Fuck. I needed to knock it off. Or soon I’d be walking around with an endless hard on.
Ignoring my growing dick, I hurried to my truck and locked myself inside until my heart rate settled and my cock behaved.
How the hell was I going to ignore her when there was such a strong pull between us?
I wanted to focus on two things- making money and rebuilding a relationship with my father.
A relationship with Raemina would cause nothing but problems.
Yet somehow, I couldn’t get myself to even really care. Because why not at least form some type of connection with someone when my father barely seemed interested in holding a simple conversation with me.
As the week progressed,I threw myself into learning everything about The Broken Antler. I spent most of my time there, either on the clock, or helping out just because I wanted to.
Despite telling myself I didn’t care about what my father thought or if he wanted to get closer, I still tried to prove myself to him. The loose back doorknob? Fixed. A hole in the wall from an angry drunk customer? Patched. The leaky faucet in the employee bathroom? Stopped.
Grizz acted as if these little fixes weren’t a big deal, but his face told me a different story- he loved it. So, I continued my handyman tasks and hoped for the best.
There was only one problem.
Raemina.
I noticed her everywhere I went.
When we passed by each other on the way to the cooler, a playful smile tugging at corners of her cute pouty mouth as we made eye contact.
When she breezed by me as she grabbed a bottle of syrup or liquor and I stole a glance at her, taking mental snapshots of her beauty.
Or when we bumped shoulders in the back hallway as I took out the trash and she scooted into the bathroom, her soft giggle turning me on.
What I wouldn’t give to grab her, push her against the wall, kiss her, and make her mine.
But my father’s voice rang clear in my head- waitresses were off limits, especially Raemina.
Besides, in my experience, love only fucked shit up. I watched it happen to my mother time and again and I watched it happen to me. The ex I left behind in Appleridge was pregnant. By the guy she cheated on me with.
“What’s going on up there?” My father’s voice reached my ears, and I looked down at him standing next to my step stool.
“The shelf is loose. Almost lost a few tequila bottles.”
“Shit. I keep the good ones up there. Thanks for fixing it.”
“Anytime. I enjoy staying busy.” I tightened one last screw and checked the sturdiness. “Looks good. Mind handing me the tequila?”
Dad picked up the bottles off the counter and handed them to me one by one without a word. After I lined them up, I climbed down and tipped my head towards him. “Good as new.”
“Thanks.” He said while holding eye contact, his soft gray eyes revealing his true inner feelings. He was finally coming around to me. At least, I liked to think so.
“You’re welcome.” Dad turned to go.
“Do you want to have dinner sometime?” I asked, the words falling from my lips before I could stop them. My breath caught in my throat as if my lungs filled with ice and froze solid.
Grizz said nothing at first, only looked at me while rubbing his beard. It was a long shot, but I wanted to try. Who else did I have besides him? No one. No other family, no friends, nothing. When I left Appleridge, I left everything behind.
“You know, actually, that sounds like a great idea.”
My heart kick started back up in my chest. He thought it was a great idea? “Really?”
Dad nodded. “Listen, I’m sorry I was an asshole when you first arrived. You have to understand, I didn’t expect you to show up out of the blue. Hell, I never expected you to walk through the doors of my bar. But you’re here. I’d be a fool to let this go for a second time.”
