I knew Lynx was coming to the bar before he even turned toward me.It was a feeling I had, something I couldn’t shake.
Of course, my nerves decided to riot, even though I was willing them to chill the fuck out.
The second he had mentioned the party by the lake to everyone in the bar, memories of so long ago had come roaring to the forefront of my brain.Fortunately for me, I was able to push them back, tamp them down.I didn’t have time to be reminiscing about the time I'd spent with Lynx all those years ago.
“Hey,” he greeted, stepping up to the bar and resting one arm on the top.He had tucked himself into the corner where he normally spent his time.I'd come to think of it as his space, and anytime someone else took it, I got irritated.No one said my thoughts were ever rational.
“Hey,” I said, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.“’Nother beer?”
“Sure.”
I grabbed a Coors Light and passed it over.Lynx Caine was a relatively simple man.I knew he didn’t particularly care for Coors Light, but considering I didn’t have any of the fancy brews in my bar, he took it without complaint.
Lynx cocked his head in that way that invited me to come closer.
Hesitantly, I moved toward him, leaving the two guys I'd been chatting with to carry on their conversation without me.Not that I'd been particularly interested in their topic of the day they’d spent on the ranch, but I did like to talk to my customers.Plus, being engaged in conversation always kept men from hitting on me.I wasn’t so full of myself to think that every guy wanted to hit on me, but I had my fair share.I knew some of it had to do with the fact that I owned the place.
“You comin’ out to the lake tomorrow night?”
I shrugged, wiping down the bar top.“Don’t know yet.”
“You got other plans?”
I lifted my gaze to his, holding it for a second before I exhaled slowly.“You askin’ as friends?”
“Of course.”
The way he said that didn’t make me believe him.
“What?Can’t a guy invite a girl out to the lake for some beer around the bonfire?”
“He can,” I told him.“As long as the guy knows the girl’s not goin’ as a date.”
“’Course not.”
Again, I didn’t believe him.
Of course, maybe Lynx was wholly serious.Maybe hewasjust inviting me as a friend.
What if he had a date?Would I be able to handle seeing him with another woman while I was that close?It wasn’t above him to do that.Not that Lynx would try to rub it in my face, but I knew him.He didn’t chase women.They generally were the ones chasing him.And I'd never seen him lacking in the female companion department.
I had to give the guy a little credit.He had been spending damn near every night at the bar until closing time, then sleeping in his truck in front of my house for the past three weeks.I couldn’t imagine he’d had much time to be mixing it up with the ladies as of late.Unless…
“Tammy gonna be there?”I asked, hating that I sounded jealous.
Lynx frowned.“That’s over, Reagan.She ain’t gonna be around.”
“You gonna have a date?”God, could I seriously just stop?
“Just you, girl.”
“Not a date,” I reminded him.
“Exactly.”He tilted his beer to his lips and grinned.
I hated that eventhatmove was sexy.It had my eyes trailing down to his neck, watching as his Adam’s apple bobbed when he swallowed.Hell, the man’s neck was freaking sexy.
Ugh.
