Chapter Eighteen
Linkin
I’m definitely working tonight. It’s New Year’s Eve, and Lucky’s is packed! They’re lined up two deep at the bar, and I’m doing everything I can just to keep my half of the bar satisfied and with alcohol.
A band is playing country music, which isn’t exactly my taste, but it’s got a good beat. And the residents of Jupiter Bay have come out in droves to celebrate the end of one year and the start of another. Party hats and those fucking blow horns are everywhere, but it doesn’t distract me from keeping the beers flowing and the mixed drinks pouring.
Yet somehow, in the midst of chaos, I seem to be able to spot my girl. She’s in a small group with her sisters and their significant others, drinking beer and laughing. I catch her watching me every so often, but only because I’m seeking her out so I can watch her. She’s my addiction. My drug.
They decided to celebrate their monthly sisters’ night a week early since New Year’s Eve gave them the perfect opportunity to celebrate. For me, this night should produce the rest of the cash flow I need to pay off debts for good. Between the extra tips during the holidays and a cash bonus from Ernie, partnered with what I’ve been able to save over the last few months, that last payment can be made sooner than expected.
Good. I’m ready to be done with this shit.
I could pick up on her laugh a mile away. She’s dragging Meghan and AJ out onto the dance floor where the band is singing about country girls shaking it. I’ll admit, it’s a great fucking view. Lexi wearing those ass-huggin’ jeans and a tight sweater any other day is hard-on inducing, but tonight? Paired with my favorite fucking boots, her hair teased a little wild, making her look freshly fucked, and a wide carefree smile? She’s a fucking walking orgasm. A wet dream.
My wet dream.
Our eyes meet from across the bar as she moves her hips to the beat of the music. I can spot at least three dicks watching her dance, and that thought irritates the shit out of me. I’ve never been a jealous man, mostly because I haven’t cared about anyone enough to ever get green-eyed, but with her, I want to throw her over my shoulder like a caveman. I want to lift my leg and pee to mark my territory. I want to walk out there, kiss the shit out of her, and declare loudly that she’s mine.
But I can’t.
I won’t.
Lexi would have my balls if I ever did anything remotely close to that.
The other sisters join her on the dance floor. Catching movement off to the right, I notice that the guys – Dean, Ryan, and Levi – are paying very close attention to their ladies. There’s no way any dick would be stupid enough to try to get close to any of those girls. Not with those three waiting and watching.
It’s weird that it calms me a bit knowing that they’ll watch out for her, but at the same time, it should be me. I’m the one who should be standing on the sidelines while she has a great time, celebrating with her sisters. I’m the one who should be stepping in when some fuck gets too close. There’s a lot that I should be doing, but one thing I know I’ll be doing.
I’m the one taking her home.
“Take a break,” Lucky says, stepping up beside me and grabbing my shoulder.
“Too busy for a break tonight, man.”
“Yeah, well, I think I can hold down the fort for a few minutes. Besides, you’ve poured that beer three times and still haven’t delivered it to the guy,” he says, taking the overflowing mug of draft beer from my hand and handing it to the guy standing in front of me. “Go dance with your girl,” he adds, nodding towards the dance floor where a slow song is just starting.
You don’t have to tell me twice.
I’m moving, sliding under the lift-top at the end of the bar, and intercepting my girl as she exits the dance floor only seconds later. As I wrap my arms around her waist, halting her progress, she spins around, fire dancing in her eyes and a hand raised, ready to strike. When she sees it’s me, her features relax and I’m rewarded with a smile.
“I thought you were someone else. I was about to knock your head off,” she says, slipping into my embrace.
“Well, I’m glad you wouldn’t just let any asshole paw all over you.”
“Nope. You’re definitely the only asshole I want pawing me,” she quips with a wink.
“Dance with me, beautiful.”
“But you’re working,” she says, glancing over at the busy bar.
“I’m on break. I get five minutes to dance with my girl,” I reply, pulling her back onto the dance floor.
Her smile is instantaneous as warm, familiar arms wrap around my neck, pressing her tits firmly against my chest. This is fucking heaven right here. I pull her in even closer, staking my claim for anyone and everyone to see. She doesn’t even know it, but I’m making a declaration to every jackhole in the joint that she’s mine.
And she is.
My heartbeat kicks into overdrive at the thought.
Me, Linkin Stone, self-proclaimed bachelor and confirmed bad boy, is tossing all of those stupid titles right out the proverbial window and grabbing onto a relationship like it’s the very air I need to breathe. Because that’s what she’s quickly become.
My air.
Without saying anything, she leans forward and rests her head against my chest. She’s the perfect height, and I wonder, as she puts her ear to my heart, if she can hear the drum solo in my chest. It’s pounding so hard I swear everyone in the bar can hear it.
“Having fun?” I ask, my hands dangerously low on her hips as we sway in time with the beat.
“Mmhmm,” she murmurs, the vibration of her hum shooting straight through my chest and landing on my dick.
The song doesn’t last nearly long enough, and before I know it, it’s about time for me to get back behind the bar. “You’re staying until close, right?” I ask, hopeful and anxious to take her home for the night.
“I am,” she confirms, tightening her grip around my waist until it feels like a hug. I stop moving and just hold her close. Her hair smells like jasmine, a scent that is pure Lexi.
When the song ends and a fast, upbeat one begins, I glance up, noticing the lines at the bar. Definitely time for me to get back to work. Her sisters are around us, well those that aren’t single. Ryan and Jaime, Dean and Payton, and Levi and Abby walk off the dance floor, smiling brightly as they pass by.
That’s when I notice the remaining two sisters, each off to the side of the room. AJ is chatting it up with a group of guys I’ve seen in here several times before, while Meghan chats with a guy dressed a little too nicely for Lucky’s. I watch as she offers him a friendly smile, listening intently on whatever he’s saying.
“Hey, who’s that?” I ask, drawing Lexi’s attention towards her sister.
“Oh, that’s Nick, her boss.”
“He’s awfully dressed up for a night a Lucky’s,” I say, noticing the way the man’s body is turned towards Meghan. He smiles easily back at her, his arms crossed casually at his chest. They look comfortable, and if she’s his employee, well, that would make sense. I know it’s not someone I need to keep a close eye on.
“His sister got married tonight. She’s a teacher with AJ at the junior high.”
A loud noise pulls my attention towards the bar, where I see Lucky’s grandson, Brant, dumping the full garbage can behind the bar into a much larger one on wheels. That’s my cue that my break’s over. “I gotta go, Firecracker. The boss is drowning behind the bar.”
Turning towards me, she threads her thin fingers into my hair and plants her lips on mine. It’s a short kiss, one that I’d love to continue – in private – but duty calls. Reluctantly, I pull back and give her a wink. “Have fun with your sisters,” I say, pivoting to head back up front.
Lexi grabs my hand, halting me and causing me to turn around quickly, fearing something is wrong. “I’m going home with you tonight,” she whispers, placing another kiss to my lips.
Catcalls and hollers erupt around me, letting me know her sisters are witnessing the kiss, which makes us both smile against each other’s lips. “Damn right, you are,” I reply before finally breaking away and getting back to work.
Three hours until close.
Until I get to take her home, to my bed.
Until she’s naked and beneath me.
Three hours until she’s mine.