Love like Yours Series (Box Set #1-4)

by Nicole S. Goodin

“I thought I’d better check out my competition,” he replied, and I could hear the grin in his voice.

  I was fairly certain that there wasn’t a man on the face of this earth that would be competition for Colton Hunt.

  ***

  “Shit, Lex, I can’t get anyone to cover for me.” Colt slid in next to me on the couch, his face a mask of defeat.

  I’d listened to him on the phone for the past half hour, calling employee after employee, trying to arrange for someone to take his manager’s shift at the club this evening. He was having absolutely no luck.

  I guess being the boss sucks sometimes.

  “That’s okay,” I replied, trying my best to sound like I meant it. “I didn’t expect you to take off work for me.”

  I truthfully didn’t expect him to... but a girl could dream.

  “You’ve only got two more nights here,” he grumbled. “I don’t want to waste one of them at work.”

  “It’s fine,” I reassured him. “I’ll see what El is up to... she might want to go get dinner or catch a movie or something.”

  I knew it was pathetic, but I felt a huge sense of disappointment at the thought of having to be apart from him, even just for the night. I’d spent nearly every minute of my time with him these past few days, and I’d loved it. No matter how much time we spent together, I still wanted more.

  We’d been here together all last night, and today, just doing nothing – but everything at the same time... and I still wasn’t even a little bit sick of him.

  “Or... you could come with me?” he suggested hopefully.

  I scrunched up my nose. “I wouldn’t get in the way?” I asked, just as hopeful that he’d tell me it was okay for me to tag along.

  “Not even close,” he assured me. “It might even be fun.”

  “Can I sit around and get drunk?” I bartered with him.

  “I’m pretty sure my job requires me to ensure that people aren’t getting drunk, but I could probably turn a blind eye, for a pretty little thing like you.” He put on a southern drawl and winked at me.

  “Well then, Mr. Bar Manager, you’ve got yourself a date.”

  ***

  I wasn’t really one to frequent the club scene, but even I could tell that this place was on fire tonight.

  I’d been expecting us to be heading up to the same V.I.P. area where we’d performed on Friday night, but instead, we were down on the main floor, and as the bar staff fondly referred to it, we were ‘mingling with the civilians’.

  I liked it better down here. There were more people, with fewer inhibitions for me to watch.

  I was a rubbernecker from way back. That’s what my mom always called me. Football games, concerts, movies... I found myself watching other people more than whatever it was my attention should have been focused on.

  People tended to let loose when the lights went down – they let their usually more subdued personalities come out to play. A few drinks and a darkened room made for amazing people-watching. I’d just about seen it all in the past hour or so... some outrageous dance moves, hookups, fights, even some vomiting.

  Right now, I was in a happy place. I was perched at the bar, where my hot-as-hell boyfriend – because I could call him that now, was mixing drinks like a pro, he had bottles flying in the air like some kind of ninja juggler and to say I was impressed would have been a total understatement.

  Is it hot in here?

  There was something about seeing him so in his element like this that just had me melting on the inside. It was like foreplay to me and all of a sudden I couldn’t wait to get home and get him alone. I bit down on my lip and willed him to turn around and drag me away from here like some kind of caveman.

  “What’s a beautiful woman like you doing down here all alone?”

  I groaned internally.

  The one downside to sitting here all by myself was that I’d been hit on more times in the past two hours than I had in the past six years combined.

  Apparently, sitting alone at a bar meant I had a giant neon sign flashing above my head that read ‘available – hit on me’.

  I grimaced as I turned to face my most recent admirer. A tall, dark-haired man with bronzed skin and brown eyes. If Colt had to watch me fend off yet another advance I was sure he was going to lose his mind.

  I peeked over at the far side of the bar where Colt was thankfully busy entertaining a group of young patrons with his bottle acrobatic skills.

  I cursed myself internally when I turned back and realized I’d given the stranger an opportunity to sit down next to me.

