“Good for you,” Madison says. Becca smiles at me.
I take a deep breath and sip my mimosa. I’m not quite sure what I’m doing—but for the first time in my life, I kind of like not knowing.
13
Finn
I plunk my phone down on the counter, wondering if Juliet is going to text me back. Fuck, why did I let her go like that? I should have realized something was wrong when she said she wanted to leave, but I’m an idiot. I figured sure, she’s here with her girlfriends, and she wants to get back to her weekend. No big deal.
But then she bolted inside their vacation house like she was trying to get away from me, and I knew I screwed up.
Most of the time, I’m great at reading people. When someone walks into my bar, I can usually tell in about ten seconds what’s going on with them. Maybe not specifics. But a rough day at work looks different on a person than a fight with the spouse, or the loss of a loved one, or financial stress. I have a knack for seeing what people aren’t saying.
Except when it’s a woman, and the things she’s not saying have to do with me.
I’ve fallen into this trap before. I never understood what my ex wanted, and it drove me up the wall. I’m a fucking psychologist. I get people. I did not get her. But Juliet? Yesterday I thought I had a pretty good read on her. Her suggestion to go back to my place was certainly a curve ball, but that turned out great. This morning, though? I missed her clues left and right.
My phone finally dings with her text.
We’re in for tonight. See you at the pub.
Okay, that makes me feel a little better. At least I’ll get to see her tonight. Although I kind of wish she was here right now.
I’m still tired. I dragged myself out of bed to make her coffee before she woke up, and I’m paying for it now. I figure a mid-morning nap is in order, and then I’ll have to get into work. Blowing off yesterday was fine, but I need to go in today. I don’t expect it to be too busy tonight—weekends are nuts in the summer, but the town is quiet this time of year.
Although a busy pub is a fun pub. And Juliet’s girlfriends spent half their weekend sick in bed. Maybe I can pull off a little something for them tonight. Give them a party atmosphere to send them off right.
I fire off a few texts before I head upstairs. Hopefully I can get enough people in there to make it fun. I’ll give away a round or two of drinks on the house to get things started. That always livens it up.
I get back in bed and turn into the pillow Juliet used last night. It still smells like her. She’s so funny—worrying about which side of the bed I sleep on. I sleep wherever I am, and that’s about all the thought I give to it.
Smelling her on my sheets is waking me up rather than helping me sleep—waking up my dick, specifically. I groan into the pillow and roll over. I can’t stop thinking about her. The way she looked. The way she felt. Fuck, she was gorgeous. I wonder if she’ll want to come home with me again tonight. I sure hope so, because I’d love to get another taste of that.
A nap isn’t going to happen if I keep thinking about the way Juliet looked, straddling me on the couch. I try to push the thought out of my head. But those tits. And that ass. Fuck, that ass.
Knock it off, Finn. You have to work in a couple hours.
I’m not ashamed to admit I have to jack off before I can sleep. Which is kind of nuts, because Juliet and I had sex not long ago. But there is something about that woman.
After a good nap, I get up and shower before heading into work. I already have a few texts from people saying they’ll make it tonight, Lucas included. That means I need to get out the karaoke machine. Lucas can wail, especially to eighties arena rock.
I get into the pub after the lunch rush and the staff is getting ready for tonight. I make sure the bar is well-stocked and tend to a few late-afternoon customers.
“Finn,” Lucas says as he saunters in. “What’s going on tonight?”
“Hey, man. Just trying to throw together a little shindig.”
“This have anything to do with your date last night?” he asks.
“As a matter of fact, it does,” I say. “Juliet is here for the weekend and her girlfriends were down for the count with food poisoning. Since they’re feeling better, I figured we could show them a good time tonight.”
“She has some girlfriends, huh?” Lucas asks, raising his eyebrow.
“Yes, and yes.”
“Yes she has girlfriends, but what’s the second yes?”
“Yes, they’re hot. That was going to be your next question, wasn’t it?”
