“What’s that?” Carrie asked.
“Lauren!” Hailey exclaimed. “You’re supposed to keep that under wraps. You know you’re my first client. I want to make sure it’s scalable before we invite others in.”
Lauren was very tempted to roll her eyes, but too polite to do so. She allowed herself an internal whatever!
“Never mind,” Hailey said. “You’ll all be the first to know once it’s official.”
Carrie spoke in a sympathetic tone. “Sorry, Laur, but if Alex spelled it out like that for you, I would believe him.”
“Yeah,” Lauren mumbled.
“Josh says Alex never goes out anymore,” Hailey said with great sympathy.
Lauren stared at Hailey. “Since when do you talk to Josh about stuff?” She didn’t want anyone to feel sorry for Alex. He just needed time to heal.
“I asked him about Alex because I thought of inviting him tonight,” Hailey said.
“Did you invite Josh?” Ally asked.
The women quieted. Dangerous territory there.
“Josh knows better than to mess with my plans,” Hailey retorted.
“So he told you no,” Ally said.
Hailey sucked in air.
“Josh isn’t for me either,” Lauren said, trying to make peace. “He’s preoccupied with…other things.” Like Hailey.
Hailey swerved suddenly, pulling into a spot on the street that had just become available. It was a couple of blocks away from the bar. Not too bad. They all got out.
“Let’s roll, ladies,” Hailey said. “And steer clear of Ethan.”
Chapter Eleven
Alex had to park several blocks away from Marcus’s bar, The Burrow, and walked at a brisk pace. His dad had unexpectedly volunteered to babysit so he could hang with the guys. It felt good to get out again. He’d been out of the loop too long. Okay, it wasn’t the guys he was pumped to see, it was Lauren. She’d be there and he didn’t want her to have “sparks” with anyone but him.
Yup, he was going for it. And the moment he decided that, he remembered he was a man with needs, with a craving for the softness of a woman pressed against him, under him. Not just any woman. Lauren.
He felt alive as the bar came into view. Hands in the air at the top of the roller coaster alive.
He stepped inside to the usual Saturday night crowd. The bar to his right was packed. Booths for cozier eating were further back in the narrow long space. He scanned the bar and homed in immediately on Lauren. She sat sideways on a bar stool in a green halter top that tied at the neck and the middle of her back, the rest of her back completely bare. His gaze dropped lower to body-hugging black jeans and black heels with little bows on top. He was momentarily stunned at the transformation. It was easy to picture her in maternal mode, and, yes, the bikini had opened his eyes, but seeing her dressed so sexy on the prowl for a man made him want to pin her against the wall and kiss her. Stake his claim.
His gaze trailed to her long light brown hair glowing in the light of the bar and then her face, the curve of her gentle smile, the point of her chin. She leaned back and he recognized the man leaning forward with short dirty blond hair, giving Lauren his signature flirty smirk—Ethan.
“Ethan Case, back away from the bar,” Alex barked like a cop and then swaggered toward him. Ethan was a cop, so he appreciated cop humor. His friend was three years older and had looked out for him growing up. Several heads turned to look at Alex and then turned back to the bar. That was New York City for you. Took a lot to hold people’s interest.
“Alex!” Lauren squeaked.
Ethan broke into a rare smile, his sharp blue eyes lit with amusement. “So Viv finally gave you parole.” He clapped a hand on Alex’s shoulder. “Good to see you. I’ll buy you a beer.”
He thanked him and stood close to Lauren. “Hi.”
Her green eyes were wide, looking up at him. “What’re you doing here?”
He lifted one shoulder. “I wanted a night out. It’s been a while.” For more than just a night out.
“Oh, of course,” she said sympathetically. “I didn’t mean to…here, take my seat.” She hopped off the bar stool, took her glass of wine, and squeezed past Ethan. “Enjoy your beer with Ethan.”
“You don’t have to…” Alex trailed off because she took off like a shot. Was it him or Ethan?
