Phoenix nodded as the tall mugs full of dark beer arrived. “Guinness, huh?” Griffin asked the waitress, who was a different young woman than the one who had seated them.
“That’s what you wanted, isn’t it?” she asked.
“It is, darlin’, and can we have some hot wings to go with them?” Ethan asked her.
“Sure. Really hot or kind of hot?” the waitress asked them as she placed the frothy mugs in front of each one of them.
“Kind of,” Griffin said. “We don’t want dragon breath now, do we?”
She nodded. “I’ll make sure there’s some celery to cleanse your palates, gentlemen. And blue cheese with them?”
Phoenix nodded, then added, “And how about some shots of Fireball too?”
“Will do,” she told him, then went away to turn in their order.
The atmosphere was electric. Energy filled the space around them.
“It’s like Julia’s here,” Griffin said.
The others nodded in agreement. Their sexual mentor seemed to be leading them, and with her help, one would win the bet. Of that they were all positive.
Chapter 4
Tendrils of steam came off the piping hot platter of hot wings the waitress brought to the table for the three men who were actively ogling the pub’s female patrons.
“Can I get you gentlemen anything else?” the waitress asked.
“Do you happen to know if that young lady over there is unattached?” Ethan asked about a young curvy redhead who was laughing as she talked to a couple of other women. With her hand on her hip and her lips pursed to one side, she gave off an air of no-nonsense while still being incredibly sexy.
The waitress followed his gaze, finding a woman she did know. She knew her very well and wondered if she should divulge any information about her or not. When she looked at Ethan, she saw him cutting his eyes to look back at her. Taking a chance that the man wasn’t a complete jerk, she said, “She’s available. Her name’s Caitlyn. She goes by Cait, though.”
“Cool. Can you send her a Rob Roy from this gent here?” Ethan asked as he gestured to Phoenix. “He’s the interested party.”
The waitress changed her attention to the tall, handsome man with dark hair that was long and hanging free in a silky sheet that went to the middle of his back. A smile crept over her face, as she was sure Cait would like the man. “I’ll get that to her. And can I tell her your name, sir?”
“Tell her Phoenix Nelson sent her the drink,” Phoenix said.
A nod had her leaving to fulfill the drink order as Griffin leaned in to whisper, “And I’ve found your woman, Ethan.”
“Which one is she?” Ethan asked with excitement.
“Not yet. You have to wait until the waitress comes back for me to give her the drink order.” Griffin chuckled and sat back.
Phoenix was still looking for just the right woman for Griffin, and when his eyes roamed past the bar, he found the one he thought would be perfect. She was a young-looking woman, lithe, dark blonde, long hair, tall, the way Griffin had described his type of female.
“And I’ve chosen yours, Griffin.”
“Great!” Griffin remarked as he looked around to try to find who Phoenix might’ve chosen.
The men watched as their waitress took the drink to the redhead for Phoenix. His eyes were trained on the woman. She was gorgeous. Wearing a tight white V-necked shirt that the tops of her ample breasts spilled out of and a pair of tight black jeans that showed off her rounded ass, she was a vision of sexiness and Phoenix had a good feeling about her.
When the woman looked his way and waved at him as she smiled and mouthed, “Thank you,” he smiled back and lifted his mug of beer in a toast from across the room. She raised her glass too, and they each took a sip. Then her eyes moved on from his as she went back to talking to her girlfriends.
“I like her, Ethan,” Phoenix said as he kept his eyes on the woman. “You picked a great one for me.”
The waitress came back to the table holding a short, fat glass. “Cait said to give you this, Phoenix.” She placed the glass in front of him.
“What is it?” he asked before taking a sip.
“It’s called a Superman. It’s a fruity drink.” She waited for him to take a sip and watched a smile form on his lips.
“Yum,” Phoenix said. “Tell her I said thank you and that if she were any sweeter, I’d have to make jam out of her.” It was one of the dreadful lines Julia used to use, a thing the men had made a rule about using to reel in their catch.
