by Stacey Lynn
“We might need to have a conversation about your standards,” he replies.
And that’s so funny, for some reason, because he doesn’t know my standards—which are Be there and Be gone before morning—I can’t help but throw my head back and laugh. As I’m coming down from the shock of that, I readjust my purse strap, and my eyes snag on Jonas.
He’s in the middle of the bar. Customers are lining the space across from him. His hands are firmly planted on the bar, arms straight and tight, and his glare?
That’s not directed at a drunken customer.
It’s landed solely on me.
Chapter 13
Jonas
Telling Caitlin it was okay to meet her dates here is the absolutely, one hundred percent, worst fucking decision I’ve ever made in my life. For a moment, I wanted to ignore her, let her do her thing and stay out of the way.
But damn it all to hell, like I can resist being around her. So yeah, I had to go and torture myself, inhale her sweet flower scent that I know is from her shampoo because she doesn’t wear perfume. Hearing her say she was meeting someone else, when it used to be me she’d pull up a seat at the bar for, stung worse than I expected it to, especially since I knew it was a possibility. I’ve done a pretty damn good job of ducking into my office when I’ve seen her headed into Dirty’s in the last couple of weeks just so I didn’t have to torture myself with this. Tonight, escape isn’t possible.
This feels like I’ve gotten whacked by a two-by-four to the kneecaps.
And the guy she’s with? Total tool. He’s the guy who comes across as nice and smooth, charming and sweet. Then he hangs out with his bros from college, and a six-pack in, he’s lambasting everything that’s wrong with the world and how shit would just get right if women knew their place in it.
I’m a bartender. I’ve slung drinks from New York and Boston all the way to Portland since I left home at the age of eighteen. I’ve seen a thousand men just like him. Shiny and endearing until they’re not.
Watching Caitlin enjoy being with him? That makes it so much worse because I figured she’d read this guy coming from a mile away. And her laugh? Ice picks down my spine. It’s beautiful and boisterous and something she rarely shows because she’s so damn busy protecting her heart from people.
Tucker shoves me to the side, and I stumble once before remembering where the hell I am.
Behind the bar. At my bar. Which I own. Right. Fuck! She’s got me all screwed up in the unpleasant kind of way.
“Sorry,” I mutter.
“No worries, but you putting a stop to this bullshit?” Tucker asks as he fills a glass with ice.
“What? The douche Caitlin’s with?”
“No, dumbass. Acting like you don’t still want her even though I know if I let you leave this bar right now, you’d go over there and rip his head off with your bare hands.”
“Yeah, because she deserves better.”
The humor in Tucker’s expression flees. “Not sure that guy’s you, either, though, if you don’t get over this bullshit. You could stop it at any time.”
I told Tucker about my plan a few nights ago. I was in a surly mood, and he called me out, which sucks to have an employee like him so damn smart. He also called me an idiot then, so tonight he’s mostly thought this whole damn thing is fucking hilarious.
“Acting like a caveman doesn’t make you the better man, you know?”
“Shut up, Tucker.” I turn to the next customer, strung tight and now pissed off because I was just called out for acting like an ass again. “What can I get for you?”
The woman’s eyes widen with surprise, and damn it, the kid is right.
“Sorry.” I run a hand through my hair and wrap it around my neck, taking a deep breath. “How can I help you?”
The woman’s shoulder slumps, and she still looks uncertain at being so close to me. Awesome…I’ve just come across as the exact kind of guy I’ve pegged Caitlin’s date to be.
It might be possible he’s a nice guy, and I’m turning into the jealous asshole ex. Cool.
“Um…do you make cosmos?” she asks, and she looks at Tucker, like maybe she’d rather order from him instead. Can’t blame her. My muscles are tight, and my jaw aches so bad I’m certain I still look pissed.
“Yep. Just one?”
“Three, please.”
“Got it.” I try to flash her a friendly smile, but when it feels like I’m snarling at her, I stop.
