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“Itbears repeating.”
Hisintense gaze was getting her wet, and she almost asked him to turn up the pub's air conditioning because it was getting terribly warm in there.
“Listen,” he said. “Areyou doing anything tomorrow night?I’mhaving such a good time talking to you,I’dlike to take you to dinner.”
Shecouldn’t agree to that because, after another night in his presence, she might forget why she was coming on to him in the first place.Shewanted revenge—nothing more.
Leaningforward, she whispered in his ear. “Isthere any reason we can’t continue having a good time tonight?Maybesomeplace a little more private?”
Pullingback a bit, she knew she had him when he licked his lips before a seductive smile spread across his handsome face and those damn dimples came out in full force. “Noreason thatIcan think of.Infact, we could go upstairs to my apartment for a nightcap if you want.”
“Youlive upstairs?”Shedidn’t know why that surprised her.
“Yup.Iactually own this whole building and the one next door.Thehair salon and all the apartments are rentals.Ikept three of them for myself right above the restaurant and broke down the walls between them, making one big unit.”
Hewas doing better financially than she’d expected when she first saw him behind the bar—not that it meant a difference either way.Moneywasn’t what she was after. “Wow,I’dlove to see it.”
“I’dlove to show it to you.”Henodded at her glass, which was almost empty again. “Wantanother to take with you?OrIhave some wine and beer up there.”
Sheshook her head, knowing if she had any more alcohol, she might throw caution to the wind and sleep with the damn man. “Actually,IthinkIshould switch back to club soda if you don’t mind.”
“Notat all.”Heflagged down the bartender. “Max, a club soda with a lemon twist, andI’lltake another of these.”Hegestured to his nearly empty bottle.Itwas a brand she’d never heard of, which wasn't unusual since she rarely drank any beer other thanCoorsLight.
Openingher purse,Alliepulled her credit card out of her wallet and set it next to the glass holding her tab.Afterdelivering their drinks,Maxprocessed her bill and gave her the receipt to sign.Sheleft him a nice tip despite only being charged for the sandwich and one old-fashioned—both of whichWesthad served.
Oncethat was done,Weststood and helped her down from the pub-height chair.Hethrew twenty dollars on the bar, presumably forMax, before picking up the full glass and bottle and jutting his chin toward the back of the restaurant. “Ifyou don’t mind taking the stairs, it’s only one flight up.”
Beforeshe could think twice about doing something so out of character, she smiled and said, “Noproblem.”
“Great.C’mon.”
ChapterSix
AfterWestunlocked and opened the door to his apartment, he gestured forAllieto enter first.Alarge, open living room, dining area, and kitchen combo greeted her as she glanced around.Ashort hallway to the left had three doorways, and another to the right had two.Everythingappeared neat and tidy, and the decor was definitely masculine.Earthtones made it warm and inviting.Ahuge flat-screenTV, at least sixty-five inches, was flanked by filled bookcases along one wall.AnL-shaped couch and two recliners offered plenty of seating.Thedining table could fit six people, and the spotless kitchen was a gourmet chef’s dream.
Movementout of the corner of her eye caught her attention.Asleek black-and-white cat sashayed into the room and made a beeline forWest, circling him and rubbing against his legs.Heset his beer bottle and her glass on the countertop between the kitchen and living room and picked up the cat, which nuzzled his chin and neck. “ThisisMoe.Ifound him as a stray kitten in the alley behind the restaurant one night and was going to take him to the no-kill shelter.Butbefore the sun came up, he’d already decidedIwas his owner.”
“Howdo you know that?”
Westset the animal back on the floor. “Hemanaged to get out of the boxIput in the bathroom with a towel and clawed his way up and onto my bed.Iwoke up with him curled in a ball on my chest, sound asleep and purring away.Ifigured that meant he claimed me as his own.”Thecat yowled loudly and stared indignantly atWest. “That’shis ‘Whyhaven’t you fed me dinner yet, slave?’ meow.Giveme a minute to take care of him.”
Thecorners ofAllie’smouth lifted as she turned away, not wanting to admit he’d looked adorable, cuddling with the cat.
Ugh.Don’tlike him.Don’tthink he’s sweet.Don’tdo anything stupid, like hope you’ll see him again after tonight.Stickwith the plan and then forget about him for the rest of your life after you walk out the door.
Shewandered around the living room, eyeing the many books, photos, and knickknacks filling the shelves on either side of theTV.Collagesof more photos hung on the walls.AllierecognizedWest’sparents and younger sisters in several pictures.Althoughshe’d never personally met them, they’d attended all his high school football games, cheering as loudly as everyone else.Afew action photos had been taken during games, and she could see the progression fromPopWarnerup through high school, then into college, and finally the pros.Inother images, he was mugging for the camera with one or more people at various stages of his life.Asidefrom his sisters and parents, the others in the photos were probably friends, teammates, cousins, etc.Noneappeared to be a woman who may have been a girlfriend.
Asthe sound of kibbles being poured into a bowl filtered in from the kitchen,Alliestopped in front of one picture and frowned.Itwas twenty years old—from their second year of high school—and she recognized it at once.Weststood in the middle of a large group of about forty teens, all soaking wet from the car wash that’d been organized to raise money for theSophomoreSocial.Atone end of the group, she spotted herself, almost unrecognizable due to being partially hidden behind another girl’s head—Alliecouldn’t recall her name.
Whileglaring at the photo, she ground her teeth together.Tendays after the car wash,Westhad invited her to go to the dance as his date.Whatcould’ve been the most thrilling moment of her life up to that point had, instead, been the worst.Itwas still painful to think about.Whenher family leftHoldenbehind a few weeks later,Alliewas relieved she would never seeWestonLockhartagain.Ofcourse, the gods of the universe had warped senses of humor since she was now in the man’s apartment.
Spinningaround, she found the ghost from her past standing across the room, staring at her with unmistakable desire in his eyes.Hewas so fucking handsome and sweet now, it made his high school betrayal hurt even more.Redrage and undeniable lust combined with the alcohol in her system into a furious maelstrom—one she couldn’t control if she tried.
Nolonger giving a damn about whether it was wrong, she stalked toward him and didn’t stop until she threw her arms around his neck and slammed her mouth onto his.
ChapterSeven
WestgrabbedAllie’swaist and held on as he faltered backward, taking her with him and crashing against the wall.Ittook a few seconds before he regained his balance and realized she was kissing him like no woman ever had.Momentsearlier, he could’ve sworn he glimpsed anger in her expression when she'd turned around to face him.Butit disappeared so fast, morphing into desire.Hadhe been mistaken?She’dbeen on him before he could say a single word, but there was no way he was objecting.
