If she blew him off now, she’d never see him again. Rowan wasn’t the kind of man who had to beg a woman for anything. “I do.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
She could tell he was pissed she wasn’t jumping at the chance to spend more time with him. Probably because he usually had girls lining up for a chance to sleep with him. That was one line she didn’t intend to join.
“I meant what I said, Rowan. I don’t do relationships.”
He chuckled. “Is that what you think I want?”
“So you just want sex?” Normally she’d be okay with that. But this time, for reasons she didn’t want to dissect, it made her feel kind of dirty.
“I didn’t say that.”
“Then what the hell do you want?” He was confusing her, and she didn’t like it. She preferred to lay her cards on the table and liked men who weren’t afraid to do the same.
“I don’t know. I’m still figuring that out.”
“Well, until you do figure it out, maybe we just should keep our distance.” She waited for a response, but when none came, she slid her finger across the screen, disconnecting the call.
Well, that’s the end of that. So why didn’t she feel relieved?
Chapter Four
I shouldn’t even be here. That was what Rowan kept telling himself after Tenley’s stance on the phone that morning. Yet there he sat, with four of his buddies—two of them already hammered and the others well on their way—while stealing a glance at her every chance he got.
He hadn’t told them why they were there, only that he’d found a new bar worth checking out, so when his buddy Ace said, “I gotta tap that,” in reference to Tenley, Rowan nearly lunged across the table.
“Shut the hell up, dumbass.”
Ace looked shocked. “What’s your problem, man? You got a thing goin’ with that hot little bartender? All you had to do was say so. But since when do you mind sharing?”
Ace was right. Rowan rarely cared whether the girl he was with was dating other guys, but Tenley was different. The way he felt about her was different. He couldn’t stop thinking about her, which was seriously messed up and way out of character for him.
“Since now.”
The waitress returned to refill their drinks, saving Rowan from having to answer any more stupid questions.
“Do me a favor?” Rowan asked the waitress.
She smiled, resting her hand on his shoulder. “All you have to do is ask, handsome.”
“Ask Tenley to come over here when she gets a break?”
She pouted. “What do you want with her when you can have me? I’m a sure thing. Tenley’s far from it.”
Which meant Tenley wasn’t promiscuous. He liked that. He knew it was a double standard, but he couldn’t help the way he felt. Knowing she was selective about the men she slept with only made him want her more.
“No offense, but she kind of ruined me for all other women,” he said, low enough so only she could hear him. He meant it as a joke to soften the sting of rejection, but it felt too true for him to be able to laugh it off.
She fanned her face, grinning. “I’ll never understand you guys. You chase that girl around like her honey pot’s sweeter than all the rest. Don’t get me wrong, I know she’s hot. I’d do her if she was into girls, but if you get her for even one night, you’re one damn lucky man.”
That just reinforced what Tenley had told him. One night, maybe two, and she’d have had her fill of him. The odds weren’t in his favor, but that didn’t stop him from wanting to take his chances.
Rowan stood, stepped away from the table, and inclined his head so she would do the same. “You said lots of guys are after her?”
She rolled her eyes. “You wouldn’t believe some of the shit they pull to try to get her attention. Buy her drinks, leave their numbers with the waitresses, some even wait for her in the parking lot.”
Rowan didn’t like the sound of that. “She ever bite?”
“She seems pretty stand-offish with most of them. But she did go out with some car salesman after she broke up with her last boyfriend.”
He stole a glance at Tenley, who was shooting daggers at him. She probably thought he was hitting on the waitress just to piss her off. He was willing to do just about anything, but he wasn’t sure if flirting with another girl was on the list yet.
“So what do you think it would take to get her attention?”
“She seems to like guys who don’t come on too strong. She’s pretty skittish, from what I can tell.”
“Yeah, I got the same impression.” Normally taking a step back wouldn’t be a problem for Rowan, but somehow, with her, it was. “Well, thanks for the advice…?”
“Maura.”
He was pretty sure she’d told them her name when she announced she’d be their server for the night, but he’d been too distracted watching Tenley to notice anyone or anything else. “Thanks, Maura.”
“No problem.” She patted his chest. “I’ll send her your way when she gets a minute.”
“Thanks.” He didn’t even know if Tenley would want to talk to him after that phone conversation, but he wasn’t walking out of there until he at least tried.
“Hey,” Walker said, coming up behind him. He shook Rowan’s hand before nodding at their table. “Nice of you to come back with the boys.”
“I didn’t think I should just sit here by myself like a loser all night and leer at your sister,” he joked. “That might be weird.”
Walker laughed, shaking his head. “You sure you wanna waste your time with my sister, Rowan?”
“Why not your sister?” If anyone could convince Rowan this was a bad idea, Walker could. And maybe that was what he wanted—someone to give me a reason to walk away and pretend he’d never met her.
“She’s a real ballbreaker.”
Rowan smirked. He’d guessed that within the first five minutes of talking to her. Yet he’d still showed up to meet her. “What else?”
“Sometimes I think she hates men.” Walker chuckled. “Not that she doesn’t have reason. First our old man, then her ex—” His face turned a ruddy shade under his tan. “Uh, I should get back to work. We’re slammed tonight.”