Make the drink. Do the job. Deal with my own bullshit later. They’re now the top three on my to-do list. I focus, pushing everything except the customers in front of me out of my mind, and it works fantastically.
I can see both of their profiles from the table where Caitlin is sitting, and every time I look over, one of them is talking. They’re smiling or laughing. He hasn’t made a move except to come to the bar to order two more rounds of drinks, and on the last one, he grabs a glass of water for Caitlin.
I eye the drinks like a hawk all the way back to their table, but that’s all I do.
I promised Caitlin this place would be safe for her, and it will be, even if I have to stay away to make me a man of my word.
The water glass is a nice gesture, and I catch Tucker’s raised eyebrows as he looks at me.
Maybe I am more of a jealous dick than he’s a jerk.
It’s closing in on eleven, the bar is packed three rows deep, and that doesn’t include the full tables. The bouncer at the door has talked to me via an earpiece saying the line is about two dozen people long, and our third bartender, Lacy, has finally shown up when the guy Caitlin’s with stands from the table and offers his hand to her.
Shit. They’re leaving.
I’m close to the register, ringing up a round of drinks, and as soon as I’m done, shoving tips into a jar by the bar, I get lost in grabbing another round of beers for a handful of men.
It’s only after I’m done cashing them out that something strikes me.
“Yo, Tuck. Lacy. That guy with Caitlin pay?”
Tucker’s head whips toward the door, and who knows what he’s fucking looking for, because Caitlin is long gone. He glares at me. “We’ve got this. Maybe they’re still out there.”
I’m already moving, but it’s nice to know we’re on the same page. It takes me what feels like forever to shove through the crowd, and by the time I’m outside, my shirt is slick with sweat and sticking to my back.
“Shit,” I groan.
There’s a line outside, pedestrians strolling down the sidewalk. I glance left and right, trying to figure out if the guy and Caitlin are outside, or if I can see them heading toward Caitlin’s apartment a few blocks away.
And, fuck…not what I want to be thinking about.
“Went toward the alley.”
I whip around and face Andy, one of the weekend bouncers. “What?”
“Saw her come out. Headed around the corner. Been keeping an eye out as much as I can.”
Shit. “Thanks. And hey, order a ride for me, would you?”
“You got it, boss,” he calls out, but I’m already hustling toward the corner. When I turn it, my eyes taking another second to get used to the lack of light in the darker alley, it takes everything I have to not shove the guy off her.
His hand is at her cheek. Her lips are lifted into a soft smile, her back against the wall. He’s close, not aggressive…seductive.
Shit.
“You didn’t pay,” I bark out, unable to control the burning sensation searing through my chest.
Both of them jump, and the guy removes his hand from Caitlin’s cheek, facing me in a protective stance. I’ve surprised them, and his first move is to protect the girl.
Damn it. I really don’t want to like him.
He grins down at Caitlin and reaches for her hand. Her gaze is on me, jaw slack, and it takes her a moment to press her hand into his. “Protective and friendly here, aren’t they?” he asks.
Caitlin grins, and it’s shaky. Perhaps
I’ve done that to her. Damn it, I am an asshole. “Both, yeah,” she says.
They head toward me, the guy holding Caitlin’s hand and keeping her close, but also slightly behind him. Like she has something to fear from me.
“Sorry about that,” he says as they reach me. “Was saying goodbye. Didn’t want Caitlin to wait while I paid. Planning on heading back in to close out the tab once I saw her to a cab.”
“I’ll get her.” My arms cross my chest. And fucking hell. It’s a nice-guy thing to do, but this is my bar and my livelihood. I’d be this pissed catching anyone leaving without paying first.
Perhaps. In all honesty, there are several mornings we’re closing out tabs people forgot to do the night before.
“Right,” he says. “I’m Logan. Caitlin told me you’re Jonas? You run this place, right?”
