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Chapter Two

Sawyer

"You’ve got to curb the temper, man If anyone could take on Beau--it would be you but you’d still walk away beat up," Ethan announced as I pulled out onto the country road from the dirt road that led back to the field parties

"It’s been six onna be pissed over this?" Jake asked from the backseat

Why was this any of their business? Neither one of them knehat a coh so h school I couldn’t even na to them that I’d planned my life with Ashton as the center from the time I elve years old wasn’t exactly easy So instead, I leaned forward and turned on the radio to drown out any ation

"You can turn on o He’s your cousin and your best friend A chick can’t coon a response fro h that no one really knew me, except Beau and Ash He wasn’t my cousin He was my brother but once Beau found out the truth from his mother, he’d decided to keep that information locked ahere it’d been his whole life He didn’t want to claim my dad as his own and I couldn’t really bla to help Beau’s ho but disdain for my father, our father He chose to remember our father’s brother as his dad He’d been the only dad Beau had ever known Even though he’d died when Beau was in first grade, he’d been a fond memory for Beau--unlike his real father

"Hey! You passed Hank’s," Ethan announced, pointing his finger toward the burger place we nor to Hank’s," was my only response They were the ones who juet out of Grove then they could walk back to toe got to where I was headed

"You leaving Grove?" Jake asked

"Yep"

Ethan sighed and leaned back in the seat, "We may end up in Florida before he stops this daer frorulanced back at Jake, "You’re welcoet out and walk back"

His eyes widened and he slowly shook his head "No ood"

I pulled back onto the road and ignored the exchange between the guys They both thought I was nursing a broken-heart Well, they were right

No one said another word until I pulled the truck into the parking lot of Wings I’d driven about twenty h for decent restaurants

"You should’ve told s I’d have shut up," Jake made an excited whoop as he jerked open the backdoor of the truck and jumped out

This was somewhere I’d never eaten with Ash There weren’t many places that I didn’t have a ht, I needed to get my mind off her and focus on onna eat s," Ethan said in reply to Jake’s excitement over my choice of restaurant At least I’dthe door, I went inside and stopped at the hostess stand A tall girl with long blond hair pulled back in a ponytail sleam in her eye that I was used to It had been habit forthat I auto to do that It was tirin that I kneas pretty damn impressive because it was one Ashton always commented on "Three please," I told her and watched as her brown eyes got bigger and she blinked several tiet all flustered was a nice balo

"Ohu for thethem to the floor

I bent down beside her to help pick them up

"I’m sorry I’ht red splotches of color staining her cheeks

"So, it’s just le erupted froles Ash wasn’t a giggler

Handing her the menus, I stood back up and pointedly shifted my attention elsewhere I didn’t need to flirt with her any idea

"Okay, um, this way," I heard her say Both Ethan and Jake quickly fell in behind her I started to follohen aze stopped its uninterested appraisal of the bar to focus in on a fele all she wanted

Auburn hair hung down her back and curled on the ends Two very long legs were bare and crossed as she sat on the barstool and a silver backless high-heeled sandal dangled off the toe of a very dainty foot I hadn’t seen the face of this one yet but from the back, she was a head turner Major potential

"You co or what?" Jake yelled but I didn’t turnseated Instead, I stood frozen watching her Jake’s loud voice caught her attention and she turned in her seat and glanced over her shoulder toward him The creamy smooth complexion was dotted with freckles Normally, I wasn’t a fan of a lot of freckles but the bedroo lipswhat the yelling had been about when she froze and her eyes locked with mine

Surprise, pleasure, and anxiety all flittered across her face as she studied me I was fascinated The bartender calanced back at him

"Sawyer, aze off the redhead, Iwith our menus

"Sawyer, wait," a familiar voice stopped me in my tracks Disbelief settled overher way toward me A short denim skirt stopped several inches above her knees as Ithe view The white top she earing tied at her waist in solimpses of flat set e the shirt displayed to see her face A snition dawned onway

"Lana?" The incredulity in my voice was unmistakable The last person I’d expected to see was Ashton’s cousin The fact she was the girl I’d been checking out was even rin on her face

"What’re you doing here?" I asked, thinkingthe lines of what the hell happened to you? She looked nothing like the girl I’d seen about seven or so irl had been sweet, pri sexual fantasy

"Eating," she quipped and I realized I was s A real smile, not a forced one, for the first tiathered that Ihere, in south Alabaue peeked out and nervously licked the those lips either

"I’ with Ashton this su me off at Ash’s after we eat"

Ash Daood lanced over my shoulder toward the table I had been headed to and frowned

"You guys are already seated at a table?" She shot her frustrated gaze over toward the hostess stand "Figures," she aze and saw the blonde hostess watching us with an irritated frown on her face

"What’s wrong?" I asked, turning hed and looked back aton a table for at least fifteen iven us their table I could fix this probleet your friend and y’all coht sht back"

I watched as she spun around and walked back to the bar Her backside was iently froood

Lana

"Ohirl, when you decide to flaunt it you shoot high" The awe in Jewel’s voice h However, the fact I felt like I was about to throw-up kept the humor at bay Sawyer had checked me out His eyes had slowly scanned up my body He’d paused at my boobs I felt the need to fan myself with the stupid coaster underwith hi for my purse and soda

"Really?" Jewel squealed happily, snatching her purse out of the seat beside her and standing up The scarf thing she called a shirt showed off all of her flat tanned stomach The bar in her belly-button flashed two s eyes to immediately focus on her exposed skin Then the Daisy Duke’s she earing irl turned heads when she walked if for no other reason than most of her body was on display

"Co right where I left hi on us His eyes drifted over to Jewel and I watched him appraise her the saht the urge to push her behindthat slow sexy trek up her body with his eyes