“Are you from Myrtle Beach?” She didn’t roll
her r’s like a native, but her accent was a strange mix of regions
that he couldn’t place.
“Not originally. I worked there for several
years, learning the bar business, before we moved here.”
“We may have already met, then.” Although, it
wasn’t likely since he never went out. And he was sure he would've
remembered her, if for no other reason than her eyes.
“I don’t think so. I would've remembered
you.” Flushing from the admission, she turned away and adjusted the
liquor bottles on the shelves of the mirrored wall behind her.
“Sunny,” Ed called from the end of the bar.
“Close us out, girlie.”
She glanced at the clock on the wall. “Why?
You still have time for two more.”
The men flashed toothy, not-so-innocent
grins.
The other man said, “If we leave early
enough, maybe you’ll get lucky.”
Ed cut his gaze to the kids at the pool
table, and one of them yelled across the bar, “Yeah, we’re
done.”
The biker tipped his beer in acknowledgement
and his girlfriend giggled. “We’re out, too.”
The patrons had apparently planned this, in
the event of his return, without Sunny’s knowledge. Her mouth hung
open and she stood rock still, an expression of utter mortification
on her reddening face. “I can’t believe this,” she sputtered. She
looked from the kids to the biker to the older men. “How do you
know he’s not a serial killer?”
Ed pinned Gavin with a hard stare. “Are you a
serial killer?”
Gavin met the man’s stare and shook his head.
“No, sir.” He would have laughed, but he didn’t want them to think
he took Sunny’s safety lightly.
Sunny’s gaze swiveled between them. She was
still red-faced, but her shock had turned to anger. “Like he’d say
so if he was.”
Gavin pulled his driver’s license out of his
wallet, walked to the end of the counter, and slid it over to the
men. “Write down my name, address, license number, everything.”
He walked back to Sunny, leaned across the
bar, and said, “If you’re uncomfortable, I’ll leave.” Lowering his
voice, so only she could hear, he went for the whole truth and
nothing but. “While the idea of spending the night, or part of the
night, with you is incredibly appealing, I didn’t come back here
with any expectations.
“I like you, and I want to spend time with
you. I also like…”—he grinned and nodded toward the end of the
bar—“the old coots. But,”—he leaned back to give her some space—“if
I make you uncomfortable, or you’re not interested in spending time
with me, I’ll leave.”
As she worked the situation around in her
mind, her eyes turned hot, then cold, then neutral. He knew the
second she made her decision because her eyes flared to liquid
silver and the attraction arcing between them snapped and crackled,
filling the air with an electrical charge. Her throat bobbed as she
swallowed, and a tentative smile played on her mouth. “I’d like you
to stay.”
She punched in a couple of buttons on the
cash register, exchanged his license for the men's tabs, and said,
“Adios, gentlemen.”
As the men gulped down the last of their
beers and shuffled off their barstools, Gavin said, “I really do
want to spend more time with them.”
Sunny turned to face him and her necklace
caught the light. The sparkling stones twinkled and winked, and
everything from his waist down tightened. Through parched lips, he
said, “But I can do that another time.”
***
Sunny stood at the door, watching Johnny and
Liza fasten their helmets before climbing onto Johnny’s bike. His
long hair and tats gave the appearance of a roughneck, but he was a
nice guy, and Sunny liked him and Liza a lot.
Liza’s family, however, didn’t share the
love. They didn’t think Johnny was good enough for their little
girl, and they made Liza’s life hell anytime they found out she’d
been with him. Even though the couple was in their early twenties,
they found it easier to use the Blackout as a hideout to keep their
relationship a secret. That way, Liza didn’t have to deal with any
crap from the parental units, and Johnny didn’t get pushed to the
brink of committing a felony.
Sunny never understood why parents felt they
had the right to steal their children’s happiness. She also didn’t
understand why grown children sacrificed their happiness to please
their parents. An issue she was going to have to discuss with
Robby, sooner rather than later.
