Abby eyed Megan, clearly taken off guard. Megan was an old pro at tipping the scales in her favor.
“Introduce me to your girlfriend,” Megan said, smiling.
She knew damn good and well Abby wasn’t my girlfriend. Ho 101: If the man in your sights is on a date or with a female friend, force him to admit to lack of commitment. Creates insecurity and instability.
I knew where this was going. Hell, if Abby really thought I was a criminal-grade douche bag, I might as well act like one. I slid my beer down the bar, and it fell off the edge, clinking into the full trash can at the end. “She’s not my girlfriend.”
Purposefully ignoring Abby’s reaction, I grabbed Megan’s hand and led her to the dance floor. She complied, happily swinging our arms until our feet hit the wood. Megan was always entertaining to dance with. She had no shame and let me do anything to her that I wanted, on and off the dance floor. As usual, most of the other dancers stopped to watch.
We usually made a spectacle, but I was feeling exceptionally lewd. Megan’s dark hair slapped me in the face more than once, but I was numb. I picked her up and she wrapped her legs around my waist, and then bent back, stretching her arms over her head. She smiled as I pumped her in front of the entire bar, and when I set her on her feet, she turned and bent over, grabbing her ankles.
Sweat poured down my face. Megan’s skin was so wet, my hands slipped away every time I tried to touch her. Her shirt was soaked, and so was mine. She leaned in for a kiss, her mouth slightly open, but I leaned back, looking toward the bar.
That was when I saw him. Ethan Coats. Abby was leaned in toward him, smiling with that drunken, flirty, take-me-home smile I could spot in a crowd of a thousand women.
Leaving Megan on the dance floor, I pushed through the mass that had gathered around us. Just before I reached Abby, Ethan reached over to touch her knee. Remembering what he’d gotten away with the year before, I balled my hand into a fist, standing between them, with my back to Ethan.
“You ready, Pidge?”
Abby put her hand on my stomach and pushed me to the side, smiling the instant Ethan came back into view. “I’m talking, Travis.” She held her hand out, feeling how wet it was, and then wiped it on her skirt in dramatic fashion.
“Do you even know this guy?”
She smiled even wider. “This is Ethan.”
Ethan extended his hand. “Nice to meet you. “
I couldn’t take my eyes off of Abby while she stared at that sick and twisted fuck across from her. I left Ethan’s hand hanging, waiting for Abby to remember I was standing there.
Dismissive, she waved her hand in my direction. “Ethan, this is Travis.” Her voice was decidedly less enthusiastic about my introduction, which just pissed me off more.
I glared down at Ethan, and then at his hand. “Travis Maddox.” My voice was as low and menacing as I could manage.
Ethan’s eyes grew wide, and he awkwardly pulled back his hand. “Travis Maddox?”
I stretched my arm behind Abby to grip the bar. “Yeah, what of it?”
“I saw you fight Shawn Smith last year, man. I thought I was about to witness someone’s death!”
My eyes narrowed, and my teeth clenched. “You wanna see it again?”
Ethan laughed once, his eyes darting back and forth between us. When he realized I wasn’t kidding, he smiled awkwardly at Abby, and then walked away.
“Are you ready, now?” I snapped.
“You are a complete asshole, you know that?”
“I’ve been called worse.” I held out my hand and she took it, letting me help her from the stool. She couldn’t have been that pissed.
With a loud whistle, I signaled Shepley, who saw my expression and immediately knew that it was time to leave. I used my shoulder to cut through the crowd, shamelessly knocking over a few innocent bystanders to let off steam until Shepley headed us off and took over for me.
Once outside, I took Abby’s hand, but she jerked it away.
I wheeled around and yelled in her face. “I should just kiss you and get it over with! You’re being ridiculous! I kissed your neck, so what?”
Abby leaned back, and when that didn’t create enough space, she pushed me away. No matter how pissed I was, she knew no fear. It was kinda hot.
“I’m not your fuck buddy, Travis.”
I shook my head, stunned. If there was anything else I could do to keep her from thinking that, I didn’t know what it was. She was special to me from the second I laid eyes on her, and I tried to let her know it every chance I got. How else could I get that across to her? How much different from everyone else could I treat her? “I never said you were! You’re around me 24-7, you sleep in my bed, but half the time you act like you don’t wanna be seen with me!”
“I came here with you!”
“I have never treated you with anything but respect, Pidge.”