Page 57 of Good Directions

14

ANTON

I place my phone screen down on the bar, staring straight ahead, the Pour Decisions logo fading out of focus as I zone out, getting lost in my own thoughts.

Sawyer doesn’t like sex.

It’s probably pretty stereotypical that I ran to a bar after our little encounter gone wrong. I just couldn’t think of where else to go. The lab was out of the question, because for all I knew that’s where Sawyer ran to. Or back to the grove she’d been working in. Or my parents’ house, which was apparently where she ended up. And I knew, instinctively, that running after her was the wrong answer. She needed her space.

Guess I owe Hux an apology for that too. Now that I’ve been on the receiving end of a girl running away, I understand knowing—truly knowing—that going after her isn’t always the right answer. Ooops.

My house would have been an option, I suppose. Maybe a better one. But something about that felt lonely. At least here there are other people.

Milo walks over, stopping in front of me from his side of the bar, tossing his bar towel over his shoulder, then leaning forward, arms spread wide. Pour Decisions doesn’t officially open for another couple of hours, so it’s just him and me—plus the pair of guys working on some lights out on the back porch area.

My older brother studies me, looking me up and down, eyes squinted like he’s looking into the sun. I don’t bother to say anything, simply sit there, lost in my own thought process. Because what is there to say?

Sawyer doesn’t like sex. I mean…who doesn’t like sex?

I can’t reason it. It doesn’t make sense.

Wrapping my head around this…nope. The math doesn’t math.

And oral scares her? What is there to be afraid of? How fucking fantastic it is?

I meant what I told her—our deal has nothing to do with sex. Nothing. I need a date to Willa’s wedding. I have a bet to win. And once I win, I’ll write her that letter of recommendation.

More than that, I really am enjoying our time together. There’s something about her. I want to know everything there is about her. I want to spend time with her. With or without fucking her. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t interested in fooling around.

“So this is what find out looks like…” Milo snickers.

He pushes back, his whole body rocking, the smirk on his face growing as wide as the Flint River. Yanking on the tap, he pours me a beer, still laughing to himself as the amber liquid fills the glass. I shake my head, trying to figure out what the fuck he is going on about.

“Huh?”

Sliding the full pint glass across the bar, looking prouder than a damn peacock, he levels me with a look only an older brother can. “You fucked around, now you’ve found out. Huh?”

“No.”

Fucker…

“What’d you do?”

I grab the beer, taking a long sip, letting the strong but mellow peppy and effervescent taste burst over my tastebuds. Party Mode. Because of course. It’s my favorite of the Southern Brothers beers, regardless of the situation. Something Milo knows.

“Would you believe me if I told you nothing?”

“No.”

Fair.

Milo leans back against the back bar, legs stretched out in front of him, arms crossed, waiting on me to spill like he’s got all day. Then again, he does.

I suck in a breath. I need to get this off my chest. Need advice. And if there is anyone who would understand, it’s probably Milo. But I also meant what I told Sawyer—her secret is safe with me. I never—ever—want her to feel like she can’t tell me things.

Fuck, I’m in deep.

“Cone of silence?” I ask, my chest feeling like the jaws of life are starting to squeeze at it.