She flicked the lock into place and clicked
off the neon sign in the window, then flipped the switches to cut
off the overhead lights. Nervous energy had her quivering as she
turned to face Gavin.
He sat on the stool, one hand resting on his
thigh, the other gripping his beer, his blue eyes trained on
her.
Fascinating.
She found him fascinating. When his
expression turned fierce and his body snapped taunt with tension,
he became a very scary dude. Way scarier than Johnny. But that
fierceness made her heart race faster, her feminine instincts
ignite, and she found her reaction to him frightening.
When he smiled… the scary fell away and
beautiful remained. His eyes could flip from hot to cold in a
heartbeat, then soft and playful the next. She didn’t think she
would enjoy being on the receiving end of his cold glare. But his
smoldering gaze set her on fire.
While locking the door, she noticed the Lexus
SUV in the lot. He had money, apparently a lot of it, but he didn’t
come across as pompous or pretentious. He seemed like a
down-to-earth guy who enjoyed drinking American beer and fishing
with his grandpa.
So who was the real man beneath those
clothes? And did she want to get to know him on a deep, personal
level, or stop at the skin-deep, kissable level?
He cocked his head to the side and smiled.
“You’re thinking too much.”
Her flip-flops slapped the hardwood floor as
she put her rubbery legs into action and propelled herself across
the bar toward him. “I tend to overthink things.”
He narrowed his eyes and his body tensed.
“You don’t have a boyfriend, or significant other, do you?”
She stopped a few feet in front of him and
snapped her mouth shut. Planting her fists on her waist, she said,
“What?” She sounded angrier than she intended, but the question
offended her.
His expression lightened, and he held his
hand up in surrender. “Just making sure. I’ve learned to never
assume anything.”
“You think I would flirt with you if I had a
boyfriend?”
His eyes twinkled in the ambient lighting
from the neon signs, and a smile played at his lips. “You were
flirting with me?”
His tone was light and teasing, but the
question embarrassed her. She blew out a puff of breath and turned
away. Muttering under her breath, she said, “I was trying.
Obviously, I need to work on my game.”
His laughter came from directly behind her,
and she realized he’d followed her behind the counter.
Instinctively, she crossed her arms over her
chest before turning to face him. Picking up on her body language,
he stopped midstride, then took a few steps back. He dipped his
head seductively and looked at her through a fringe of dark lashes.
“You didn’t need to do much to catch my attention. You needed to do
even less to keep it.”
Seeking a diversion from the awkwardness
jittering inside her, she wrung out her cloth and wiped off the
counter. “What do you do?”
Since Bartender Handbook rule number two had
gone out the window, she might as well chunk rule number one, too.
If she was going to do this, she wanted to know more than his name,
and that he was hot. She wanted sexual adventure, but it went
against her nature to make it completely anonymous.
“I’m vice president of a multi-location
hospitality company.”
She glanced up at him.
Okay, whatever that
means.
The corner of his mouth lifted. “It’s a fancy
title for a paper pusher.”
She dropped the rag into the bucket and
rubbed her palms on her jeans to dry them off. “That time, I know I
didn’t speak out loud.”
He tossed his head back with a laugh, and the
sound vibrated through her chest all the way down to her toes. God,
he had a great laugh. “You don’t have to say anything. Your face is
so expressive it speaks for you.”
“So I’ve been told. It makes me a terrible
liar, and I really suck at poker.”
He laughed again. “I bet you do.” Looking
around the bar, he asked, “What can I do to help you wrap things up
here?”
“Nothing. Robby washed all the glasses before
he left. I’ll have him come down before we open tomorrow to sweep
the floors and make sure everything is straight.”
He took a step closer, then paused, gauging
her reaction. When she didn’t back away, he took another step. And
another. Caught in the grips of his simmering stare, her skin
tingled, her panties dampened, and her breasts grew heavy.
The warmth of his body and the spicy scent of
his aftershave pulled her to him like a magnet. When she was close
enough to see the individual whiskers of his five o’clock shadow,
she realized how far forward she’d swayed. She tensed, forcing the
forward momentum to halt, then stepped back until she bumped the
counter with her butt.
