Sea Breeze 03 While It Lasts (27 page)

Before I could get the hell away from her she sp
u
n around and hurried
to shore. The pain in my chest
beca
me unbearable. I bent over and
put my hands on my knees. FUUUUCK. This hurt.

             
The Jeep roared to life and I listened as she drove away. She’d run again but this time I’d sent her running.

             
I stood up
,
threw my head back and yelled, “MOTHER FUCKER” as the sun beat down on me
. M
ocking me. Mocking my life.

Eva

             
Josh was gone.
Jeremy was gone.  Cage was gone. I had no one. I couldn’t stand this. I needed to make the pain go away.  I’d been so hurt that staying away from Cage the rest of the week had been the only way I could deal with it. Even then all I could manage to do was cry.
He’d been with other women. I wanted to believe he was lying just to hurt me but I knew he wasn’t. I
had seen
the sincerity in his eyes.

             
The idea of someone else touching him and feeling his hands all over her body
,
made me nauseous. I couldn’t stand it. I needed to forget. I needed to wash that image in my head away. The pain was only getting worse. He thought I’d rejected him and in a way
,
I had. He was right. I deserved this.
But it hurt so incredibly bad.

             
I pulled my Jeep into Nelly’
s. It was the only honky-
tonk in town. It was also the only place a twenty year old could get a drink.
I needed to feel numb. Alcohol was the only thing I could come up with that would work.

Nelly wasn’t above slipping you a drink if you had the money. Because of this she managed to run a very successful business. Out here in the country no one thought to come check her out. She got away with a lot of things because she was off the radar.

             
I had pulled out the blue
jean mini skirt that Josh had loved so much and put it on as a source of co
mfort. I completed my honky-
tonking outfit with cowboy boots a
nd a shiny
black
halter-
top. I was going to dance with attractive men and drink enough tequila to make the pain go away. Cage may have thrown me aside once he got tired of me but I wasn’t undesirable. Many guys would be thrilled to have my attention.

             
I jerked the door open
.
As
I
stepped
into the
smoky
bar
, I
searched for
Becca
Lynn. She’d texted me and told me to come meet her here if I was up for some fun.
I noticed her dancing with a guy with a black Stetson and a pair of tight jeans.
Becca
Lynn was rubbing every p
art of her body against his as
the live band played an old country song that reminded me of Daddy’s Hank Williams Jr
.
albums.

             
Nelly was at the bar and I headed over to order my first shot of the night.

             
“Didn’t ‘
spect
to see you back here after Jeremy came to peel you off the flo
or the last time you stopped in.
” Nelly’s concerned frown bothered me. Did everyone in town stick
their
noses in my business?

             
“I need a drink
,
Nelly,” I told her as I sat down on the empty stool in front of her.

             
She sighed, “
Alrighty
girl, reckon you’re a woman now.” S
he grabbed a shot glass and poured Jose
Cuervo
silver into the glass then slid it over to me.

             
“You wanting lime and salt with that?”

             
“No. This is fine,” I replied and slung it back. The heat burned
all
the
w
ay down my throat. I put the glass back down and pushed it back to her.

             
“Easy now
,
sugar,” she chided and filled the glass again
before sliding
it back to me.

             
“I just need two to get me loosened up.”

             
I took the glass and downed it quickly. The burn was less intense but it was still there.

             
“This
‘
cause Jeremy left for school?” Nelly asked
,
leaning her elbows on the bar and studying me. Her long
black hair was peppered with gra
y and pulled back into a ponytail. Hard living hadn’t been good to her and although she was probably
around
her mid-forties she looked older. Her skin was weathered and hard looking.

             
“No. This time it isn’t because of a Beasley boy,” I informed her
,
sliding my glass to her. “Just one more,” I told her.

             
“Who am I
gonna
call with Jeremy gone if you end up trashed?”

             
“I won’t get drunk
,
I promise. I just need a buzz, Nelly.”

             
Her wrinkled lips puckered int
o
a frown and she poured me one more glass.

             
I didn’t wait for her to give it to me. I reached over
,
picked it up and downed it. The numbness started to set in and Cage York seemed less important. Perfect. I smiled at Nelly and would have kissed her sagging cheek if I could reach her. She’d given me my first relief from the pain since Cage had discarded me.

             
Standing up
,
I had to stop a second to steady myself when the room shifted a little. Once I had my balance I walked out to the dance floor. I’d dance by myself. I didn’t need a man.

