Free Notorious by Karen Erickson Page B

familiar. Too familiar.
    Eric turned to his left to find Brandon sitting next to him, a grim expression on his face.
    “You are the absolute last person I want to see,” Eric muttered, spinning on the barstool away from Brandon so he could leave.
    “Wait.” Brandon’s fingers clamped around Eric’s upper arm and stopped him from fleeing. “I need to talk to you.”
    “There is absolutely nothing for us to talk about.” Eric glared at where Brandon held onto him and Brandon released his arm.
    “Don’t get all shitty with me.” Brandon shook his head and that’s when Eric noticed.
    The bags under Brandon’s eyes, the scruff on his face, the fall of his shoulders, he looked as weary as Eric felt.
    “What’s wrong?” Eric couldn’t help it. He still cared for the bastard. Even after everything Brandon had done to him.
    Brandon shook his head and sighed. “I’m not sure about Alexa and me.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “I mean that it’s not working. It hasn’t been working for a while. She seems…restless. Unsure. Like she wants more and no matter what I give her, it’s never enough.”
    “Well, she’s a pretty tough cookie to please.”
    “Tell me about it,” Brandon muttered, offering a murmured thanks to the bartender when he set a mug of beer in front of him. “She’s spoiled rotten. But it’s my own fault. I’ve spoiled her. Everyone spoils her.”
    Took the words right out of Eric’s mouth. “You knew this going in.”
    “You’re right. I did. I thought I was enough. Maybe I’m not.” Brandon swigged from his beer, draining half of it in one long swallow. “I’ve been busy with work lately. She told me I don’t pay enough attention to her.”
    Eric mused over his words. This was his chance. His chance to fuck with Brandon and Alexa and ruin their relationship if he so chose. He could convince Brandon to give up on her. Or at least, he believed he could. If this would’ve happened a few months ago, he would’ve done it, no thought required. He would’ve bad-mouthed Alexa to Brandon and then turned around and done the same thing to Alexa. Watched with unmitigated glee at the demise of their relationship, all of it aided by him.
    But he wasn’t that same guy anymore. He didn’t want to watch them suffer, no matter how callous they’d been to him. He couldn’t do it.
    “You should pay more attention to her then,” Eric suggested.
    Brandon turned to stare at him, disbelief in his gaze. “I figured you’d tell me to dump her.”
    “Oh, and then what? Beg you to come back to me?” At the sheepish expression on Brandon’s face Eric knew that was exactly what he thought. “Yeah, that’s not going to happen.”
    “I still feel guilty over what we did to you,” Brandon admitted softly.
    “You should.” Eric looked away, drained his glass until it was empty. “I’m over it. Don’t worry about me.”
    “So what’s got you so agitated, then?”
    Eric sighed. They’d been together far too long for Brandon not to realize something was bothering him. “Woman trouble.”
    Brandon laughed and slapped him on the shoulder. “So we’re having the same problem, then?”
    “Yeah.” Eric shook his head. He really didn’t want to confess he was banging Stacy. And that he was such a shit he treated her exactly like that. An object to bang versus a flesh-and-blood woman—a woman with feelings and expectations. Expectations he wasn’t sure he could live up to.
    “With who?” Brandon smiled. “I thought Alexa turned you back off women.”
    Eric laughed. “You don’t know her.” He was such a liar. “She wants a relationship. I don’t.”
    “She realized this going in, didn’t she? I mean from what I’ve heard, your reputation precedes you.”
    Eric grew immediately defensive even if he knew Brandon was right. It felt as if everyone talked about him. His private life wasn’t private at all.
    Not like he’d hidden anything either. He put it all out there for everyone