by Levine, Nina
A low whistle comes from behind, and I turn to find Tyler smiling at us. “I’m not sure I’ve ever heard Avery offer to buy someone a drink. Did Luke give the staff a discount today or something?”
Avery scoffs. “I’ve worked for your brother for a year now, and I’ve never known him to give out a staff discount once.”
“True,” Tyler agrees as his gaze zeros in on the new tattoo covering Avery’s wrist. He jerks his chin at it and asks, “What does your tattoo say?”
I narrow my eyes at him and take in the way he’s looking at Avery. These two should just get a room and be done with it, because they’ve been tiptoeing around each other for almost a year now. It’s clear even to the cat that wanders into the bar every now and then that they both want something to happen, and I’m not sure why Tyler doesn’t take charge and make her his. I’ve seen him in bossy mode with his women before, and as far as I’m concerned, it’s time for him to boss my best friend around.
“Avery!”
I jump at the sound of Luke’s voice.
That voice. It causes my tummy to flutter with desire, and I quickly gulp the rest of my drink in an effort to settle my reaction because let’s face it, my voice doesn’t cause a similar response in Luke’s body. I need to put all thoughts of him out of my mind. Nothing is ever going to happen between us.
Avery’s head whips around so she can eye her boss. “Yes?” I secretly cheer her. As moody as Luke can be, she never lets him rattle her.
He stalks towards us, his brows furrowed. “Those guys down the back giving you any trouble?”
His green eyes meet mine and linger for a moment before shifting to Avery. While he’s discussing the guys with her, I run my gaze over his body. No one wears jeans quite the way Luke Hardy does. Perhaps that’s because no man has quite the ass he does. And the way his pecs and abs ripple under that grey T-shirt he’s wearing… I’ve had dreams about those muscles. Not to mention the dreams I’ve had where I thread my fingers through his dark hair and hold on while he f—
“Callie, are you plotting again?”
I snap my attention back to Avery, who is staring at me with a smug look. She knows I’m not plotting my next book; she knows full well that I’m thinking dirty thoughts about Luke.
Pasting a fake smile on my face, I nod. “Yes, plotting that book I’m writing about unrequited lust and a girl who desperately needs sex.” My eyes drift to Luke and I find him watching me in a way I’ve never seen him watch me. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but there’s something different in his eyes. If it were any other guy, I’d say it was lust, but it’s Luke, and he’s never shown any interest in me.
Tyler chuckles. “I’ve told you, Callie, you want a guy to end that drought you’ve got going on, just say the word. I know a fuckload of guys who would love to help you out with that.”
Luke directs a scowl at Tyler before turning back to Avery. “I’ve gotta head out for fifteen minutes or so, but I’m concerned those assholes down the back will give you hell.”
She waves his concern away. “I’ll be fine, and besides, I have Callie here. She got her black belt in karate when she was younger, so I’m sure she can take them on if need be.” The wink she throws me confirms the sarcasm I sense in her words, and I play along.
“Absolutely,” I agree, crouching slightly and raising my arms in an X in front of me. Luke is so damn serious all the time, and he simply stares at me rather than cracking a smile or a laugh.
“Don’t go anywhere near those guys. Either of you.” Looking at Tyler, he asks, “Can you stick around while I’m gone?”
I shift off the stool and mutter, “Oh, for God’s sake, Luke, chill. We’re grown women and can take care of ourselves.” Without waiting for his response, I grab the new drink Avery has made me and begin heading to one of the tables away from the bar. As much as I’m attracted to the man, his overbearing and overprotective streak drives me insane sometimes.
As I’m settling into my seat, warm breath and a deep voice by my ear cause my tummy to flutter again. “Why do you always have to argue with everything I say?”
Oh my.
I want him just as much as I want to tell him where to go.
