by Leigh, Ember
The bald beefsteak turned, surprise etched onto his swollen face. “Can I help you?”
“Step away from the lady.” He guided him back and away from Lila, a tight smile on his face.
Lila cast him a grateful glance, relaxing into her seat as she took a pull at her beer.
The stranger glared at him, straightening his shirt. “Just trying to make some friendly conversation. Jesus.” He stumbled off, muttering under his breath as he left. Once the stranger left, the truth sank into him: Lila was in front of him.
The time had come to talk. Converse. Catch up. His stomach shrank to a pebble, and he leaned against the bar. Any ounce of composure or coolness he’d collected over the years? Out the window. The heat of her nearness clouded his mind. “You cool?”
Her icy blue eyes found his, as alive and knowing as the last time he’d seen her. Her nose, slightly upturned at the end, was as cute as ever. Made his heart wrench in a strange way. “Yeah. Didn’t think I’d have to resort to a brute like him to get you to come over here, though.”
He lifted a brow, studying his hands, not trusting himself to look at her again. “Oh, so you set me up? Knew I’d come over here to rescue you?” He hefted with a laugh. “Bullshit.”
“I paid him twenty bucks.” She took a pull at her beer, eyes sparkling. She was full of shit, but he liked to think that she wanted him to come over that bad. “If you hadn’t taken the bait, I’d have sent in an attack dog to eat my leg.”
He bit back a smile. Lila was the weirdest girl he’d ever been with. He had a whole list of superlatives reserved especially for her. Oddly shaped earrings tugged her lobes downward. Something angular with eyeballs. She always had good taste. Knew how to strike the balance between bookish and vixen. “Those are some desperate measures.”
“Yeah, well, you seemed pretty content acting like I don’t exist.” She leaned in to accentuate the word ‘exist’, words slurring ever so slightly. She crossed her legs, pink dress hiking up to show tan thigh. Tangy liquor reached his nostrils. Lila was tanked—no way she’d be so honest with him after five years without a word.
Lex surveyed the room, calculating his response. On the dance floor, Travis whirled Amara around, their laughter mingling with the whoops of the others. It would be so easy to just pick up where they left off. Before things went to shit. Act like the last five years hadn’t even happened. But it would be just as easy to walk away. To say fuck you for ditching me. To make this just a blip in the timeline of Lex and Lila’s Unhappy Ending.
“Didn’t think you’d remember me. Wasn’t sure what to say.”
She scoffed, flagging down the bartender. “Like I could forget you?”
Her words hung heavy in the air between them; a distant hope flickered to life inside his chest. If alcohol was a truth serum, then he might get way more than he bargained for. Maybe he wasn’t ready for it. Walking away from her seemed the safest choice—but every cell in his body vibrated with desperate curiosity to hear every last thing this woman had to say to him. Drunk or not.
The bartender arrived, casting Lex a quizzical glance before she brought the tequila shot Lila ordered. Lila tossed it back without a word, then turned to Lex. Her breasts sat heavy and round in the low-cut dress, pushed together by the tight motorcycle jacket zipped up to just beneath her chest. Her crossed legs reminded him of all the curves he’d spent hours tracing with his hands and lips. For the briefest moment, a whirlwind of memories scooped him up—the sweet, savory, salacious details he usually reserved for masturbatory fantasies.
“You trying to get drunk tonight?” He looked her up and down, leaning a bit closer.
“Maybe.” She cocked a grin. “You?”
“Nah.” He sniffed. “Just playing it cool.”
“That’s not the Lex I know,” she murmured, her gaze skating over his face, down his chest.
“Exactly.” He gnawed at the inside of his lip, a pain blossoming in his chest. He hadn’t seen this conversation coming by a long shot—not tonight, maybe not ever. But especially not with a tanked Lila. He didn’t know where to take it from here. How to navigate these waters. Burying his hands in his pockets, he took a deep breath. “You don’t know this Lex.”
She huffed, shoving the shot glass away. “Yeah. Clearly.”
