"Not the worst venue we've been to," Steele commented with a grin, watching the rat disappear out the door. "And to answer the question you're really asking, it's not Arch. We're just here for research."
I huffed, but didn't bother trying to deny it. That was what I'd really wanted to know. I just took a long gulp of my beer instead, cringing at the watery-yeast taste.
"So, we're just going to sit here in silence all night?" Steele asked, bumping me with his shoulder. "That's cool if we are. Just checking so I can stop wasting my breath making conversation."
I turned my face to give him a look—one that said, yeah man, I don't want to be your friend—but he wasn't getting the message. Or he was choosing not to get it. I suspected option two.
"I just thought you might have things you want to know, you know? Now's a great time to ask." He shot me a winning grin. "Promise not to tell anyone that you willingly conversed for something other than threats and insults. I wouldn't risk your tough-girl image like that."
His gray eyes were twinkling with mischief, and I wanted to hit him. Or... something. The warmth inside me was just from the beer, I was pretty sure.
Denial was also not just a river in Egypt.
I drained the rest of my can and placed the empty beside me on the counter top, the side that didn't have a tall, toned, gray-eyed mystery sitting on it.
"I need another drink," I muttered, mostly to myself. Also sort of praying some magical drink fairy would deliver something to my hand so we didn't have to give up our prime position for the fight. More and more people had filtered through from the other room, and I spotted Archer and Kody standing near the doorway, chatting with a guy in a ball cap.
"Here," Steele bumped me with his elbow, holding out a flask. "I brought backup. Don't tell, okay?"
Unable to help myself, I grinned. "Thanks."
I raised the flask to my lips and took a long sip, not even checking what was in it first. It didn't matter, so long as it was stronger than beer. Fire burned a path down my throat, pooling in my belly, and I licked my lips to savor the rich, caramel taste of rum.
"That's good," I commented, handing the flask back to Steele, only to find his hooded gaze locked on my mouth. His eyes were heated and hungry, and I was by no means unaffected. But still... "Hey Steele?" His stare skipped up to meet my eyes, and I smirked. "Quit looking at me like I'm a piece of meat."
He snorted a laugh, looking away from me as he took his own sip from the flask. His pierced tongue clicked against the metal, making me all kinds of squirmy. Even without his eyes on me, I could still feel the heat. The intensity. Some crazy part of me wanted to toss all my hatred aside and give in to that feeling. Kiss him. Or... more.
Clearing my throat, I took the flask back and gulped another mouthful of rum.
Across the room, two tough-looking guys stripped down to their shorts and started taping their knuckles up.
"Oh good," I murmured. "They're starting."
Steele chuckled, and it was one of the hottest fucking things I'd ever heard.
Damn hormones.
16
The fighters were good, I'd give them that. Evenly matched and well-trained, it seemed like they might go the full five rounds. Steele and I watched in silence for the first round, with Kody drifting over to hand us more beers during the one-minute rest period.
He lingered for part of the next round, leaning his back against the counter beside me, but at a nod from Archer across the room, he left us alone again.
"So, you're in the mood to answer some questions, huh?" I finally broke the silence with Steele when the tension between us got too much for me to handle. He hadn't done anything, but I could fucking feel his eyes on me while I watched the fight. It was dizzying, and the rum only contributed to part of it.
Our fingers brushed when I handed the flask back, and I desperately tried to ignore how badly I wanted to touch him more than that. Apparently almost a year of celibacy had broken something in my brain.
Steele shrugged, screwing the cap back on the flask and returning it to his jacket pocket. "Maybe. Depends what your questions are."
Typical. I tucked some hair behind my ear and opened the fresh beer Kody had brought over.
"Okay..." I took a sip, thinking. "Why did you run off my date tonight? Honestly."
Steele made a thoughtful noise himself, and I couldn't help looking over at him. I should have been watching the fight, but despite how good the combatants were... they weren't Archer. And that prick had ruined MMA for me now.
"Your date?" Steele replied, arching a brow at me over those beautiful gray eyes of his. "Bark... he was overheard saying some less than flattering things in the SGU locker room earlier today. It might have seemed like a douche-y controlling move, but it was for your own good."
I snorted a bitter laugh and rolled my eyes. "For my own good," I repeated. "That's such a fucking cop-out. You have no clue how capable I am of protecting myself."
Steele gave a small nod of acknowledgement. "That's true." He didn't push the subject any further, not even to defend his own actions. "What else have you got, MK?"
My shoulders tightened at his use of my nickname. "Don't call me that," I snapped. "Only my friends call me that."
"Which we are not," he murmured, blowing out a breath.
"Why are you guys living in my father's house?" I asked, changing the subject.
The corner of his mouth tilted up in a half smile, and my pulse raced. Fuck.
"Because it's convenient," he replied. "Because Cherry wanted her son close by and the three of us have lived together since high school, so it wasn't even a question for all of us to move in. Because we heard that the princess of the household was coming home and some of us let our curiosity win over logic and reason. Pick your answer, gorgeous. They're all true in some way."
I had nothing to say to that, and I was too tipsy already to dissect his games. So I turned my attention back to the fight and let myself get sucked back into the action until the bell rang again for the end of the round.
Steele seemed totally comfortable sitting in silence, but his fingers tapped the countertop beside him in that same complicated rhythm as he'd done in the car.
It reminded me of another question. "Why weren't you allowed to play video games the other night?"
"Oh, so you actually want to know something about me?" He was teasing. I thought.
I shot him a glare that clearly said I wasn't going to stroke his ego, and he grinned. Damn he had a nice smile.
"So, I take it you never tried to look any deeper into my social media profiles, then?" He didn't look too concerned... just curious.
I'd actually totally forgotten about that discussion we'd had. Between starting university in my hometown, dealing with all the whispers and gossip behind my back, and plotting my revenge on Archer for the juice incident... "Uh, no. I haven't. You said they're all bullshit anyway, didn't you?"
"True," he agreed. "But it would have given you a hint."
Steele pulled his phone from his pocket and used his thumb to unlock it and open Instagram. Once on his own profile, he scrolled the whole way down the feed until he reached some of the very first images posted, then handed the phone to me.