His sapphire eyes turned to midnight as the
pupils dilated. His throat worked, and his nostrils flared. He
closed the distance between them and rested his palms against the
counter at her sides, boxing her in. Even though he wasn’t touching
her, his body heat mixed with hers, and the temperature in the room
rose twenty degrees. Her palms grew sweaty and perspiration popped
out on her neck and forehead.
Could anything be more unattractive? She
reached under his arm and slid the top of the beer cooler open. As
a rush of cool air swept over her, she sighed with relief.
She could tell from his grin and the glint in
his eyes that she amused him, but that only lasted for a moment.
The humor quickly slipped away, and the sultry heat returned. He
dipped his head and drew in a deep breath. “You smell good. Like
strawberries.” He nuzzled her neck, then nibbled her ear.
The awkward nervousness she’d been feeling
gave way to hammering excitement. She’d always wanted a wild ride
with a man like him, or what she suspected he might be like. Her
body recognized this was her chance, and it responded with a
resounding
all systems go.
As adrenaline and excitement rippled through
her body, she started to tremble. She tightened her muscles so the
shaking wouldn’t be obvious, but he noticed anyway and pushed back
to give her space.
He studied her face, then looked down at her
breasts. As hard and painful as her nipples were, they had to be
visible through the fabric of her halter-top, and she fought the
urge to cross her arms to cover herself. He made a soft,
appreciative sound before flipping his gaze to her face.
“For a minute I thought I’d frightened you.”
His voice was low and husky. “But you’re not scared, are you?”
She pressed her hand against the side of his
face and stroked the sharp ridge of his cheekbone with her thumb.
“No. If anything, I’m afraid of my strong reaction to you.”
But she sure as hell wasn’t going to let a
little fear stop her from getting on this ride.
Slowly, suggestively, Sunny tilted her head
to the side, giving Gavin access to her neck.
He didn’t move any closer, or press himself
against her, but his arms tightened and his body tensed. She heard
him swallow; then warm breath and soft lips brushed her neck. His
touch sent cold chills racing down her spine, and her internal
temperature soared.
He nipped her ear, then kissed a trail down
her neck and across her collar bone. His teeth scraped the
necklace, sending a vibration rippling along the chain to her
nipples. “This thing is hot as hell.”
Another nip and a slight tug had her breath
coming in short, shallow gasps and her body arching forward.
“Do you have to fight men off every night?”
He pulled back and studied her face while waiting for her response.
She didn’t understand why, but her answer seemed more important to
him than if they were just making preforeplay small talk.
She was tempted to straight up lie because
the truth was so embarrassing. But rather than making up a wild
tale, she held his gaze and shook her head. “No. I haven’t been
with anyone in over three years.”
He blinked once. Twice. A third time. “Why
the hell not?”
He sounded outraged on her behalf, and she
couldn’t help but laugh. “Between work and raising Robby, I haven’t
had time.”
His eyebrows pulled tight and the muscle in
his jaw twitched. Curiosity shimmered in his eyes, and he didn’t
seem to be breathing. “Why make time for me?”
Snared in his gaze, she didn’t even think
about lying this time. “I don’t know. Something about you is
different.” She lifted a shoulder and smiled. “I decided I deserved
a one-night fling.”
For a split second, his mouth pulled tight;
then it relaxed and he smiled. “I’ll take that as a compliment.” He
edged closer and, with his mouth hovering over hers, said, “And a
huge responsibility. I’ll do everything in my power to make it
worth your time. Especially since I only get one shot.” He sounded
irritated. But then he did something amazing with his tongue on her
neck, and she no longer cared what had him annoyed.
Without warning, he stopped with the tongue
action, wrapped his hands around her waist, and picked her up.
She’d barely had time to gasp before he settled her on top of the
counter. His smile was warm, his eyes soft and caring. “You’ve been
taking care of everyone else all evening. Let me take care of you
for a while.”