He watched as she met up with Hailey and friends standing close to the entrance. He recognized Carrie and Ally, both blondes; they’d been at his dad’s house a few times when he was there with Viv. They were probably waiting for a few more friends. He’d thought they’d all be upstairs on the third floor, where Marcus had a private room for special guests with a fully stocked bar, pool table, and several round tables perfect for poker. Marcus wasn’t tending bar, either. Maybe he was setting up the private room for later.
He took her seat and the bartender appeared to take his order. He sat sideways like Lauren had so he could keep an eye on any guys that might be flirting with her.
Ethan spoke under his breath. “Saved me a crash and burn. That one is skittish as a colt. Probably a virgin.”
Alex ground his teeth. “Just because she didn’t go for your moves doesn’t mean something’s wrong with her.”
Ethan arched a brow.
Alex’s beer arrived and he took a long swallow, still irritated with Ethan. “No way someone that looks like her is a virgin.” He wasn’t sure how old Lauren was, but she looked to be Mad’s age. Way too old to be a virgin. Why was he so worked up about it? Maybe because he knew he wanted a lot more than a virgin was ready for. The beast had been awakened.
“Yeah? How’s she look?” Ethan asked.
Alex’s face heated. He glanced at Ethan, who brought his beer bottle to his mouth with a smirk. “Look for yourself,” Alex muttered.
Ethan socked him on the shoulder.
“Shut up.”
“You know why we’re here tonight?” Ethan asked.
Alex took another sip of beer. “Yeah. Some kind of spark for Lauren thing.”
“What?”
“Never mind.”
“No, man, it’s a singles mixer.” Ethan turned and leaned an elbow on the bar, scanning the small group of single women with Hailey. “What do you think about me and Hailey?”
“Sure, if you don’t mind high maintenance.” He didn’t know Hailey all that well, but the way she looked put together like a glossy picture in a magazine at every occasion, the way she organized and herded her friends, well, it all screamed high maintenance to him.
Ethan shuddered.
Alex’s gaze returned to Lauren. Ben Wright, another of his honorary brothers with short light brown hair and blue eyes, was attempting to flirt with her, smiling his dimpled mischievous smile. Alex forced himself to wait and watch, not just barge in like a desperate guy. Lauren was blushing and shifting uneasily from foot to foot. Obviously she wasn’t comfortable with Ben. And Marcus was out of the question. So that left Alex, since there was no way Lauren was going to hook up with some random guy at the bar. That wasn’t her style. At least, he hoped it wasn’t.
He turned to Ethan. “I’m going to call Ben off.”
“Go for it,” Ethan said. “Send him this way.”
Alex grabbed his beer, went over and bumped Ben with his shoulder. “Hey.”
Ben turned and grinned. “Hey, good game today.” He meant their usual Saturday basketball game. Alex felt a little guilty because his dad had watched Viv this afternoon for the game and tonight too.
“I have to do something,” Lauren announced and took off. Geez, now where was she going? He was beginning to suspect she was trying to avoid him.
He pulled Ben closer to the bar, out of hearing range of the ladies. “Are you seriously here to meet someone at Hailey’s request?”
Ben spoke under his breath. “Her friends are hot.”
“Yeah, but doesn’t it feel kinda forced?”
“It’s not a proposal. Why the hell not?” Ben glanced back at th
e women and his jaw dropped, his gaze caught on the door at a group of women who’d just arrived. “Who is that?”
“Which one?”
“Red hair.”
“I don’t know. One of Hailey’s friends.”
Hailey rushed to greet three more women, probably single. If tonight was for Lauren’s benefit, Hailey sure brought a lot of competition. Marcus appeared from a side door marked staff and greeted the ladies. Marcus looked like a model, no lie, black close-cropped hair, dark eyes with thick lashes, tanned skin, classic chiseled cheekbones, sharp jawline, large bulked-up body. His nose had been broken, though, so he wasn’t picture perfect. The ladies loved to touch his overly muscled arms. Marcus loved it too.
Lauren rejoined her friends with a smile and a little wave for Marcus. Somehow Marcus managed to flirt with Lauren, Carrie, and Ally all at the same time. He was a master at making each woman feel special. It shouldn’t irritate him, really, Marcus wasn’t singling anyone out, but it did.
