Chapter Two
Jennifer flushed for about the millionth time. No matter how much she tried to keep her attention on Patrick, her gaze was drawn back to the corner of the room, the section where most of the lights were dim, and she could only just make out the sexiest man she’d ever seen.
Their eyes locked several times from across the room, and each time she wondered if she might be doing something wrong. Only his eyes were truly visible to her. He seemed so focused, and that focus was a bit unnerving.
She turned back around on her stool to the bar and took a few long drinks off her glass of wine. If she wasn’t careful, she’d find herself a bit tipsier than she intended. No dinner and only sweets wasn’t the best way to have wine.
Jennifer examined the room again. She liked this place. It was quiet and had a more homey feel than anywhere she’d ever been. A pub. That’s what Patrick kept calling it, and she wondered what the difference was between a pub and a bar. There were beer taps and liquor bottles along the back shelf. Maybe it was all the dark shelves and pictures.
“You seem to be doing better,” Patrick said, drawing her from her thoughts. He smiled, and she instantly felt better. Something about his charming ways set her at ease.
Jennifer nodded and pushed the little carton away. “Nothing like a little bit of chocolate to make things right.”
He grinned, but she couldn’t really enjoy the moment. The back of her head burned, and she knew Mr. Sexy was still watching her. Jennifer casually glanced back and found his hard stare. It made her shiver, and she wasn’t quite sure if it was fear or lust. Perhaps a bit of both thanks to the wine.
She swallowed hard and turned back around. Patrick followed her line of sight and gave a nod to the dark-haired man in the back. Jennifer jumped when something clattered to the floor and turned just in time to see the man’s brooding form make its way across the room and into the back.
For the first time since entering, Jennifer could make out all the man’s features. He was built. His muscles shifted under his shirt.
For one brief moment, she held her breath and stared in awe. The way he moved carried such raw power it captured and held her. He took long strides, and she marveled at the strength behind them.
One second he was in the room with them, and the next he was through the doors to the back, completely out of sight. She turned, still slightly stunned, and watched as Patrick gave a nod to the pretty blonde who had been working the bar. The woman silently followed out the door after the dark, muscular man.
“So,” Patrick said, drawing her out of her own thoughts. “How does a pretty woman like you end up walking home alone?”
She offered him a sad smile. “Well, she’d have to get dumped after the worst day ever.”
His eyes widened, and she knew his question had been far more lighthearted than her reply.
“I’m sorry I—” he started.
Jennifer held up a hand. “It’s fine.” She smiled and finished up the last of her wine. “Just need to make some adjustments in my life.” She snorted. It was almost funny how life tended to make those decisions for you.
She stood and felt herself sway just a little. Perhaps she was letting the wine get to her.
“I think I should use your restroom now,” she said, and waved a hand at her dress. “Maybe I can try and fix this.”
Patrick relaxed, and she wondered if he was worried. It seemed so odd that a stranger would care more about her bad day than the man she was with for a year.
“It’s just down the hall,” he said, and pointed behind her.
She carefully made her way across the room. Her foot still hurt, but it didn’t seem to be sprained, just a little sore.
Jennifer took in the bar around her. It wasn’t like most of the places she had visited. Usually, the music was too loud or the place would be packed from wall to wall with writhing bodies. Her parents weren’t one for places like that, and Charles had been more of a fine dining and club sort. It really depended on what his clients asked.
She shook her head. All this time she had just been following along, but in the end, she really wasn’t like that at all.
Jennifer turned and caught her reflection in the mirror along the back of the bar. Her long brown hair and full lips seemed more pronounced somehow. Or maybe she never spent much time questioning her appearance. Had everything about her changed for Charles? The thought chilled her, and she let it slip away.
Looking away, she kept her focus on the interior. The boards from earlier sat piled up in the corner, and she wondered if they were doing work on the place. She would guess so. Although the place had a charm about it, there were spots that had a little less charm than others. Calling it worn down was her being nice.
However, she could see how it might do well. She could certainly see the place’s potential.
As Jennifer thought about how she’d market the bar, her mind drifted. It was a long shot, and who knew if Patrick would even go for it? He seemed nice enough. Maybe he would take pity on her.
The bar slipped out of sight as she followed the hall to the bathrooms. She stopped when a noise to her left caught her attention. It was a door into the back area. She could see the brooding man from before. His back was to her, and he was hunched over the table. The pretty bartender hovered over him.
“You can’t keep doing this, Eric,” the blonde said quietly.
He gave a hollow laugh that chilled Jennifer to the bone.
“You really going to give me that line right now?” He turned to look at the woman.
It was the first time Jennifer could clearly see his face. She had assumed that he was handsome but never like this. If it weren’t for his furrowed brow, he could easily be one of the most attractive men she had seen.
She frowned when she realized he was having trouble focusing on the woman.
“I know,” the woman said, and placed a hand on his shoulder.
He shrugged it off and stood.
“No,” he said quietly. The cold steel in his voice cut through the air like a knife. “You don’t have any fucking idea.”
The woman looked stunned. As if he’d just slapped her. And maybe he had with the force of his words.
“Asshole,” the blonde whispered and tore through the door that led to the bar.
