Page 24 of Oracles Always Win

“ShouldIbreak them apart?I’drather be pre-emptive than not,”Iwhispered toSally.

Ididn’t want to alienate the only guy my dick had ever taken a liking to, butIwould ifIhad to.I’dgone this long without sex;Icould wait a little longer.

Shepeered over her shoulder at the group, then waved her hand through the air dismissively. “Nah.They’llbe fine.”

Iwasn’t convinced she was right.

“Areyou sure?”Iasked, trying not to look atGage. “Somethingdoesn’t feel right…”

Sallygot a strange gleam in her eye as she leaned toward me and nodded her head encouragingly, eyeing me likeIwas the most fascinating thing in the room. “Ohreally?Tellme more.Whatdo you feel?”

Irolled my eyes. “They’restirring up trouble.That’sall.”

Thatwas not all, but that was allIwas willing to say aloud.AbusySaturdayafternoon wasn’t the time to dissect how a figment of my imagination had suddenly walked through the door and was making everyone angry.

WhenHaydenWalkerhad burst through the door and his eyes landed onGage, it was like a scene from an old western the way everyone quieted and swung their gazes back and forth between the two.ThenHaydensniffed the air before charging right over to them.And, for the record,Iwas never going to get used to the way the people inWillowLakewere always sniffing things.Itwas weird, but so much ofWillowLakewas.

EvenSallyhad swiveled in her seat to watch as the mechanic stalked through the bar towardGage.AndallIcould think wasno, no, no.Ididn’t want my imaginaryMr.HornyDudeto be an asshole.Irefused to lust after a jerk.

BecauseIwas still lusting.

Therewas a lot of lusting going on.Morelusting thanI’dever lusted before.

Iwas thrilled my body had finally decided sex might be nice.Itfit in well with my new goals.Butit needed to settle down a bit untilIhad time to do something about it.

Mypreviously absent but newly awakened libido hadn’t even lessened whenHaydenslammed his hands on the table and looked like he was going to toss the table across the room and dive forGage.Ifanything, my dick perked up at how calmlyGagesat there.Confidenceand self-control were unbelievably sexy;Ihadn’t known that until now.

AndthenIsworeIheard growling like he had an angry animal in his pocket.Ofcourse, itwasn'tgrowling.Itwas just… um… rumbling words?Yeah.

Haydenhad leaned in close, pushing his face right intoGage’sspace.Andit was like the whole bar inhaled and held their breath.Gagemerely cocked one of his eyebrows and took a drink of his dark ale.Meanwhile,I’dalmost marched over there and pushedHaydenaway, which was crazy.

Haydenwas a great guy.He’dbeen incredibly helpful over the last year.Yes, he was gruff and grumpy, butIalways found him to be honest and supportive too.Withouthis encouragement,Imight have closed the pub.

Sowhy wasIfeeling compelled to defend the stranger against him?

Ididn’t understand any of this.

Ithought my midnight painting sessions were stressful, but this was so much worse.

AtleastGagehadn’t looked like he was about to punchHayden, the way he had withOldThom.

Usually,Iliked whenHaydenwas around—he had some innate leadership quality that made all the other patrons behave better—butI’dnever seen the guy get so angry so fast before.Andhe’d been pissed.Imay not have heard the words, but there was no mistaking his body language.

Ireally wishedIknew whyHaydenhad acted that way.Didhe knowGageand his friends?Werethey trouble?Ihoped they weren’t trouble.BecauseIreallywanted to explore this attractionIfelt toGage.Itwas such a novelty, it seemed wrong to let it go.And, as strange as it was, even though we’d barely met, he was the only oneIwanted to get naked with.

Italso didn’t hurt that he was an exceptional kisser.

Butgiven all the problemsGageand his friends were stirring up, my attraction to him probably wasn’t healthy.ShouldIkick them out?Mycommon sense told meIshould.

Isighed.

Right.Meand what army?

Becauseif they didn’t want to leave,I’dnever be able to shove them out the door.Myregulars were usually mellow and relaxed, soIhadn’t worried about hiring a bouncer or any other kind of security.Thefew times something had happened,HaydenorVanor one of the others had stepped in to diffuse the situation or usher the problem outside.

ButIhad a feeling none of us had ever confronted a group of people likeGageand his buddies.

AtleastVanwas over there now too.Ihoped he’d sort things out for me.WhatcouldIsay?Iwas a wuss.