“Come on,” he said to Ben. “Ethan’s down the other end of the bar.”
They met up with Ethan, and Alex gave Ben his seat. He wouldn’t be staying. He had to make his move, though he was so out of practice, and not used to a sweet woman like Lauren, he needed a few minutes to figure out a plan. He sipped his beer and kept an eye on Lauren smiling and talking more to her friends than Marcus. In his old life, it was so much easier. The places he went to in the city catered to free spirits, wild, edgy women comfortable with casual hookups. That was how he met Tammy, in a secret underground party that shifted around his Brooklyn neighborhood, except they’d connected, so similar that they’d hung on for a while. Things had started to fall apart four months in. Tammy was making noises about hitchhiking to San Francisco for a “new scene,” which he was not cool with. Then they found out she was pregnant. He pushed Tammy from his mind. He needed to move on.
He was practically a different person now. His life was neatly divided into before Viv and after Viv. And after-Viv life required a woman like Lauren.
Lauren finished her wine and Marcus took the empty glass from her with a smile. She smiled back, pulled out her cell phone, and tapped on it. At least she wasn’t taken in by Marcus’s so-called charm.
His phone vibrated in his pocket. He checked the screen in case it was his dad. He smiled. It was Lauren. Who’s watching Viv? He loved that she cared.
He quickly texted back. My dad. You want to get out of here?
She stiffened and looked around for him. He stepped away from the bar, closer to her, but not close enough to get sucked in with her friends. He crooked his finger and she walked right over.
“I thought you wanted to hang with your friends,” she said.
“I saw them earlier for basketball.”
She looked around stealthily. “I don’t think I can leave. Hailey planned this entire night for me. Some of the guys brought her gifts.”
He looked over and realized Hailey was holding a gift bag with some cards sticking out of it. “Why?”
She shook her head with a smile. “They think they’re here for her birthday, but they know they’re not, but she doesn’t know that they know.” She took a deep breath. “It’s complicated. Do you want to go to her surprise party next month?”
“Sure.”
“Great. I’ll text you the details.” She met his eyes with a warm smile. “It’s good you’re going out again. Josh says you haven’t been.”
“Should we make some kind of announcement? Soak it in, people! Alex Campbell left the house.” He grinned.
She blushed and pushed her long hair over her ears. “So, anyway, I kind of have to stay and report on sparks or lack thereof.”
He leaned close and spoke in a husky tone near her ear. “You feel any yet?”
Her blush stepped into the red zone. She looked away, her mouth opening and then closing.
“That’s quite a blush,” he teased. “Must’ve been some crazy sparks going on.”
She laughed and shook her head. “No! Impossible.”
“Why is it impossible?”
She put a hand on his arm, leaned close, and whispered, “I know way too much.” She dropped her hand and met his eyes briefly before lowering them, studying the bows on the front of her shoes.
“Like what? You reading everyone’s old-soul eyes?”
She shook her head. “I don’t need to.”
“So what’s wrong with Ethan?”
She bit her plump lower lip. “I shouldn’t repeat what I heard.” She glanced at Ethan and then back to him, whispering, “It’s private.”
“He tell you something?” He couldn’t imagine what it was. Ethan was downright boring as a cop nowadays. As a kid, he’d been tough with no respect for authority. Irony.
“No,” Lauren whispered, blushing furiously. “Can we not talk about him?”
“Sure. What’s wrong with Marcus?” He was enjoying hearing all about how his competition fared so poorly in her eyes. It wasn’t usually the case.
She glanced back at Marcus now flirting with all of her friends. “I don’t think he can pick just one.”
“Maybe. Or maybe he just hasn’t met the One.”
Her head snapped back to him, green eyes wide. “Do you believe in the One?”
“No, I was joking.”
“Oh. Why not?”
“Because it doesn’t make sense. There’s too many people in the world for there to be just one.”
She lifted her chin. “I believe each of us has a soul mate.”
“What about the spark?” he teased.
Her voice was firm and entirely sincere, her gaze steady on his. “You need the spark to get close enough for soul recognition.”
