Two
Fraze was about sick of getting a taste of his own medicine. He’d been a matchmaker for Laura and Dristan and he knew he’d irritated the hell out of both of them before they’d finally figured out they were meant for each other. Now, though, Dristan and Laura were trying to get Fraze to find someone else to keep him company.
“I’m so over this,” he said.
Laura passed him another cosmo. “Drink up. Somehow we’ve got to get you to stop being so uptight.”
“I’m not uptight,” Fraze whined, taking a drink. “Just bored with this game.”
Dristan laughed.
“Shut up, d-bag,” Fraze said.
Dristan laughed again.
Fraze didn’t have the energy to deal with it. “Let’s play pool or something.”
“We’re actually gonna head out,” Dristan said.
Fraze tried not to look annoyed, but he knew he was failing. “So you drag me out here to hang with you two, and then you abandon me?”
“The idea is that you’re gonna meet someone special,” Laura said, her voice kind. “Hottie like you, all alone.”
Fraze snorted. He did not have his brother’s movie star good looks. Mateo, another member of their pride, had said that Fraze had a face that might pass for radio. Mateo was right. Fraze wasn’t ugly, exactly, just not…oh, who the hell cared. He’d had a girlfriend. He’d hooked up with women. He was just too much of a monster inside to be able to trust himself with a human woman. As far as the women in his pride, he’d tried a fling with Nina once, just to see if there was something there. There hadn’t been chemistry with Nina, and the other women his age were taken. Well, except for Viviana, but they were just friends—there was no chemistry with her, either. Besides, risk the alpha’s wrath to hook up with her daughter? Nope, nope, and thrice nope.
So, he was stuck at Hart’s, waving goodbye to Laura and flipping off Dristan, and wondering what the hell he was going to do for the rest of the evening, because it sure as shit wouldn’t be a woman.
As the door closed after Laura and Dristan, a woman caught his eye. Not unusual—he wasn’t immune to beauty or the prospect of sex—he just didn’t let himself indulge in it. This woman, however, made him want to keep looking. Pale blond hair, fair skin, and blazing eyes so dark they were almost black. Red lips—red like sex and violence. A scar ran from her temple to her chin, but it was barely noticeable compared to the blazing intensity of her dark eyes.
He moved slightly in his seat, trying to keep his hard-on from getting out of control. He looked down at his drink. Should he do it? Should he go over there and talk to her? It would be futile. But…maybe it was time.
Time to what? This was stupid.
When he looked up again, just to give his eyes a treat, she was gone.
Well, that answered that.
A waitress came around to collect the empty glasses on Fraze’s table. “Want me to order anything else for ya?” she asked.
“Sure, thanks. I’ll take another cosmo.”
She didn’t even blink at the fact he liked girlie drinks, giving her points as a waitress. He’d leave her a huge tip.
The beautiful little blond woman was gone—he even stood up to see if she’d stepped behind some of the other patrons. She was so petite she’d probably be swallowed right up in a crowd. She wasn’t there.
Fraze drank his cosmo. Ordered another.
He might’ve had another. Pretty soon, the room was kind of blurry, and the bartender was doing last call. Fraze didn’t remember the night passing so fast. He’d been awake and watching people. A couple of women had even come up to say hello, and he vaguely recognized them from Belnedge High. Maybe they’d been a year above or below him, he couldn’t remember. He was polite and wished them well on their quest. Quest for what?
Shit, he should definitely not be driving tonight. He pulled up his phone and texted Viviana.
V, I need a ride.
She wrote back, On my way.
Fraze watched everyone finish their drinks and pay their bills. He felt bad for calling Viviana. She had a hard enough time getting out. He should have called someone else—but everyone else was paired up. Nina was living in Idaho now—she’d joined the Rock Creek Clan to be with her mate, Jameson. It was just Fraze and Viviana left in their little group of friends. He hadn’t wanted to call any of the others…he felt too pathetic. But V would understand.
She arrived wearing a pair of yoga pants and a zip-up hoodie, with her blond hair braided down her back. “Oh, Fraze.”
He looked up blearily. “What?”
“You’re totally smashed, honey. How many did you have?”
“Don’t know.”
She led him out to her car, and he waved at the helpful waitress who hadn’t made fun of his cosmos, and he waved at the bartender, who smiled prettily back at him, and he waved at the other people scattered on the porch who were either making out or waiting for rides. Viviana helped him into her car, and she buckled him up, and then she drove him home, and then he didn’t remember.