He cursed under his breath, trading my empty glass for a full one. “Guess this means you aren’t starting a tab?”
“Leave the girl alone, Lincoln! Give’r what she wants.”
I smiled at the old man’s ribbing, while the delicious man before me closed his eyes and mumbled something about old fools who get drunk in bars.
“I have enough cash to last at least another hour,” I said, licking my lips and leaning forward. “Lincoln.” His gaze dropped, tracking the movement with hungry eyes as I said his name. “Maybe if you’re good, I’ll tell you my name.”
“Oh yeah?” he asked, dropping his voice. “And what’s your definition of good, darlin’?”
I shrugged, trying to keep control of my rapidly beating heart. “Keep me company and find out.”
lincoln
. . .
“You did not!”I couldn’t tear my gaze away as the woman in front of me laughed, covering her face in embarrassment. “With the preacher’s daughter?”
It was nearly two in the morning, but I wasn’t tired. The bar closed half an hour ago, and she and I were still going strong. Each second I spent in her presence was fucking intoxicating. I didn’t even know her name; she’d still refused to tell me, and somehow, it became inconsequential when she looked at me like I hung the moon.
Maybe, for her, I wanted to.
I leaned back in my seat, tucking my arms behind my head. “Oh yeah. Let’s just say that Sunday morning sermons with my grandma became pretty awkward. I’m surprised he even let me back inside his church.”
Her melodic laughter turned into a horrible cackle. For a moment, I was just drunk enough to be worried that whatever spell she’d weaved was wearing off. But no, it was the same beautiful devil sitting before me.
We’d traded the whiskey in for beers a few rounds ago, and Iwas glad because the girl could drink like a sailor. She was going toe-to-toe with me, and I wondered when she would hit a wall. Maybe she already had, and I was the one who was too drunk to notice.
“Did your grandma ever find out what happened?” she asked, peering up at me with eyes brimming with trouble.
I shook my head. “Hell no, that would’ve sent her to an early grave. What happened that night stayed between me, Laura Ann, and Preacher Winslow.” I scratched the rough stubble along my chin. “I think this may have been the first time I’ve told the story to someone else.”
She placed her hand on her chest and gasped. “Are you telling me I have custody of one of your dirty little secrets?”
Bringing the bottle of beer to my lips, I smirked. “Oh, darlin’, if dirty secrets are what you’re after, all you had to do was ask. I could make those pretty cheeks blush.”
“Oh yeah?” she asked, leaning toward me. Her fingers slowly inched forward, stopping just shy of my own. “I bet you’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
“I’d like your name a lot more,” I said, setting down the beer. “Why won’t you tell me?”
She groaned, dropping her head. “Because if I tell you my name, this becomes athing.” Her hand waved awkwardly between us. “I mean, it’ll get awkward. Do we exchange phone numbers? Do we call one another? Do we plan a date?” She was fucking adorable, especially as her nose scrunched up. “Can’t we just be two strangers in a bar sharing embarrassing stories?”
“Wearetwo strangers in a bar, and so far, I’ve been the only one to divulge the memories I swore I’d take to my grave.” I raised my brows. “In fact, I just realized I don’t know a damn thing about you other than how goddamn gorgeous you are.”
We’d towed the line all night between playful banter and lust-filled stares, careful not to cross a boundary we couldn’t take back.But I was getting sick of dancing around what I wanted, and what I wanted was her.
I wanted to kiss her stupid, to know what it felt like to knead her body in my hands. I wanted to know what sounds she made as I dragged my tongue over her skin and if she tasted nearly as good as she looked.
It’d been too damn long since I’d had a woman in my bed, and I wanted to change that. Tonight.
She pointed the bottle in my direction, smirking in a way that made my dick twitch. “You think I’m gorgeous?”
Despite seemingly weak inhibitions, she spoke it like a question. If I hadn’t been staring at her all night, I might’ve thought the blush creeping across her cheeks was from the alcohol. For some goddamn reason, this beautiful woman had no idea how sexy she was. Or, and this thought made me damn near homicidal, some dipshit had made her think otherwise.
I lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “I think you own a mirror and know exactly how pretty you are. I see the same thing you do.” I let my gaze drop down her body with reckless abandon, taking in the way her nipples pebbled against her tight cotton t-shirt. “You’re perfect.”
Her lips parted in surprise, but this was it. I was done. Fuck the line and fuck polite conversation.
I stood up, walking around the table in two strides until she tilted her head back to stare at me with wide, grey eyes. Her legs parted as I stepped between them, and I loved the feeling of heat radiating from her body.