He got a chill, even though he didn’t believe a word of it. She believed it and it made it feel real. He swallowed and looked away, over her shoulder. That was when he noticed Ben checking out Lauren’s ass. “What’s wrong with Ben?” Oh fuck. He was coming over.
“Completely unsuitable,” Lauren said.
He made eye contact with Ben and hitched his head in a gesture for him to back off. Ben kept right on coming.
“Come on, Ben’s great,” he said loud enough for Ben to hear. “Good job, good looking, great in bed, I hear.” Ben grinned at that last part.
“He doesn’t believe in marriage!” Lauren exclaimed.
Ben reversed course. Yup. He didn’t. So long, Ben.
Alex bit back a smile and turned to Lauren. “Maybe he just didn’t meet his soul mate yet.”
She shook her head. “He’s not ready. It’s in his eyes.”
“His old-soul eyes?” he asked with a laugh.
She looked away. “Now you’re teasing.”
“I just don’t see how you can get all that from looking at someone’s eyes.”
She turned back to him and lifted her chin. “You don’t have to believe me. I believe me.”
“What do my eyes look like right now?” he challenged, letting her see the heat, the desire he was holding in check.
“Brown.” She quickly looked away.
He wanted to touch her, to cup her face or stroke her bare shoulder, but he held back. Lauren was the kind of woman that needed to be eased into the physical. He knew that in his bones. “Anything else?”
She looked again, meeting his lusty eyes. Her eyes dilated and she licked her lips. She felt it, but would she acknowledge it?
“Old soul? Pain and sorrow?” He threw that out there in hopes she’d deny it and say what she really saw—pure hungry lust. The pain and sorrow she claimed to see was actually stabbing guilt.
He shifted closer, holding her gaze. “Lauren?”
“N-no,” she stuttered. “Not that.”
“Lauren!” Hailey waved her over. “Come on, we’re going upstairs.”
Lauren gave him an apologetic look. “I’ll see you up there?”
“Yup.”
She rejoined her friends. He got Ethan and Ben and they followed at a leisur
ely pace. Marcus’s private room was exactly that, an intimate space with dark wood tones, soft lighting, and plenty of good liquor, perfect for meeting up with friends or a woman. He’d just been given a golden opportunity to make a move.
When he got there, Marcus was behind the bar, refreshing everyone’s drinks. The ladies all favored white wine. There were seven women. Hailey introduced the three that had recently arrived as Missy (that was the redhead), Lexi, and Sabrina. The four guys, including him, got beers.
Ethan set up the balls for pool. “Who wants to play?”
The guys all did. The women declined. That was weird. Usually women loved to hang with Ethan.
Ethan put his hands on his hips and eyed the women hovering by the bar. “Come on. Two guys, two girls. Then we’ll have the winners play the next two.”
Hailey volunteered with a tone of bravado. “I’ll play.”
The women murmured to her and she lifted her chin and went to Ethan’s side.
“Me too,” Lauren said, crossing to Hailey’s side in a show of support.
Alex headed to the pool table, saying, “I’m in.”
Ethan gave Hailey one of his flirty smirks. “You any good?”
“I’m terrible,” Hailey said.
“Me too,” Lauren said.
“Then we’ll have to teach you,” Ethan said, shooting Alex a knowing look.
Alex jerked his chin. Teaching a woman to play pool was akin to foreplay and they both knew it. The worse they were at it, the better because then you had an excuse to lean over them from behind, guiding their hands around the stick. Damn, he was getting hot just thinking about it. He glanced away, working on cooling off. Marcus got a game of poker going while the four of them picked out cues from the rack on the wall.
And then they started to play. Ethan’s first attempt at guiding Hailey ended with her jabbing him with the stick from behind hard enough to make him double over. He kept his distance after that, barking out orders to which Hailey reacted by playing worse and worse.
Lauren, on the other hand, was extremely amenable to instruction. From the very first, she looked to Alex for guidance, checking in with him for her next move on the table. She always took his instruction, lined up the shot, bent over the table and then looked back over her shoulder at him. “Like this?”
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