“Nope, you’re a guest tonight, Lieutenant. Just relax and watch me weave my magic.” With a smile that could be deemed nothing less than mesmerizing, she wove off down the bar.
Liam stood up and carried his plate to the kitchen. It had been drilled into him that there were no free rides in the bar from an early age.
Besides, he wanted to stick his head in to give Joseph a hug. He had known the old cook as long as he had known the rest of his family, and he missed the grouchy guy. It was probably best he left now anyway before he did something he would later regret.
* * *
When had Liam Donnelly gotten to be so grown-up? He had always been a good-looking kid, even if he was a bit gangly, but now he had grown into his awkward height.
She had turned around to check on him just in time to see him disappear into the kitchen carrying his plate. The military had done wonders for him. It turned an overreacting loudmouth into a gentleman. Well, hopefully not too much of a gentleman.
It had probably been close to seven years since she had last seen him, but she would still know him anywhere. She remembered she had been eating dinner with her sister-in-law when two big cops came in the door. They each had hold of one of the Donnelly twins: Liam with his long hair and bad attitude, and Ronan looking terrified but with a dopey grin on his face.
They had been caught in the high school pool after hours, naked, with a handful of other kids. Astrid told them later that Liam was angrier at the fact that Ronan was no longer a virgin while he still was than at the fact they got caught. Apparently, Ro had had a much better time in the pool locker room than anyone actually in the pool.
She refilled his glass, chasing away a couple of customers eyeing the empty barstool. With any luck, he would be back in a few minutes to stare at her over his glass when he thought she wasn’t looking.
The old Liam had been adorable, but this Liam was the stuff of fantasies. The long hair was gone in favor of a short military cut that kept his bright green eyes from being hidden, a fact she liked a lot.
He was wearing a pair of jeans slung low on his hips, and a simple T-shirt stretched across a chest that begged to be traced with her tongue. Was it a bad choice to sleep with Liam Donnelly? Probably. Did she care? Not particularly.
“Hey, my seat is still free,” he said, waking her from her daydream. “That’s almost unheard of on a Friday night. Did I miss anything good?” She watched as that smile lit up his face. It was like looking into the sun and, for the life of her, she couldn’t remember what he had just asked. Clearing his throat, he continued. “Joseph said he’s retiring?”
“Yeah,” she finally said, pulling her thoughts together. “He’s been training his assistant to take over his place. The kid’s pretty good too.”
“I guess so, but it’s like losing something that’s become an institution. He’s been cooking here since before I was born.” He shook his head a couple of times before training his bright green eyes back on her. “So, did you grow up around here?”
“Not too far from here,” she answered, turning with a smile to walk away. It was cute how he was trying so hard to place where he knew her. If he found out, though, he wouldn’t touch her with a ten-foot pole, so she wasn’t about to tell him. Not when a little tongue tag with Liam Donnelly might be just what she needed.
She had dated the same guy for years on and off since college. They always had a rocky relationship and her family could not stand him, but she had been in love. They finally decided to move into his apartment together six months ago.
It was great up until she came home early from work one day to find him with one of the interns from his office bent over their bed. She had packed her things that day and moved home. The worst part was that he hadn’t even bothered to try to get her back.
Now, she was working at the bar part-time again to supplement her paycheck for the small apartment she had just moved into. She managed to furnish it, and she was determined to stand on her own.
There was no way she was interested in a long-term relationship right now, maybe ever, which is why Liam was perfect. He would be fun for two weeks, then gone again. Simple, meaningless, and no strings attached.
Finishing up a table order, she spotted a couple of old regulars greeting Liam with hugs and back slaps. Working her way back down the bar, she automatically sat their orders down in front of them. They hadn’t varied what they drank in the years since she had begun working here, so she didn’t figure they would now.
“So, where are you at now?” one of the regulars asked him.
“I’m technically stationed in Fort Sill, Oklahoma, but my platoon is being deployed in two weeks.” She felt her heart freeze at his words. It must be why he came home, to see his family before he left for another war zone.
“What exactly do you do again?” one of the other men asked.
“I make sure my men blow the right shit up with some very big guns,” he answered with a laugh.
ChapterTwo
Liam heardthe small gasp she made when he said he blew shit up. He didn’t know how else to put it. As a field artillery officer, he was responsible for strategically placing and using the big cannons in combat. That was the simple explanation, but it was essentially what he did for a living.
The Army had debated what to do with him his last year at West Point, but his aptitude for math and planning landed him in the Artillery Corps.
“Where are you being sent?” one of his dad’s friends asked.
“Back to the desert.” That was all he could tell them. Fortunately, they didn’t ask any more. They settled into a comfortable conversation about the local gossip.
Relaxing into his seat, he enjoyed catching up on the neighborhood as the evening slowly drifted along. The handful of regulars finally headed home for the night, leaving Liam alone again at the end of the bar.
