The Way He Looks at Me [What Are Friends For 4] (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Rita Sawyer

  “I’m gonna make a sandwich before I get to work. Can I get you something?”

  “No, I’m good. Would you mind if I sat at the bar and got some work done?”

  “Sure, make yourself comfortable. Just give me a shout if you need anything.” Blue walked away, knowing he couldn’t just leave it at that.

  No woman had caught his interest so easily, and this one was sitting all alone at his bar. He was smart enough to know that letting her walk out of there without finding out what it was about her that made him want to stand there and talk to her would be a mistake. Then again, he didn’t want to come on too strong and frighten her away. He’d just have to find a middle ground that let him explore his attraction to her and see if she had any interest in him, and decide exactly what to do about it.

  Chapter Two

  Blue wasn’t gone long. Karen knew he’d been in the kitchen for exactly twenty-three minutes, because she kept checking her watch. In that amount of time, she’d managed to get two of the sixty tests she was attempting to grade done. She was so distracted she thought about giving up and trying to read the book she had in her bag, but Karen was smart enough to admit she wouldn’t have any better luck concentrating on that.

  Right then she had something more intriguing on her mind. Karen was the type to observe and question before she formed an opinion on anything. It was an elemental part of who she was. Though at times she wished that she could turn off the analytical part of her brain and just go with her impulses. Including the crazy ones, like pushing Blue up against the wall and kissing him. Of course she’d never do something so…slutty or courageous as ravaging a man she’d met less than an hour ago and had only said about thirty words to.

  He backed into the room, and Karen’s gaze was instantly drawn to his ass. Blue did those jeans damn good. He turned around and Karen saw the two plates he had in his hands. She wasn’t surprised he wasn’t wearing any kind of apron. He just had a small towel tucked on his belt. With a smile, he walked over and put one next to her stack of tests. She looked down at the turkey and bacon club sandwich and her stomach growled in appreciation. The smell of the French fries made her mouth water. Blue had managed to stimulate almost every part of her body, a feat no man had accomplished in a very long time.

  “I know you said you weren’t hungry, but I hate eating alone. I hoped my fabulous club sandwich would change your mind.” Being single, she knew how he felt.

  “Like I could turn this down.” Karen laid her pen on the papers and reached for a fry.

  She popped it into her mouth and moaned. Not too salty, a little crisp, and oh, so good. Blue ducked under the bar, and a sultry song oozed out of the speakers above them. This was the best date she’d never had. If only it was leading up to a goodnight kiss.

  “What would you like to drink?” He waved his hand down the bar, where there were spigots sticking out of the counter.

  “How about water?” Anything stronger and she might do something she’d regret.

  “No problem.” He moved down the bar and filled two glasses with ice.

  She watched as he filled one with water and the other with a dark liquid with a thick foam head, root beer, she guessed. As he walked back to her, a couple of guys came in the door. They gave Blue a wave and took a table in the corner.

  “Do you have to go wait on them?” Karen asked after a few minutes.

  “Nope. They’re waiting for their buddies to show up.”

  “Regulars?” After taking a few bites of her sandwich, she knew she’d be a regular customer if she lived closer.

  “They come to flirt with the waitresses more than anything else.” Karen sensed a bit of a bite in his voice.

  She knew a lot of companies had rules against the staff fraternizing with the customers, so she shrugged, thinking maybe his boss was one of those types. If that was the case, how would he feel about all the attention Blue was giving her? Okay, other than the two, she glanced over, now four guys sitting in the corner, she was the only one there, but still. He didn’t seem like he was in a rush to get away from her.

  Loud female laughter floated into the bar before the three young girls walked in. If Karen had to guess, she’d say they were all in their very early twenties, if that. They didn’t seem to pay much attention to the guys that had suddenly gone quiet.

  “Sorry we’re late,” the blondest one said.

  “I had to drop my car at the station with Lyle and asked Paula to pick me up before coming in.” The oldest looking of the three walked behind the bar as if she belonged there.

  “I got the message this morning when I stopped by.” Blue nodded in the table’s direction.

  The girl let out a slight groan as she took a notepad and headed their way. Blue waved his hand, and the other two girls dashed into the kitchen. He must run a tight ship was Karen’s first thought, and then she wondered if he’d tell her his secrets to get them to listen without saying anything. A trick like that would come in handy with her students. To say the least, she was impressed with the way he controlled the room.

  “So whatchya got there?” Blue took their now-empty plates and stuck them under the bar.

  “Test papers.” The pride that was normally evident in her voice was missing, which was becoming more noticeable over the past few weeks.

  “You’re a teacher?” He looked up from the cloth he was using to wipe the bar.

  Karen nodded. “Seventh grade science.”

  “Are you one of those nice teachers, or are you a stickler for rules?” He folded his arms on the bar and leaned right into her personal space.

  Come closer, was right on the tip of her tongue. She held back, but she’d never know how. It would have been so easy for her to just lean forward and press her lips to his. There was something in his eyes, a smile that almost dared her to do it. She had to be imagining it. So instead she leaned back, just a little, and considered his question.