With a short burst of laughter, the waitress said, “K, anything else?”
Phoenix gave her a nod. “That woman by the bar. Is she free?”
“Jess?” she asked as she trained her eyes to see where his were set. “Yeah, she’s free.”
“Send her a Rob Roy and tell her it’s from Griffin Houser,” Phoenix told the waitress as he pointed to Griffin.
Griffin smiled at the waitress, who looked him over. “Tell her that if she was any prettier, they’d have to lock her up.”
“Sure,” the waitress said as she rolled her eyes.
Griffin added, “And that woman over there. The one who’s talking to the older woman. Is she unattached?”
“That’s Kellie. They call her Kel,” the waitress informed him. “She’s been broken up with a man she almost married for about a year. She’s free as a bird, but also not looking for anything or anyone at the moment. You sure you wanna go there?”
Being that the woman was for Ethan, he leaned forward and said, “Oh, yes. I want to go there. Send her a Rob Roy and tell her that her knight in shining armor, Ethan Southern, has come to rescue his damsel in distress.”
“Oh my God. You guys have got to be kidding, right?” the waitress asked as she shook her head. “These lines are terrible. Let me tell her something that might actually work in your favor.”
Ethan placed a hundred-dollar bill in her hand. “Tell the girls exactly what we asked you too and your tips won’t stop coming.”
“Sure thing,” she said, then sashayed away to get the drinks and toss out the stupid pickup lines the men had come up with. “Fools,” she mumbled to herself. The men had no idea who they’d all chosen to hit on. In her opinion, none of them would be seeing any action that night, if that’s what they were thinking.
Making her way to Jess, she placed the drink in front of her, making Jess look at her with confusion. “You know I only drink beer, Bonnie.”
“I know that,” the waitress said, then pointed out the tall, handsome man who’d sent the drink. “Do you see that guy there?”
Jess looked in the direction Bonnie’s finger was pointing and smiled. “Damn! He’s hot as hell, Bonnie. You sure he meant that to come to me?”
“He did, and it comes with a message. He said to let you know that if you were any prettier, they’d have to lock you up. Oh, yeah! And his name’s Griff.”
Jess laughed and waved at the man who was staring her down. “What a moron. Tell him that if he was any hotter, I’d have to call the fire department. And take him this nasty drink and let him know I’m a beer drinker.”
Bonnie took the Rob Roy with her as she made her way to the man who’d sent it. He wasn’t smiling when she got to him. “She doesn’t want it?” Griffin asked.
“She said to tell you that if you were any hotter, she’d have to call the fire department. Plus, she told me to let you know she’s a beer drinker and nothing else.”
“Then get her a beer. Whatever kind’s her favorite,” Griffin said. “And tell her Griff said he likes her sense of humor.”
“K, I’ll let her know that,” Bonnie said, then hurried off to take care of the orders. She was beginning to feel like a go-between for the men in their efforts to gain female companionship for the night.
She took the Rob Roy to Kel, who was chatting it up with Miss Foster, the high school librarian. Kel’s eyes narrowed as Bonnie placed the cocktail glass of pinkish purple liquid in front of her.
“What the hell is this about, Bonnie?”
“Do you see that Scottish stud giving you the eye, Kel?” Bonnie asked her.
“Yes, I see the dim-witted man. And why would you let him believe I wanted anything from him?” Kel asked as she turned her dark blue eyes back to her cousin.
“I told him the drink wouldn’t gain him anything with you, Kel. But he insisted. And he said to tell you that he’s your knight in shining armor or some shit like that. Anyway, his name’s Ethan Southern, and he gave me a hundred to get this to you. He and his friends seem to have a thing for the Flannigan sisters this evening.”
“You don’t say,” Kel said with a grin that was somewhat evil in nature. “Who’s botherin’ my sisters?”
“Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome is asking after Cait, and the one with blond curls is after Jess.” Bonnie sighed as she looked at the three hunky men who were trying to act as if they weren’t looking at the women they’d set their sights on for the evening.
