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Whatever's On Tap

Page 9

by Mandy L Woodall


  The next morning was a scene out of domestic bliss. We both had afternoon shifts and slept in a bit. Having breakfast and getting ready for our day was amazing and different in a good way. I was extremely grateful we had the forethought to grab a bag of my things from my home before going to his.

  Arriving at work together, I couldn’t contain the giggle as he gave me a playful swat on the butt. Turning around to reprimand him, he stole my words in a kiss that was way too short. Then, we were inside the building, each going our separate ways.

  A bunch of us sat at the bar during the slow period, rolling the clean silverware and stocking the condiments in the caddies that sat on the tables. Of course, I sat on the barstool closest to Jaxson, leaning against the bar on the opposite side of it from him.

  “Do you have a cube I could borrow?” Maya asked, bringing my focus back to my surroundings.

  “No, sorry,” I replied.

  “A what?” Ross asked, confused.

  “A cube,” Maya answered. “You know the thing to charge your phone?”

  “You mean a box,” Ross stated with a decisive nod.

  “No,” Maya said slowly. “I meant a cube. It’s a cube.”

  “A box,” Ross said in a bored tone.

  “Evyn,” Maya called, bringing my focus to her. “Is it a box or a cube?”

  “A cube,” I answered cautiously.

  I thought the argument was a little ridiculous, but I wasn’t going to lie. It was a cube. At least, that was what I always referred to it as.

  “What’s going on?” the voice that made me shiver each time I heard it said close to my ear. I could feel his breath tickle the hair behind my ear.

  Before I could answer, Ross hollered out, “Jax, is it a box or a cube?”

  “A box,” Jaxson answered automatically.

  “Now, you went and done it.” I could not help the smile spreading on my face as I watched Maya huff and puff.

  “Claudia!” Maya suddenly yelled.

  We all looked over to the corner where Claudia was sitting with her face buried in a book. She lifted her head in surprise and pressed the book to her chest. With her knuckles turning white from clutching the book so hard, poor thing appeared scared out of her mind with the way Maya bellowed the girl’s name.

  “Yes?” she questioned hesitantly.

  “What do you call the thing you plug the wire in to charge a phone?” Maya asked.

  “An adaptor,” she said, glancing around nervously, her eyes hidden behind the frames of her chunky, black glasses.

  Not bothering to cover the giggle, I watched the others look at each other before studying her in disbelief.

  “I can’t even right now,” Maya muttered, walking away.

  “What did I say?” Claudia asked quietly.

  “Nothing,” I assured her quickly. “Maya’s in a mood today.”

  I didn’t want the poor girl to feel stupid when she was incredibly intelligent. She was constantly studying and reading. I had never seen her without a book. The owner of this place didn’t say anything to her about having them at the hostess stand.

  It was as though the books were her security blanket, and she was such a generally good person that nobody wanted to take anything away from her.

  “Okay, Claudia,” Ross said with a smile. “You win that one.”

  Face turning an interesting shade of red, she averted her eyes from everyone and brought the book up to cover her face. Peering over my shoulder, I smiled at Jaxson. His lips met mine briefly before he pulled back. With a wink, he moved behind the bar and got back to work.

  I was stuck stupid for a minute, wondering whose life I was living. It seemed too damn perfect to be real. For so long, I only had to rely on myself to make my own happiness any way I could. Now, there was Jaxson in every happy moment.

  What happened when it all came crashing down when he was no longer around, when my life became too much for him? Where would I be then?

  Seeing everyone engaged in conversation and not looking my way, I made my escape. I wasn’t going far, but I needed a damn minute to myself. Feeling confident no one saw me walk away, I went into the storage closet and closed the door behind me.

  Taking deep, controlled breaths, I tried to center myself. Panic attacks had become the norm for a while, but I had somewhat found a way to control them. I said slightly because it did not always work.

  But that was not about to happen then. I refused to let it. Watching every little thing I did for fucking years was exhausting as hell. Now, I had a chance at something normal, something carefree, something meaningful, and I would not allow some dumbass douche to ruin this for me.

  Now was not the time. I would take a breather away from Jaxson, suck up the emotional stuff, and go about the night. I could do this. The panic would not win tonight.

  There was too much shit taking up room in my brain, and I had to find a way to deal with them. In my soul, I understood I was in control of what happened to me. Being a nomad, moving around frequently, avoiding any type of relationship stopped when I landed in Houma, Louisiana.

  These were good people. They pulled me in without my even realizing it, and they soothed my heart and soul. Starved for attention and affection for years, they gave me that, but Jaxson took it all to the next level.

  The sound of the door opening had me lifting my head to stare directly into Jaxson’s face, and all was right again. How the fuck did that happen? How could the thing that made me want to flee be the same thing that calmed me?

  Chapter Fourteen

  Jaxson

  We were unwinding after a busy shift used to be the best part of the night. At closing, there were four people left, plus the manager. There were two servers and two bartenders. Occasionally, someone would get let go early if we weren’t busy, but that was rare.

