Give Me a Reason (Redemption Hills 1)

Sage lifted his hands in surrender. “Hey now, delivery came in this afternoon and we were short staffed tonight, as you well know. Todd’s doin’ his best at getting it stocked before we lock up. Now how ’bout you let me pour you one while we get it cleaned up? Take the edge off? You know, before you go Godzilla on this shit.”

I swiped the back of my hand over my mouth. Dude had no fucking clue what a rampage really meant.

The rough chuckle hitting me from the side had me whipping my attention to the right.

Jud was standing there, fucker laughing under his breath like he thought this shit was funny.

He glanced at Sage with a jut of his bearded jaw.

“Why don’t you pour us both one?” he shouted over the din.

The bar wasn’t quite packed, but at just before closing, the vibe was still unruly and wild since the band playing tonight had nearly incited a riot with how rowdy they’d been.

“It’d be my pleasure. Wait. Let me correct that. It’d be for my safety,” he cracked, and he jumped back and out of the way when he saw my jaw clench, asshole laughing, too.

Fuckers.

I gave them both a finger.

Jud slipped into a barstool and patted the one next to him. “Sit down, Big Bro, before you go boom. Look like you’re about to explode, and we put too much effort into this place to let you burn it to the ground because you’re in a pissy mood.”

Pushing out a sigh, I rounded the end of the bar and slipped into the stool next to him. Sage was already passing us our drinks by the time I got there.

“On the house.” He winked.

Dude really wanted to get his ass kicked.

Jud laughed and tipped his glass to him. “Perks of ownership, my man.”

“Life goals.”

I wrapped my hand around the glass and brought it to my lips, prayed the burn would soothe.

Because my entire being itched. Fucked from the inside out.

Because this girl. This girl.

This girl I couldn’t get off my mind, no matter what I did.

The last week had been torture. Watching her walk through the doors of Absolution night after night and not being able to go to her. Touch her and hold her. Straight misery when I’d pull up to the curb to pick up my son, and she’d be there with his hand in hers. Two fitting like they’d been made to match.

Seamless.

With the glaring offense that was me ripping them apart.

Each night, I thought it might abate, but it’d come just as strong tonight when I’d caught sight of her coming in through the side door. When that sweet heart had thudded out ahead of her like a brush of those hands, touching me from across the space.

Her body right there, so close, but just out of reach.

Guessed it was another penalty. Another cost to pay.

And shit, it pissed me off.

It was a vicious cycle. One I’d hopped right on again tonight.

Spending the entire shift trying to ignore the pull. This draw that I couldn’t escape. It only grew stronger the more I tried to look away. To pretend like her presence didn’t affect me. Trying to respect the boundaries we’d tossed up like we should have done in the first place.

The only thing it’d accomplished was that energy would strike me like a lash every time she got within a mile of me, which considering we’d been stuck within the confines of the bar, I’d felt like I was getting my ass whipped the whole damned night.

Cut the fuck up and wholly slayed.

Could feel the force of Jud’s stare blazing into me from the side. “Wanna tell me what climbed up your ass and died? You’ve been a salty prick for a straight week.”

I scoffed out my annoyance as I took another sip. “Nothing.”

Jud rumbled a laugh, watching me as he took a gulp of his brew. “You are legit the worst liar, Trent. You might be hard as stone, but you wear it all right there on your sleeve. Rage. Anger. Love.”

He tapped my shoulder with his fist to punctuate each one.

It jostled me, dude always telling it exactly like it was. My head shook in affectionate annoyance. “You know nothing.”

“I know everything,” he mock-whispered as he leaned in and cracked a wise-ass grin. “And I’m bettin’ all this has to do with a certain hot as fuck server who keeps floating through here like some kinda daydream.”

A dream.

A sanctuary.

Heaven.

My teeth clamped down on my bottom lip. “She’s too much, Jud,” I admitted, staring ahead as I brought the tumbler to my lips. The scotch was warm on my tongue, a caress down my throat.

Could feel the questions coming off him in waves. “Too much?”

“More than I have. More than I can give.”

He scowled. “That’s bullshit, man. Why don’t you do all of us a favor and stop with the self-imposed misery.”