  “I, ah... I’m not really interested, but thank you though,” I offered politely.

  “Thank you for what?” He chuckled.

  My cheeks blazed. “Um... the compliment.”

  He laughed again and took a sip of the beer he was holding. “No problem.”

  He made absolutely no move to get up and leave me alone, and I grew more uncomfortable with each awkward second that passed.

  “Get you a drink?” he suggested.

  “What do you think?” I replied, indicating to my full drink.

  Not interested.

  This guy obviously couldn’t take a hint.

  “You know...” He smirked, noticing my rising agitation. “I’m surprised that he left you to fend for yourself... anyone could be coming on to you while he’s busy with his circus tricks.” He tsked. “I’ll have to have a hard word with the little twerp.”

  I looked at him and gaped, then followed his line of sight to look at Colt, who was now looking in our direction and smirking back at the man next to me.

  They know each other; looks like the joke’s on me.

  “That’s not funny,” I scolded the stranger. “You could have told me that you weren’t just another random, I wouldn’t have been such a bitch.”

  “And ruin all my fun?” He shook his head and laughed. “It’s Lexie, right? I’m Angelo, Colton’s cousin.” He offered me his hand and I shook it.

  The pieces clicked into place as I remembered Colt telling me about his cousin who worked for him at the club.

  I turned towards him. “It’s nice to meet you, Angelo, and I swear, I’m not usually such a hard ass.”

  He laughed and waved away my apology.

  “I just seem to be getting a lot of unwanted attention tonight and I’m pretty sure Colt’s had enough of it,” I explained as I looked back at Colt, who seemed a bit more at ease now that I wasn’t here all alone like a sitting duck.

  He shot me a dazzling smile, momentarily taking my breath away, before turning back towards his work.

  “Cue the helpful cousin.” He pointed at himself.

  The penny dropped.

  “Ahhh.” I nodded in acknowledgment. “He called in the reinforcements.”

  “He did.”

  I shook my head in amusement as I watched Colt work. “I’m sorry you got stuck with babysitting duty.”

  Angelo chuckled. “Hell, don’t be sorry, if he wants to pay me to sit around and have a drink with a beautiful woman, then he can go right ahead.”

  I laughed. I had a feeling that Angelo and I were going to get along just fine.

  “So, what have you been doing down here?” he asked. “Dancing?” He gestured towards the packed dance floor where the Justin Bieber remix of ‘Despacito’ was blasting.

  I shook my head in amusement. “I wasn’t brave enough to go in alone. I’ve just been admiring the eye candy.” I tipped my head towards Colt. “And trying to decide if that guy over there is into the guy, the girl, or both,” I mused as I pointed out the people I was referring to.

  He nearly spat out a mouthful of beer. “You what?”

  I laughed. It was probably weird to other people, but it was second nature to me.

  “Yeah.” I nodded enthusiastically. “Trying to figure out things about other people’s lives is really fun, you should try it.”

  He tipped his head to the side as though he was attempting to figure me ou
t. I took it as an opportunity to show him what I meant.

  “Okay, so... see that blonde girl right there?” I pointed towards the dance floor at a girl who was out there shaking what her momma gave her.

  He nodded. “I see her.”

  “Okay, so... I think she’s something like a preschool teacher by day, but by night she lives out her real passion.”

  He chuckled. “And what’s her real passion?”

  “Erotic dancing,” I answered. “And the guy in the checkered shirt?”

  Angelo nodded again, seemingly amused by my little game. “He has a secret crush on her, he comes here every night, hoping she’ll be here... and for the last thirty minutes he’s been trying to figure out how to approach her without looking like he’s just out for a piece of ass.”

  He laughed again. “You’re a strange little thing.”

  “Don’t knock it ‘til you try it.” I winked at him as I took a sip of the latest delicious concoction Colt had made for me. I’d only been joking when I’d told him I’d sit here and get drunk, but if he kept making me drinks this delicious, it wouldn’t be long until I was on my ass; they were going down a bit too easy.