  Left Turners was a local hangout and had a good crowd no matter the day of the week. Tips were always good, and my shifts went by fast. After the last patron left, there was stocking up, and before clocking out, we gossiped.

  I wasn’t feeling up to any of it that night. All I wanted was to go home with Evyn and just be with her. We unlocked something neither one of us could have prepared for, but I would not take it back for anything.

  The moment I touched Evyn, I became whole, the puzzle piece I had been missing sliding into the last remaining spot finally. Life seemed right for the very first time, and I held onto that with everything I had.

  Halfway listening to some random ass conversation about pineapple pizza while closing down the bar, I sensed the moment something changed with Evyn. Watching her through my peripheral vision, she was relaxed and smiling one minute and severe and tense the next.

  Fuck, she was retreating into her head, and I had no clue as to what set her off. However, I did know I would do whatever I could to get her mind on something else, something more substantial, something stronger, something that was everything.

  Us and the life we will have.

  There was no doubt in my mind that we would have a beautiful future. Becoming friends with a female and then hooking up was something I never did. Since she had been working here, I was her friend. I’d tried the flirty persona I perfected first, but she saw through that shit and blew me off.

  I could not say that had ever happened to me before, and she intrigued me immediately. At first, I thought it was because she played hard to get, and I liked the chase. I was wrong. The banter that flowed between us was natural, as though we had known each other forever.

  We did not share our pasts. It was all about who we were at that moment in time, and that meant so much more. Knowing Evyn’s history was essential to learning where her head was at, but knowing the strong independent woman she had become was sexy as fuck.

  Understanding her, hearing her story, thinking about who she was when we met, she turned me on
even more with her ability to escape the situation she was forced into, making her chosen way in this world. I was positive at the moment she was contemplating leaving town and starting somewhere else again, but I refused to allow that to happen.

  She was not alone anymore, and the sooner she saw and understood that, the fucking better. She could not leave me and what would be. The future was a tricky bitch who could go any damn way she pleased, but I would not be a bystander.

  I was in charge of my future and had been since day one. I rose from the bottom, and one day, I would be on top. In my mind, Evyn was right by my side through it all, and she was the only one. I had met many women, but none who gave me glimpses of the future like the one I had with Evyn.

  Slipping away came naturally, so Ross and Maya did not notice when I left. Following her down the hall, I observed her moving into the stock room and closing the door. Hesitantly, I wondered how much time I should give her before barging in like I had the urge to do.

  Not wanting to overwhelm her, I stayed where I was, watching the door like an idiot. Being indecisive was new, but as I quickly figured out, everything to do with Evyn was new. Some of the latest changes inside me were good, some not so much.

  Deciding the hell with it, I made my way to the room she was hiding in. She would talk to me. Whatever freaked her out, we would get it out in the open and figure out how to fix it. Communication was essential, and I’d be damned if I did not achieve that vital element.

  Making my way into the storage room, I felt steely determination take over. I had to get her to share her thoughts with me and move forward with her, together.

  However, when I saw her standing there looking down at the floor lost in thought, wrapping her in my arms seemed the better thing to do. Quietly, I closed and locked the door, and her head lifted. Unshed tears made her eyes shiny and her cheeks rosy.

  Wrapping my arms around her, I held her close. Not knowing what was going through her head bugged me, but comforting her was the priority. Feeling her arms circle around me, a small smile of triumph formed. It was a step.

  Time seemed irrelevant as we stood there, me rubbing soothing strokes down her back as she burrowed her head in my chest and fisted her hands in the back of my shirt. Breathing in her unique scent, I brushed my nose along her temple.

  The comforting embrace took a turn when she adjusted against me. Her breasts grazed my chest, and I could feel her pointy nipples through our combined clothing. Feeling myself harden against her had me shifting back to put some space between us.

  I was going to hell; that was a definite fact, considering my dick was doing all the thinking during Evyn’s obvious distress. It wasn’t my fault, though, honestly. Evyn was my every wet dream come to life. I remembered each and every inch of that beautiful body of hers and wanted to experience it again and again.

  Alone. Naked. Now.

  I was reduced to fucking mush, latching onto one-word narratives as all other thoughts left me. She felt like everything right in this world wrapped up in my arms. Coaxing her to talk to me should have been my priority, but the prospect of getting naked with Evyn was enough to distract me from my purpose.

  Work was definitely not the place for this, but my dick didn’t care. He was fighting to come out of his confines and play. Priding myself on never being led around by my dick, I was eating those words now. Evyn had me by the balls, and I didn’t think she knew it.

  Evyn and I would talk.

  After.

  Definitely after.

  Luckily, the place was closed, and there were only two other people in the building- not that it would have mattered. I would have taken her with a full house. I needed her that damn bad.

  My hands wandered down to the curve of her ass, trying to get some semblance of control of myself. Feeling her breath stutter against my neck had my fingers digging into her flesh. Her eyes raised to meet mine; the sadness and worry had disappeared and were replaced by lust and desire.

  Hands tightening around me, she hissed, “What are you doing?”

