Paxton returned to her place behind the bar. It had been well over a year since she’d poured drinks, but it had come back to her with amazing ease. She topped off several shot glasses, mixed up a frozen strawberry daiquiri in the high-powered blender she’d purchased, and served up two more pitchers of beer.
As she wiped condensation from the bar, she looked up and noticed Sawyer walking toward her. Her heartbeat tripled as she followed his easy stride toward the bar. His dark blue jeans gripped his solid, sure thighs, and the black polo shirt molded to his taut chest. Goodness, but he looked delicious.
“What are you doing here?” Paxton asked when he approached, slinging the dish towel over her shoulder.
A slow grin spread across his face as he slid onto a barstool. “You ask that to everybody in here tonight?”
“No, smartass,” she said. “But this is a bit of a drive for you.”
“It was worth the drive to show my support for tonight’s grand opening. I know how hard you and your mom worked to make this happen.”
There went that flutter again. The warm, cozy sensation spread throughout her chest. “Thank you,” she said. “I really appreciate the support.”
“My pleasure.”
Paxton could feel the heat climbing up her cheeks as his eyes traced over her face. Was she actually blushing?
Sawyer looked over his shoulder. “Nice crowd in here tonight.”
“I know,” she said, unable to contain her excitement. “I was hoping for a decent turnout, but this is so far beyond my expectations. I can’t tell you how thrilled I am.”
“You don’t have to. Your eyes are sparkling. So are your mom’s,” Sawyer said, nodding toward Belinda, who was talking to Janice and Melvin Hodges. Paxton had always thought the couple was too religious to ever set foot in a bar, but apparently they had decided to face damnation so they could support her mother’s new business.
“She is having the time of her life,” she said.
“How about you?” Sawyer asked. “Was it worth all the money and effort?”
She returned her attention to him with a triumphant smile. “Every single penny.”
His eyes dropped to her lips, and the air between them was suddenly saturated with a heavy dose of desire.
“That smile looks so good on you,” he said in a mesmerizingly seductive voice.
“I— Thank you,” Paxton replied.
Thank you?Was that the best she could come up with?
His eyes glittered with amusement as he shook his head. “You’re stubborn as hell, but you won’t be able to fight this much longer.”
No further explanation was needed to spell out what he meant by that. They both knew what he was talking about, but he was right; shewasstubborn as hell, and she was not going down without a fight.
“That’s where you’re wrong,” she said as she wiped down the bar with the towel she’d slung over her shoulder.
Sawyer leaned forward, rising from his barstool. “But why fight it?” he asked. “Just think about it. If you’re going back to Little Rock at the end of this project, what’s the harm in us being together while you’re here?”
She was ashamed to admit how tempted she was at the thought of doing just that.
“Think about it,” he prodded. “We have three weeks left. There’s a lot we can do in that time.”
“Stop tempting me,” she said.
One deliciously sexy brow arched. “So youaretempted?” He leaned in even closer, putting his mouth against her ear. “Now that you’ve admitted it, you do know I’m just going to try harder to convince you, don’t you?”
A shudder coursed through her body at his sexy promise. God, but she wanted him.
So why not take what he was offering?
Things were completely different from three years ago. The guilt that had plagued her over taking advantage of him while he was vulnerable and suffering was a nonfactor this time.