“That’s right. Took it over a year ago.” I take his hand, shaking it reluctantly. His grip is firm, not threatening. Which means Caitlin didn’t tell him much about me. “Nice to meet you.”
It’s a lie that comes out roughly. At his side, Caitlin frowns. Apparently I’ve not graced her with my dickhead attitude much.
Which makes sense. I like her.
“Right. I’ll go get that paid then.” He drops his hand from mine and promptly ignores me, turning to Caitlin. Her eyes move to him slowly, as if she doesn’t want whatever’s about to happen, occur with me standing feet from her.
I don’t leave. It’s the nice thing to do. Instead, I avert my gaze to the brick wall and pretend I’m not listening to everything Logan says.
“I had a good time tonight.” His hand is at her cheek again.
At my sides, my hands ball into fists.
“Me too,” Caitlin says. Her voice is sweet, honest. Not a single hint she’s pissed I distracted them from whatever they were about to do earlier. “Thanks.”
My fists relax marginally.
“I’ll call you?”
“Oh. Um. Okay.”
At her hesitance, my gaze slides to her. Hers flickers to me before going back to Logan.
She’s either nervous or annoyed with me. But what she’s not…is turned on. I’ve seen and heard the way the speaks when she is, when she wants something more than a few drinks and laughs, and that is not what she has going on right now.
She steps back from Logan and smiles. “Thanks for a nice night. Honest.”
“Right.” His grin is gone, like he finally gets what she’s putting out there. “Let me know you got home safe, okay?”
“I’ll make sure she does,” I cut in. And yeah, it’s rude. Whatever.
Logan nods and steps back, lifts his hand in a goodbye gesture to Caitlin, and as he passes me, that hand falls. “Good night. I’ll take care of that bill.”
“Thanks.”
I stay where I am until I’m sure he’s left, and I know he’s gone when Caitlin’s gaze snaps from the end of the alley right to me. “What are you doing out here?”
Pissing in my corner, pretty much, which thankfully, I’m not dumb enough to speak out loud, but at her furious expression I lift my hands.
“Hey…you were the one who came here to make sure it’s safe for you. I was just following through on my part.”
“By following me outside and interrupting my time with him? That’s not cool.”
It’s not. But I hadn’t expected the visceral reaction to seeing her with someone, either, and I can’t even admit that because I haven’t told her Ashley and I are no longer a thing.
Freaking balls to the wall. I’m royally screwing this up. I’ll fix it. And soon.
I’ll just wait until she’s not looking at me like she wants to set me on fire.
“Okay, so I got pissed when I realized he left without paying, and I was worried. But that’s also part of my job, honey.”
Her head jerks at the endearment. It rolls so easily off my lips I don’t realize I’ve done it until it’s in the air, too late to pull back.
“I should go.” It’s not how I want this night to end although it’s definitely preferable to walking in on Logan’s mouth on hers in the alley. “Thanks. I guess.”
“Do you like him? Because if you do, I can smooth things out with him.”
I’ll do it. For her. Because she deserves everything she wants. I just happen to believe I’m the better man for her. Even if my behavior tonight says that’s bullshit.
Her lips pull to one side, and her shoulders slump. “He’s nice.” She shrugs. “And it’s weird even having this conversation with you. I like him, but…I dunno. Something’s not there, I guess.”
Halle-freaking-lujah. A heat presses throughout my chest, spreading to my arms. It takes everything I have not to raise a fist pump in celebration. Instead, I swallow thickly, forcing my grin to disappear with the words I want to say, and step back.
“Come on, I’ll wait for your cab to get here.”
“Ridiculous. You know how close I live.”
“Yeah, but it’s late and streets are busy. Get in the car. Andy ordered one for you and it’s probably out front.”
“Great,” she mutters, but she walks with me. I stay by her side, not speaking until she climbs into the car. And as she gets settled, I can’t stand the frown on her face. She looks so defeated, and there’s only one time I’ve seen that look on her…the day she said she wouldn’t even let me take her out on a date.
