Cecily’s eyes widened at the gorgeous face attached to the muscled forearm holding Jackson’s wrist. The stranger’s eyes were like flint. “Where I come from, we don’t harass women, and that’s all you’ve done since you sat down. Maybe you’re some weirdo stalker who gets off bullying girls. Maybe you should pick on someone your own size.”

Jackson yanked his wrist free with a scoff. “Who’d want to stalk a saggy piece of ass like her? I can do better than her on my worst day.”

“You are one sad excuse for a human being, you know that?” His voice dripped with disgust. “Get out of my bar before I throw you out.” He positioned himself in front of Cecily, so Jackson had nowhere to turn but the door.

“Your bar?” Jackson jeered. “Enjoy it while it lasts, buddy, because once I spread the word, this place will be a ghost town.”

“Put a sock in it, Jackson. We both know your ability in that department is up there with stopping your exes from telling the world you’re a premature ejaculator.”

From the red blotches taking over his face, she knew her low blow hit home. The rumors were a sore spot for brother dearest, but so were her insecurities about her weight, and that never stopped Jackson from hitting below the belt. He looked ready to explode. Instead, he turned on his heel and stormed out.

Surprised, Cecily snapped her mouth closed as they both watched Jackson leave the premises. The man stood for a moment longer with his back to her before turning around.

“Ouch,” he laughed. “Remind me not to get on your bad side.”

She blinked and let out an exhausted sigh. What a day.

“You okay?” he asked. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here to stop him from bothering you sooner. I had to see about a delivery downstairs. We don’t usually get the aggressive type in here. Most of the time, it’s a standard happy-hour crowd.”

She bit the inside of her cheek. Every inch of him was tall and broad-shouldered, with a voice like raw silk that made her body tingle. Was he for real?

Cecily nodded, trying not to swallow her tongue. “Jackson’s aggressive, but he’s pretty much all talk. Unfortunately, he’s my stepbrother.”

The man’s eyebrows pulled together. “Your brother?”

She shook her head. “Step. Stepbrother. My dad died last month, and his executor read the contents of his will today.” Cecily gestured toward the door. “Jackson was disappointed.”

The guy shook his head, glancing toward the door. “Sounds like he was more than disappointed. Sounds to me like he’s the spoiled little bitch, not you.” His eyes found Cecily’s again and he shrugged, embarrassed. “I overheard some of what he said to you. I’m surprised you didn’t smash your glass over his head. He certainly deserved whatever lump you’d have given him and more.”

An image of Jackson’s face as he clutched his head made Cecily smile.

He angled his head. “You have a beautiful smile. A pretty girl like you should smile all the time. And I don’t care what your boneheaded stepbrother thinks. I love curves on a woman, and if you don’t mind me saying so, you have some killer curves.”

The man’s teasing grin made Cecily’s stomach jump and she held her breath for a moment. “Uhm, thank you again—” she stopped, realizing she had no idea who he was.

“Chase Villarreal.” He held out his hand. “Proprietor.”

She took his hand and the moment her fingers slipped into his palm, butterflies swooped from nowhere into her belly and her inner cat sat up and took notice. “Cecily Montgomery. It’s nice to meet you, Chase.”

Chase.

The man could chase her anywhere he wanted. Chase her, catch her, lay her down and spread her wide. His scent filled her senses and she nearly moaned. Heat coursed into her lower belly at the thought and her panties dampened. She swallowed, her eyes meeting his deep blue. She’d never reacted to anyone like this before. Maybe it was shock and alcohol.

Her hands itched to run through his sandy hair, her fingers curling into the thick mass. She wanted to grab his tee shirt and pull him close enough to take his mouth. The same tee shirt that clung to his broad chest, and the way his jeans molded to his—oh God—he was gorgeous and absolutely lickable!

She broke eye contact as he slipped onto Jackson’s stool. Picking up her wine glass, he sniffed what was left of her drink. “Smells like you wasted a good vintage on that jerk. At least let me buy you another.” He lifted the glass in salute. “On the house, of course.”

Cecily shook her head. “That’s not necessary,” she replied, suddenly self-conscious he’d guessed her momentary fantasy. Heat scorched her cheeks. Thank God he wasn’t dual-natured or she’d never live down her own scent.

Chase smiled again, slanting his lips. “I should warn you, I’m not used to taking no for an answer, especially since you’re the nicest woman that’s walked through my doors in a long while. You’re strong but not snarky, plus you didn’t once snap orders at my wait staff. That earns you points in my book. Not to mention you’re rather easy on the eyes.” He winked. “How about you let me buy you that drink, and I promise to let you rant to me about your jerk of a stepbrother until we close?”

She laughed, and for the first time in over a month she felt a real smile slide across her slips. “Deal.” She inhaled again, relaxing at his totally human scent. His totally delicious, sexy, masculine scent.

