black shirt has a sheer fabric showing the outline of a black tank underneath.

Hot damn, she’s cute. I think she gets a little cuter every time I see her. It’s not like I haven’t noticed. Her curvy body is fucking everything. And I have to stop thinking thoughts like that.

“You and Adi seem pretty chummy,” Brax says, following my gaze down the bar, breaking my nostalgic moment.

“Dude, are you really gonna go there?” I pinch the bridge of my nose.

“Brax makes a good point,” Eric puts in. “She seemed pretty interested in where you were just now.”

“Couldn’t take her eyes off you,” Brax adds.

I laugh. “Are you two shitting me?”

“Nope,” Eric says. “You gotta admit she’s pretty hot. And don’t tell Daryl that, for fuck’s sake. He’ll have my balls.”

“I’ve known Adi since she was born. It’s not like that.”

“Funny, that’s what she said,” Brax mutters as I frown at his comment.

Before I can ask him what the hell that means, Eric shrugs. “But it could be like that.”