He grabs a pretzel from a little bowl on the bar and pops it into his mouth. “Pretty much.”
I grab a rag and start wiping down the bar. “So, you in?”
“Are the drinks on you?”
I scowl at him.
“So what’s up with this girl?” he asks.
I shrug. “I met her here, Thursday night. Yesterday was her birthday, and she was bummed about having to spend the day more or less alone, since her friends were sick. So I spent the day with her.”
“And then took her to the Mark?”
“Yeah,” I say.
“Huh. You get laid?”
I try to glare at him, but it’s hard to keep the smile off my face.
“Cool,” Lucas says with a grin. “So, she’s from out of town. Is this just kind of a weekend fling?”
I pause. I haven’t really thought about what this is. All I know is I had a great time with her, even before we took our clothes off. And after… holy hell. “I don’t know. I guess. I like her. I’m looking forward to seeing her tonight.” I shrug again.
Lucas smiles.
“What’s that look for?” I ask.
“It’s just good to see you getting back in the game,” he says.
“The fact that you’re calling it the game is at least half of why I’m single.”
“Well, it’s been too fucking long,” he says. “I’m glad you’re done being broody over Heather.”
“I was not broody over Heather. Can we not talk about her, please? Do you want to talk about Valerie?”
He winces and puts his hands up, signaling defeat. “Sorry. And, no, I don’t. All I’m saying is that it’s cool you met someone.”
“All right, fair enough.”
“And if she has hot friends, that’s even better.”
Lucas orders some food and while he eats, the pub starts to fill up. At first it’s just the dinner crowd. We get busy, and I have a lot of mugs to fill. A couple hours go by in a blur. As the dinner rush slows down, more people I know start showing up. Lucas and Jesse get the karaoke machine out of the back, and a few cheers erupt from the bar when people see them setting it up. The noise level grows and the drinks start flowing. I chat and laugh with people while I fill their orders. It gets later, and my eyes keep darting to the front door. Is she coming?
The door opens and Juliet walks in. It’s like the rest of the room goes dark. She’s wearing the cupcake t-shirt again, and dark jeans. Her girlfriends come in with her, wearing matching shirts. Juliet clutches a small purse with both hands, and her shoulders look tense. One of her friends—Madison, if I remember right—leans in to say something to her, then grabs her by the elbow and leads her toward the bar.
Her eyes meet mine and I’m instantly hard. Uh-oh, this could get awkward. But man, I’m glad she’s here.
14
Juliet
Finn’s eyes meet mine and I can’t keep the smile off my face. He grins, showing off his dimples beneath that very nice stubble. Who knew I’d go for the scruff thing? But it did feel awfully good on my face, and my neck… and my thighs.
I gasp at the sudden rush of arousal and Madison gives me a sideways glance.
“You okay?” she asks.
“Yeah,” I say, resisting the urge to fan myself. “Fine.”
She grabs my elbow and leans in. “Stop overthinking. Just go with it and have some fun. Don’t worry about… whatever it i
s you’re worrying about right now.” She pulls me toward the bar.
Finn doesn’t stop looking at me as the three of us walk through the crowded pub. Don’t overthink it. Just have fun.
“Evening, ladies,” Finn says when we get up to the bar. “I’m glad you made it.”
“Me too.” I glance around. “It’s busy in here tonight.”
“Yeah, well, I wanted you guys to have a good time, so I put the word out.” He turns and raises his voice above the din of the crowd. “Hey, everybody.” The noise level drops and faces turn toward him. “This is Madison, Becca, and Juliet.”
“Hey!” a barrage of voices all say at once.
The three of us wave at the crowd of people, and the hum of conversation returns.
“So, what can I get you?” Finn asks. “First drink is on me.”
Madison opens her mouth to order, but I put my hand up. “Wait. Finn will pick for us.”
