Throttled (Wild Riders #1)(17)
“What’s up, Gregurich,” Reid greeted him. “How are you?” He extended a handshake to him.
“Not too bad.” Beau answered, placing his hand in Reid’s. The awkward sensation of being trapped between the two men felt like it was crushing me. “You?”
“Never better,” Reid replied, not an ounce of the anger he’d just shown me reflected in the smile he was giving Beau. “Nora here was just catching me up on what I’ve missed. You two together, definitely didn’t see that in the high school yearbook predictions.”
“Sometimes things don’t work out exactly how you’d imagined,” I interjected. “Sometimes they work out better.” I added, turning to place a kiss on Beau’s cheek.
“And sometimes they don’t,” Reid replied under his breath and took a drink of the beer in his hand.
“What brings you back to town?” Beau asked.
“A few things,” Reid explained. “Building a house for my parents. I bought back the land they sold a few years back. Mom and Dad are back in Texas right now and don’t have a clue.”
He was building his parent’s a house? Okay, well… that was really sweet. Damn it.
“That’s really nice of you.” I hoped that explained the smile on my face, not wanting him to think it had anything to do with our conversation.
Reid’s parents were good people. They’d always treated me like I was one of their own and the thought that he was going repay them for their sacrifices was tugging at my heartstrings.
“I’m a really nice guy,” he said matter-of-factly, holding my stare. “Most people think so anyway,” he laughed. “I just hope they are excited. I know that I’m not a big fan of surprises so I hope it’s not a hereditary trait.”
“I’m sure they will love it.”
He just couldn’t take a compliment without trying to get under my skin, could he? I could have argued that I wasn’t a big fan of being surprised by his return to town, but with Beau standing so close I decided it wasn’t the best time to start an argument with Reid again.
“It was great catching up,” Beau said, tightening his hold on me. “But we should probably get back to Georgia.”
I’d forgotten about my sister sitting all alone in the booth, but when I looked over at her I saw she was fully enthralled with watching Hoyt and Brett play pool. I wondered which one had caught her eye. I knew that Brett had tried, but I’d been so flustered with Reid that I didn’t even bother to ask her.
“Yeah, we should go,” I agreed. Beau dropped his arms from my waist, but managed to slip his hand into mine as we turned.
“I’ll see you around, Shutterbug,” Reid added as we walked away.
Like hell he would.
I waited for Beau’s interrogation about why he had just found me in a bar with my ex-boyfriend, but as soon as we were outside, he squeezed my hand in his and led me over to his truck without saying a word.
I’d explained to Georgia why I was ready to call it a night and that had went over about as well as giving a cat a bath.
“Every damn time we are supposed to hang out he shows up and ruins it,” she’d pouted. She was right about Beau interrupting our night, but it had a whole lot more to do with Reid being in the same vicinity as me that night.
“It’s not like that tonight, G,” I had tried to smooth it over. “It’s just been a long day and I can’t be here any longer.” I’d pleaded with my eyes and hoped that she understood.
“Fine?” she’d huffed. “But next time, if he shows up,” she glared in Beau’s direction. “I’m going to cut him.”
“Deal,” I’d agreed, forcing a laugh. “Next time it will just be us.”
In the two years that I’d been seeing Beau, I could honestly say that he had been a good boyfriend, which made me feel that much guiltier about the mixed feelings I was having about Reid.
The infuriating way my heart raced when I was near him had me thinking seriously about my relationship with Beau. He was handsome in his own way—perfectly styled blonde hair, crystal clear blue eyes and his crooked smile. He was attentive and we enjoyed spending time together. But still, what I felt when I was near him physically didn’t compare to the way Reid seemed to push my buttons. Before Reid showed back up, it was easy to pretend that what I had with Beau was just as real. That our connection was as deep as what I’d had when I was with Reid. I’d keep batting those swarming thoughts away because no matter what my subconscious was trying to tell me, I refused to let it interfere with my relationship any more than it already had.
Before I had a chance to climb inside the truck, I felt Beau’s arm wrap around my waist. He quickly turned me into his arms and his mouth found mine. The firm press of his lips was quickly interrupted by a sudden sweep of his tongue into my mouth. I drew my arms up around his neck and tried to kiss him back with as much enthusiasm as he was giving me. It was a bit unlike him. Most of our public displays of affection were limited to hand holding and the occasional peck, but I felt that I owed him a decent kiss after the awkward situation I’d put him back in the bar.
Seeing Reid again had to be on the short list of things Beau Gregurich probably never wanted to do. He’d never admitted it to me, but I knew that he secretly wished he had been the better rider. That he would have gotten the attention of the sponsors and team owners. And, not that he didn’t enjoy owning a race shop, but I could see the wistful look on his face when he talked about how he used to race with customers.