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1
His hand slowed to a stop, his heart suddenly picking up speed when he glanced toward the door. It was like he was on the precipice of dying. His entire body going haywire, images flashing at the speed of light right before the heavens would swallow him whole.
Well, he assumed he’d go to heaven. He tried his hardest to follow the rules and be a good person.
If she happened to be the one greeting him at the pearly gates, he’d happily die just to see her angelic face welcoming him.
“Yo, Brick, another beer?”
He snapped his attention away from the door—and from the temptation that took a seat at his bar—and glanced at Charles, one of his regulars who came in Monday through Friday right before happy hour. He said he liked to beat the rush, even if he had to pay full price.
Brick handed Charles another beer, threw the rag he’d been using to wipe the counter into the sink behind him, then took a deep breath.
He usually needed to take a few large breaths before he talked with the one woman who had captured his heart from the moment she had first spoken to him. It hadn’t been a lot of words she said either. Simply ‘Tequila Sunrise’ in response to his ‘What can I get ya?’ To his tortured heart, she rarely said much to him. For the first time dealing with a woman, he didn’t say a lot in return. He didn’t want to say the wrong thing and she stopped coming in.
He looked forward to her visits. Since Gabby, Dane, Jaxson, and Mia had started to frequent his bar more often the past few months, so had Jezebelle, as she was good friends with Mia.
The angel of his dreams.
He blew out another silent breath before stopping right in front of her. Although he was curious why she was here so early in the day—and without Mia, who she usually accompanied—he didn’t ask.
“Hey, Jezebelle. What can I get ya?”
Because I’d give you everything if you only said the word.
Not that he’d ever say that.
She glanced up from her phone, her eyes filled with pain, her lips drawn into a frown that he didn’t like witnessing.
Actually, he couldn’t recall a time he had ever seen her look so sad. Upset, flustered maybe, but not downright melancholy as she did now.
“Everything okay?” he asked when she didn’t respond to his first question.
Then she shook her head as if she had been in another world altogether and realized someone was speaking to her.
“Oh, hi, Brick. Umm…I don’t want anything. I just needed…” She looked down at her phone, her frown intensifying. Then she flipped it over and set it on the bar. Either because she didn’t want him to see something, or she didn’t want to see it any longer.
Her hands started to shake.
He usually kept it light and cool with her because upsetting the status quo wasn’t high on his list. If he wanted to keep seeing her beautiful face, he had to make sure she returned. If he said the wrong thing, he could ruin it.
But he couldn’t stand by when she looked so frightened and upset about something.
“Hey,” he said softly, placing a hand over one of hers that trembled on the counter. “Whatever it is, I’m here for you. I can help.”
He’d walk to the ends of the earth for her. He’d do anything for her. It was about time he let her know that. Oh, man, her soft hands were filling his soul with such wonder and desire. He wanted to explore more. Like bring his hands to her face, cup her cheek, and pull her closer. Kiss her lips. Devour her until she knew exactly how much he cared about her.
She slipped her hand out from underneath his, yet offered him a smile.
Oh, she could smile all she wanted, but what she did hurt. Pulling away from him as if he didn’t matter. Clearly, he didn’t.
Which was one of the reasons he never asked her out. He always sensed she was out of his reach. A little too high-class for someone like him. Apparently, his instincts had been right. She didn’t want him in that way, and to his battered heart, not even as a friend.
“I appreciate the thoughtfulness. I didn’t mean to come here.” Her eyes widened when his smile fell.
A man could only take so many beatings before the pain started to show.
“I didn’t mean that in a bad way. I did mean to come here. I…” She put her hands over her face, a low mewing sound escaping.