A moment of silence passed. “So, is your boyfriend coming out tonight?”
She glared at him. “What?”
“Your boyfriend. The one I got paid to beat up today.” He grinned, leaning his back against the bar, casting a playful glance her way. “Or don’t you remember?”
She scoffed. “I remember. Where’d you get the idea he’s my boyfriend?”
“Travis told me.” Relief sparked and spread inside him when she rolled her eyes. “So, what is he?”
Lila shrugged. “We used to fuck sometimes. That’s all.”
Ouch. Definitely more than he bargained for. He gnawed on the inside of his lip, turning back toward the bar, flagging down the bartender. He couldn’t show her that it hurt. He had no right for it to hurt anymore.
Lex ordered a beer for himself and whatever Lila wanted. She made an exaggerated display of thanking him and asked for a beer too. When the bartender disappeared, Lila grinned.
“She wants you,” she said, clucking her tongue. “I think she’s jealous you’re talking to me.”
“So?” He lifted a brow. “I’m a hot catch. Let her drool over me if she wants.”
Lila laughed. “Can’t argue with that.”
Heat spread through him. He wasn’t sure where to take it from here, how he should play his cards. Pride told him to walk away. Let her stew in the fact that she couldn’t have him. Say goodbye once, say goodbye forever.
But something much quieter than pride said he should bide his time. Take it slow. Make her see that he wasn’t the same guy he was before. And that she had every reason to stop doing whatever the hell with Mason.
“You been having a good night?” He took a pull at his beer.
“Yeah…great night. I just drank too much. I should probably go soon.” Her gaze met his, as if daring him to stop her. Beg her to stay. But he stilled his tongue. Even though he did want her to stay.
“Yeah. Part of being an adult, right? Gotta drink all that water, go to bed on time.”
She turned the beer bottle back and forth between her hands. Still hadn’t taken a sip. “You know…”
Every inch of his skin perked up. Waiting to hear what might follow on the heels of that titillating tone. “What’s that?”
She bit her bottom lip, dragging her gaze to meet his. Then she took a long chug of her beer. She shook her head as she set the bottle down.
“Nothing,” she said quietly. “I forget.”
The ache in the quiet behind her words told him she hadn’t forgotten a damn thing. But she sighed and stood, wobbling for a second before she grabbed at her purse. Fingertips pressed to her forehead, she wavered before she said, “I’ll be right back.”
She headed for the bathroom, uneven stomps across the bar floor, a drunk storming off. He waved down the bartender again, who appeared with a knowing smirk.
“She’s your situation?” She lifted a brow.
“Yeah.” He fished his wallet out of his back pocket. “I’ll get her tab.”
The bartender rang it up and brought him the slip of paper with the total; he paid it and left a healthy tip, finishing up just as Lila returned.
“I need to go home,” she said. Poor girl swayed right where she stood.
“You need a ride?” He grabbed the sides of her arms, steadying her. Her pink lips looked plump, begging him to take a juicy bite on the bottom one. But not like this. Not when she was so far gone.
“I’ll call a ride share.” She fished out her phone clumsily, swiping to the app.
Lex looked out to the dance floor, made a quick calculation. “I’ll take you.”
She waved him off. “You don’t have to.”
“I want to.”
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Her gaze seared him, nearly split him in half. “Seriously?”
“Got nothing else to do.” He shrugged, looking around. Better than staying here and thinking about you all night.
“Lex.” She sent him a duh look. “That’s not a good idea.”
“Oh, and getting into some stranger’s 2018 Audi is?” He hefted with a laugh. “Come on.”
He tugged at the tassels of her purse, leading her toward the door. She scurried toward Amara and her friends to say goodbye, then wound her way out of the dance floor crowd to follow him. They were twenty-seven now, but something in her still looked as fresh and young as the day they’d split. Certain edges had refined in their time apart; she looked like she held a secret professional side, some sort of business weapon in her arsenal. He was dying to know everything about her—what she did now, where she’d been. If Amara brought her as a friend, maybe they were work colleagues somehow.
