Page 13 of Wild Promise

Unfazed, she lifted her glass. “Cheers!”

The entire table erupted again as I walked away.

A few months ago, I probably would’ve stayed. Hell, maybe I would’ve gone home with one of them.

But now all I could think about was how easily she’d moved on the second I said no. Like I was nothing more than a momentary distraction. Someone entertaining to pass the night with.

The worst part was that I’d built my entire persona around being exactly that.

So why the hell did it suddenly bother me?

Before I made it back behind the bar, my cousin Eric intercepted me. At thirty-eight, he was the oldest Alexander cousin and the only one who’d managed to turn the family business into something resembling a respectable corporate career. He ran PR and marketing for the resort and had mastered the art of looking calm while making everyone around him nervous.

“You look like shit,” he said.

“Thanks. You’re really boosting morale around here.”

He studied me with that annoyingly perceptive stare of his. “Your dad called the office today. Said he wanted to discuss quarterly numbers with my father.”

My jaw tightened. “Since when does Bowen care about quarterly numbers for this place?”

“Since never.” Eric clapped a hand against my shoulder. “That’s why I’m mentioning it.”

Then he walked away, leaving the warning hanging there. I stood frozen a second too long, watching him disappear down the hall.

Eric didn’t casually flag things. He’d worked for my father once, years ago, and had walked away from it with enough sense to know when something smelled off. If he thought there was a problem, there usually was.

And when it came to my father, problems could get ugly fast.

When I returned to the bar, Colin waited with a ridiculous grin. “I get it now.” He pointed at me like he’d cracked a secret code.

“Is this a riddle?”

He snorted. “No, I get what’s wrong with you.”

“Oh yeah, want to explain it to me, then?” Fuck, I was in a shitty mood.

“Melina turning you down. I think it broke you.”

I barked a laugh. “Broke me? What makes you think I was whole to begin with? You and I are about as broken as they come.”

His smile dropped, and my stomach seized.

Fuck. That had been way too honest. Fun-time guy wasn’t supposed to do heartfelt.

“Have you considered just talking to her?” he asked, recovering fast. “I mean actually talking to her. Women apparently love emotional maturity.”

“Sounds fake.”

His devious smile returned. “Unless you’re still too scared.”

Hell yes, I was scared. There was a reason I didn’t chase women—a reason I let them come to me—and it wasn’t because I was an arrogant prick or too lazy to bother. It was because outside of the bedroom, I didn’t know what the hell I was doing. Especially with a woman like Melina. A woman who seemed built for commitment.

A woman who saw straight through my bullshit.

“You’re not going to leave this alone, are you?” I sighed.

“Nope. I like watching you squirm.”