Not Just Another Romance Novel Read Online Free Page A

thumb in my direction.
    I wasn’t really all that sure I wanted him to have a moment with me anymore.
    “Whatever,” Ryker replied, his eyes focused just beyond Kitty.
    She stormed away as well, and that little exchange told me what I needed to know. Obviously Ryker and Stone had a history when it came to women, and I probably wasn’t the right girl to get caught up in their mess.
    I swung my stool around so I could remove myself from the situation when I felt Ryker’s hand on my arm.
    “I’m sorry.”
    I turned toward him with a smile. “It’s okay.”
    “Hands off.” Stone’s voice came out forceful and clear. His two words were slow. He was staking a claim on me.
    “It’s a free country, asshole,” Ryker said.
    And then things took a turn I hadn’t been expecting.
    Stone reached over the bar and grabbed Ryker’s black shirt near the collar. “Stay the fuck away from her.”
    What the hell? Ryker and I had just met. Come to think of it, Stone and I had just met.
    What made him think he owned me? Because he saw me first?
    This was a clear pissing contest, and suddenly I thought dating a bad boy was a really, really bad idea. But getting involved with two of them—especially when they had a clear history of fighting over women?
    Probably the worst idea ever.
    I had no clue what to do to diffuse the situation. One part of me liked the attention, but my logical side won.
    “I think I’ll be on my way,” I said. The two men were still having some sort of staring contest across the bar, and Stone’s hand still fisted Ryker’s shirt.
    “Get your fucking hand off of me, Stone.” Ryker’s voice was eerily quiet. He clearly meant business.
    I stood up from my stool. “Bye,” I said hastily, and then I ran over to Austin and got the hell out of the bar, questions about Stone’s first name long forgotten.
     
     
     

5
     
    “So check bad boy off the list?” Scott asked, merriment in his warm eyes.
    I nodded.
    Shannon giggled. “Never check all of them off. You just never know.”
    Scott rolled his eyes. “Are you going to tell us what happened?”
    “The bad boy bartender gave me tequila. We flirted. Another guy came in. They kind of got into a fight over me. End of story.”
    “They got into a fight over you?” Shannon shrieked.
    I nodded again. “They were like these two animals trying to mark their territory. Definitely not my thing.”
    “Not the happy ending you’re looking for?” Shannon asked.
    I shook my head. “Not so much.”
    “You can do better anyway, Piper,” Austin said.
    Scott cleared his throat. “So who’s next?”
    “Austin, you got any more bars to take me to?”
    Austin shrugged. “Sorry. No more bars. Unless you want to meet the rock star.”
    “I’d love to. When?” I asked, wondering about this rock star.
    “His band is on regularly at a bar that’s a lot nicer than the Lucky Lady.” He scrolled through his phone. “I can take you to check him out. Then you can decide if you’re interested.” He held up his phone toward me to show me something.
    “Is that him?” I asked, snatching the phone from Austin’s hands.
    He nodded, and I studied the screen in front of me.
    He was gorgeous.
    Like, freaking perfect.
    Longish light brown hair. Intense blue eyes. Perfect arms—not too bulky, not too skinny. Tall, but not a giraffe. A little smattering of facial hair without being overly hipster or too beardy.
    Shannon grabbed the phone out of my hands to check out the rock star.
    “Where have you been hiding him?” I asked.
    He shrugged. “I’m not hiding him. I’ve known him since kindergarten.”
    “Why isn’t he with someone?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at Austin.
    “He had a long term girlfriend. She cheated on him and he ended it. He’s been playing the field ever since.”
    “Band name?” I asked.
    “MFB.”
    “MFB?”
    Austin and I were apparently having our own conversation now. Scott and Shannon looked back and forth between us as we