by S. J. McCoy
Once they were inside, he said, “I'm going to be honest with you. The girl managing the bar is a sweetheart, but she's just not meant to be a bartender. I've hung in with her, because she needs the job, but something's going to have to give. I'll take you back there, show you the ropes and you see what you can do. Just...” He rubbed both hands over his face then gave her a pained look. “Go easy on her. She'll probably get in your way, she's making a real mess of things, but she's a great girl. Be kind to her, no matter how much she drives you nuts.”
Kenzie grinned, thinking she understood. “Do you have a soft spot for her then?”
She was surprised how abruptly he replied. “No! I'm just trying to help her out. That's all.”
“Sorry! I didn't mean to pry.” Damn! The last thing she wanted to do was upset him.
He smiled. “No. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you. I guess I do have a soft spot for her, just not the kind you're talking about.”
Kenzie nodded, even though she didn't really understand—she didn't need to. “Okay. I promise I'll be nice to her. So are you going to show me the ropes so we can get those thirsty customers taken care of?”
“Yep. Come on.”
~ ~ ~
Robin poked Chase in the back. “Looks like Kenzie got a better offer.”
Chase spun around to face him. “What the fuck are you talking about?” he growled.
Robin stepped back. “Whoa! Jesus, Chase! I'm only messing with you. I just saw her disappear into the office with Ben. I figure if she's going to be working for the resort she might be getting on the good side of the big boss man.” He had taken another step back before he added, “Or getting underneath him.”
Chase slammed his fist into the speaker and walked away. “Fuck you, Robin!” He took deep calming breaths as he walked out onto the quiet back deck and around the corner. He needed to get his shit together before they started the next set. He was only angry with Robin because he'd voiced the thought that had occurred to Chase himself. He'd watched Ben go and talk to the girls, watched him zone in on Kenzie. He'd forgotten the lyrics and screwed up a couple of lines while he'd watch Ben put his arm around her and walk her into the office in the back. What were they doing in there? He could only think of one thing and it had him seeing red. He wanted to go back there and make it stop. He was jealous! Fucking jealous! He would never have believed that he had it in him. He'd been waiting to get to the end of the set so he could go see her, talk to her, maybe get her alone for a moment, behind the speakers or under the deck. He just needed to hold her again, to kiss her, feel her body close to his. Instead though, she was now in Ben's office, doing who knew what. He kicked the wall. He knew what, dammit!
He leaned against the rail over the water and tried to calm himself. Tried to put it in perspective. He couldn't.
Eddie came out and leaned on the rail beside him. “Are you all right? It's not like you to screw up lines.”
Chase nodded.
“What's the problem, Chase?”
“I'm jealous as hell!”
Eddie gave him an odd look. “Jealous of what?”
“You didn't see Ben taking Kenzie back into his office?”
Eddie had the nerve to laugh.
Chase wrung his hands together, trying to resist the urge to punch something. “You think that's funny?”
“I do if that's what you're jealous of. I mean, they're friends. He's going to be her boss. There's nothing to worry about.” He grinned and punched Chase's arm. “And even if there were, it really wouldn't be anything to worry about. See, they came back out after all of two minutes. If they were doing what you thought, then I doubt she'd be going back for more! It would have been a Wham, thank you, Ma'am, there wasn't even time for the bam.”
Chase felt pretty stupid, but he couldn't help laughing at Eddie's assessment. He looked up at his friend. “Seriously?”
Eddie nodded. “Seriously. They came back out almost immediately. He took her behind the bar and now she's working it. It looks like she belongs there, too. So, if you're done wrestling with the green-eyed monster, I suggest you go get yourself a drink before we need to start up again.”
Chase looked at him. “What's she doing to me, Ed? I didn't think I had a jealous bone in my body.”
Eddie shrugged and slapped his shoulder. “I dunno, Chase, but if you're going to share a place with her, I think you need to get a grip. It seems to me that a girl like Kenzie is always going to give you reasons to be jealous if you look for them. Hurry up and get a beer, before we need to get back up there. You can bring me one, too.”