  “I don’t know,” I answered honestly, a crack in my voice even as my hands wandered further to fully cup her magnificent ass, erasing the distance I created before.

  “Jaxson!” she whisper-shouted as she felt what she did to me rubbing against her stomach. “We’re at work!”

  Sure, she was reprimanding me, but her body was telling a different story.

  “Shhh,” I hushed her, brushing her lips with mine. “I locked the door. You need to be quiet, though.”

  My girl could get loud, and I loved it. But I figured she wouldn’t appreciate everyone in the building hearing what we were doing. Although the possibility of getting caught was part of the excitement coursing through me, which was fucking creepy, if I thought about it hard enough, there was no time to concentrate on anything else.

  Quickly, I had her pants unbuttoned and unzipped with my hand in her panties before she could protest any further. Zeroing in on her clit, I reveled in her breathy gasp. Sliding my finger down her slit in the limited space I had, I groaned at how wet she was already.

  “So wet for me,” I rasped harshly in her ear.

  “We can’t do this here,” she said weakly, trying to push my hand away.

  Her protest was weak, and her resolve weaker. I could feel the submission in the way she held onto my wrist instead of shoving it away. She wanted this as much as I did, and I was going to make us both very fucking happy.

  Turning her around, I moved her over to the counter lining the wall, placing her hands palms down on the metal. Pushing her jeans and panties down to her ankles, I had my dick free and poised at her entrance within minutes. Rubbing my leaking tip through her wet folds, I tried to calm myself. I was on edge and needed to tread lightly.

  “Hold on,” I warned, knowing damn well there was no way I could go slow.

  As soon as she had her hands braced flat against the metal, I thrust into her to the hilt. Fuck, she felt terrific wrapped around me. Her walls convulsed as her channel squeezed, and I bit my lip to keep the growl trapped instead of releasing it.

  I pulled back before pushing back in roughly. Taking her hard and fast, I set a demanding pace that she met, throwing her ass back to meet each of my thrusts. She was fucking perfect for me. Her wet heat sucked me in, and there was no place I’d rather be.

  My balls tightened and drew up close to my body, ready to detonate. Taking one of my hands off of her hip, I circled her clit before pressing down on the bundle of nerves. Her head dropped back, her gasp stifled in her closed mouth, and her pussy clamped down hard on my dick.

  Gripping her hips tightly with both hands again, I fucked her through her orgasm while chasing my own. Evyn could make me lose my damn mind and bring me to my knees. Half-afraid I would fall, cum burst into her still pulsating channel.

  “You are coming to my house tonight,” I informed her, my lips directly against her ear.

  I felt her shiver before moving slightly closer against me. Since my dick was still in her, we both hissed as the shift pushed my half-erect cock deeper inside her.

  Damn, I could have gone again already. However, now was not the time. We’d already done way more than I should have with her in this place and at this time. I needed to clean us both up and get us home.

  Honestly, I had zero regrets, I needed her. No girl had ever made me feel this way like I was a hair-trigger away from losing my shit in the best possible way.

  Gaining some semblance of control, I slowly slid out of her, reaching for some paper towels from the shelves lining the wall and cleaned both of us up.

  Besides the quiet gasp as I disengaged from her, Evyn hadn’t said a word. I would have been worried if I couldn’t feel the way her body responded to mine, letting me know she was more than okay with what happened here.

  I fixed both of our clothing before turning her to fa
ce me. I couldn’t read her expression, not even her eyes, which freaked me out a bit if I was completely honest, but I powered through.

  “You are coming to my house tonight,” I repeated my earlier statement, cupping her shoulders to keep her from walking around me.

  “My car,” she started to protest, but I cut her off.

  “Follow me,” I instructed, not accepting any excuse.

  “I can’t go back out there like this,” she whispered shouted, waving a hand around her once again covered pussy.

  “Yeah,” I smirked. “I would say I’m sorry, but I’m not.”

  “Jerk.” She swatted a hand at me in mock outrage, but I could see the smile tilting the corners of her lips.

  “Just clock out,” I told her. “Your shift is over, and I’m about done at the bar. I’ll be out in a few.”

  After a beat, she whispered, “Okay.”

  With one last hard but short kiss, I walked out of the closet to finish my shit up and get home with my girl. I even managed to dodge questions that I would not answer from Maya and Ross. Within no time at all, I clocked out and headed to the parking lot.

  Figuring there was a fifty-fifty chance she would be waiting for me, disappointment was heavy when I found she hadn’t. Telling myself it didn’t matter, I climbed in my truck and started it up. And after making sure Maya and Ross got in their respective cars and drove away, I made my way to the highway.

  Looking both ways, I debated on which direction I was going to go. The right would take me home, where I would be alone, wondering what made Evyn leave instead of staying for me. Left would take me to her where I could find out face-to-face why she left.

  There really was only one way to go.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Evyn

  Having cum leak out of me was a very new experience, and there was no way in hell I would stand next to Maya and Ross with that going on. Clocking out and heading to my car, I could see a piece of paper tucked under my wiper blade on my windshield.

 

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