  No one had ever come right out and asked her that, and she took a minute to think about it. “I’d like to think I’m nice. None of the kids have complained that I know of.”

  “Did you always want to be a teacher?” His questions weren’t personal, yet at the same time, they kind of felt like they were.

  “For as long as I could remember.” Karen gave him a small smile. “Now it’s your turn. Tell me something about you.”

  Blue smiled and shrugged a shoulder as he took her glass and refilled it. “Short version. I did a stint in the Army, because I decided I should do something while I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do.”

  “How long is a stint?” Karen wondered aloud, and he laughed.

  “Long enough to know it wasn’t for me. A little over seven years. I found out the only rules I liked to follow are the ones I make for myself.”

  “So you became a bartender?” She didn’t see the correlation between the two at all.

  Blue shrugged his broad shoulders. “The job sort of fell into my lap, but it didn’t take me long to realize I’d found my niche.”

  He excused himself to go check on things in the kitchen, leaving her alone with her jumbled thoughts. Karen knew the feeling he’d been talking about. She’d thought she found it when she started teaching. Lately, though, she was wondering if she’d chosen teaching because it just came easy to her, or if she really loved it. She knew she’d miss it if she stopped. Yet something was missing. The dare her best friend Lainey issued to their group of friends popped into her head.

  Lainey had to have known when she dared the five of them to basically find a guy and have a wild fling that Karen wasn’t going to do it. She may have been one of the “Sin Sisters” growing up, but she had done just that. Grown Up. There was no going back for her. She was a responsible adult. One who was in charge of filling young minds with knowledge, and she took it seriously. And even if she had the nerve to go for it, which she didn’t, she wouldn’t have the first clue how to initiate something like that.

  Oh, she knew her frie
nds, especially Sadie or Amy, would love to give her advice on how to get started. Karen knew if she ever followed through, she’d have to be careful none of her students or their parents got wind of it. The school she worked at was considered progressive in the eyes of most people, but she didn’t think they’d like the idea of having a promiscuous teacher on staff. Not even one who had won numerous teaching awards granted by the state and Parents Association.

  “Don’t let Blue con you.” The waitress got her attention not with what she’d just said, but the way she said it. “He was practically forced to take over the bar, and he’s turned it around. For the first time in years it’s not just breaking even. We’re actually making a damn good profit, and it’s all thanks to him. He’s got a head for business.”

  “Tanya, stop chatting at the bar and go deliver those drinks,” Blue said as he came back into the room.

  “Slave driver.” Tanya smiled as she did what he told her to.

  “That I am, but tavern wenches get paid to serve, not talk.”

  “So you’re not just the bartender. You run the bar for your family?” Karen was smart enough to know there was a huge difference.

  “Guilty as charged. If you have any complaints, I’ll take to satisfying them completely myself.” The wink he gave her made her rethink her earlier dismissal of his possible interest.

  Was she so out of practice that she couldn’t tell when an extremely hot guy was flirting with her? All the signs were leading her to think so. It was no wonder now that she was single and hadn’t had a date in well over six months. People started coming into the bar, and Blue would leave her every so often to serve them or check on the girls in the kitchen.

  Since it was only a little after one o’clock, Karen figured the patrons to be there for a late lunch. By about quarter of two, most of the tables were full, and the food was practically flying out of the kitchen. She missed having Blue’s undivided attention, but he made up for it when he’d look her way. The winks and smiles would have been enough to keep her waiting, but every so often, she would catch him staring at her with such an intensity that she swore she felt like she was being pulled to him. It would have scared her if it didn’t turn her on so much. Amy better get there soon, because Karen was seriously starting to question her sanity and willpower when it came to Blue.

  * * * *

  He wasn’t sure how much his sister Tanya had told her while he was in the kitchen checking on their two younger sisters, Paula and Debbie. At nineteen and twenty, they were allowed to work in the kitchen, but not the bar, which was fine with him. Tanya had been slinging drinks since the day she turned twenty-one. Their mother had wanted the bar to stay in the family, and at first Tanya seemed the logical choice, but she didn’t want to deal with the business side of things. The other girls were too young, and their brother Lyle had taken over their dad’s garage, so it had fallen to Blue.

  Since their parents died a year ago, they’d pulled together and made things work. It wasn’t easy, but none of them wanted to let their mother or father down. Blue and Lyle were doing their damnedest to take care of their sisters. Unfortunately, that meant they’d both been having a dry spell where female companionship was concerned. Sure, they’d both had plenty of opportunities, but for Blue the timing just hadn’t been right.

  Blue wasn’t all that concerned until now. It figured the first woman to interest him in a long time was just going to be a quick blur passing through his life. He couldn’t seem to keep from looking at her. When their gazes collided, she was always the first to break the contact. Karen’s friend would be coming to take her away soon, and any chance he had at making a move was going to be gone forever. Blue couldn’t live with himself if he let that happen.

  He left the group of people he’d just taken drink orders from and headed for the bar. After relaying the list to his sister, he walked over to where Karen was sitting.

  “How about a quick tour of the upstairs before your friend gets here?” It wasn’t an offer he gave most people, and if Karen saw his sister’s face, she might have realized it.

