black dress pants, and a red bow tie. The white linen of his shirt set off the bronze of his skin and the dark stubble of growth on his jaw. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach.
“What can I get for you, ladies?” The sultry baritone, smooth as scotch over ice, sent moisture pooling between her thighs.
“Are you speaking to me again?” To her immense relief, her voice sounded normal despite the trembling of her hands.
“Jury is still out.” The volume of his voice lowered to an intimate level. “Depends on what you’ve got to say to me.” He tapped the counter with his hand, the mask slid over his features, and he spoke in a normal tone. “So what’ll it be?
“Can I get a Jack and Coke? And Karly wants a fuzzy navel.” Damn it, he wasn’t going to make this easy for her. Attraction pulsed between them like a live wire stretched taut and about to snap. The intensity of feeling rubbed her already frayed nerves raw.
From the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of Karly at the jukebox, shoving dollars into the machine like a crazy woman, as if music might calm the undercurrent of tension in the room, now made all the more intense by Jack’s appearance.
“What are you doing here anyway? Slumming?” The hard edge of his voice caught her by surprise.
“It’s not like that, Jack.”
“Then what’s it like, Ally? Tell me. I’m curious.” She had forgotten how deep and seductive his voice could be. He licked his lips, concentrating all her attention on his mouth. How she would love to bite his full lower lip. The thought raised her temperature another degree. Jack smiled as if he could read her thoughts, as if daring her to follow through.
“Everything okay here?” Karly popped up beside Ally, her keen eyes darting from Jack to Ally and back again. “What did I miss?”
“Maybe we can talk later?” Ally asked. He nodded his assent and with his best smoldering look, turned his back and went about the business of preparing drinks for them. Karly watched the broad V of his torso with obvious approval as he worked.
“Talk about what? What’s going on?” Karly’s eyes went round with suspense. “Shiver me timbers! He’s freaking hot, girlfriend. All he needs is a hook and an eye patch and — well, I’d walk the plank for that one.” She laid a hand on Ally’s arm and squeezed. “He was looking at you like he wanted to do you right here on top of the bar. Do you know him?”
“No…yes…sort of.” Ally a shrugged her shoulders, uncertain how to explain their dysfunctional relationship.
“Spill it,” Karly demanded. “Right now. I want details.”
Ally sighed. “I met him at Felony. He manages both places.”
“Felony? That’s a rough place.” Karly’s eyes widened in a mixture of awe and surprise. She let out a low whistle. “You’ve got a whole other side to you that I had no idea about. Will you take me there sometime?” At Ally’s scowl, Karly shrugged. “Sorry. Sorry. Go on.”
“Well…” Ally drew in a deep breath for strength. “We’ve hung out a few times. That’s all.”
Karly’s eyes narrowed. “And…?”
“He brought lunch to my office. And we had sex.” The confession tumbled out in a rush like water falling from a pitcher.
“Shut the front door!” Karly slapped her hand on the counter, overcome with shock. “I have seriously underestimated you.”
“Shhh…you don’t have to tell the whole freaking bar.” Ally felt the heat of embarrassment race up her neck. “I know, right? He is so not my type.”
“Geesh!” Karly fanned her cheeks with a drink coaster to cool her own blush. “Believe me, honey. He’s every woman’s type. So how was it?”
Ally couldn’t help but smile at her friend’s enthusiasm despite her personal misgivings about the whole event. “It was smoking hot, but I made an ass out of myself and we haven’t spoken until just now.”
“I seriously doubt that you made an ass out of
“What can I get for you, ladies?” The sultry baritone, smooth as scotch over ice, sent moisture pooling between her thighs.
“Are you speaking to me again?” To her immense relief, her voice sounded normal despite the trembling of her hands.
“Jury is still out.” The volume of his voice lowered to an intimate level. “Depends on what you’ve got to say to me.” He tapped the counter with his hand, the mask slid over his features, and he spoke in a normal tone. “So what’ll it be?
“Can I get a Jack and Coke? And Karly wants a fuzzy navel.” Damn it, he wasn’t going to make this easy for her. Attraction pulsed between them like a live wire stretched taut and about to snap. The intensity of feeling rubbed her already frayed nerves raw.
From the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of Karly at the jukebox, shoving dollars into the machine like a crazy woman, as if music might calm the undercurrent of tension in the room, now made all the more intense by Jack’s appearance.
“What are you doing here anyway? Slumming?” The hard edge of his voice caught her by surprise.
“It’s not like that, Jack.”
“Then what’s it like, Ally? Tell me. I’m curious.” She had forgotten how deep and seductive his voice could be. He licked his lips, concentrating all her attention on his mouth. How she would love to bite his full lower lip. The thought raised her temperature another degree. Jack smiled as if he could read her thoughts, as if daring her to follow through.
“Everything okay here?” Karly popped up beside Ally, her keen eyes darting from Jack to Ally and back again. “What did I miss?”
“Maybe we can talk later?” Ally asked. He nodded his assent and with his best smoldering look, turned his back and went about the business of preparing drinks for them. Karly watched the broad V of his torso with obvious approval as he worked.
“Talk about what? What’s going on?” Karly’s eyes went round with suspense. “Shiver me timbers! He’s freaking hot, girlfriend. All he needs is a hook and an eye patch and — well, I’d walk the plank for that one.” She laid a hand on Ally’s arm and squeezed. “He was looking at you like he wanted to do you right here on top of the bar. Do you know him?”
“No…yes…sort of.” Ally a shrugged her shoulders, uncertain how to explain their dysfunctional relationship.
“Spill it,” Karly demanded. “Right now. I want details.”
Ally sighed. “I met him at Felony. He manages both places.”
“Felony? That’s a rough place.” Karly’s eyes widened in a mixture of awe and surprise. She let out a low whistle. “You’ve got a whole other side to you that I had no idea about. Will you take me there sometime?” At Ally’s scowl, Karly shrugged. “Sorry. Sorry. Go on.”
“Well…” Ally drew in a deep breath for strength. “We’ve hung out a few times. That’s all.”
Karly’s eyes narrowed. “And…?”
“He brought lunch to my office. And we had sex.” The confession tumbled out in a rush like water falling from a pitcher.
“Shut the front door!” Karly slapped her hand on the counter, overcome with shock. “I have seriously underestimated you.”
“Shhh…you don’t have to tell the whole freaking bar.” Ally felt the heat of embarrassment race up her neck. “I know, right? He is so not my type.”
“Geesh!” Karly fanned her cheeks with a drink coaster to cool her own blush. “Believe me, honey. He’s every woman’s type. So how was it?”
Ally couldn’t help but smile at her friend’s enthusiasm despite her personal misgivings about the whole event. “It was smoking hot, but I made an ass out of myself and we haven’t spoken until just now.”
“I seriously doubt that you made an ass out of
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