Chase considered Eddie's words as he made his way to the bar. He was right. Kenzie was hot. She turned heads wherever she passed. She didn't try to hide her gorgeous body. The way she dressed, the way she moved, hell even the way she talked, really did come off as a challenge to a guy. A challenge to get her into bed. And he needed to be the only guy who could. As he got closer to the bar, he watched her working it. She did look like she belonged there. She was laughing, joking with customers. Making short work of getting their drinks, taking their money and moving on. He clenched his jaw seeing the way a couple of the guys were ogling her backside when she bent down to one of the fridges. He wasn't going to be able to get over the jealousy thing. He knew what he could do to manage it though. Kenzie hadn't spotted him yet. He caught Renée's eye, she was looking a little lost while Kenzie was doing such a good job of running the show. He motioned toward the gate for her to let him in.
She came over and raised it to let him through. “What do you need, Chase?”
He grinned at her and pointed to the guys who were still eyeing up Kenzie. “I need you to take care of them.” She nodded looking puzzled and went to get their drinks.
Kenzie still hadn't seen him. Most of the customers were watching him now though. He grinned and put his finger to his lips as he sneaked up behind her. He waited until she stood on tiptoe to get a bottle from one of the higher shelves, then wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her so she could reach it. He felt her tense and for a moment was afraid he'd done the wrong thing. Some guy had beaten her up only a couple of weeks ago and here he was sneaking up and grabbing her.
She relaxed and started to laugh though, wriggling in his arms, trying to turn around to see him. “Chase, I hope that's you!”
It was his turn to relax. She knew it was him and she sounded pretty pleased about it. He put her back down and loosened his grip enough that she could turn around to face him. He didn't let go of her though, he kept his arms circled around her.
She smiled up at him. “What are you doing back here?”
He pulled her closer. “I could ask you the same thing. One minute my girl is sitting next to the stage while I serenade her, the next she's working the bar.”
She searched his face. “Ben needed the help and this is what I do. I'm pretty good at it.” She looked around at all the customers pushing around the bar watching them. “And I think I need to get back to it.”
Chase looked around too. They had quite an audience, no one was shouting for drinks anymore. Everyone's attention was focused on them—including the guys who’d been watching Kenzie's ass. He turned back to her and smiled. When he spoke, he made sure it was loud enough for them all to hear. “I just needed to make sure my girl's okay before we start the next set. In fact, I don't think I can sing another song until I get a kiss.”
She stared up at him. “I'm working.”
He shrugged and grinned round at all the smiling faces. “Sorry guys. Looks like the music's over for tonight. She won't kiss me.”
“Kiss him, girl!” shouted a woman near the end of the bar. “If you won't, I will!”
That had everyone laughing. Chase didn't miss the way Kenzie's arms tightened around him. It made him hope she didn't want him to kiss someone else. He was surprised when Renée banged on the end of the bar. “Come on everyone. We want music and we want drinks, don't w
e?”
“Yeah!” They were all shouting and cheering.
He laughed down at Kenzie and she smiled back up at him.
“Kiss him! Kiss him! Kiss him!” Renée kept thumping on the bar, leading the chant that got louder and louder as everyone joined in.
He shrugged and Kenzie laughed and shrugged back. She looped her arms up around his neck. “It doesn't look like I have much choice, does it?”
“You always have a choice, lover.” He lowered his mouth to hers and whispered, “Choose me.”
She closed the final distance and met his lips with her own. He cupped the back of her head with one hand and tilted it back. He kissed her the way he needed to, deeply and slowly. She clung to him as he closed his other hand around her ass and pressed her body against his. That made the chanting erupt into applause and he remembered there was a whole bar full of people watching. He didn't pull away though and neither did she. She buried her fingers in his hair and kissed him back as if her life depended on it. When he finally lifted his head, the crowd was going crazy. He grinned around at them. “Sorry about that, guys. I couldn't wait until we got home. I guess I'd better get back on stage for now though, huh?”
