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“I’m gonna grab another beer.” I soften my expression when I glance at Chelsea and Wyatt and force myself to forget about Zane. “You guys want anything?”
“I’m good,” Chelsea replies.
“Me too,” Wyatt agrees, shoving another handful of fries into his mouth.
I walk over to the edge of the U-shaped bar and lean against it, waiting for the bartender. The place is filling up with people.The later it gets, the more it shifts from a restaurant to a bar atmosphere. There’s music overhead. A Willie Nelson song is playing.
“What can I get you?” The handsome man tending bar leans both palms against the mahogany surface while facing me. There’s a towel draped across his shoulder and a neatly trimmed beard across his jaw.
I smile at him and open my mouth to answer just as Zane steps up beside me.
“Get her an IPA,” he commands before I speak, not glancing at me.
“That’s not what I want,” I protest, scowling.
The bartender smirks while watching our exchange. He waits with an amused twinkle in his eyes.
“Trust me, you do,” Zane insists arrogantly. “And make that two, Ivan.”
“You got it, Zane,” he says, rapping his knuckles twice on the bar surface before walking away to fill the order.
I face the beast, glaring at him. “What I was drinking was just fine.” I nod toward the empty bottle of domestic beer resting in front of me.
“You shouldn’t be satisfied withfine,” he insists, swiveling his head to connect our eyes.
A bolt of electricity zips down my spine, and I shove it away angrily.
“You should want the best, not settle for some generic knockoff. The beer you were drinking is shit.”
“I didn’t ask for your opinion.”
He smirks, and I hate the way it makes my stomach somersault.
“Maybe not … but you got it.”
Ivan sets two glasses of frosty beer in front of us.
“You’re welcome,” Zane says to me. “Put it on my tab,” he orders Ivan, not glancing at me again as he lifts his glass and leaves me standing at the bar alone, wanting more of his surly ass.
“Asshole,” I murmur under my breath.
Ivan laughs, watching as I lift the thick glass and take a sip of the ale. It’s smooth and rich and about a million times better than the domestic beer I was just drinking. I groan irritably before taking another drink.
“It’s good, isn’t it?” Ivan says, lowering his voice and leaning in closer. There’s a hint of amusement in his tone and his gaze.
I narrow my eyes at him, refusing to agree out loud. After all, he was consorting with the enemy a few seconds ago.
“Don’t worry.” Ivan chuckles. “I won’t tell him you like it.” Then, he winks at me and moves down the bar to handle the next customer.
I lift the beer and spin on my heel to walk back to my table but freeze when Jessica steps in front of me. A small splash of ale escapes over the rim of the glass when I stop short.
Jessica’s gorgeous with her long, straight hair, the color of white silk. Her eyes are a blue color so light that they almost look translucent, but they spit fire from a few short inches away.
“He’s not interested in you,” she spews, any friendly facade from earlier completely missing now.
“Who?” I ask, knowing exactly who she’s talking about but refusing to play her game. “Ivan?”
She rolls her eyes, not falling for my little act. “Zane.”