“Wait,” Rowan said, grabbing his arm. “She say anything to you about me?” Jesus, now he felt as though he was back in middle school, trying to get the attention of the girl he’d been crushing on but was afraid to talk to. He was turning into a lame-ass pussy over this woman.
“Not really, but she came into work in a foul mood. You two get into it?”
“Yeah, something like that.”
Before Rowan could explain, he saw Tenley heading toward them, looking fit to kill in a pair of tight black jeans, black high-heels, and a skimpy red top that showed off her Cs and cut abs to perfection. Man, he was getting turned on from just looking at her, and judging by the way heads were turning, he wasn’t the only one.
“You wanted to see me?” she asked Rowan, planting her hands on her hips. “I don’t have a lot of time.” She gestured to the crowd of people around them. “As you can see, we’re pretty busy tonight.”
His friends were checking her out, tipping their chairs back, licking their lips, and looking her up and down, lingering a little too long. He’d deal with them later. Right now, he had bigger problems, like figuring out how he was going to wipe that scowl off her beautiful face.
“I’ll leave you two alone,” Walker said. “I got you covered, sis. Take a few.”
She glared at his back as he walked away, obviously displeased to be given an out when she hadn’t asked for and didn’t want one.
Glancing over her shoulder when one of Rowan’s so-called friends made a grab for her, she said, “Do that again, and I’ll bash your skull in with that beer bottle.”
Rowan grabbed her hands and pulled her forward so that she collided with his chest, out of their reach. “You really done with me?”
Her breath hitched as her eyes searched his. �
�I don’t know. You done with me?”
“Hell no. Not even close.”
He lowered his head, craving another taste of those sweet lips. They were covered in some cherry gloss, which he would probably be wearing when he pulled away. But he didn’t care. Thrusting his hands into her hair, he delved deep, sweeping his tongue over her lips before she finally opened, granting him unlimited access.
Her hands snaked up his back before one found its way into his hair. Her tight little body was pressed firmly against his, generating an unmistakable reaction from him. But she didn’t seem to mind as her tongue warred with his, giving as good as she got.
“Come on, Row. You’re gettin’ me goin’ here,” Ace grumbled, making the other guys laugh.
They finally broke apart, and Rowan nipped her puffy lower lip one more time, unable to tear himself away. He should apologize for losing it like that in her workplace, but he couldn’t pretend he didn’t like the idea of all the other guys who’d been hitting on her realizing she’d made her choice.
“Let me drive you home again?”
She smiled before touching her swollen lips with her fingertips. “I have my bike. And it’s not raining tonight.”
“Don’t you have a car?”
“Nope. Don’t need one.” She hooked her thumbs in the belt loops of his faded jeans, drawing him against her body as his arms encircled her waist. “Don’t tell me you’re going to give me grief about Pearl too?”
“Pearl?” he asked, barely suppressing his amusement. “You named a badass Harley like that Pearl?”
“Shut up,” she warned, planting her foot between his legs to let him know that one knee lift was all it would take for her to lay him out. “I happen to like that name. For my high school graduation my brothers gave me pearl earrings. It was the first really nice gift anyone ever gave me. Why? You got a problem with the name?”
“No, but I do have a problem with the thought of you ridin’ that thing in all kinds of crazy weather. You have to promise me if it’s raining, you’ll call me to pick you up.” Not that he wouldn’t already be parked out front at quitting time to make sure she didn’t plan to do anything reckless. “Say it.” He tugged on her chin to encourage her to form the words. “Say ‘I promise, Rowan.’”
She tried to hide her smile by pulling her full lips into a straight line, but he knew she was amused. “What are we doing here?”
“Breaking all our rules, apparently. You don’t do relationships. I don’t get protective about a woman I just met. Yet here we are on the verge of… something.” He knew if he tried to nail her down or define it, she’d run as far and as fast as she could.
“You do make me want to break the rules,” she whispered, brushing her lips across his. “And that’s bad, very bad.”
Felt pretty damn good from his perspective. “If you won’t let me drive you home, will you call me when you get home, just to let me know you’re all tucked into bed, safe and sound?”
“Did I say I was going home?” she asked, frowning. “I don’t think I did.”
He was tucking her hair behind her ear when she said it, making him reflexively tug on the silky strands instead. “Where the hell are you going at two in the morning?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” She grinned. “Gotta get back to work, Row. I’ll see ya later. Maybe.”
He grabbed her wrist before she could get away. “Tell me where you’re going or I swear to God I’ll close this place down waiting for you.” He hated the things he was saying, the way he was feeling, but he couldn’t let her walk out of this place tonight and into some other dude’s arms. It just wasn’t gonna happen.
She stroked his face, smiling. “Just got a call from my roomie. Apparently, there was a gas leak in our building, so we can’t go back until tomorrow at the earliest.”
At least she had a legitimate reason for not going home tonight. That made him feel marginally better. “So stay with me tonight.”
“Yeah right.”
