Free Damaged and the Outlaw by Bijou Hunter Page A

Tawny’s and they
shared a silent conversation. Normally, I would interrupt and remind them the
world existed outside of their little love match. Tonight, Tawny looked tired
and a little lost. She needed something chitchat wouldn’t offer.
    The two of them
said nothing for the rest of the meal. Not to me or each other. I knew Judd
could go hours, hell days, without talking. I’d always done all of the talking
while he brooded. Now, I had to brood too and I didn’t enjoy it half as much as
Judd did.
    My boredom
became so intense from their silence that I focused on the various awful
karaoke renditions in the bar area. I couldn’t see who was singing, but I
pictured them. A senior citizen serenading his woman to Kenny Rogers, rednecks
remembering Skynard, and college girls pretending they had the pipes of
Christina Aguilera. By the time Judd and Tawny bailed on me, someone decided to
be the billionth loser to sing Journey’s Don’t Stop Believing .
    Figuring I might
entertain myself with heckling, I walked to the bar. I never made it through
the door. Instead, I leaned against the doorway, crossed my arms, and enjoyed
the spectacle of Raven, Bailey, and Sawyer singing horribly along with Steve
Perry.
    The three
blondes sang their talentless hearts out with Sawyer on a stool in the middle.
Bailey wasn’t singing as much as yelling to the music. Sawyer was talking the
song. Raven though was really trying to sound good. Unfortunately, her sexy
voice didn’t translate well into song.
    The few people
in the bar clapped when the song ended. Mainly because Bailey and Raven were
hot. Sawyer ran to the bar and ordered a beer. The bartender nodded and gave
her a big glass of root beer. She winked at him and told Bailey to pay the man.
The kid was going to rule the world one day.
    Raven walked
over to me with a strange frown on her face. “I feel like I know you. Vaughn,
was it?”
    Grinning, I
leaned forward and whispered, “I could make you remember it the way I did last
night.”
    “When I woke up
alone, I assumed you needed space,” Raven said, pushing me away. “There. Enjoy
it.”
    “Someone’s
getting clingy.”
    Raven shared my
smile then punched me in the arm. Hard too. I was impressed.
    “Fuck you,
asshole,” she muttered, glancing at Bailey who looked irritated. When Raven
looked back at me, her expression was pissed. I still thought she looked hot
though. “You were the one talking about getting dinner together and fucking me
to sleep tonight. You were clingy then you ditched me. Why talk about all that
shit if you didn’t intend to stick around?”
    “What can I say?
I’m a flake. Call it a blond moment.”
    “Which part?
Where you said you wanted to hang or where you bailed?”
    “Both and
neither. Why are you so upset if you aren’t clingy?”
    “If I wanted to
have a guy jerk me around, I would date for real. I thought the cool thing
about fuck buddies was that we could enjoy the fucking and hang out without all
the damn games.”
    Rubbing the back
of my neck, I sighed. “I dig you, okay? I like you more than some random chick,
but I’m not looking to get involved.”
    Hands on her
hips, she glared up at me. “I don’t want to get involved either. We’re on the
same page, so what’s the fucking problem?”
    “I don’t know
how to be buddies who also bang.”
    “What about you
and Judd?” she asked without missing a beat.
    “You’re never
letting that go, are you?”
    Shaking her
head, she smiled. “Well, it was good seeing you.”
    Before she could
return to Bailey and Sawyer, I grabbed her around the waist.
    “Let’s hang
tonight. I’ll make it up to you.”
    “You sound like
a boyfriend who cheated or forgot my birthday. Ick. Go away,” she muttered,
breaking loose.
    Slipping a
finger in the loop of her jean shorts, I tugged her back against me. “I’m still
hungry after dinner.”
    “I don’t want to
eat,” she grumbled, struggling weakly.
    “I don’t mean
for food,” I