AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I eye him skeptically, taking a step away from him. Nolan and I don’t know each other well, but he’s worked here since before I graduated. His shaggy blonde hair is hanging slightly over his right eye as he looks me up and down like he’s sizing me up. “No, I didn’t. Finn literally walked in a few seconds after I hung up the phone.”
“But you said he wouldn’t be here until the weekend.”
“Okay, that was a lie, but you need to stop avoiding the man. He’s driving all of us insane. Please put us out of our misery.”
“I really need a damn drink.” I sigh, my eyes flicking to Finn standing behind the bar.
“Yeah, I can only imagine,” Nolan responds. “Look, stay and have a few drinks and then head home.”
“Sounds like a plan.” I smile at him before turning and heading toward the other end of the bar, but Nolan grabs my shoulder, pulling me backward and pointing me toward Finn.
“You’ll have to talk to him sooner or later. Might as well get it over with.”
Nolan is right. I can’t keep avoiding Finn forever. I just need to thank him for all the meals and sweet notes he’s been sending me but tell him I’m not interested. I can do that. No problem. I’ve turned letting men down gently into a professional sport.
“No more dawdling. He’s seen you, so you might as well head over there,” Nolan whispers in my ear before shoving me toward the bar.
“What can I get for you, darlin’?”
I grin at Finn, who is standing behind the bar as I slid onto a barstool, not bothering to stop my eyes from roaming down his body as if I’m seeing him for the first time all over again.
It seems silly, but I haven’t been able to stop thinking about how Sutton swore up and down that Finn had some kind of crush on me. That he brought my favorite snacks and always seemed to have exactly what I wanted just lying around. I never used to give it a second thought at the time. Sure, he was cute, but he never gave me a second glance, especially when Campbell was around. But now I’m starting to think she might have been on to something.
“Darlin’? What happened tosugar?”
“Nothing. I just wanted to try a different one, see how I liked it.”
“And how is that working for you?”
“Not my favorite. I think I’ll stick withsugar. Every pretty girl needs a pretty name.”
“How about my name, Finn? That’s what most people use.”
Finn flashes me a smile, leaning his arms on the bar. My breath hitches as our gazes meet. His chocolate-colored eyes sparkle with the same need that’s burning like fire in my veins. Electricity sizzles between us as I lean forward, my body being pulled toward him by an invisible force. But neither of us makes a move. I inhale deeply. His scent goes directly to my lady bits. The perfect aphrodisiac for my sex-starved brain. That must be the reason for my reaction. Isn’t it?
“Can I get a scotch on the rocks?” someone says from somewhere in the bar, causing us to jump away from each other.
Finn shakes his head before knocking on the bar. “I should go take care of my customer.”
“Yeah. I’ll have a double shot of tequila. And keep them coming. Thanks.” I pull my bottom lip between my teeth before dropping my head downward.
What the fuck was that?
I’m supposed to be letting him down easily. Maybe have a couple of drinks to calm my brain after hearing about Campbell being back in town, and Finn Buckley is the last thing I need right now. He’s the worst kind of trouble. I’m all about having a good time, but Finn Buckley is off-limits. I just hope my libido has gotten the memo before I get too much alcohol into my system because right now, Finn Buckley is what’s on the menu.
CHAPTERSIXTEEN
FINN
“Can I get you another one?” I ask, leaning toward Marissa with a practiced grin.
I’m not one to brag, but I’ve been told I have a panty-dropping smile. A smile that gets me almost any woman I want—well, except the one I’ve been in love with since before I graduated high school: Marissa Flores.
Marissa has been avoiding me for the last month. I expected it after Nolan told me what happened between her and Campbell, but I’m still beyond frustrated. With each passing day, it becomes harder and harder to be patient. To wait for the right time to make my move. I was reaching the end of my rope when she came strolling into my bar with Sutton almost a month ago.
Before then, I was surprised I hadn’t seen her around. I figured she was avoiding me for the most part, but there are only so many things someone can do in Magnolia. She is a gorgeous woman in her twenties. Bars are their natural habitat. Almost every member of her graduating class comes strolling in here on Friday and Saturday nights, but never Marissa. I’m assuming this is the reason I ran into her in a bar so far away from Magnolia. She likes her privacy. Hell, I can’t blame her.
Marissa has been here for hours, drinking and shooting the shit with me. We talked about everything except Campbell. I’m dying to know if they’ve run into each other since he’s gotten back in town. My mom barely made it in the door before she was telling me about her run-in with Campbell’s mom. There’s no doubt the town gossip hotline will be in full swing by tomorrow about how Emmeline cheated on him, leaving him to raise that little boy all on his own.