“Because you’re not always right,” I reply, swivelling to meet his gaze. He has one hand on the back of my chair and the other rests on the table. His body is slightly bent as he watches me, taking in what I’ve said. I fight not to drop my eyes to check out his arms, but a girl only has so much willpower, and I’m all out for today. For the rest of this week. Oh, who the hell am I kidding? When Luke’s around, I’m out of willpower for the rest of this year.
I drop my gaze.
For the love of God, why is one man blessed with so much? Not only does he have those sexy green eyes that could lead me into sin, and that ass I could hold all day long, and abs to die for, he also has freaking arm muscles they could make porn movies about.
Please. Make. Him. Leave.
No, make him stay.
Make him stay for hours so I can stare.
And then stare some more.
Oh fuck, just let me lick those muscles.
“Callie.”
I blink.
Meeting his eyes again, I say, “What?” I’m so turned on I can barely wrap my lips around one word; I’m not sure how I’ll string a sentence together.
His face is near mine as he leans his body closer. The way his jaw clenches leads me to believe he’s frustrated, which is pretty much how he always is with me. In one conversation with Avery, I was voted the person most likely to frustrate Luke, and it seems I’ve managed to do it again today. “Stay away from those guys.” His gravelly voice fills the space around us, blocking everything else out, and for a moment, I’m suspended in time while I process everything hitting my senses.
His musky scent.
Mint on his breath.
His body close to mine.
The words out of his mouth.
“I’ll stay away from them,” I finally force out, doing my best to ignore the want shooting through my veins.
Surprise fills his features as his eyes widen. “Fuck, that’d be a first.” He’s right, but he’s probably also right about those guys, as much as it pains me to admit it. And while his bossy ways annoy me sometimes, in this instance, I know he’s only trying to look out for me.
He pushes off from the chair and stands straight. “I won’t be long. Do you think you and Avery can stay out of trouble while I’m gone?”
I pout at him. “I’ll have you know that the trouble we got into last time you left us alone was not our fault.” It truly wasn’t. Well, maybe just a teensy, tiny part of it was, but I’d never openly admit that to Luke.
His brows rise. “Callie, the newspaper headlines the next day read, ‘Coyote Ugly Comes To Town’. You and Avery turned my bar into an almost strip club while you served customers drinks from the top of the bar rather than from behind it. How the hell can that be anyone else’s fault?” This happened three months ago, and it’s a relief to hear the small amount of humour in his voice because a month ago, there was no humour to be found. He’s obviously moving past it.
Standing, I place my hand on my hip. “You weren’t here, Luke. You didn’t see the shit going on between some of the customers. They were gearing up for a fight, so I did the only thing I could think of. Dancing on the bar worked a treat, diverting their attention from each other.”
Shaking his head, he mutters, “You could have just called the cops to come and deal with them.”
I don’t want to get into this with him so I let him have this one. “It was a good thing you came back when you did, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah, I guess it was.” He points his finger at me. “No bar-top dancing tonight.”
Resisting the urge to poke my tongue at him, I nod and shoo him away. “Go! Tyler and I will keep Avery out of trouble.”
After another few moments in which he stares at me in silence, he finally gives me a nod and leaves. I can’t help m
yself; I check out his ass again.
God.
I need to get laid.
After I finish my waitressing gig at Grind the next day, I drown the buzz of the café out as I sit staring at my laptop. I stayed here in case they get busy and need me. Plus, I prefer the atmosphere of the café rather than the quiet of my apartment. I’m trying to improve my online dating profile, and as I read what I currently have, I’m bored by it. I can only imagine how bored potential dates would be.
Single.
Female.
25.
Working my way to dream career of novelist.
Loves yoga, reading, spending time with friends.
Fuck.
I press delete on the keyboard and in frustration type out a new dating profile.
25.
Desperate for sex.
Earns shit money waitressing while desperately trying to get a publishing deal.
Only does yoga to keep core muscles strong – trust me, guys thank me when they fuck me.
Hangs out with the three friends I have.