  “Alright then, I’ll give it a go,” Angelo boasted, glancing around. “Okay... you see that couple over there, late thirties maybe?”

  I followed the direction he was pointing. “I see them.” I nodded.

  “They’re here for date night – they left the kids at home... two boys and a girl,” he explained.

  I giggled; thrilled that he was playing along.

  “She’s just told him she likes the idea of bringing another woman into the bedroom,” he continued.

  I laughed loudly.

  “Obviously, he’s ecstatic about the prospect... but he likes blondes and she’d rather a brunette, so they’re having a hard time agreeing on who they should approach.”

  “You are far too good at this.” I clutched my side; it was sore from laughing so hard at him.

  “You were right, you know, this is fun,” he admitted with a grin.

  “Told you so.”

  The rest of the night passed with laughter, drinks and stolen kisses from Colt. I may have been sitting in a club with a near stranger for company, waiting for my boyfriend to finish work, but it was one of the most enjoyable nights I’d ever had.

  And it’s all because of him.

  22. Colt

  I let Callum know I’d be back behind the bar in ten minutes.

  There was one thing I needed to do in this club tonight that had absolutely nothing to do with work, and everything to do with my girl grinding against me.

  That little taste I’d gotten of dancing with Lexie at the karaoke bar had done nothing but add fuel to my fire. I wanted more. One time of anything was never going to be enough when it came to Lexie.

  I need more.

  I was getting her out on that packed dance floor, just like I should have done that very first night here.

  I prowled towards the end of the bar where she was still perched, chatting with my cousin, Angelo.

  They were laughing and joking and I gave myself a mental high-five for coming up with the idea of bringing him down here to look out for her. She was clearly enjoying the company, and as another bonus I could finally relax and do my job. I knew if I had to watch another drunk asshole hitting on my girl, I was going to hit the roof. Angelo had been the perfect solution.

  Lexie saw me coming and smiled so big I was worried her face might break.

  “Hey, beautiful.” I leaned over the bar to kiss her softly. “You doing okay over here?”

  She nodded and smiled. “Angelo was just telling me about when you guys were growing up.”

  I groaned. My brothers and I had gotten up to all kinds of shit with Angelo and his sisters growing up.

  Lexie giggled knowingly. “Yup... he was just telling me about what happened with the old lady and her cat from down the street.”

  I chuckled at the memory. “Hey, that damn cat came down eventually, but old Mrs. Evans held that grudge forever.”

  Angelo nodded in agreement, his eyes crinkled with laughter.

  “Could you do me a solid, man, watch the bar for ten?” I asked him with a flick of my head.

  “Yeah, sure.” He waved his hand dismissively like it was no big deal. “Where are you going?”

  I turned to Lex. “I was hoping I could convince this one to join me on the dance floor.”

  Her eyes widened in surprise. “Oh, hell yes.”

  Angelo laughed at her response.

  I rounded the end of the bar and held out my hand to help Lexie down from her stool. ‘Swalla’ by Jason Derulo began pumping from the sound system as I towed her out to the center of the crowded dance floor.

  Perfect.

  This song had an insane beat.

  I stopped and held Lexie by the hand, so her arm was stretched up high.

  She strutted right around me in a circle, all sass and sex appeal. She spun around when she reached my front and pressed her back up against me.

  My arms wrapped around her instinctively and we moved to the beat in unison, her ass grinding against my crotch.

  I groaned in her ear. “Damn, baby.”

  I felt the vibration of her laughing against my chest.

  She tilted her head back and looked up at me with her beautiful face.

  I leaned in to kiss her, and it was as though the whole world fell away. I felt like I was watching us from above, the crush of bodies around us nothing but a blur around a spotlight, and in the center it was just me and her.

  I’d never experienced anything like this before.

