Consolation Prize (Forbidden Men Book 9) by Linda Kage Page B

didn’t feel like going through the whole lengthy process, so I skipped that part and climbed back out of the tub a couple minutes later to towel myself dry and scurry into the clothes I’d grabbed, which happened to be a pair of shorts with the word Angel on the butt and a thin, gray ESU T-shirt. I wanted to bypass makeup altogether, but that was unheard of for me, so I dabbed it on quickly and pulled open the door with nothing but coffee on my mind.
    It was easier to think about what I needed to do next, instead of last night.
    Use bathroom.
    Clean myself
    Dress myself.
    Find coffee.
    See: Simple. Easy. Guilt-free.
    I was already trying to decide what to force myself to do after getting the coffee when I entered the kitchen.
    “Damn, girl,” a male voice immediately said, making me jump and skid to a stop. “You look rode hard and put away wet.”
    I paused to glare over at my roommate Tyla’s boyfriend at the table and muttered, “Fuck off.”
    Hey, some days you had to get out the broom, hat, and big black cat and remind everyone who they were dealing with. This was one of those days.
    Theo lifted his hands, letting me know he was backing off. Ignoring him and the other three occupants of the table who were scolding him for his jackass comment, I went straight to the coffeepot and poured myself a cup.
    A throat cleared and my second roommate, Sasha, hesitantly asked, “So…how’d the wedding go?”
    Beside her, her man, Chad, snickered and I heard flesh slap against flesh as she whacked his leg under the table.
    After focusing all my attention on the stream of coffee trickling into my mug, I finally glanced over to send my two roommates and their boyfriends a tight smile. “It went fine.”
    “He married her then?” Tyla pressed, sending me the most sympathetic puppy dog eyes ever.
    I ground my teeth, wishing I’d never told Sasha and Tyla about that stupid crush I’d formed on Brandt, or that I’d be attending his wedding. Another stupid thing the stupid person who liked to invade my body must’ve done while I was out of commission.
    “Of course he married her,” I said, frowning as if she were crazy. “Why wouldn’t he marry her?”
    “Well, shit.” Chad snorted. “I thought you were going to stand up in the middle of the ceremony the moment the priest said ‘if anyone here knows why these two should not be married—’”
    I sighed and rolled my eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous. That didn’t happen. He married her, and honestly, I wish them both all the happiness in the world.”
    I didn’t even feel a smidgeon of bitterness when I said that either. Hmm, strange. I really did hope Brandt was happy with Sarah, which was another telling sign that I hadn’t been as far gone for him as I’d always suspected. I mean, seriously, wouldn’t it hurt more to know he was on his honeymoon this very second, doing—
    Well, I didn’t even care what he was doing. So, there.
    Truth be told, I was more concerned with what Colton was doing right now. How much did he hate me? And how the hell was I going to avoid him from here on out whenever he showed up at the bar to visit his brother? Because there was no way I’d ever be able to face him again. The humiliation would kill me.
    I’d quit.
    Yes!
    The idea came in a flash, and for a moment, I was tempted to do just that. I was honestly that afraid of facing Colton again. But then…that was a ridiculous reason to quit a job. And bartending at Forbidden was the most lucrative employment I’d ever had with the best boss I’d ever worked for. I couldn’t quit my job.
    I only had one semester left of college, then I could move away—far, far away—find my dream job in business finance, and live happily ever after, taking care of no one but myself. That was the plan, and I was sticking to it.
    So, I’d just have to be a big girl and suck it up if I ever stumbled across Colton’s path again. And if he happened to demand an apology from me, well…then, I