12 Rounds

Chapter Seven

Jax stepped out onto Reno's main drag, immediately blinded by the rotating lights right underneath the casino, and the two across from it. He'd been to Vegas a few times, but Reno really wasn't anything like Vegas. To the average person, it was a little sadder, a little dirtier, a little quieter, and a little bit darker too. But he'd also fallen into step with a Reno native, and he was willing to bet she knew exactly where to go, and where not to go in this town.

"The bar is a few blocks down the street," Liv was telling him now, gesturing to the open space in front of them. "Hey, do you actually like whiskey?"

He huffed out a laugh, shoving his hands in his pockets to keep himself from reaching for the small of her back like he had when they were in the basement. "What do you mean?"

"Well," she lifted a shoulder, sidestepping around a couple headed in the opposite direction. "I've always just assumed you did, and then I just gave it to you without really asking if that was what you actually wanted to drink. So, do you actually like whiskey or were you just too polite to tell me any different?"

"Trust me, Liv, I'm a whiskey guy."

"Good," she smirked back. "'Cuz the bar we're going to pretty much just serves whiskey and bourbon."

His eyebrows lifted in amusement. "Sounds like my kinda place."

"That's what I thought. But then I realized I'd better make sure you actually liked whiskey, not to mention bourbon, because if you don't, we might as well quit while we're ahead and go to a different bar."

He gave himself a moment to mull all that over, rubbing a hand over his mouth to hide his smile. It was a simple thing - her checking in to make sure he actually liked whiskey instead of just assuming. But he couldn't remember the last time anyone actually gave a shit what he wanted or even what he liked, and actually cared enough to ask. To make sure he was having a good time without wanting anything from him in return. Even in the casino, Putlova certainly cared whether he was having a good time, but that came with some pretty heavy strings attached. And in the clubhouse... he didn't know the last time he'd even really felt comfortable there, and he technically lived there too.

But now, as he meandered through downtown with Liv, taking in the gasoline-filled air, with Reno's bright arch framing the sky behind him, he had a feeling he'd follow this girl just about anywhere tonight.

"You know, I've been meaning to ask you," Liv was saying now as she strolled next to him.

His head turned on reflex at the sound of her soft voice, and he felt his lips curve on the side of his face when he found her pulling her cigarettes out of her purse so she could hold one out to him. But he grabbed the lighter from her before she had a chance to flick the trigger - definitely didn't need her to cater to his needs that much - and when he held the cigarette in between his lips to that open flame, he let his gaze slide down the length of her just once, giving himself a moment to really take in those tight skinny jeans and even tighter top tucked inside them.

He'd only ever seen her in fancy strapless stage dresses and in jeans and a T-shirt, but this was new. And he had a feeling this was a little bit closer to who she actually was, even if she was just showing him the best side of herself. This right here was probably his favorite - comfortable, relaxed, and effortlessly stylish, especially given the way that top hugged her curves and dipped into a V slashed right into the middle of her square neckline. It was just low enough to hint at some cleavage without actually putting anything on display, and he liked that better than anything he'd ever seen at the clubhouse. He liked her better than anything he'd ever seen at the clubhouse.