Breathing slowly, Jennifer tried to calm herself but froze when his gaze shot over to her. This wasn’t something she was meant to hear, and yet here she was.
He took a step forward, and she fled. The bathroom was just a few steps down the hall. She stepped in and flicked the lock. Jennifer leaned against the door and sighed. This was silly. He wasn’t going to follow her.
She walked to the mirror and stared at her reflection. He certainly wasn’t going to chase her if she was looking like this.
After grabbing a few paper towels, she started in on the mess that was now her dress. Even with taking it to a dry cleaner, it didn’t seem to have much of a chance. Wine was one thing, but given the grime from the sidewalk, combined with a few minor tears, she wasn’t going to come out ahead.
Quickly, she tried to right the day’s wrongs as best she could.
After a few minutes of scrubbing, she tossed the towel in the trash.
There was no use. The wine had turned to a deep pink on the cream dress. A few tears marred the front and side from when she’d fallen. Jennifer looked down to her hands and winced. They were slightly red from the fall and scraped up.
She sighed. Pretty much everything about this day was a wash. At this point, the best thing she could do was get home and start over tomorrow. If she were lucky, there would be a job out there for her. Maybe she could even get Patrick on board with something if she could put together a good enough presentation.
With a sigh, she opened the door and stepped into the dark hall. A hand reached out of nowhere and slammed against the wall by her head. Jennifer gasped and pressed herself hard against the wall in an effort to get away.
“Like watching people?” Eric said, and leaned real close, so close she could smell the hard alcohol on his breath.
She wondered how much he’d had to drink.
“I didn’t mean to,” she stammered.
It was hard to think when he was pressing in so close. The sexual energy crackled in the air, and she wondered just what it was about him. She should have been mad but couldn’t seem to muster up the feeling.
“What is it with people like you?” He sneered at her, and she frowned. “Think you’re better than everyone else. Well, you aren’t.”
Her mouth fell open in shock. That wasn’t what she had been expecting to hear.
“What?” she managed.
Eric laughed, and the air rustled the hair around her face.
“You people come in here and think that the rest of us are beneath you,” he said. His deep brown eyes were fixed on hers, and when he leaned in a bit more, she shuddered at the warmth from his body. With him barely touching her, the sensations that surrounded her engulfed her thoughts.
Eyes half closed, she watched him. His mouth turned into a smooth smile, and her body tightened at the gesture. She jumped when he pressed in, pinning her body between him and against the wall.
“I’m beneath you, but you don’t seem to mind this,” he said. His mouth was dangerously close to hers. She licked her lips.
“I don’t…” she started, but stopped when he pressed in harder.
“You don’t?” he whispered. His lips brushed hers, and she took in a shuddered breath.
“I… uh…” She glanced down.
“Yeah,” he urged. A smile seemed to play on the corners of his mouth, despite the way he was talking.
Jennifer stalled. Nothing in her brain seemed to work like it was supposed to. All she could think about was how close he was to her and how exciting it was. Every warning bell in her head was going off, and she didn’t seem to care. The wine had dulled her senses.
“Fuck it,” he groaned, and pressed his lips firmly to hers. They were warm and soft. His stubble scratched her face, and she wondered why it turned her on so much. Everything about this was wrong, but she couldn’t stop the small moan that escaped.
Not waiting for whatever permission she might give, he slipped his tongue along the seam of her lips, and she opened to him. His mouth moved over hers, boldly taking whatever she might give.
Jennifer placed her hands against his hard chest to push him away but couldn’t make them obey the last rational thought in her head.
Everything slipped from her mind when he moved his hand from behind her head, slowly down her back, not stopping until he was cupping her ass.
Eric groaned into her mouth and pulled her lower half hard against him. She could feel his hard length and shivered at the rawness of it all. Never had she felt such an animalistic urge to pull off her clothes and open herself to someone, let alone a stranger.
She pulled back sharply when a glass broke out front. His eyes still blazed at her, and she could feel his unyielding hand still on her ass.
“I don’t think—” she started, but stopped when a dark look swept over him.
Eric pushed away, and despite the fact that she knew he was a stranger, there was an emptiness where he had been.
“Not worth it,” he ground out. Jennifer winced.
She watched in shock as he quickly made his escape to the front.
“What the hell just happened?” she whispered to herself.
She closed her eyes and leaned against the wall. This was not her. This was not something that she did.
Her fingers came up to her lips, and she ran them gently over the tender skin. She should be angry with him kissing her like that. But she wasn’t. If anything, she wanted more. Something in her ached for whatever he was giving.
Her hand dropped to her side, and she huffed. Not worth it. That wasn’t the story his pants were telling. Judging by that, she was more than worth it.
Jennifer’s eyes snapped open, and she shook her head. Whatever had happened couldn’t happen again. She wouldn’t let it. There was enough to worry about without adding some walking ego with a penis. Been there, done that. She wasn’t worth it? Hardly, but he certainly wasn’t. Even if he was oozing sex appeal.
Her heart thumped in her chest as she thought about that appeal. It was certainly there tenfold.
Jennifer opened the bathroom door again. Maybe in a few more minutes she’d calm down.