Pike scowled. “What? Why?”
“If I don’t stop now, I’ll end up crashing at your place and it smells like ball funk.”
Anthony chuckled. “Probably all the products he uses on his face pubes. I swear, he gets high from the mixed fumes. Only excuse for his wardrobe.”
“Fuck you both.” Pike backed away with both his middle fingers up, saluting them.
Anthony shook his head. After a few seconds he sobered, catching Nick’s gaze. “I know he can be ridiculous, but he’s worried about you.”
“Why? I’m fine. Honestly, after that first day, I realized you all were right. I didn’t know the real Amber. I had this fantasy built up in my head and now that I know the truth, I feel good. Happy. Ready to take on the world.” Nick glanced toward the bar where Pike leaned close to a curvy brunette. “Not screw my way through it.”
“Go easy on the guy. He doesn’t talk about it much, but some girl last year messed him up bad. He got really depressed. Gained weight. Didn’t want to do anything. Took him a while to snap out of it. When he did, he started working out and turned into the fashion diva you see before you. I think the way you are right now takes him back to that place and he wants to fix you so he doesn’t think about it.”
“That’s pretty insightful.”
“I have my moments,” Anthony said.
“I had no idea Pike met someone. Who was she?”
“I don’t know, she was from Emmett or something. All I know is she hurt my boy and that, I cannot abide.”
A hand landed on his arm and Nick turned to find Amber fluttering black false lashes at him. “Hi, Nick. I thought that was you.”
Kelly and Yancy flanked her, watching him with distaste.
“Hey.”
Amber tossed back her hair, her gaze never wavering from his. He’d like to think that she’d changed so much over the last eight years, but if he was being completely honest, it seemed more likely he’d never really known her to begin with. They’d only been dating a few weeks before he’d left for his placement and although they’d talked about their futures, he couldn’t remember them ever having deep conversations about themselves. The night she’d sat down next to him, he’d been flattered. Gorgeous and built, she could have chosen any guy at the campfire and she’d picked him. If he’d stayed in town, perhaps they wouldn’t have lasted as long as they did, but there was no way to know for sure.
“What are you doing here on singles night? Shouldn’t you be at home bingeing something with your new girlfriend?”
“Noel doesn’t care if I have a couple drinks with my friends. She isn’t insecure.”
Amber’s catty grin dimmed at the dig. She’d thrown bitch fits anytime he’d come home from leave and planned a guys’ night. It should have been a red flag, but he’d stupidly thought it was about missing him and wanting to spend as much time as possible together. Anymore, Nick realized it was just her way of controlling him.
“It’s awfully early for her to be so comfortable.” Amber leaned over the table, pressing her breasts against the wood. Her cleavage went all the way to her neck and Nick looked at Anthony for an assist. His buddy’s focus was on his ex’s rack. Traitor.
“She has nothing to worry about. I take commitment seriously.”
“Oh, so this is serious then?”
“Very.” Nick sensed Anthony’s gaze swing his way and he silently prayed his friend would back him up. “Where is your new man tonight?”
“Oh, Guy and I are casual. Since I haven’t been back on the market long, I like to keep my options open. Wouldn’t want someone to get hurt when I realized I wasn’t really ready for something long term so soon.”
“Well, you know yourself best. Sounds like we’re both very happy with how things turned out.”
Amber moved closer to his side, lowering her voice so he had to bend to hear her over the music. “I do miss you. I was thinking, since Noel and you are so in sync, maybe we could still be friends? We have a lot of history together and I know I can trust you in times of crisis.”
Nick knew from experience that saying the wrong thing to Amber could result in a scene, so he kept his response ambiguous. “We’ll see.”
Before he could move away, she kissed his cheek. “Think about it. Have fun tonight, boys.”
The trio of women walked away and Nick stared at Anthony. “What the hell was that?”