Page 31 of Take The Risk

​“Why, Ty? It’s been soooo long since I’ve seen you.” Her pout made her look ridiculous. We were thirty, for God’s sake.

​“Maybe we’ll join you in a bit, Janelle.” Wade plopped the wing basket down on the bar.

​What the fuck? I clenched my teeth. Wade’s face held that mischievous look that had gotten us into trouble more than once, and I thought seriously about kicking his ass. I didn’t know what he was up to. He liked Janelle and her merry gang of bitches even less than I did.

​“Yay!” she squealed so loudly in my ear, I winced. Damn. I was going to be lucky if I wasn’t going to be deaf. Several of the patrons around us jerked, glaring at Janelle, who bounced on her feet in excitement, completely oblivious.

​Snatching a wing, I took a bite. The sooner I ate, the sooner I could get the hell out of here.

​“How about you head back to your seat, and we’ll join you in a bit?” Wade suggested, pointing her in the direction of her friends.

​“See you soon, boys.” Janelle kissed my cheek so fast I didn’t have time to react, returning to her table. I stiffened when a few of the regulars made catcalls. I stared right at them, which had them quieting downright quick.

​Polishing off my wing, I picked up another one and tore into it, chewing furiously.

​“Dude, you’re super intense tonight.” Wade faced me.

​The catcalls around us died a quick death, only to be followed by the subdued chatter that told me all I really needed to know.

​Fucking great.

​“You’d be the same if you knew your name was going to be making the rounds come morning.”

​Wade demolished a wing. “Aren’t you the same guy who had a threesome with the cheerleaders from Thomaston Prep during halftime at the senior football game in high school?”

​I grinned. I had done that. At the time, I’d thought it made me cool to flaunt my sexual proclivities. Banging two girls at a game where anyone could have caught us but didn’t was the highlight of my senior year. I did have enough brains to keep my antics out of Maplehurst. But not far enough away, apparently. The conversation with my mom and dad the next morning was something I didn’t want to repeat. Ever.

​It was a hell of a lesson, and I’d learned right then to clean up my act and keep my dick out of the gossip mill. Mostly, I’d been successful.

​“We’re not seventeen anymore,” I argued.

​Green eyes and a sweet smile flashed in my mind, turning the wings sour in my mouth.

​You’re being a moron. She’s just a client. And your mom’s friend. Why the hell do you care if she knows you’ve fucked half the town or not? You don’t care, I told myself, chewing on a wing so hard that I cracked the bone in half.

​“Uh-huh.” Wade picked up his beer, taking a sip.

​“What’s that supposed to mean?” I dropped the broken wing onto the plate Dad put in front of me.

​“Nothing, man.” Wade grinned, and I wanted to punch him. Instead, I swiped the wing basket from in front of him. I knew he was up to something when instead of fighting me, something he did often over food, he slapped me on the back, getting to his feet. “Let’s take those and go make some women happy tonight, brother.”

​He walked off, heading for Janelle and her two friends.

​“Asshole,” I muttered, polishing off a few more wings. I wasn’t going over there. Nope. My ass was comfy right here. I stared at the game on the large screen hanging in the corner above the bar. Balls were thrown, bats cracked, and I saw none of it.

​When my wings were finished, I got up, putting the basket and plate into the bin Dad used for dirty dishes. Turning, I found Dad leaning against the bar in a moment of calm, studying me.

​Wade’s booming laugh was followed by a group of giggles could be heard over the noise of conversations and cheers when a home run was hit.

​“What?” I raised a brow at Dad.

​“Nothing, son.” Dad’s smile was cryptic. “Nothing.”

Chapter 13

​“Are you guys getting hungry?” I held up the plate of sandwiches I just made, forcing myself not to stare at the man currently hammering and the way his arms flexed with each swing.

​I swallowed, needing to fan myself and not from the heat wave that hit.