“You didn’t hear last call fifteen minutes ago?” I ask, moving closer. The last thing she needs is one more of anything, except maybe water and her bed.
“Ugh …” She leans forward onto her forearms at the bar top, swaying her hips from one side to the other as I turn to face her. It’s miraculous I don’t pop a tendon, I’m gritting my jaw so hard. Matt, my bar help, chuckles and shakes his head.
I lean down on my side of the bar. “Stand up.” “Excuse-eh moi?” She lifts her head, her slender fingers flying to her chest.
She’s fucking toasted.
“Stand.The fuck. Up,” I repeat, as one of the cowboys behind her mimics the shape of her ass with his hands and bites his lower lip. My flexing fist balls up and then I’m moving without thought, to the other side of the bar, behind her, gripping her waist to block his view.
“Now,” I order.
She laughs, standing up and turning to face me, but she doesn’t shy away from my arms and suddenly I’m looking right down at her.
“You like to tell women what to do?” She breathes out, patting my jaw as her plush lips pop open. I don’t even think she admits it to herself, but I see it clearly. There’s a part of Olivia that feels the same pull I do when I look into those ocean eyes. Her breath hitches as I tighten my grip on her waist and her gaze heats just like I knew it would.
Back up,I tell myself. But those fucking lips—“Y-you’re not gonna kiss me … are you?” Her voice is breathless, tempting me to do just that. Goddamn this woman is frustrating.
“Fuckno,” I say clearly, nodding to her cowboys behind her. “I’m trying to stop those two shitheads from getting arealgood look at your arse.”
She gulps and looks over my shoulder.
“No. Eyes here,” I command, cupping her chin and forcing her face to mine. “Good girl. Now either you stop leaning over the bar, or I’ll be forced to drive my fists through both theirfaces.”
Her mouth pops open in shock. “You don’t like me very much, do you?”
“Not right this moment, no …” I lie.
“Then why do you watch me? Why are you always doing things for me before I even ask?”
I grunt as I look away from her. I’m not ready to answer those questions right now. Hell, I don’t even know the answer.
“That’s right.” She pats my chest with her small hand. “I know you’re the one who cleans my car off, who delivered me coffee after an all-nighter, plus you slid me that chocolate last Christmas. I have no idea how you knew it was my favorite …” She leans in closer. “I haven’t even told CeCe and Ginger these things. But what I don’t understand iswhyyou do it all.”
Fuck it.She could use a little dose of reality.
“Behind this bar, I seeeverything.” I speak just loud enough for her to hear over the buzz of the crowd. “You give all of yourself to your friends. You put on a happy face, plaster a fake smile across these pretty lips, and you go along with everything they ask, even if it means you’re sacrificing your own needs. But not one of them notices it.” I sound pissed off and I know it. But she’s looking at me like what I’m saying has never even registered with her, so I continue. “Not to mention, since you’re a walking incident report, for some goddamn reason I need to make sure you’re safe.”
Her face falls slightly with my confession, knowing I’m right, but she fights her emotion and reaches between us, tapping me on the chest. And like a complete rookie, I look down, allowing her to chuck a finger under my chin as she giggles.
“Listen, I’ll save you the trouble,” she offers, trying to appear unaffected with our proximity. “You don’t have to help me find wood for my house. This scowling face will just put a bad aura in my space.”
Now she’s a rambling little brat.
“We can have this conversation when you’re sober,” I grit out.
Olivia waves a hand in front of herself and makes apshhhhhsound before turning her eyes, now blazing blue, on me. “I’m capable of doing all things. In fact, I’m barely past the point of sober.”
Her words string together, proving her wrong, but the cocky way she looks at me has me wanting to fuck with her. “Oh yeah?”
“Yeah,” she says, but it sounds thready as she lifts her chin and places her hands on the bar behind her for stability.
Splaying my hand across her lower back, I tug her closer, until her hot little body is pressed right against mine. Her breath hitches in her throat and my cock fucking loves the sound. I bring my lips down to the soft column of her throat just under her ear.
“Does this smart little mouth ever fucking stop running, Liv? Maybe you need something to fill it, hmm?”
I have no idea why I’m taunting her like this, but I can’t stop this need to be close to her, to test her.
“Well … I am kind of hungry,” she whispers back sweetly, not missing a beat. “Is the big, bad bartender planning on feeding me?”