“And I got the man with amber waves that hang to his shoulders that are as broad as any I’ve ever seen. A beast, I’m sure.” Kel sipped the drink and held up her hand in a motionless wave to let the man know she’d accept his drink, as it was her family’s bar and they needed every dollar they could get.
“I’m sure he’s a sweetheart,” Bonnie said, then giggled. “They’re all winners, cousin. You should give the man a chance.”
“And you should get your ass back to work before I send you home for this mischief you’ve managed to get us into,” Kellie said as she gave her cousin one arched eyebrow.
“I’ll get back at it. But I didn’t have a thing to do with who the men picked to pester this evening. They did that all on their own. Just so you know.”
Kel’s eyes settled on the man who’d so boldly called himself her knight in shining armor. As if she needed one. The nerve of him!
Chapter 5
Jess got up to go to the bathroom and found the cute guy with a bevy of blond curls that went to his shoulders was wiggling his finger at her. She couldn’t help but smile at the man who was giving her a sexy grin.
Step by step, she made her way to him. “Thanks for the drink, Griff. It is Griff, right?” Her words were laced with an Irish accent.
“It is. My full name is Griffin Houser. I’m from Montana, here on some unofficial business. And your name is Jess,” he said as he gazed into her icy emerald eyes. His favorite color. “And I bet you’re fresh from Ireland.”
“You’d lose that bet if you made it. I was born here. My siblings were born in Dublin, though. We summer there each year. Our accents come from our parents. Theirs are truly awful.” Her hand moved to rest on her hip as she said, “Jessica is my full name. But everyone calls me Jess. So, thanks again for the beer. It was nice meeting you. Bye.” With that, she turned and walked away, slightly shaking her rounded bottom, making Griffin drool a little.
He was met with a napkin that Ethan held to his chin. “Watch out, lover boy.”
“She’s hot!” was all Griffin could say.
“Go after her, stud,” Phoenix said as he caught Cait’s eyes. “I’m reeling mine in next.” With a wiggle of his finger, he found the adorable redhead getting up and coming his way as Griff vacated his chair, going after Jess.
Phoenix patted the empty seat near him. “Have a seat, gorgeous.”
Cait gave him a smile and took the seat. “So. Did you like the Superman I sent you?” Her Irish accent was obvious.
He nodded. “What did you think of the Rob Roy I sent you, Cait?”
“It was sweet in more than one way,” she said as she found herself falling into the dark depths of his milk-chocolate-colored eyes. “You have a distinctive look, Phoenix.”
He scooted his chair closer and leaned in close to whisper, “I have a lot of distinctive features. I’d love to show you them all.”
A giggle erupted from her, and she found herself blushing, a thing it was hard for anyone to get her to do. Cait was a woman who wasn’t easily impressed. But the man in front of her was the most impressive man she’d ever seen in her life.
“You’re probably a man I should run away from. Sure to be a heartbreaker.”
“Nah, I could never break your heart, Caity-cat.” He ran one finger along her collarbone, making chills flow through her.
“Where’re you from?” she asked him as she found herself allowing him to touch her—and she never allowed such a thing.
“Texas. A little city called Corpus Christi. But I have some land in a little place called Karnes County too.” He leaned in even closer, taking in a sniff of her perfume. “Is that cloves I’m smelling?”
“It might be. It’s a new perfume my mom gave me for my birthday last week.” Cait moved back a little as he was so close and the heat between them was growing intense.
“Birthday?” he asked as he closed the distance between them again, feeling the connection that was forming quickly. “And how old is my Caity-cat?”
“I’m twenty-three,” she answered. “And you are?”
He moved his fingers up the side of her neck as he said, “Thirty-five. I love the dark shade of auburn your hair is. It’s amazing.”
“Thanks. I get that a lot.” She settled back in her chair, making his hand leave her neck as it was making her want to kiss the man she’d barely met.
“I bet you do.” Phoenix wasted no time touching her again as he ran his finger across the bridge of her nose. His eyes went from her pale green eyes to the freckles on her nose and upper cheeks. “The dusting of light freckles is adorable. You’re utterly adorable. How’ve you not been snatched up yet?”
