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My face heats under the attention from our captivated audience. I study him from this slightly upside-down angle, looking way too sexy with his stubbled jaw and backward hat. His descent is slow to allow me a chance to escape. But I don’t. My stomach flips and twists to sync with the feverish thrum in my veins. Each breath is torture until his lips press against mine.
I allow my lashes to flutter shut. The kiss is a chaste peck to appease any lingering doubts. When he pulls away, I get lost in the commitment his eyes promise me. The honesty in those blue depths begs me to leap.
“Welp, that’ll do it.” Amusement laces Joy’s tone as she hoists Belle’s carrier off the sofa. “I better get outta here before I try to convince Cole to knock me up on purpose.”
“Like on a door?” Sydney giggles.
“That might do the trick,” she muses.
I snap from my lusty Jake daze. “Who’s knocking on the door?”
Joy wears a smug grin. “That’d be love, babes. It’s about time you answer.”
Roosters is supposed to close in twenty minutes by the time I stride through the door. Only a few stragglers remain at the rail. None of them bother to turn while I settle onto an empty stool in my preferred corner. The spot just so happens to be directly in front of where Harper is wiping down the counter, singing in my favorite off-key pitch. That unique melody gets me hard before my ass is fully planted on the seat.
She appraises my awkward shifting while finishing the task. Her eyes haven’t left me since I walked in. I should know, seeing as mine haven’t strayed far from hers either. There’s a gleam in those green depths that reflects an unfulfilled hunger. Or maybe it’s my own cravings trying to trigger hers into manifesting. Both could lead to mutual satisfaction.
A grin curls her glossy lips as if my wishful thinking is amusing. The bright red color draws me in, urging my bent elbow onto the bar while the other arm rests flat on the wood. Harper quirks a brow while watching my desperate measures to reach her. That flippant reaction makes me want to hop over the barrier separating us and kiss her until she’s senseless. Then we’d be equal in lack of logic.
“Why are you staring at me?” Harper tucks her hair behind her ear.
“You’re smiling.”
“I smile all the time.”
“But not because I caused it. This is a special smile.”
“Maybe that makes it yours.” She startles, as if shocked by her own words. Her posture straightens and she flings the rag into a nearby sink. “I already did last call, JJ.”
The nickname almost gets a grin from me. “Not here for a beer.”
She studies me through a narrow squint. “Just some company then?”
My nod is a single jerk. “And once we’re done, I’ll drive you home.”
Her blink is slow. “You’re still planning to act as my personal chauffeur?”
“Didn’t we settle this debate yesterday?” It took a heroic amount of control that I normally don’t possess to refrain from tossing her over my shoulder at the dance studio. The same uncharacteristic patience gnaws at me in this moment. “In case there’s still confusion, my answer is yes.”
“Where’s Sydney? It’s Wednesday, and really late.”
“My dad is staying at the house until morning.”
“Your dad?” She stutters over the words as her jaw goes slack. “As in the only man more surly than you?”
“That’s the one.”
“And he came from three towns over just so you could pick me up?” Disbelief clangs in her reply, and rightly so.
I shrug. “Syd invited him over for dinner. She knew you were working and would need a ride home. He’s fairly worthless, but the guy is actually fond of his granddaughter.”
Harper uses several beats to compile a response. “That’s very considerate of her.”
“She cares about you a lot, and so do I.” With that admission, I lean forward to stroke a finger down her arm. “Mine is just a very different type of love.”
Her body stills. “Love?”
My pulse thunders loud enough to quake the room. “Yeah, Pitch. You must see it by now, or do you still doubt me?”