As he held the door open for her, he said, “Don’t you want to pay your tab?”
She passed a cocky look back at him. “I know you paid it for me.”
He fought a grin. Some habits really died hard. Desire rippled through him, mixed with a nostalgic warmth. He’d always paid for their drinks while she was in the bathroom back in the day. It had been a routine as effortless as brushing his teeth after waking up. That little nod to the past felt better than he’d expected.
The front door clanged behind him, leaving them in an amplified silence. The warm night air tugged him out of the fantasy of the past. He couldn’t go back there—not with her. Not tonight. Not ever.
This was the woman who’d run out on him and never looked back. Pain streaked through him, though the edges weren’t as sharp as they used the be.
The thrum of the bar behind the door was muted, contained. Honks echoed in the distance. Lex looked over at her, the shape of her both familiar and foreign at the same time.
“And if I hadn’t paid?”
“Well, then, I would have paid it, obviously.” She kicked at the loose gravel in the parking lot. “Since they’d be chasing me down by now.”
Lex unlocked the car as they approached, the red taillights blinking lazily. “You made out pretty all right tonight. Free drinks, a personal ride home. Damn. What else do you have lined up?”
She batted her eyes at him over the top of the car before she got in, her smile pure, pretty mischief. “You’ll just have to wait and find out.”
Chapter 3
THEN
Lex pushed his shoulder into the heavy double doors of the library. Inside, the quiet smell of books gnawed at him. The sharp gaze of the librarian swung up to him. A frown on her face. Why the hell did Lila always want to spend her time here?
Lex pasted a bored look on his face, heading toward the back of the study area where he knew she’d be. Their tutoring classes were done. He’d pulled his grades up enough to pass the English Class for Dumbasses, as he called it. You’re not a dumbass, she always responded.
He might not be a dumbass, but he wasn’t smart either. If he was, he wouldn’t be chasing the goody-two-shoes angel who smiled like a Seventeen magazine model and always had not just one but a whole extra pack of pencils at the ready.
There were two weeks until graduation and only one graduation gift he wanted: her.
“Sup, Lila?” He slid into the chair across from her, his heart rate skyrocketing the second he laid eyes on her. She glanced up at him without moving her head away from the book she read.
“Hi, Lex.” She sniffed, casting her gaze back down. “Just reading some legal theory.”
“You already got into UCLA. We’ve got two weeks left.” He leaned forward, lowering his voice a notch. “You need to have fun. Let’s go on a date.”
His heart thumped mercilessly as he waited for her reaction. She was the only girl who had shot him down a billion times. But he kept coming back for more. She was the hardest nut to crack. But he didn’t just want to crack her. He wanted to carry her off and savor her.
“Not gonna happen.” A trace of a smile on her face. That, at least, was progress. He heaved a sigh, loving the whiff of her shampoo. She smelled like berries and vanilla. “Is that what you came here to tell me?”
“Nah. Just wanted to see you.” He rested his head against his hand, tracing the edge of her textbook. He still hadn’t decided if he would go to school. Lila pushed and pushed for it, but the only reason he wanted to was for her. To make her happy. But still, that didn’t seem like enough of a reason. He should want it for himself or something.
“Well, look at me if you want, but I have to study.” She moved her index finger along the sentence she read. He studied her bright pink nail as it moved left to right.
“This is the end of the year. This is the time to relax.”
Her smirk told him what he already knew: telling Lila to relax on the academic goals was about as pointless as begging a dog not to bark at the mailman.
“Not for me. I got into UCLA, which has been my dad’s dream practically since I started walking. I have to do this right.” She sent him a warning look. “I’m going to be a lawyer, Lex. And I have to start studying now.”
It didn’t make sense to him. Lila being a lawyer.
“So once you get your fancy law degree, what are you gonna do?”
She blinked at him. “Be a lawyer. Duh.”
“And you’ll date me then?”
She cocked her head, a smile tugging at her lips. Her waxen blonde hair glinted in the harsh light of the library. “Depends.”