Finn raises an eyebrow and his dimples pucker. “All right.” He looks at Madison for a couple seconds, then moves his eyes to Becca. “Okay, got it. I’ll be right back.”
He comes back a couple minutes later with two drinks. One is a tall glass of something pink over ice, garnished with a cherry. He hands it to Becca and she takes a sip.
Her eyes light up. “This is amazing. What is it?”
Finn smiles. “It’s a Dirty Shirley—sort of like a big sister to the Shirley Temple.” He slides a glass of dark amber liquid with ice to Madison.
She takes a sip. “Rum and Coke. Perfect.”
“You were a little harder to read,” Finn says. “I almost brought you a Budweiser.”
Madison laughs. “That would have worked too. But this is one of my favorite drinks.”
He leaves again and comes back with a highball glass with something reddish over ice. He hands it to me, and I take a sip. It’s slightly fruity—sweet without the overwhelming taste of a sugary syrup.
“This tastes… fun,” I say. “Maybe that’s a silly way to describe it.”
“No, I like that,” he says. “It’s Stoli Raspberry with club and a splash of cranberry.”
“It’s delicious.”
Finn stares at me for a long moment, with his eyes slightly narrowed. I’m about to ask what he’s looking at when he drops the towel he was holding.
“Fuck it.” He walks around the bar and stops in front of me. His eyes are intense as he slides his fingers through my hair and brings my mouth to his. A second later, there’s a rising crescendo of cheers. Ordinarily, I’d be embarrassed, but I’m too overwhelmed with his kiss to care. His lips are soft at first, tender against mine. Then he gently sucks my lower lip into his mouth and glides his tongue across it. I clutch the sides of his shirt. When he finally pulls away, I’m dazed, and pretty sure I’m blushing from head to toe.
“Sorry,” he says. “I couldn’t resist.”
Someone on the other side of the pub whoops. “Go, Finn!”
Finn laughs and shakes his head. He goes back around to the other side of the bar and holds up his hands. The noise dies down.
“Round of shots, on the house!” he calls out and the place goes crazy. He smiles and winks at me.
Finn and another bartender start pouring shots and setting them out on the bar. I glance at Becca. She’s staring at me, open-mouthed.
“What?” I ask.
“Nothing,” she says. “That was just… wow.”
Finn slides three shots toward us. “Here. Have some fun.”
The three of us pick up our shot glasses and click them together.
“To fun,” Madison says.
We all swallow and I try not to wince. It burns something fierce, but a pleasant warmth spreads once the initial bite wears off.
Someone on the far side of the pub comes out with a microphone and everyone cheers again. He gives a dramatic bow, and music starts. He launches into a surprisingly good rendition of Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’, and a bunch of the crowd sings along.
I sip my drink and drift around the pub with Madison and Becca, chatting with people. Madison is so outgoing, she makes friends with half the people there before we’re finished with our first drinks. I glance back at Finn often. He’s busy waiting on people, but he gives me a sly grin every time I meet his eyes. It does funny, fluttery things to my insides.
I head back to the bar and take a seat on an empty stool. I notice Becca talking to a good-looking guy over on the other side of the pub. He’s the one who was singing earlier.
Finn comes over and I nod toward them. “Who’s that guy talking to Becca?”
“That’s Lucas,” Finn says. “He’s a friend of mine. I’ve known him forever.”
“You might want to give him a heads up,” I say. “Becca isn’t single.”
Finn laughs. “That’s actually funny. I’ll let him figure it out.”
People take turns at karaoke, some better than others. Everyone is mingling, drinking, and laughing. Finn comes back with another drink for me. His hand lingers on mine as I reach across the bar to take it, and my heart rate picks up. He grins at me, sliding his fingers across the back of my hand.
“Having a good time?” he asks.
“Yeah, this is great.” It’s noisy, but kind of festive, with the singing and groups of people talking and laughing. “Good people-watching.”
“Oh yeah,” Finn says. “Working here, I do a lot of that.”
“And you make up nicknames,” I say.