Reads too much because gets no sex.
Did I mention desperate for sex?
“Really?” A familiar voice sounds from behind me.
I snap my laptop shut and look up to find Luke moving from behind towards the seat across from me. My heart makes itself known as it begins to beat faster and I swallow down the dryness in my throat.
God, why does he always affect me so much?
He sits at my table, and his eyebrows pull in. “I thought you were working today.”
“My shift got cut in half again because it wasn’t busy enough. Figured I’d stay and write here in case they did get busy and needed me.” Story of my life—my income is dwindling to epically low amounts.
His frown grows deeper. “How are you covering your bills?”
“Let’s just say, my savings are taking a hit. I probably should look for a new job.” I hate the idea of looking for a new job and am fairly sure I’ll have to be homeless before I go down that path. Change and I do not go together well, often to my detriment.
He leans back in his seat and runs his fingers through his hair. “Shit, Callie.”
My heart does a little dance at the concern for me I can see on his face and hear in his voice. I’ve known Luke for a year, and he’s always been somewhat of a mystery to me. What I do know is that he’s a few years older than me, and inherited Elixir from his father. His past is somewhat sketchy, and he’s never shared much about it with us. Avery worked for his father for a year before Luke inherited the bar and Luke wasn’t on the scene until his father died. Locals gossip about him, but no solid information has come to light. All I know for sure is that Luke Hardy is honest and takes care of those closest to him, and that’s all that matters to me.
“Why don’t you take on some shifts at Elixir? God knows, I could do with the help after losing a staff member yesterday. And by the way, thanks for helping Avery out last night while I left for a while.”
Do I really want to work for the man I’ve been secretly crushing on for almost a year?
I hesitate. Avoiding his suggestion, I opt to talk about Avery instead. “No worries. Those guys behaved themselves so there were no problems. And we had Tyler watching out, too. Dude, you need to talk to your brother about Avery. He clearly wants her.”
“Why are you changing the subject?” His eyes don’t leave me, and this unnerves me even more. He’s watching me so closely it almost feels intimate.
The dance my heart has been doing turns into a nervous, uncoordinated jig. “I’m not. I’m just pointing something out to you.”
“I don’t involve myself in my brother’s love life.” He continues to hold my gaze, and I know he’s waiting for my response to his suggestion. I’m struggling to understand how nervous he’s making me feel—I never get this nervous with men.
“Thanks for the job offer, but I’m going to follow up on some waitressing gigs I’ve had mentioned to me first. If they don’t pan out, I’ll see if you still need someone.”
“You’ve already got some offers?”
“Yes,” I lie, willing him to either believe me or drop this. I’ve decided it wouldn’t be good for me to be in his presence more than I already am.
“Okay, but let me know if anything changes. Like I said, I could do with the help.”
“I will.” My heart stops doing that jig and resumes normal beats. Thank goodness he’s letting me be, even though I’m sure he can read the truth of the situation.
Leaning forward, he asks, “Why do you keep looking online for love? Every guy you’ve met on there has turned out to be a loser or not your type.”
I know he means no harm, but his words sting. I already feel like a loser who can’t find a guy or even just get laid; I don’t need Luke to be verbalising the fact. Crossing my arms over my chest, I reply, “I’m not a quitter, Luke. I’ll eventually find someone.”
“I hardly think you’d be classified as a quitter if you stopped scouring dating sites. All I’m suggesting is that perhaps if you stopped trying to force something, it might happen when you’d least expect it.”
Standing, I grab my laptop and bag. My heart has started doing that goddamn jig again, and I’m sure my face has turned a lovely shade of red. I don’t want to talk to him anymore today. I’m a twisted mix of embarrassed and pissed off now. The pissed off side wins when I snap, “I see nothing wrong with using a dating site to look for love and if I want to scour those sites, that’s my business, not yours.”
With one last glare at him, I turn and stalk out of the café. I know I’m being irrational and overreacting, but Luke has this way of provoking me.
