Logan sighed. “Fine. One drink.”
“Awesome, give me a minute.” Ray dashed into the apartment.
Alone at last. Before I could speak, she said, “Happy birthday.”
I smiled. “Now it is. Thanks.”
Color tinged her cheeks at my deliberate provocation. Yeah, I was a bastard, but I enjoyed having her react to me.
She eyed me warily, then straightened her spine. Yup, here it came, the set down.
“Look. You’re Ray’s friend—”
“But not her boyfriend.”
“And you’re young.”
“And that’s a problem because?”
Her lush lips pressed together in an annoyed line. Nope, she had no comeback for that. Score for me.
She walked back into the foyer and changed her flip-flops for a pair of boots tucked near the coat stand there, then shrugged on a hip-length black jacket. She cut me another narrowed-eyed glare when she found me watching her. I smirked.
“Right, let’s roll.” Ray hurried out. Logan appeared relieved as she locked up. She’d soon learn I had the tenacity of a bulldog. I wanted to know this prickly girl with the striking amber eyes, and nothing would stop me.
But with her dismissive manner and the barriers she’d already erected between us, time was my only ally right now. And finding a way to stay here longer… yeah, Ray.
A short cab ride later, I was back in a noisy joint. The dimly lit interior of Kino’s Bar on Fillmore Street was heavy with the smells of beer, grilling food, and chatter. The TV blared a ballgame. Guffaws of laughter erupted. We headed for the counter.
“Ila?”
At her name being called, Logan turned as I did. An older woman with a cap of snow-white hair seated with another lady near the bar window waved. Logan smiled. “Excuse me. I’ll be right back.”
And ten minutes passed. Ray had said the woman was a former client and Logan’s landlady. Now, I wondered…
I sipped my beer. Ray was occupied, toying with the bartender, who wanted her phone number. I nudged her arm. “Your sister doesn’t like me much, does she?” Stupid observation. Shewasavoiding me. Whatever I thought I’d seen in her eyes for those few seconds in the kitchen before she turned away was obviously a figment of my imagination. Sleep deprivation and pain meds would do that to a guy. “I probably don’t meet her standards like the silver fox.”
Ray glanced at me, her brow furrowing. “Nah, Ila’s cool once she gets to know you.”
“Buy me a drink?” A brunette in a tight dress, with tits almost popping out of her low top squeezed between another customer and me. She looked me up and down in a way I knew far too well. Her voice lowered, “Or we could go to my place?”
She was exactly the type I went for at one point, out for a good time, nameless, and forgotten the moment I left. Now all I thought of was the fiery, amber-eyed woman who had ensnared me.
“Max?” Ray leaned in close, pulling my attention back. “Look, don’t worry about your accommodations. I explained to Ila and she said you could stay. So all’s good. She isn’t one to go back on her word. And it isn’t that she doesn’t like you, it’s just the way she is.”
“What do you mean?”
Her gaze skipped back to her sister, her hesitancy surprising me. Usually, I couldn’t get her to shut up. “What, Ray?”
“Her jackass ex is what.” Her mouth pressed into a thin line. “He hurt her badly.”
It didn’t take a genius to figure out why. When it came to males, most were bastards. Me included. I fucked and left. But then I never made promises I knew I wouldn’t keep either. I recalled Logan’s expression in the laundromat at the text she’d gotten. Was it from the douche ex?
“You coming?” Someone touched my arm. I shot an irritated look to my right and found the brunette waiting. “No.”
I faced Ray again, who cocked an eyebrow. “You turnedthatdown? Wow! Did you turn gay during your self-imposed sabbatical?”
Hardly. I had been buried in hard labor, working my fingers to the bone. No woman had held my interest until now. “You were telling me about Logan?”