             
“Eva Brooks, I do believe yo
u have been drinking,” a
familiar voice drawled and I lifted my gaze from the floor where I’d been focused on not falling over and met the smiling brown eyes of Mark
Ganner
. Mark had played wide receiver in high school. Josh had often said that Mark was his
‘
go to
’
guy. He could catch a ball no matter how bad the throw.

             
“Mark.
” I smiled
;
glad to see someone from my past.

             
“You look real good, Eva.”

             
I reached out and grabbed his arm and leaned on him some. My legs were
still a little numb. “Thank you,
” I replied.

             
“You
wanna
dance?” Mark asked

             
“YES!”

             
Mark laughed and pulled me into his arms. I was thankful for some support.

             
“What have you been up to?” h
e asked as we moved together to the music.

             
“
Nothing. Trying to figure out what happens next.”

             
Mark nodded, “Yeah.”

             
The song changed and I had more control over my body as the tequila
eased  through
me.
             
Throwing back my head I laughed and began moving my hips seductively against Mark. The interest in his eyes felt empty.
Then again,
I was empty. Might as well take what I could get.

             
“EVA!”
Becca
Lynn squealed as the cowboy twirled her around and sidled up next to
me and Mark
.

             
“Look at you already buzzing and dancing with Mark. I’m so proud I could just bust,”
Becca
cheered.  “You be good to her Mark.”

             
“She’s in good hands,” Mark assured
Becca
.
S
he giggled then threw him a wink before dancing off.

             
“You two still keeping in touch, then?” Mark asked

             
“Yeah,
Becca
Lynn still comes around. She’s about the only friend other than Jeremy that is brave enough to visit me.”

             
Mark frowned and I could see the pity in his eyes. I hated the pity. Cage never looked at me with the damn pity in his eyes.

             
“I need another shot. Would you get it for me? Nelly is being stingy tonight with me.”

             
Mark’s pity vanished and he gave me an excited grin, “Yeah
,
sure. I’ll be right back.”

             
“Could you make that two?” I asked as he started toward the bar.

             
“Absolutely.”

Cage

             
“Get your sorry ass up and go crook your damn finger and get us a couple
hotties
. I want
a redhead tonight with really bi
g tits. So damn big that they’re fake,” Preston yelled over the loud music.

             
“I’m just here to drink,” I replied. I’d already told him that once. I just couldn’t pretend with cheap sex. It didn’t help. It just made me more of a bastard than I already
was
.

             
“Come on man. I can wrangle up some ladies but you always get the damn cream of the crop.
Especially with
titties
.
  The girls with big
titties
flock to you. Please go get me some big round plump tits I can bury myself in tonight.”

             
I liked Preston but he was getting on my nerves.
I didn’t want to get him any damn tits. Did
he
even realize how fucking shallow he sounded?

             
“I said I wasn’t here for that.”

             
Preston sat his beer down on the table and took the empty stool beside me. “Please
,
don’t tell me this is over the girl you brought in here a few weeks back. I thought you were over that. I can’t go through this shit with you too.
First Marcus
,
now you.
Hell, what happened to a variety of pussy? Why would anyone want to give that up?”

             
My phone vibrated in my pocket before I had to respond to him. I pulled it out and an unfamiliar number flashed on my screen. I press
e
d answer and covered my other ear so I could hear.

             
“Hello?”

             
“Cage. Hey, man this is Jeremy. Where are you?”

             
What the hell was Jeremy calling me for?

             
“In Sea Breeze, why?”

             
“I need a big ass favor. It’s Eva.”

             
I stood up and started walking for the door in long strides.

             
“What about Eva?”

             
“I’m in Louisiana and she’s gone and got
ten
trashed again. I just got a call from Nelly. She said Eva was dancing on the damn bar.”

             
“
Fuuuck
,” I growled and broke into a run. Digging in my pocket I found my keys and jammed them into the lock as I reached my
Mustang
. I wasn’t supposed to be driving but fuck that. I had to get to her. What if someone touched her? My chest pounded frantically in my chest.

             
“Nelly is watching her but she said that someone needed to come
get her and she hated to call Wilson
. He’d be furious.
Besides that he’s gone to the hunting camp
to fish
.”

             
“Call Nelly and tell her to get Eva off the bar and make sure no one lays a finger on her or she’s
gonna
have one
helluva
bar figh
t on her hands when I get there,
” I growled.