I can’t let her leave this way. Not tonight.
“Hey.” My arm is on top of the car, and I hold the door open with the other. “You okay? Because you suddenly look like someone kicked your puppy, and if it’s my fault I’m sorry, Caitlin. Truly.”
A flicker of a grin comes and goes. “I don’t have a puppy.”
“You get my point.”
She fluffs her hair, huffs out a breath, and her sad voice pierces my chest like an ice pick. “It’s okay. I’m just…I don’t know…losing hope, I guess.” She reaches for the door to close it, and it’d make me an even bigger jerk to stop her from the space she’s silently asking for.
I step back, but before the door closes, I assure her, “It’s not hopeless. I promise you, honey.”
“Thanks, Jonas.” She closes the door and is looking forward, ahead, away from me, before the car pulls out from the curb.
Before I can stop myself, I yank my phone out of my pocket and pull up PerfectMatch.
Quickly, I try to think of something that will make her laugh, right when she needs it.
What did Obi-Wan say at the rodeo?
I hit send and send the second text with the answer. “Use the horse, Luke!”
It’s lame and ridiculous. But if I know Caitlin at all, I know there are two things she loves…laughing and Star Wars. With that, I slide my phone back into my pocket and get back to work. I don’t run into Logan again, which means he paid his tab and took off. I spend the rest of the night waiting for the notification to hit my phone that says Caitlin read my message.
I have to move things forward with her, and do it quickly.
But I also have to figure out a way to do it without her getting pissed and shutting down any chance we have, and that might prove to be more difficult after my attitude tonight.
Chapter 14
Caitlin
I scribble down the last request Trey has given me and click my pen. “Is that it for the day then?”
“Just one more thing.”
I lift my gaze from my notebook where I have been studiously avoiding making eye contact with Trey. His expression is dark, and his brows are furrowed. He looks like he’s absolutely had it with me for the day, and who can blame him? Apparently when I came up to his penthouse to work, I left my brain at home.
“What is it?”
Trey leans back in his chair, arms displayed on the armrests like he’s the king and I am his peon. Which makes sense since he’s my boss, but he rarely takes that stance with me. The way he’s inspecting me is unnerving.
“How is the app working? Meet anyone
yet?”
There is no way I am talking to Trey about what happened last night at Dirty Martini’s. I still haven’t figured out what happened last night. Between Logan being a great guy but absolutely no chemistry between us, and Jonas acting like a possessive caveman, and then the message I received on the way home from the guy who still won’t tell me anything about himself, I am up to my eyeballs in the male drama I avoided my entire life.
I close my notebook and stand. “I really do not want to talk about this with you.”
His shoulders tighten. “What happened? Did someone hurt you?”
Of course that’s his concern. That always Trey’s concern when it comes to me. “No, it’s nothing like that. I think I just need some time to figure out what I’m going to do.”
“Then it sounds like you are interested in someone.”
Not like he’s thinking. There are dozens of guys, hundreds, thousands of men in Portland. One of them has to be able to conjure up the sensations I get when I see Jonas on sight alone. It’s befuddling the way for months I’ve been able to push away my feelings for him, and only now that I’m considering dating someone, I can’t stop thinking about him, and really, could I be any bigger of a loser?
“Let’s just say I don’t think your app is going to work well for me in the remaining two weeks I have left with it.”
He pushes off the chair and runs a hand over his short, sheared black hair. Shrugging, he says, “You don’t have to stop using it after a month, Caitlin. Just because you said you’d try it, and I know Teagan goaded you into it, if you’re having fun, you don’t have to stop.”
“Yeah, but in all honesty, the guys I’m meeting might be nice, but it’s impossible to find chemistry with somebody over messaging alone.” Except for Mystery Man, whose text from last night came at the perfect time and said the perfect thing, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.
See? This app is making me a crazy woman. If the best thing that’s happened to me in two weeks is a lame Star Wars joke, then I really need a better way to find a guy.