Kenzie surprised him by cupping her hand around the back of his neck and pulling him down to peck his lips. “Yes, you'd better get back to work and let me do the same.”
He grinned at her. “I guess, but now I really can't wait until we get home.”
“Me neither.”
Chase wished they could get out of here right now. He'd have to hang onto his guitar for the whole of the set to hide his need! It would be worth the wait though. “See you later, lover.”
He loved the way she smiled as she blew him a kiss before turning back to the customers. He also loved the change in the way those guys were looking at her. They were still admiring her body—who could blame them for that? But they were no longer looking like they might climb over the bar hoping for a shot with her.
He spotted Ben and cringed a little. Now that he'd satisfied his need to show every guy here that Kenzie was off limits, he hoped he hadn't gone overboard. He decided he'd better check, the last thing he wanted to do was piss Ben off.
He was leaning against one of the pillars and raised his eyebrows when Chase reached him. “Do you feel better for that?”
Chase gave him a rueful grin. “Yeah. I do. I just hope I didn't cross any lines?”
Ben shook his head with a smile. “You're fine, bud. I get it. And hell, the customers all loved the show! You might have to get used to it though. She's great behind the bar. I'm going to ask her to take the job and put Renée in the bakery. What do you think?”
Chase pursed his lips. It made a lot of sense, but he wasn't sure he liked the idea of guys at the bar flirting with her all night, every night.”
Ben grinned at him. “Don't worry, I'll understand if you sometimes feel the need to vault the bar and sweep her off her feet to make sure everyone knows she's with you.”
Chase laughed. “Sorry. I don't know what came over me.”
“No worries. I get it and honestly if you need to do that sometimes, it's okay. We can consider it part of the entertainment.” He looked up at the stage where the rest of the band were standing around waiting. “I think for tonight though you should probably get back to entertaining them that way.”
Chase nodded. “On my way. Thanks, Ben.”
Chapter Twelve
Kenzie smiled at Ben and finished wiping down the bar. The place was almost empty now. There were just a few stragglers at one of the tables and the band who were packing up their gear. “That went pretty well if I do say so myself.”
“That was awesome, Kenzie! So how do you feel about taking the job?”
Oh, boy! She would love to, but she didn't want to steal it away from Renée. Ben had been right, she wasn't exactly a natural behind the bar, but she was nice.
Ben's face fell. “You don't want to?”
“What about Renée?”
Renée heard her name and came over to join them. “What about me?”
Ben raised his eyebrows at her. “Kenzie doesn't want to take your job away from you.”
“Please say you'll trade with me for the bakery? I am a walking disaster area as soon as I get behind the bar and you were born to do this! I have a feeling the reverse might be true in the bakery.”
Kenzie laughed. “If you're sure. I have a feeling you're right. I was dreading being my own kind of disaster in the bakery. I was dreading the early mornings, too.”
“I am more than sure. I'm a morning person and the late nights in here have been killing me.” Renée brought her hand up to stifle a big yawn. “See what I mean? This way we both win.” She turned to Ben. “And if we're all done here, I am going home to bed.”
Ben smiled. “Come on then. I'll walk you to your car.”
Renée came to hug Kenzie. “Come see me in my new place of work soon?”
Kenzie hugged back, she liked the redhead. “I will, and you come see me in here?”
Renée nodded. “Yep. See you soon.”
Kenzie watched her walk out with Ben, wondering what kind of soft spot he had for her. Seeing them together, she was pretty sure he wasn't attracted to her. He acted as if he were her brother.
“Hey, lover.” Chase was letting himself through the bar. “Are you nearly done here?”
She nodded. She was hoping he'd meant what he'd said earlier about wanting to get her home. She'd already told Megan she wouldn't be back tonight. She was going to stay at the house, and she didn't intend to stay there alone. “I am. How about you, are you all packed up?”
