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“Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah.” She wiped down her work area, frowning at him in the process. “Chip’s always had a thing for Ally, but Ally in all her flightiness never cottoned on.”
“So, what you’re saying is”—he made a show of staring at the contents of his glass—“Ally doesn’t like Chip, but I still have a chance?”
He lifted his gaze, hitting her with a full smile; one she countered with an even narrower glare.
“You’re full of yourself, you know that?”
He bit back another laugh. Goading her was too much fun. “I’m stating a fact. I’m fresh meat around here, yes? So, of course I’m going to get some attention. Meanwhile, you’re not at all jealous your friend might be interested in the same man you were with just the other night. Have I got that straight?”
Tension bunched her lips at the center, her head tilting to one side and nudging the end of her glossy ponytail off her shoulder. “Give me your phone.”
She held out a hand, opening and closing her fingers in a gesture for him to hand it over.
He pressed his hand over his jeans pocket, part of him unwilling to rule out her vaulting over the bar to get his phone. “Why would I do that?”
She shrugged, her own smirk making an appearance. “I just figured since it’s okay for you to make your way through my friends, I should be able to do the same with yours.” She raised a brow, her fingers still doing their grasping motion. “So, hand your phone over. I have calls to make.”
An unmissable heat took over his chest, his teeth grinding together and painfully so. He didn’t want to imagine any man, especially anyone he knew, daring to look at Sarah, much less sleeping with her. Sure, it was far too soon to get possessive, but the little witch did a fine job of shining a light on his own jealousy.
He stared down at his beer, working hard to maintain his posture, despite the deflated sensation winding through his body. “This is a small town, and I assume every woman here is your friend. That doesn’t leave me much choice, does it?”
He let out a caustic laugh, his choices limited in so many ways beyond women. Lack of choice was the theme for his life. And for some reason, with Sarah before him now, he didn’t want some other choice.
I lied when I said my decisions didn’t revolve around her.
His first taste of freedom in years had come from her. He wanted more of that. More freedom. More her. Maybe Luciano would track him down; no doubt he’d at least try, but Dean had a backup plan and refused to spend his life running from a literal mob of lowlife criminals.
He sat taller, deciding to punish Sarah for toying with him. “So if not Ally—or, I’m assuming, any of your friends—are you offering yourself again as a compromise?”
He stared directly into her eyes, daring her to look away, but she held up her end of the dare. “Nice try. You know I’m not about to sleep with you to spare someone else.”
“Then what about sleeping with me simply because we had a damn good time?”
She barked out a laugh, turning to collect a few empty glasses from the bar, a number of patrons having cleared out. “Once again, no.”
“I seem to recall you saying the exact opposite of ‘no’ the other night. Over and over, if I remember correctly.”
She swung around and glared at him, though even that glare wasn’t enough to douse his memory of having her. How she had asked, her ragged breaths mingling with his as she purred and pleaded beneath him.
“You know what I mean.” She returned to her glass collecting.
Actually, he didn’t know what she meant because, in his world, meeting someone he connected with was rare. Meeting someone he wanted to see again, as much as he did Sarah, outright never happened.
Except, we’re not exactly getting along right now, are we?
He gulped down the last of his drink and stood, yet another golden opportunity shutting its door in his face. “I’m done here.”
“Not yet.” She stopped in front of him, the beauty in her stare sending warmth through his body in spite of his lack of optimism and her serious expression. “You haven’t promised to keep away from Ally, and if your only offer is to bribe a second round at my place, that’s not good enough.”
“Looks like you’ve got no choice but to trust me.” He pulled some cash from his pocket and placed it on the counter.
Her hand shot out, almost habitually to collect the money, her fingers touching his in the process. The lingering contact had his stomach gripping, her close proximity bringing the light dusting of freckles over her nose into focus. Freckles mostly only visible to someone close enough to kiss her. Something he’d done over and over not all that long ago.
Her gaze slid to where their hands met, that gaze bouncing back up to his under a quick shiver. She felt something too. Except the haze in her eyes cleared all too fast, sharpening into icy daggers as she snatched her hand back and surveyed the room. “These people know me, and I have to work here. Keep that in mind if you ever find yourself at Maynard’s again.”