  Lexie turned in my arms, so her front was pressed against mine, our lips never breaking contact as her delicate hands clasped around my neck.

  The song, the dance, my job... it was all forgotten as I slipped my tongue into her mouth and met hers.

  I couldn’t get enough. My hands found her hips and gripped tight, lifting her slightly off the ground. She was as close to me as she could possibly be, but it still wasn’t enough.

  She sighed into my mouth, and I knew she could feel it too.

  I set her back down and our lips broke apart but stayed close, our heavy breaths mingling together between us.

  “I thought you brought me out here to dance,” she murmured as the song ended and the A-Trak remix of Lorde’s ‘Magnets’ began.

  Our bodies might have been still, but our souls... those were dancing.

  “You want to dance, babe?” I asked her.

  She nodded, her eyes trained on mine.

  If my girl wanted to dance, we’d dance.

  I grabbed her, ballroom style and turned her around and around, the crowd taking notice and making space for us.

  I ignored the beat as I swept and turned a giggling Lexie around the floor.

  The song ended and I dipped her low, kissing her hard as I did. I could feel her smile against my lips and I knew nothing else in my life could compare to the feeling of making this woman happy.

  The people that had surrounded us clapped and cheered as I took a bow.

  Lexie blushed bright red and tucked her face into my chest with an embarrassed little giggle.

  Jason Derulo’s ‘X2CU’ came on and I was making a mental note to talk to the DJ about overdoing the Derulo, when Lexie started laughing uncontrollably.

  “What’s so funny?” I asked her loudly, trying to be heard over the music.

  She pushed up on her toes and tried to explain in my ear, but it was too noisy out here for me to hear what she was saying.

  I held one finger up, indicating that she should hang on, and led her out of the madness and back towards the bar where we would have a much better shot at having a conversation.

  She was still grinning like a loon when we got there, and I could tell she was on the verge of bursting into laughter again.

  I turned her and backed her up so she was pressed against the wall, me towering over her, my arms cagi
ng her in.

  She gasped, and the cheeky grin on her face fell away. I watched as her eyes roamed over the tense muscles of my arms, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip as she did.

  Damn, baby.

  The look in her eyes made me momentarily forget what we’d come over here for.

  I stared at her, just taking my fill, until something caught her attention and a slow grin spread across her face.

  “Didn’t you have a question?” she asked with a sly smirk and a giggle.

  I smirked back. “You gonna tell me what’s so damn funny, or am I gonna have to drag it out of you?”

  She pretended to ponder my offer for a moment.

  “It’s the song.” She laughed. “When we first met, I thought it sounded like it should have been the soundtrack for you and your attempts to get me into bed for revenge,” she explained.

  I listened to the lyrics for a moment.

  I just want my ex to see you...

  She’s not wrong.

  I thought back to the first time I met Lexie and smiled. It was hard to think that I’d still been a little hung-up on Quinn. I chuckled as I recalled propositioning Lexie and her calling me out on my bullshit. It was even harder to fathom that it was only a few short days ago.

  It seems like a lifetime...

  I was so utterly absorbed with Lexie that no other woman even crossed my mind anymore.

  I chuckled. “Can’t argue with you about that one.”

  “What’s the theme song of your life now?” she asked, her voice a mixture of curiosity and nerves.

  Every single love song I knew flashed through my mind, but I reigned it in and went for a light option.

  I grinned, deliberately looking her up and down. “Ed Sheeran – Shape of you.” I told her as I gestured to the fine body she was teasing me with.

  She swatted my shoulder playfully. “Good choice, Mr. Hunt... good choice.”

  I swooped in and claimed her lips, much to the delight of my staff, who apparently were watching exactly what we were doing, if the whoops and hollers that were being fired in our direction were anything to go by.

  “Boss man, you sly dog,” I heard Michelle call out.

  I chuckled and pulled back from Lexie. “I better go reign in the troops,” I told her, already reluctant to have her out of my arms.