Free Always Been Mine by Elizabeth Reyes

first glimpse of her out of the way before she was too close.
    “So, how’d they get you out of your cave, big guy?” Romero smirked.
    Alex shrugged, sitting on the edge of one of the bar stools around the pool table.
    “It was time for a break.”
    “You think?” Eric asked. “Sofie says you practically live there, now.”
    Romero leaned over the pool table and took a shot. “What’s wrong with you, man? When’s the last time you went out?”
    Alex didn’t even remember. He’d been so caught up this past year he couldn’t even remember the last time he’d had sex. That fact alone spoke volumes about the meaningfulness of the experience.
    The waitress walked in with their beers. She handed him a bottle with the kind of smile he always got from women. He reciprocated out of habit, but went back to looking for Valerie while Romero paid the waitress. His anxiety spiked when he spotted her near the entrance. Not just because she looked even more amazing than when he’d seen her at the shower, but because she wasn’t alone.
    The sight of her with a guy who stood close enough to kiss her made him squeeze his beer bottle. Alex took a deep breath and a bitter swig of the beer. This wasn’t his idea of taking a break. He felt more angst at that moment than he had in all the weeks since the shower.
    No way could he spend the evening around Valerie and her new man. He took a longer drink of his beer. He’d be out of there as soon as finished. Still gripping the bottle tightly, he had to concentrate on not breaking it. As much as he hated the sight he couldn’t move his eyes away from her and the guy.
    The guy held her wrist but not in the way a boyfriend holds his girls hand. The moment Alex saw Valerie pull her hand away he stood up. He welcomed the new tension that seeped through him. Unlike the tension he felt from seeing her with another guy he knew exactly how to deal with this one.
    They weren’t talking, either they were arguing. Alex should have been happy. Instead, he went on an instant state of alert. Her boyfriend’s aggressive expression and the fact that he tried to grab her hand again was all Alex needed. He put his beer down and started toward them.
     
     
     
     

CHAPTER 6
     
     
    “Where you going?” Romero asked.
    Alex didn’t answer. He hurried his step when he saw the menacing way her boyfriend stood over her. As he approached he could hear the guy. He was pretty loud and their argument began to turn heads.
    “You think I’m playing? I said I need to talk to you, outside now .”
    Was she really involved with this guy? Boyfriend or not he’d be damned if he’d stand there and let him speak to her that way. He didn’t hear her response. Unlike the idiot she tried to keep her voice down.
    “Is there a problem?” He asked as soon as he reached them.
    They both turned, the guy’s expression enraged, hers startled.
    “This doesn’t concern you.” The guy sneered.
    Alex turned to Valerie ignoring her boyfriend. “Are you okay?”
    She nodded, but before she could answer the guy continued even louder than before. “Of course she’s okay. This is none of your damn business.”
    Alex stepped closer to the guy, speaking inches from his face. “I’m making it my business.”
    Valerie grabbed Alex’s hand. “No Alex, he’s not worth it.”
    Alex glanced back at Valerie, somewhat relieved she hadn’t defended the asshole. “Is this-”
    “No!” She shook her head adamantly.
    He felt the guys hand on his shoulder. Alex turned slowly, trying not to lose it. He’d made a huge mistake touching Alex. The guy knew it, too. The moment their eyes met, he immediately pulled his hand back.
    “Bruce,” Valerie stepped in front of Alex in an attempt to make him step back. Alex didn’t budge, not even when he felt her behind press against his thigh. “I’ve nothing to speak to you about. I’ve made that perfectly clear already.”
    Making an even worse mistake, Bruce reached for