Page 60 (1/2)

Chapter One

Steven Thomas lived in the ninth level of hell, or so he’d been told enough times Mostly by women who hated him, because he slept with them and didn’t call them back He was always up-front about his expectations of wo for ht stand, yet they never seemed to believe him Even with all that, he was pretty daht

As if being a Navy SEAL doing s in the nah to fuck hi ever since he returned to civilization would be Maybe there was no saving hi, he was deter into that fiery pit with a grin on his face

But he wasn’t fighting overseas anyency, and he protected rich dudes while they golfed

Another thing he was trying to accept

Till he figured out what ca to have fun Live life Drink merrily Screw beautiful women Be wild and free After all the shit he’d done, he was never, ever settling down It wasn’t in his blood—unlike his best friend, Holt Cunningham, who had settled doith Steven’s baby sister

The little fucker…

“Dude” Holt sat next to hi breath as he settled in “Why do you look like you’re about to go all Dalek on a bunch of Cybermen?”

Steven rolled his eyes at Holt’s Doctor Who reference, and downed the last of his drink It burned going down—just the way he liked it It blurred his vision a little bitto delete anyone from this universe, it would be you, dumbass”

“Ah” Holt sighed and leaned on the bar, completely unfazed by the threat to his safety His brown hair was messed up to perfection—as it alas—and he studied Steven with somber blue eyes “What did I do this time?”

“Besides falling for my sister…?”

“Guilty as charged And I’d do it all over again” Holt grinned, staring across the bar at so” was more than likely Steven’s sister, Lydia “But that’s not what’s bugging you It’s been a year”

A year A whole damn year

“She’s not drinking tonight,” Steven said, having his suspicions as to why she wasn’t

“Yeah” Holt flushed and ruffled his hair Steven’s instincts were spot on That was Holt’s tic, when he was trying to hide so people, and even better at spotting evasion “And? Why is that so weird? She likes soda, too”