“I saw. Good thing you apologized. That makes everything better when you damn near kill someone.” His voice was harsh and irritated.
I sucked in a deep breath to keep my patience, but failed miserably. “Do you want me to buy you an apology drink or not? I have to get back to work.”
“I’ll buy my own damn drink,” he grumbled, taking a seat at the bar while still glaring at me.
I picked up the four shots I just made for Grant and his friends, then grabbed their beers. I hated dealing with him and his asshole brigade. I wasn’t sure what the hell I ever saw in him, but I had to suck it up and wait on their table. Between my ex and his friends, and the gorgeous grumpy guy that I almost killed yelling at me, my night was off to a wonderful start. I rolled my eyes at my own sarcasm.
“What are these?” Grant smirked when I set down the shots in front of the four of them, along with their beers.
“These are special shots just for you guys. They’re called Cocksuckers. I figured you boys would like them since y’all came in being dicks tonight.” Delivering my perfectly timed barb, I turned to walk away.
A hand shot out and grabbed my arm, stopping me from getting away from the table. “You fucking cunt. You think you are going to get away with saying something like that to us?”
Yeah. He was definitely not one of my finest decisions ever made. We went on three dates, and he was expecting sex. When I broke things off with him, he took it as a personal insult that he couldn’t get in my panties. I later found out he’d been telling everyone I was a frigid bitch, so he broke it off. I never bothered to correct them.
“Let go of her,” a deep baritone voice spoke over my shoulder. I knew who it was, and dammit, I didn’t want to feel the hairs raise up on the back of my neck from his nearness.
“Stay out of this, asshole. She insulted me and my friends,” Grant said, glaring at the man over my shoulder.
I flinched as Grant’s grip tightened even more around my arm. There’d be bruises in the morning where his fingers were gripping around my upper arm.
“I’m going to do more than insult you if you don’t let go of her right now,” the man behind me spoke up again, making my stomach clench as warmth and awareness spread through me.
Grant must’ve seen something in the man’s gaze because his grip loosened, and he let go.
“This isn’t over, Patience,” he muttered as he turned to leave. His friends all followed, leaving the untouched shots on the table. I didn’t say a word about them paying their tab. I was just glad they were gone. I would gladly let the money come from my damn paycheck to be rid of them, though I’m not sure my boss felt that same relief with the way she was glaring at me.
I took a deep breath, knowing I needed to turn and face my rescuer, who also happened to be the man who was justifiably mad at me just a few moments ago. Sucking up every bit of courage I could muster, even though inside I was still shaking, I turned to look at him, ignoring the way my stomach flipped from the way he was looking at me. It’s like he could see through me, and it was unnerving.
“Thank you for stepping in. Please, take a seat at the bar. I’ll buy you that drink… I insist,” I add, knowing he was going to refuse if I didn’t.
Chapter 2
TUCKER
I survived eighteen months undercover with a dangerous motorcycle club and a stab wound, only to almost get taken out by a bartender that drove like shit. Then that same bartender decided to insult a group of dumbasses that were ready to cross a line I couldn’t allow. The irony that this little slip of a woman might just be my downfall was not lost on me.
She had to be the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. She was slender, with an athletic build, but not overly muscled. Her hair was a deep rich brown, and her eyes were green with flecks of gold. I had to force myself not to stare at her lips, which were plump, pink, and fantasy inspiring. Imagining those lips wrapped around my cock made my dick thick in my jeans, and I forced myself to look at anyone except the sexy little bartender.
Patience, that’s what one of the assholes had called her. Though, by the way she dealt with him and me, I doubted she was blessed with that particular virtue.
I forced myself to relax as I took a seat at the bar. I hated putting my back to the room, but the mirror behind the bar made it easier to handle. The brewery was small, but the food smelled good, and a beer would wash away the long ride before I headed to my new temporary home.
“What’s your poison?” Even her voice was tantalizing.
“Just a beer.” I smirked when she wrinkled her nose at my order. “Not a fan of beer, I take it?”
“Only when I’m too drunk to notice the flavor.” She grinned and slid a bottle of beer in front of me.
“So, what did you say that was so insulting?” I asked, curious as to what set off the asshole I had to rescue her from.
She shrugged. “I went out with Grant on a few dates and dumped him. He didn’t like it, so when he came in tonight, he asked me for beers as frigid as I am.” She rolled her eyes. “His buddies laughed and made their own jokes, so instead of just getting them the beers they requested, I made them shots to go with it.”
“And?” I pressed, knowing that wasn’t the end of the story.
“Aanndd…” She dragged the word out slightly. “The shots I gave them were called cocksuckers. I made them special for them, since they came in being dicks tonight.”
“Ah. I see the insult.” I tried, but couldn’t contain my chuckle. “Though that doesn’t excuse him from putting his hands on you.”