Screw you, Luke Hardy.
I’m going to find me a man and show you it can be done.
2
Callie
“Where the hell did you find this guy?” Avery demands, her eyes all over my date and her tongue practically hanging out of her mouth.
I don’t blame her for drooling. The dude’s hot in every way a girl wants her guy to be hot.
Tall.
Dark, wavy, looks-like-he’s-just-been-fucked hair.
Muscles that indicate he’d be able to carry me to bed with little exertion.
Tom Hardy lips that you could kiss for hours on end.
Ian Somerhalder eyes. Seductive as hell.
There’s only one catch with this dude. When he opens his mouth and speaks, the ugly shows through. I’ve just spent the last two hours having dinner with him and within the first twenty minutes, I wanted to leave. I’m convinced he could talk about himself for days without taking a break, and that’s exactly what he did. However, when he suggested we go for a drink after dinner, I jumped at the opportunity to bring him to Luke’s bar and show him off.
To Luke.
Nobody needs to know I’m as far from attracted to him as a woman can be to a man. I’ll tell Avery the truth later, but for now, I want Luke to see me with a guy I found on a dating site. And I want him to see me smiling and having a good time with said guy.
I’ll show Luke that I can find a guy online.
God, he stirs my crazy behaviour, and as much as I know it makes me seem ridiculous, I’m unable to stop myself.
“Dwayne was one of my matches on the dating site,” I answer her as I lean against the counter and watch him talk to the guys. Luke’s face seems to be set in a permanent scowl as he listens to Dwayne. Tyler, on the other hand, appears quite animated, as if he’s interested in the conversation. And he probably is—Dwayne has hardly shut up about football all night, and Tyler loves talking footy.
I turn to catch Avery licking her lips. She grins at me and says, “I bet that man is a master in bed. Look at those muscles. I’m sure he’d have stamina to last the night through.”
She’s right, but sex is the last thing I want from him. And that’s saying something because three months without it is messing with my mind. I'm pretty sure all I think about is getting some.<
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Reaching for the vodka she’s just poured, I take a long sip before shaking my head. “I’m not even interested.”
Her eyes widen and her mouth gapes. “Huh?”
I throw some more of my drink back and then let out all my frustrations. “God, why is it so damn hard to find a man these days? For fuck’s sake, I just want a guy with manners who is as interested in me as himself.” I guzzle the rest of the vodka and slam the empty glass down before raking my fingers through my hair. “No, strike that! I want a man who hangs on my every word for at least some of the date. Some attention would be nice. A guy like Dwayne is only interested in himself, and I bet sex with him would be a bust. He’d probably get off and not even make sure his woman was taken care of before turning on the damn television to catch up on sport. Ugh.” I ignore Avery’s bulging eyes and the shaking of her head. She can think I’m wrong, but she isn’t the one who had to sit through two hours of the guy.
“Shit,” she mutters as a throat clears behind me.
Spinning around, I find Dwayne staring at me. “So I take it that tonight’s not leading anywhere.” His words don’t stun me—they only confirm my suspicions.
Well damn. I figure there’s no saving this now. “Nope.”
His gaze lingers on me for another moment before he reaches into his pocket for his keys. “Figured as much at dinner, but I thought a drink might loosen you up a bit.”
“I think you should leave now.” Avery’s protective streak kicks in and her anger flares. She’s always looking out for me, and I love her for it.
Dwayne takes a step away from us. “Consider me gone,” he says, and a moment later, we watch him walk out of the bar.
“What a douche!” Avery exclaims, her eyes wild with indignation. “All he wanted was sex.”
I groan. “Well, to be fair, I’m pretty desperate for that, too.”
“Yeah, but at least you’re also looking for a guy to date. I’m glad you didn’t lower your standards for him.”
I catch sight of Luke staring after Dwayne and then our eyes meet for a moment.