“That I do, sprinkles,” he says. “I find myself analyzing people too. Thinking about what makes them tick.”
“What would you say about my friends?”
“I don’t know,” he says. “That sounds like dangerous territory.”
“No, really,” I say. “Go ahead. Analyze them.”
He leans against the bar and tips his head in their direction. “The one with the curly brown hair? Madison?” I nod. “I’d say she’s the adventurous one. The life of the party. I bet most of your best stories start with the phrase, Madison had an idea.”
“Uncannily accurate.”
“The blonde, Becca?” Finn says. “She’s the sweet one. Comes from a nice family. Parents are still married. She’s hoping for a knight in shining armor and her dream is to have a bunch of kids and bake cookies every day. Oh, and Disney movies are still her favorite.”
I lean my head back and laugh. “That’s insane. Yes, that’s totally Becca. Even the part about Disney movies. How do you do that?”
He shrugs. “I can tell a lot about people by watching them, although I admit, I’m not always right. And the Disney thing was just a guess.”
“Now do me,” I say.
One corner of his mouth tilts up. “I’d be happy to do you as soon as I’m off work.”
I shift on my stool, trying to stifle the rush of sensation between my legs. I wish he was off work right now. “You know what I mean.”
“That sounds even more dangerous than analyzing your friends.”
“Really,” I say. “Go ahead.”
He moves in a little closer and his eyes linger on mine. “You like order and predictability. You said your parents are divorced, and I think that made life feel unstable. Maybe you bounced back and forth between them, or maybe one of them wasn’t around much. But it left you feeling like things were always precarious, and you hated that. So now you want to be in control. You want to know what’s going to happen next.”
Wow, he’s laying me bare, right here in his bar. This is more intense than I thought it would be. “Yeah, I guess that’s all true.”
“But I also see a woman who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to go after it. Who’s smart and fun to be around. Who’s sexy as fuck, and who I really hope will come home with me again tonight.”
I lean across the bar. “I guess we’ll have to see if you’re that lucky.”
Finn moves in closer, his mouth inches from mine. “I guess we will.” He’s about to kiss me again when someone on the other
side of the bar calls his name. He smiles and pulls away. “Hold that thought.”
I wait, sipping my drink, and enjoy an entertaining rendition of Teenage Dirtbag by a couple of guys who clearly realize they can’t sing, but have fun with it anyway.
A hand slips around my waist from behind and I gasp. Finn puts his mouth next to my ear.
“Juliet, I am so fucking distracted tonight,” he says. “I can’t stop thinking about you.”
My whole body tingles. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”
He laughs softly, his breath tickling my neck. “You sure? I don’t want to freak you out.”
“I told you, I like your dirty mouth.”
His hand tightens on my hip. “Baby, you are dangerous, you know that?” He plants a soft kiss on my ear. “I want to take you in the back right now and rip off your clothes. I want to push you up against the wall, spread your legs, and lick your pussy.”
I suck in a breath.
“Want to hear more?” he asks. All I can do is nod. His hand slides around my waist and he presses against me from behind. “Then I’d lift you up so you can wrap those gorgeous legs around me, and I’d plunge my cock into your wet pussy. I’d hold you against the wall and fuck you until you can’t see straight.”
My vision is already going blurry and I clench my thighs.
“I want to make you come on me, Juliet,” he says. “I want to hear you moan.”
“Holy shit, Finn,” I say, my voice low.
He laughs again, sending tingles down my spine. “I don’t know how you do this to me. But I’m really glad you’re here. Even though I keep messing up drink orders because I’m thinking about you.”
I look back at him over my shoulder and he leans down to kiss me. The feel of his mouth on mine lights me on fire. I don’t want to ditch my friends, but if he wanted to take me home right now, it would be very hard to say no.
“I have to get back to work,” he says. “But can I get you anything?”
Yes. You, doing everything you just said you’d do to me. “No, I’m good.”
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