Last Call (Book #2 - Heat Wave Series) Page 4

  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 breast
s 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.

  Chapter Five

  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.”

  He turned around and studied the liquor bottles, then the glasses, and finally the beer cooler. “I have a ton of experience with drinking, but none with mixing. Give me some direction.” He turned back around to face her. “What’s your favorite drink?”

  Even though he probably considered this part of the foreplay, she found the gesture incredibly sweet, and emotion clogged her throat. She’d never had a nice, slow buildup. All of her previous experience fell under basic, boring sex. One minute of kissing. Two minutes of groping. Thirty seconds to shed the clothes. Ten minutes of getting down to business.

  He stared into her eyes, as if trying to see inside her head. “You don’t strike me as a Cosmo girl.”

  She laughed. “God, no.”

  “Tequila? Jack?” He quirked an eyebrow and grinned. “A girl after my own heart… Crown Royal?”

  Intending to playfully push him away, she pressed her palms against the hard wall of his chest and gave a slight shove. He didn’t budge. But his heartbeat pounding against her open hand and his body heat seeping into her palms caused the playfulness to evaporate into a sharp, painful jolt of need.

  Desperate to bring moisture to her sand-dry mouth, she licked her lips and thought of butterscotch suckers. Relaxing her elbows, she allowed her body to fall close into his. In a voice barely above a whisper, she said, “A lot of the younger crowd, like your…” She let the sentence fall, unsure of how to reference the women he’d been with earlier.

  “The brunette was my boss’ daughter. The other two are her friends. It’s a long story. I’ll spare you the gory details.”

  She breathed a sigh of relief at having that piece to the puzzle and confirming he wasn’t involved with any of them, and watched the pulse in his neck pound at a strong, steady pace. “The drinks they chose are common. As well as things like buttery nipples or a slow comfortable screw.” She swallowed hard. “My personal favorite, though, is a french kiss.”

  His gaze dropped to her mouth, and, fueled by the fire she saw in his eyes, she flicked her tongue over her top lip, then drug it along her lower. Knowing her action had been strictly for his pleasure, his lids dropped to half-mast, and he smiled appreciatively.

  With agonizingly slow movements, he stepped between her knees, took her face in his large palms, and dipped his head. With his mouth inches from hers, he whispered, “You don’t mean the kind in a glass, do you?”

  She shook her head, then closed her eyes and felt. Felt his warm breath against her mouth, his rough palms against her face, and his solid thighs against her softer ones. A viscous wave of need washed through her, and she found it difficult to make her voice work. “I love kisses. French and otherwise. In fact, I love kisses as much sex.”

  He drew back, as if horrified. “You’ve either been with some outstanding kissers, or lousy lovers.” He leaned back in. “Which is it?”

  Since she could count her lovers on one hand, not including the thumb, she couldn’t say for sure. But she refused to admit that. Knowing she hadn’t had sex in three years was bad enough. If he knew the full extent of her inexperience, he might wonder what was wrong with her.

  She ignored the question and concentrated on his mouth, which was so close she could see the soft lines in his lower lip. Yet, he might as well have been a block away for all the good i
t did. Trying to close the scant distance between them, she gripped his forearms and tugged. He didn’t move, and her desperation twisted into a tight coil in her gut.

  “Patience, Sunny.” His eyes were full of heat and promise, his voice a husky murmur. “We’ll never have another first kiss. Don’t rush it.”

  Unable to form an intelligent thought, let alone speak, Sunny stared into his eyes and willed him to move faster. She held her breath and let her eyelids drift shut as he eased closer and kissed the corner of her eye, then her temple, then her ear.

  His hand slipped to the back of her head and held her in place as his lips made a slow excursion along her jawline and ended at the corner of her mouth.

  His tongue stroked the crease of her lips, and she opened to him with a sigh. She could tell he was smiling, taking pleasure in teasing her. He didn’t make her wait long, though, before he treated her with full mouth-to-oh-what-an-amazing-mouth contact.

  Slow, rhythmic thrusts of his tongue kicked her base instincts into gear, and she wiggled closer to the edge of the counter, seeking a different kind of thrusting penetration. His tongue swept across the roof her mouth in a gentle caress, then slid over her teeth. He nipped at her lip, then worked the sting away with a slow, slick glide.

  Good grief, Gavin didn’t kiss. He made love with his tongue and mouth. Within seconds, she was trembling and rubber-legged and grateful to be sitting. Otherwise, she'd be a glob of goo, sliding onto the floor. When he broke the kiss for a breath, she said, “If you were trying to convince me kissing isn’t as good as sex, you’re doing a poor job.”

  The hand on the back of her head slid to the nape of her neck, while the other trailed over her shoulder and down her arm. He laced their fingers together and pressed his palm to hers. Their energy fields, swirling and combining in their touch, felt as intimate as the kiss. “What are my chances for proving that was nothing compared to great sex?”

  She gulped, then went with the truth. “You’ve never had a better chance.”