Chapter 14
Killian
I pulled into the parking lot of the bar downtown. It was Thursday night, and I was taking a much-needed mental break from work. Most days, I brought it home with me, so there was rarely a time when I wasn’t working. After being nose deep in paperwork all day, I needed to get away from work and my house. I’d originally called Kadeem to see if he could meet me, but he and his wife were having a family night with their baby girl.
I couldn’t be mad at that. One of these days I hoped to have a family to do nights like that with. A wife and a few babies to come home to was one of my biggest goals. I could already see me spoiling the whole family and then complaining about it later.
After locking my car, I headed inside to the bar area. It wasn’t too busy for a Thursday night. I took a seat at the bar and motioned for the bartender. When I got her attention, she smiled and switched over to me. She leaned across the bar, exposing an ample amount of her cleavage.
“What can I get for you, handsome?” she asked, batting those long eyelashes.
“Let me get a Jack and Coke and an order of hot wings and fries with extra ranch.”
“Is that all?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Oooo,a man with manners. We don’t get too many of you in here. You must be a good boy. Your mama raised you right, didn’t she?”
I chuckled. “Yes, ma’am. She did.”
“I like that. I’ll put your order in and get right on that drink.”
“Appreciate it.”
I tuned into the game on the flatscreen above the bar. The basketball game was in the second quarter, and one of my favorite teams was playing. The bartender came back with my drink, and I took a sip.
“Good?” she asked.
“Perfect.”
“What’s a handsome guy like you doing here all by your lonesome?”
“I just needed to get out the house for a minute.”
She gave me a flirty smile. “So you came to see little ol’ me?”
I smirked and shook my head. She was cute—beautiful even—but I’d never had a thing for thirsty women.
“I get off at ten if you want to meet up later.”
“I’m good, love.”
She looked taken aback by my decline. With a slight frown, she walked away, leaving me to my drink. I paused watching the game momentarily to look around the space. My eyes landed on the door, and a smile spread across my face. Alayah walked in behind the woman from the mechanic shop. She looked a little nervous and slightly out of place, but man was she beautiful.
Tonight, she was wearing a white fitted tee, a pair of distressed jeans, and a pair of sandals. Silver accessories adorned her neck, ears, and wrists. Her curls were pulled up into a tight topknot, drawing focus to her beautiful face, including those freckles.
She looked around the space until her eyes landed on me. I could see the breath of relief leave her chest. She motioned for me as her friend lead them to a table. Grabbing my drink, I slid off the stool and made my way over.
“Good evening, ladies.”
“Hey, Killian. This is my friend Londyn. Londyn, this is my…this is Killian.”
I extended my hand. “It’s nice to officially meet you.”
Londyn shook my hand. “Nice to meet you, too. I’m gonna give you two a few minutes to talk while I go grab a drink. You want something, Alayah?”
“Maybe a soda or some water.”