“Maybe because I’m not looking to get snatched up. I’m busy with work and college. I go to MIT. I’m majoring in food engineering. You’ll probably think a lot differently of me when I tell you this part. I’m into making meals out of insects.”
“Nope, I still find you fascinating,” he said, then let his finger move over her plump red lips. “So, a few bugs have passed through those lips, huh?”
“A few,” she said as she fought not to suck his finger into her mouth, which was watering for the inexplicable man.
The sound of her sister’s voice broke the spell she was under as Phoenix held her eyes with his. “Cait! What the hell are you doing?”
Cait looked away from Phoenix, finding her older sister standing with her hand on her hip, glaring at her. “What? This is Phoenix, by the way, Miss Rude. Phoenix, this is Kellie. A nosy person.”
“Nice to meet you, Kellie,” Phoenix said as he sat back a bit with the arrival of the protective woman.
Relieved to hear another Irish accent for him too, Ethan watered at the mouth. “Leave them be, gorgeous,” Ethan said as he got up, taking Kellie’s hand and leading her to the bar. “I gestured for you to come over here for a very different reason than for you to come and chastise my friend’s new acquaintance.”
Kellie looked over her shoulder, giving her younger sister the eye that told her not to go too far with the man no one knew a thing about. Then she turned her attention to the handsome Scot who towered over her. “I can tell you now, Ethan Southern; there will be nothing that you think might happen that will happen. Not with me.”
“Aww, come on,” he said as he let her hand go and ran his arm around her narrow waist. “I don’t want a thing more than to hear your sweet voice as you tell me all about yourself and what makes a darling woman like yourself tick.”
“Please,” came her sarcastic reply. “I’m no fool, Mr. Southern. Your accent won’t sweep me off my feet. I’m Irish. I’ve heard plenty of accents like yours. So, what has you in our small town?”
He took a seat at the bar and lifted her up to sit on the stool next to his, facing him. She was tiny—just the right size for him. Her hair was shoulder length, straightened, showing off the caramel highlights in her light blonde hair. The blue of her eyes was so dark, he could swear he’d never seen that exact shade before.
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br /> “First, call me Ethan. Mr. Southern is my father. And I don’t expect my voice, no matter how smooth and charming it might be, to sweep you off your dainty feet, my dear, Kel.” He placed his hands on her upper thighs, making her eyes grow large.
“Now you need to understand this about me,” she said as she moved his hands. “While I’m interested in talking to you, Ethan, that’s all I’m interested in. So keep your hands to yourself, or I’ll be forced to leave your company.”
“Noted,” he said with a sly grin. “So the basics, then. How old are you; what do you do with your time; and how long do you think you need to know someone before you tell them you love them?”
She laughed with his obvious joke, then answered, “I’m 25. An old 25 I’ve been told. An ancient soul, if you will. I’m in my last semester of business technology at MIT in Cambridge. And I work when I’m not in classes. And you?”
“Well, first let me say that I think there should be no particular length of time before two people exchange I love yous. That said, I’m 32 and a salesman for Red Head Scotch. And I’d also like to say that I think you’re gorgeous and you and I would make lovely children together. I mean that.”
Kel couldn’t help but laugh at the way the man talked. He was charismatic; she had to give him that. “Tell me. Do these lines usually get you what you’re looking for from women?”
“Every single time, my love,” he said, then picked up her hand and kissed the top of it. “Now, tell me. What it is you do for fun?”
“I don’t have time for fun, if you must know. This evening is a rarity for me. A night off work and no homework for the weekend have allowed me to come out, but that usually doesn’t happen.”
“So you’re a hermit,” he said with a deep chuckle that made his wide chest jiggle, taking Kel’s attention. He was a monster of a man.
“I wouldn’t say a hermit. I am inside of one building or another most times, though. And home the rest of the time. But it’s not self-imposed as much as it’s necessary to get me to where I want to be.”
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