“Oh my god.A hockey star.”Helena sighs dreamily.“Bayshore is thebest.We need to visit more often.”
I keep an eye on Griff as he comes over, his gait both cocky and powerful.Our gazes finally meet and electricity snaps, igniting my body from head to toe.I can’t forget what I overheard that morning, and if I think about it too long I’ll turn red as a beet in front of him.But I’ll be imagining those overheard sexy groansplentylater tonight as I bust out my little vibrating friend from its purple satin bag.
Griffin selects an open stool a few spots down from the girls, near the corner.He grins at me as he slides to sitting, running a hand through his longish dark brown tresses.“Sup, Casey?”
“Hello, Mr.Keegan.”My cheeks hurt from how hard I’m smiling.“What can I get for you tonight?”
A brow lifts slightly, and it seems like he wants to say something but thinks better of it.“I’ll do an IPA.You pick.”
“You already know which one I’m going to pick.”
“Right, the skin tone.”He laughs as I grab the bottle and pop the cap.
“That, and I know it’s your favorite.So, win-win all around.”I push the beer bottle his way, not wanting to get distracted with other customers quite yet.“How was your day?”
He heaves with a deep breath.“Busy.How about you?”
“Great.Turns out you’re looking at the number one bartender based on sales.”I enjoy the way his face lights up at this news.He holds up his palm for a high five.
“Hell yes, Casey.This doesn’t surprise me at all.”
“Really?It surprised the shit out of me!”
He sends me a pointed look that I don’t know how to read.“You have a history of underestimating yourself.”
His words land with a softthwumpagainst my chest.He’s not wrong.And it would be painful if his words weren’tso true.
“Yeah…” is all I can think of to say.“You might be right.”
“So, why don’t you stop underestimating yourself?”He looks at me like this is the easiest, most natural solution, shrugs, then takes a sip of his beer.
“I…guess…I…could?”I’m confused by the simplicity of this idea.It doesn’t fully sink in.
We don’t get a chance to continue the conversation, because new arrivals at the bar demand my attention.A couple clearly in the honeymoon phase have draped themselves across each other, desperate to order but unwilling to take their attention off each other long enough to finish a thought.By the time I coax their orders out of them and have served their overly complicated martinis, I notice that my book rec lovers from earlier have crept closer to Griffin.
Abby is fully occupying the seat next to Griffin, batting her eyelashes at him in full-throttle flirtation mode.
I don’t blame her.Shooting your shot at a man as handsome as Griffin is a biological imperative.Our ovariesdemandnearness to Griffin’s testicles.In fact, I can hear my ovaries screaming in protest whenever he leaves in the morning.Yeah, it’s weird.But I’m pretty sure it’s science.
“Your muscles areso big,” is all I catch of Abby’s conversation as I float by.Griffin’s attention is fully on her, though he glances up at me briefly as I pass.I can’t even muster a smile.I like Abby, and I’m not going to let this influence future book recommendations I give her.
But she can stop touching Griffin’s arm now.
The busy bar keeps me occupied, but it doesn’t prevent me from stewing about the three hot women who are probably setting themselves up to become Griffin’s next puck bunny trio.I can feel my mood dip lower and lower as the girls crowd around him.Griffin is eating it up.Any second now, he’ll leave with them.My heart is pounding, my entire body bracing for the moment when he chooses one of them.
I watch the clock as the night churns on.They spend almost an hour at his side, giggles wafting through the air as they take turns fawning over him.Finally,blessedly, the girls wave me down to ask for the bill.I can’t even look at Griffin because I’m scared he’ll see the jealousy burning in my gaze.I pop on the fakest smile I can muster and head to the register to print their checks.As I return, Griffin shoos them off.
“I got it.Give it to me, Casey.”
My stomach cinches into a painful knot.One hour of flirting and fawning wasn’t enough, now he’s going to pay their tab?You’ll be seeing these girls at the house later, that’s for damn sure.
“Oh, wow.Mr.High Roller,” I tease, my voice hollow.My smile drops immediately, and I make a display of crumpling the bills.“I’ll put them on your tab.”
The girls are obsessed with Griffin now, and Abby makes a point to snatch up a square napkin and scrawl her phone number on it.She slides it down the bar toward Griffin before leaning in to whisper something into his ear.
I watch the way his gaze drops.The way his tongue comes out to wet his bottom lip.I can’t stand it.I want this man so badly I could dissolve; it feels like my heart is going to beat right out of my chest.I busy myself with other customers, praying the girls leave at all.If Griffin gets up to follow them out, I’ll die right here during my shift.
My head is so loud with noisy thoughts as I give a few other customers their second and third rounds.What had started as an incredible night now has me ready to puke into the ice bay.When I dare myself to check on Griffin, he’s sitting there all alone.
