The alcohol hasn’t had time to affect me, yet my tongue loosens. “I’m sorry. About how I am.” I down another big mouthful. “God, this is good. I could become a whiskey girl if you kept making this.”
“Butter Barrel is one of my favorites.”
I nod without looking at him. “I didn’t... There was a guy— You’re nothing like him.” Have I gotten that lightweight? Mywhole past is ready to spill out after bubbling away for years, but I only need to explain why I get weird with him.
“What’d he do?” Cruz’s tone is low, almost dangerous.
A shiver traces over my skin. No.No. I cannot go down this road again. “He was a loser. You clearly aren’t a loser.”
A ghost of a smile passes over his lips, but there’s something slipping through his blue eyes I can’t identify. “I’m glad you think so.”
“I’m sorry if I made you feel that way.”
His dark brows lift. “I appreciate the apology.”
My heart twists. He didn’t,nah, you never did. I hurt his feelings, and he’s forgiven me as easy as that. Unless he thinks he doesn’t measure up to everyone around him? No, he has to know that the problem is me. Right?
He swirls the fluid in the glass, seeming to study how it rolls along the edges with each turn. “Do I intimidate you?”
I owe him honesty. “You scare me.” I toss back the rest of the whiskey. Just like the old days. “But I miss you flirting with me.”
Oh god. I said it. That’s a confession for the dead of night when I’m alone.
I shoot to my feet and take my glass to the sink. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I must sound unhinged. It hasn’t even been that long since I bit your head off.” I spin around. He’s right there. “Oh my god!”
The guy moves like a panther, and I’ve never wanted to be prey more. I need to get my wits about me. I’m not losing them over some dude.
Cruz is not some dude, and that’s what scares me.
“Now, Elodie,” he says in a voice as smooth as the drink we just shared, “you might need to elaborate. Because you fascinate me, but the closer I try to get, the farther away you push me.”
He’s right, but how do I answer? How do I keep my brain functioning when I’m close enough to soak up his body heat?
He lifts his hand slowly, like I’m a skittish pony he doesn’t want to scare away, and slips a few strands of my hair through his fingers.
A low rumble leaves his chest, and he tucks them behind my ear, his rough fingertips brushing against the shell of my ear. “I’ve been dying to know how soft your hair is. Just like silk.”
“I bet you say that to all the girls.”Give me something. Give me a reason to keep shoving.
“Back in the day, I didn’t need sweet platitudes to get a girl in bed with me.” A crease bisects his brow just as his own confession sinks in, and it only makes me want to yank him closer. He clenches and releases his jaw. “I might be a flirt, Elodie, but I only ever say what I mean. There was a time I didn’t. I’ve worked hard to be a good man, and I’d like to show you.”
My lips part, but no sound escapes. If he tried to convince me what a great man he was, I would’ve retreated to the corner—after showing him the door. His admission about his past and then his request to prove he’s better?
I want that too. Yet at the same time, it’s the worst scenario I could be in. I need to make money and stay under the radar. I need to figure out how to get rid of my financial problem.
“We can take it slow.” He moves a step closer. I can’t back up, but I don’t try. My ass cheeks are brushing the edge of the counter and he’s a wall of rugged cowboy in front of me. “Starting with a date. Will you let me take you out, sugar?”
The endearment yanks me out of the trance he’s putting me in.
Just as I open my mouth, he brushes his thumb along my lower lip. Desire explodes inside of me. Why is there a direct connection between that and my pussy? I squeeze my legs together as need rides me.
“I knew I messed up as soon as I said it,” he murmurs. He drops his head lower, still stroking along my lip with the pad of his thumb. “But I have this feeling that you’re just so sweet.”
His whiskey-laced breath caresses my skin. I rock forward ever so slightly. Is he going to kiss me?
“What do you say?” he asks softly. “Can I take you on a date?”
“You shouldn’t.”