He nodded. “Almost. The guys are finishing up.” He came and closed his arms around her. She loved the way she felt when he did that.
She slid her own arms around his middle and smiled up at him. “So how's this going to work? Are you taking me home or am I taking you home?”
His eyes were laughing down at her as he backed her against the fridge. “I guess it depends on whose room we go to, doesn't it?”
She nodded and pulled him closer. She didn't care how it worked, whose room they went to, or what they called it. All she wanted was him. She stepped away from him when Ben came back in.
He grinned at them. “Why don't you kids get out of here? I'll close up. Great work tonight, Kenzie. Come see me tomorrow and we'll figure out a schedule.” He looked from her to Chase and back again. “I think we're going to make one hell of a team.”
“Thanks, Ben.” Kenzie hugged him. “You’re the best!”
Ben laughed. “Watch it. You'll get me in trouble with your man.”
Chase smiled and took her hand. “Nah. I trust you, Ben. See you tomorrow.”
That bothered Kenzie. She let him lead her out into the square before she questioned him. “Isn't it me you need to trust?”
He had his arm around her shoulders and smiled down at her. “What do you mean?”
“Back there. Ben said I'd get him in trouble with you. You said no because you trust him. Shouldn't you trust me?”
He tightened his arm around her. “I do trust you. It's just a figure of speech.”
As she stared up at him, he lowered his lips to hers. She pulled him against her as he covered her mouth with his own. Once again, she was lost. Every time he kissed her he did this to her. She couldn't think straight, couldn't think at all. She could only feel. Feel his lips, his hands, his hard body and the way her own responded to him. Feel the desire coursing through her, the heat between her legs, and the need to feel his naked skin against hers.
When he finally lifted his head, she could see that same need in his eyes. She couldn't remember what they'd been talking about. All she knew was that they had to get to the house—as quickly as they could.
When they got there, he opened the garden gate for her and let her walk up the path ahead of him. She scrabbled with the key, trying to unlock the front door. As she
turned the knob, he tapped her on the shoulder. Turning to look up at him she caught her breath at the sight of his gorgeous smile. He lowered his head to her and she reached up around his neck. Instead of the kiss that she'd been expecting though, he hooked one arm behind her knees and lifted her up off her feet. He held her gaze as he carried her through the door and into the hallway. Alarm bells were ringing deafeningly inside her head. He'd carried her over the threshold! Surely to God he hadn't done that on purpose?
He didn't give her chance to think about it. He set her on her feet and drowned out the ringing alarms with his kiss. She pushed him back against the wall and reached up to tangle her fingers in his hair. His hands stroked down her back, making her thrust her hips against his as they closed around her ass. He pulled her top off and she did the same with his T-shirt. He pulled her against him, one arm tight around her waist while his free hand unhooked her bra and got rid of it. She let her head fall back as he kissed his way down her throat. His teeth grazed her collarbone making her moan and reach for his zipper. She needed to feel him. Right now.
He caught her hand. “Let's take it upstairs.”
He led her up and straight into the room they'd decided would be his. He drew her with him onto the bed. Lying face-to-face with her he claimed her mouth again in another deep, intoxicating kiss. She gave herself up to him. His hands moved over her, teasing her nipples, getting rid of her jeans and underwear, getting rid of his own. When she opened her eyes again, they were both naked. He pulled away from her long enough to roll on a condom. Then he lay on his back and pulled her on top of him.
He had that confused look in his eyes as he looked up at her. She felt the same way. She gyrated her hips and let out a low moan at the exquisite friction of his cock rubbing against her wetness. She knelt over him and wrapped her fingers around his shaft, guiding him towards her. She held his gaze as she gripped him, firmly pumping her hand up and down the length of him. She stroked herself with him, moaning as she used his head to work her clit. God that felt so good! His moans matched hers, but his thrusting hips shouted his need to be inside her. She needed it, too.