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“CanIgetyouanything else, sweetheart?” The bartender asks.
“No, thanks. I think I’m good.”
She walks away, looking a little irritated that I’m not ordering more than one drink and a burger. I make a mental note to leave her a hell of a tip. If I’m taking up a barstool, I’m going to make it worth her time.
Work went a little later than I thought it would tonight, so I decided to just hit up the bar that’s in the lobby of my hotel. Usually, we stay in crappy motels, so I take advantage when I can.
My gaze is fixed on the basketball game on the TV, so I don’t even notice when a woman sits down next to me.
“You here alone?” She asks in a sultry voice.
Looking over at her, I see that she’s definitely a looker. I can tell that she came out today with the goal of taking someone home. Under normal circumstances, I would probably be that guy.
But not tonight.
Tonight, I’m just not feeling it.
Not wanting to think that there’s anything wrong with her, I turn to the woman next to me and say, “I’m actually on my way to meet my girl now.”
I stand up and walk out of the bar and back into the lobby of the hotel. My eyes glance over to the elevator before looking at the time. As tired as I may be, I don’t think I’m ready to call it a night just yet.
I’m on the outskirts of downtown Houston, so there has to be something around here I can do. I walk down the street for a while until I come across a bookstore. Typically, I would never just walk into a bookstore, but this one, is cute and quaint… and reminds me of Erin.
I have no idea why. It just looks like somewhere that she would like.
Despite my best efforts, I haven’t been able to get her out of my head. Well, I guess I could try harder. Going home with the stunner from the bar probably would have been a good start. In fact, I have had the chance to go home with a couple of different women over the past few days, but none of it has felt right. I'm sure soon enough, my dick will get horny enough to want to get into something, but right now, I'm just fine with rubbing one out, thinking about Erin's ass bouncing as I fuck her from behind.
Lord, I sound pathetic. I'm pining for a girl that I had a fun weekend with.
It doesn't help that Erin wasn't just some girl I met in a bar—well, okay, I guess she was. But she was also someone I could see spending my life with. She actually had something to say.
The moment I walk into the store, the woman at the counter greets me with a, "What brings you in today?"
I feel a little awkward, but I still respond with, "I'm looking for the romance section."
She just points to the way and tells me which aisle I'm looking for before going back to tagging the large stack of books in front of her. I don't know why I was expecting more of a reaction. Maybe she gets a lot of guys coming in here, asking for romance books. I mean, honestly, guys probablyshouldcome here and read some of these books. One, what a great place to meet women. And two, you get a basic manual on what women like.
The first romance section that I come to looks like the kind I would see my momma reading. They all look like they're more on the historical side. Finally, I get to a section labeled#smut. I'm guessing I'm in the right spot.
I browse for a minute before a cover catches my eye. It's the same one that Erin was reading, and I discover it’s part of a set.
Without even thinking about it, I pick up all the books in the series and take them to the counter. If I can’t have Erin, I can at least do something to make me feel closer to her.
Lord, I’m glutton for punishment.
I head back to my hotel room and get comfortable on the bed, ready to settle in with one of these good books.
Just when I’m a couple chapters in. My phone rings, and it’s a Maple Oaks phone number, so I decide to answer. “Hello?”
There is only silence for a moment before the phone goes dead.
I don’t think anything of it until it rings again. The same thing happens two more times within the next ten minutes. Finally, I answer with, “Look, either say something or quit fucking call—”
“Tanner?” A female voice comes through the speaker.
“Erin?” I ask, hoping to God that it’s her.