  “I’d like that.” She slid off the barstool.

  Blue led her to the door near the corner of the bar where she was sitting. He opened the door and swept his hand, motioning for her to go through first. Tanya cleared her throat behind him, and he considered ignoring her, but turned to see what she wanted. She held up her hand with her index finger and thumb together to form an O and her other three fingers up in the air.

  Good lord, she was actually encouraging him. What did she expect him to do? Hell, he didn’t even have a clue what he was about to do. He followed Karen up the stairs, hoping she’d give him some kind of sign and he’d take it from there.

  Karen came to a stop at the top of the stairs and said, “Wow.”

  “Welcome to my home.” Blue walked past her, doing his best to avoid touching her just yet.

  The stairs led directly into the living room. He knew from there she could see everything. The apartment had the same amount of square footage as the bar below, so to some it might seem huge, but Blue liked having his space and almost no walls to close him in. Unlike downstairs, the long windows up there were tinted, so he could see out and no one could see in. The special request cost extra, but it was a price Blue had been willing to pay to have a sense of privacy.

  There was one large room much like a studio apartment or loft. Still, each area was defined by the furniture, and of course, the kitchen had counters and a bar where he ate most of his meals. Which often made him wonder why he even had the dining area. The only room with walls was the bathroom, and that was more of a necessity because his sisters had a nasty habit of stopping by unannounced and often uninvited.

  They were the same reason he was seriously considering doing something about his bedroom. He glanced over at the rumpled sheets and blanket, wishing he’d taken the time to straighten up before he went out to unclog the bathtub at his parents’ house, where his sisters all lived now, but if he had, he may have missed finding Karen on the side of the road, and that would have sucked.

  “Well, where should I start?” He lifted his hand up and pointed. “That’s the living room, bedroom, kitchen, dining area, my office, and of course, the bathroom.”

  “This place is amazing.” Karen moved farther into the room, stopping a few feet away from him.

  “Thanks.” He wanted to tell her about all the work he’d done stripping and redoing the place, but all he got out was, “It’s come a long way from a storage catchall.”

  “Really?” She looked up at him, and he got lost in her gaze.

  Blue felt truly mesmerized. Her eyes were wide, and there was a pink tinge to her cheeks that hadn’t been there before. He stepped closer, and she didn’t retreat. Blue took it as a good sign and even a bit of a challenge.

  He took another step, bringing them just inches apart. “I brought you up here to show you the place, but I have to admit I had ulterior motives.”

  “I never would have guessed.” Her smile told him otherwise.

  “I can’t let you walk out of my life without kissing you at least once.”

  “Why?”

  “Not knowing if it’s as good as I think it will be would haunt my dreams.” He took her hand and pulled her closer.

  “Mmm…” Her moan vibrated the air between them. “Haunting a man’s dreams is every woman’s goal.”

  A slight tug and she was against his chest looking up at him. “Tell me you’re not one of those evil women that like to torture men.”

  “I never was before, but I do like to try new things.”

  “Good to know. So let’s try something new together.” Blue lowered his head slowly, relieved that she pushed up and met him halfway.

  Their kiss was everything he thought it would be and more. Her soft and inviting lips parted willingly. Her tongue slid into his mouth and danced with his touching, tasting, teasing. Blue knew every inch of his apartment, and he started backing her toward t
he couch. Hell, his bed was only seven feet behind the couch, but he wasn’t going to push his luck and scare her away. Before he made it halfway, the intercom he’d installed buzzed, and Karen leapt from his arms.

  “Fucking great,” he growled as he walked over and pressed the button on the wall. “What?”

  “Sorry to interrupt, but there’s someone here to pick up your guest.”

  “We’ll be down in a minute.” Karen stood with her back to him, staring out the window. “Your tow truck is here.”

  “I heard.” There was something in her voice he thought sounded like regret, but maybe it was just wishful thinking.

  He watched her shoulders rise and fall then straighten. When she turned around, she was smiling, but there was something missing. Before he could question it, she started for the stairs. Blue had been around women long enough to know if he didn’t ask, she’d never tell, and in this case, since she was about to walk right out of his life, it was now or never. He followed her down, and when she reached for the door, he slapped his hand at the top to keep her from opening it. She let go but didn’t turn around to face him.

  “Come on, you’ve got to give me something.” Blue knew he didn’t have a way with words, but the shocked look on her face when she spun around almost made him laugh.

  “What?” Her wide eyes and squeaky voice made it harder for him to stay composed.

  “At least admit you liked that kiss as much as I did. If not, say so, and I’ll let you walk out of here, but I think you did.”

  She let out a breath, and her cheeks blushed a deep scarlet tone. “Oh, I thought you meant…Our kiss was delicious.”

  The way she said it only made him want to do it again, but this time, finish what they started. “Then give me a chance to take you out and do this right.”

  “Do what, exactly?” Her trepidation was plain to hear and totally understandable.

  “Explore the current running between us. I won’t push. I’ll give you my number, and you can call me when you’re ready.” If the kiss affected her half as much as it did him, he’d give her a week before she called.