“On what?”
“On whether or not you’re still getting in trouble.”
He rested the side of his face in his hand, lobbing an exaggerated sigh. “But getting in trouble is what I do best. It’s practically my job.”
“Yeah. If you could get promoted to Chief Troublemaker Officer, you would.” She slouched down into her seat, apparently to focus, but he could tell her attention still hovered on him.
“Hey,” he said, feigning a stern tone. “You think I’d just be an officer? Shit, Lila. I’d be the president.”
Her body convulsed with repressed giggles, and she fought the grin the whole way. He liked that she didn’t want to be amused by him…be attracted to him…look forward to him. Yet she was.
It was only a matter of time before he could get her to admit it, too.
Chapter 4
Lila awoke with a groan, rolling over in bed as a spasm crested her head, made the whole world shrink to a dense nut of pain behind her eyelids. An irritating beep sounded from somewhere. A text message. She launched an arm toward her nightstand, desperate for a drink of water. She cracked an eye, struggling to locate the glass. Fuck. Gone.
She sat up, rubbing her eyes, noting her clothes were still on from the night before. Odd. Had she been so drunk last night? Girl’s night had taken a blurry turn somewhere after the second bar. Right around the time Girl’s night had turned into drink-to-forget night.
They’d barhopped for hours, downing shots at each new place, grabbing taxis to the next. By the time they’d reached their final destination, The Corner Bar, to celebrate the video series, Lila was over ten shots deep, ignoring every single text Mason sent.
She needed the girl’s night, she’d told him. And it was true—he just didn’t need to know girl’s night included her ex-boyfriend. She swung her legs off the bed, stumbling forward, getting her grip on the new day. Just after nine in the morning, far too early to be awake after a night like that. She sighed, scratching at the valley between her breasts. Sleeping in a bra was so dumb. She’d never stop itching.
She tore off her pink dress, dropping it on the bed, reviewing the texts that Mason had sent her. Over ten messages and two missed calls between last night and this morning. “Are you OK? Babe, let’s just stay at my house tonight. Text me where you are. How did you get home?”
How had she gotten home? Hazy images of tequila shots drifted through her mind. And Lex. Jesus God,
that delicious man. She’d left Mason out of the loop because he was too overbearing these days. Not catching on to any of her hints at all. She needed to break it off with him, stat. Even though she’d thought he was exactly what she wanted—Abercrombie model hot, simple, neat, smart.
Something tugged at her, a blurry memory, like a present she’d forgotten to open. She yawned, unhooking her bra as she headed into the living room. What was it? Excitement roiled beneath her skin, but she didn’t know why.
She crossed the doorway into the living room and stilled, eyes wide as she beheld the man in her living room. Broad shouldered and tall, dark hair clipped short, a simple white tee straining against the rippling muscles of his back and biceps. She gasped, almost afraid to believe this could be real—Lexington Olivo. Standing at her kitchen island, rifling through some magazines, sexy enough to impregnate her just by glancing at her.
A literal ghost from her past, yet alive and real in her apartment, sexier somehow than yesterday. Like a marinade refining with time. The fucking love of her life, the man she’d left in order to save herself, so that he could save himself.
Her heart started a desperate beat in her chest. He turned with a start, eyes widening as they landed on her. She gripped at the slack straps of her bra, keeping it in place. Flashing him would be one way to start the day—certainly one way to get the ball rolling in the direction her body wanted it to go.
“Hey. Good morning.”
She blinked at him, swallowing hard. She covered her lower belly with an arm, like protecting herself from his charms. “Hey. I-I, uh…I forgot you were here.”
His gaze lingered on her chest, drifting over her belly, practically leaving scorch marks in their wake. “Oh. Well, I was just heading out, but I can’t find my keys.”
Disappointment tremored through her. “Uh…hang on.” She hurried back into her bedroom, chest heaving as she struggled to piece together the night. What the fuck was Lex doing in her apartment? Had she really invited him back? Nothing made sense. Tequila had to be avoided from here on out.