AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My brain chose that moment to click back online, as if a bucket of ice water had just been dumped on me, snuffing out that inferno of want and need. My hands fell away from his body as I took a big step back, giving him no other choice but to release me.
My hand trembled as I brought it up to cover my mouth in shock, my lips swollen and puffy beneath my palm.
“Bubbles,” he said in a voice that sounded an awful lot like he was about to beg as he reached for me. But I dodged him, moving back and holding my palms out to ward him off.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” I croaked, my chest rising and falling like I’d just run a marathon. The anger I’d needed earlier came swooping back in, filling me with indignation. “You had no right,” I snapped loudly, my voice like the crack of a whip. “You can’t just come back here and invade my life like this. It’s not fair!”
I watched in bewilderment as his entire frame sagged with what looked a hell of a lot like sadness, his massive shoulders slumping and curling his spine. I’d never seen him look like that before. He’d always been so big, so imposing in a way that made him come off as unbreakable. That was all gone now, and I didn’t like it one damn bit. But I couldn’t focus on that.
“Everything’s going so good. I’m happy. You have no right coming in and trying to fuck it all up!”
His expression fell like I’d slapped him, and a pang of regret shot through me but I refused to acknowledge it. “That’s not what I’m trying to do,” he said so quietly the words were almost scattered away on the wind before they reached me.
Whether it was what he was trying to do or not, it was what always happened when it came to him, and I wasn’t goingdown this road again. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. I wasn’t making the same mistake for a third time.
I bent forward and snatched my yoga mat out of the sand. “Do me a favor, Beau. Stay away from me.” Then I whipped around and stormed off, unable to look back, because if I saw that sadness in his eyes again, I might cave, and I couldn’t let myself.
I was shaken from the memory by a hand wrapping around my arm just above my elbow. I jerked back into the present, blinking up into Mike’s kind, smiling eyes.
“Hey. You okay?”
A quick look around showed I was standing outside the restaurant where I was meeting Mike, the Sand Dollar. I’d been so lost in thought I didn’t even remember making it here.
I smiled, doing my best to shake off the mood I’d been in for two days. “Yeah. Sorry. I must have spaced out. Long hours at the bar and not enough sleep, I guess.”
More like, lack of sleep because every time I closed my eyes, the image of Beau popped into my head. Ever since that kiss, I couldn’t stop picturing him moving on top of me. I’d had him only once, but everything about that night had been branded in my brain. I still remembered the look on his face when he came, the combination of bliss and agony. I couldn’t help but wonder if he still looked like that.
He'd been impressive even back then, but he was bigger now, and I kept picturing those muscles flexing and bulging as he drove himself into me.
I shook my head, trying to rid myself of those thoughts. Beau Wade was thelastman I should have been thinking about, especially when I was on a date with someone else.
Mike gave me a sympathetic grin. “You know, we can reschedule if you’re too tired?—”
“No, I’m good,” I said quickly, giving my head a slightly frantic shake. I was determined to see this through. I could only pray that spending time with Mike would push a certain pain-in-the-ass former-football-star out of my head.
His grin widened. I stood there waiting to feel something: butterflies, bubbles, a sharp, insistent tug deep in my belly that felt like it was attached to my clit. All the things Beau made me feel. But I got nothing. Mike was sweet. But at the moment, sweet didn’t seem to be working for me. I steeled my resolve, telling myself those feelings could build over time, I just had to give him a shot.
“Good, because I’ve been looking forward to this for a month.”God, so sweet. He lifted an arm, guiding me toward the entrance before grabbing the door’s handle and pulling it open for me.And chivalrous too.“Shall we?”
I nodded on a smile and preceded him into the restaurant. The hostess led us to a table in the center of the packed restaurant, and Mike waited behind my chair so he could push it in for me before rounding it and taking the seat across from me. The waitress came to take our drink order as soon as we were seated, and I ordered a Bloody Mary, the perfect brunch drink in my opinion, in the hopes that the alcohol would help loosen me up.
The smiling college-aged girl handling our table was back in no time, and I made a mental note to add to her tip for the speedy service.
“So how are things at the bar?” Mike asked once we’d placed our food order. “You’ve worked there for some time, right?”
I sipped my Bloody Mary, nodding. “Yeah, since my first year of college.
His eyes went wide. “Wow. That’s a long time to work at one place.”
“It is, but I love it. I can’t imagine working anywhere else.” I talked about my staff, about how lucky I was to have a boss like Diane, and how she’d turned us into a little family. I told him all about my favorite regulars, including Freddy, and as I talked, the smile on my face grew more genuine, the stiffness melting away.
“So your goal is to buy the place?” he asked after I told him how Diane wanted to sell Dropped Anchor so she and her wife could enjoy a nice, quiet retirement.
“That’s the hope.” I couldn’t help the niggling kernel of worry in the belly that it might not work out. “I’m working with the bank on it.” I hoped they’d eventually take pity on me and give me the freaking loan, already.
“That’s great. I hope it all works out for you.”
“Thanks. Me too.” I smiled appreciatively as the waitress appeared and placed our plates down in front of us. I leaned forward and inhaled deeply, letting out a moan as my stomach grumbled. The ham and cheese Danish was nearly the size of the plate and had to have been one of my favorite things in the world to eat.