“I’m serious.” Rowan thought of his brother sleeping in his guest room. He’d like nothing more than to wake up to the sight of Tenley wearing a T-shirt and nothing else. The bastard.
“Thanks for the offer, but I already told Walker I’d crash at his place tonight. He knows we just met, and he wouldn’t be too happy if I told him I was going home with you.”
Rowan got that. He was an overprotective big brother too. “Fine, but you can still call me when you get to his place, can’t you?”
She glanced back at the table where his rowdy friends were downing another round of shots. “Don’t you have to drive those guys home?”
“I can shove them in a cab.” Which had been his intent if Tenley agreed to let him drive her home. “They won’t know the difference in an hour anyhow.”
She grinned. “I can’t believe I threatened to smash a beer bottle over Ace Phillips’ head. What the hell was I thinking?”
His friend may be a Golden Glover, but he could still be an ass sometimes. “You were thinking you don’t like some drunk guy grabbing you. If you hadn’t put him in his place, trust me, I would have.”
She tipped her head to the side. “You’re the jealous type, aren’t you?”
“Usually? No. With you? It seems all bets are off.”
Rowan hoped she would appreciate his honesty, especially since he didn’t see any reason to lie about something that was painfully obvious. He was jealous when he saw other guys checking her out. He needed to protect her, to know she was safe. If she thought that made him the wrong man for her, he’d just have to figure out a way to convince her otherwise.
“You’re crazy. You do know that, don’t you?”
“Crazy about you, baby.” He stole one more kiss before she managed to wiggle out of his grasp. “We’re gonna head out soon. Make sure you call me when you get in.”
She clicked the heels of her shoes together while saluting him with a sassy smile. “Yes, sir.”
Smartass woman, he thought, watching her walk away. I’m in all kinds of trouble with this one.
***
Rowan was lying in bed, on the verge of falling asleep, when she finally called. He answered on the second ring. “Hey, babe. Why’re you getting in so late?”
She sighed. “You have the sexiest voice I have ever heard.”
He sat up straighter when he realized her words were slurred. “You’ve been drinking?”
“We did some shots after we closed up.” She giggled. “I don’t usually partake since I have to take Pearl home, but since Walker offered to drive, I thought what the hell, right?”
“Hmm.” At least she was with her brother. That made him feel better.
“What’s wrong? You don’t approve?”
He wasn’t a big drinker, usually because he was either playing or in training. But he’d spent too many years seeing his buddies make asses of themselves because of the bottle… or blow promising careers because they got in too deep and couldn’t get out.
“It’s your call, Ten. I can’t tell you what to do. Just be careful. I’ve seen the way some of your so-called customers look at you, like they’re just waiting for you to let your guard down.”
The thought of someone slipping something in her drink or waiting for her outside of work after she’d had a few too many, made Rowan want to make good on his threat to wait outside so he could make sure she got home safely. If anything happened to her, he’d have to kill somebody.
“You’re sweet to worry about me.” She sighed. “Have I told you how sweet you are?” Air seeped through her lips before she giggled. “I probably shouldn’t say that to a big, tough guy like you, should I? You don’t wanna be sweet, right? You wanna be badassssss.”
She was cute when she was drunk. And since she was safe and sound at her brother’s place, he could laugh at her antics.
“You are a badass.” Apparently, she was content to ramble until she fell asleep, which was fine by him. He could listen to that sexy, raspy voice all
night. “But you’re also sexy and sweet and smart and…” She sighed. “Just everything. You’re everything I ever wanted, Row.”
He smiled, knowing she wouldn’t remember a word of this in the morning. Still, it was nice to hear.
“I want you, you know,” she said. “I want to be in your bed when you—”
“Don’t say that.” He was thirty seconds away from jumping in his truck and tracking her down. While he’d never take advantage of her in her current state, it would be nice to hear her whisper those things while she was straddling him. Fully clothed, of course.
“Why not? It’s true. Tell me you want me too.”
“You have no idea.” But for the first time in a long time, he wanted more than a physical relationship. Too bad he’d picked the wrong girl for that.
“I bet you’re good in bed.” She sighed. “You are, aren’t you? You always make sure your lover is satisfied first?”
He’d assumed that was a given until he heard some of his buddies talk about hooking up with random women and how they didn’t care if it was good for her, unless they planned to see her again. He really needed to find new friends.
“I try.” With her, it wouldn’t require much effort. Just kissing her gave him some idea how responsive she was.
“I don’t usually have a hard time resisting men, but I can tell you’re gonna be trouble.”
“Why would you have to resist?”
He knew there was a lot about Tenley he didn’t know yet, and his instincts told him there was a lot she wouldn’t want him to know. She was cautious about how much she shared, and a woman didn’t get that way by accident. She’d been burned.
“It’s complicated.”
“I’ve got nowhere to be.” It wasn’t fair to ask her to share when she was under the influence, but since she wasn’t likely to tell him her life story while she was sober, he had to take advantage of the opportunity.
Her voice was small, almost timid when she said, “I watched men wander in and out of my mother’s life.”
“That must have sucked.”
“I hated it. I hated her for putting us through that.”
Sweet Spot (Summer Rush #1) Page 4