“Another glass of wine, then?” Chase asked but held off motioning for the bartender until she answered.

Cecily glanced at the wall of top-shelf liquor below the speakeasy-style mirror at the back of the bar. “No. I feel like cutting loose. How about a shot of Patrón each?”

Chase laughed. “Okay then.” He nodded toward the bartender. “You heard the lady, Moe. Two shots of Patrón and leave the bottle. Grab a few lemons and a salt shaker while you’re at it.”

She met Chase’s laugh. “And make them doubles!”

“From wine to tequila.” He eyed her. “I hope you know what you’re doing.” Chase’s eyes never left hers as the bartender poured the first two doubles with a grin. He left the bottle as instructed.

Chase lifted his shot glass and held it between him and Cecily. “Cheers,” he murmured.

“Cheers,” she repeated, touching her glass to his before downing the tequila. Wincing, the strong drink burned its way down her throat, and she blew out a quick breath. “Whoo! How about another?”

She put the shot glass on the bar with a muffled bang and crooked her finger toward the bartender. Without waiting for Chase, she shot the next one back and coughed, reaching for a paper napkin.

“Easy, killer.” He laughed, downing his shot. “Want to switch back to Pinot Noir?”

She shook her head. “Not a chance. Tonight is all about choices, and I choose tequila and you.” She sucked in a breath and the rush sent a flush her to her cheeks from the liquor. A light, floaty feeling tingled across her head and she licked her lips. “I like you, Chase. I like how you look and how you handled Jackson, and has anyone told you how amazing you smell?” She swallowed, shocked she’d uttered the words out loud.

He laughed. “Okay, I’m going to go out on a limb here and assume you didn’t eat dinner, because the tequila is hitting you a hell of a lot faster than it should.”

Cecily lifted her chin, going with it regardless. “I am not drunk. Tipsy, yes. But not drunk.”

He angled his head at her. “Not yet, anyway. And I’m right about the no dinner, yes?”

“Not a bite.” Giving him a sexy nod, she let a grin slip across her lips. “Though I’d like to sink my teeth into you.” Her inner cat purred, and she scooted closer on her stool. She angled her head opposite to his, lifting her hand to his cheek. “If you kissed me right now, I wouldn’t stop you.”

Chase pulled her hand from his face but kept it in his. “I’d love to kiss you, Cecily. You’re beautiful and just my type, but I have rules about drunken sex so, raincheck?”

She waggled her finger at him. “You are so not like other guys. Especially Jackson. He’d take advantage of me drunk or sober, especially if he could hold something over me and use it to steal my inheritance. That’s what he was trying to do when you got involved.”

“Then he’s stupid,” Chase replied.

Cecily shook her head, tapping her temple. “No, he’s smart and cunning, and now I have to find someone to marry me or he could get everything, thanks to a stupid statute in my father’s will.”

Chase frowned, confused. “Are you telling me you have to get married in order to inherit?”

She nodded, burping again. “Yes. Thanks to daddy dearest.”

He looked at her and when she reached for another shot, he stopped her. “I think you’ve had more than enough tonight, Cecily, and I really think you shouldn’t be talking about this to just anyone. Jackson isn’t the only one who’d try to take advantage of you. Trust me, I know.”

She blinked at him. “Did someone force you to get married, too? And I thought it was just puffed up shifter alpha-daddy assholes.”

He chuckled, shaking his head. “No. This bar belonged to my father. Ten years ago, I nearly lost everything, including this place, to a single hand of cards, but someone stepped in just short of my slamming the deed onto the poker table. I owe everything to that stranger.”

“A stranger stopped you from losing your birthright?” she asked with a hiccup. “What did they say that made you decide to listen to them?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I had an angel looking over my shoulder that night.”

She mused at that. Chase was certainly gorgeous enough to be divine. “Is that why you stepped in with Jackson?” Cecily looked at him for an answer. “I mean, you didn’t have to help.”

He shrugged, offering a noncommittal nod. “Maybe, but what kind of a man would I be if I didn’t step in and help? I can’t stomach men who bully women.”

“Thank you—” Cecily’s eyes went wide halfway through her sentence and her hand flew to her mouth. “I…I…I’m gonna to be sick!”

She stumbled off the barstool and lurched toward the restroom, Chase quick on her heels. Cecily banged open one of the stall doors, barely making it to the toilet.

“I got you,” Chase said, gathering her hair as she heaved into the white porcelain. He rubbed her back. “Well, for a night of choices, I bet this wasn’t on your bucket list.”

Her shoulders tensed and slumped between retches. “You think?” Another wave took her and when there was nothing left but dry heaves, she wiped the back of her hand across her mouth, looking at him across her shoulder. “Looks like tonight you’re my over-the-shoulder angel,” she mumbled.

Chase held her elbow as she stood, holding out a wad of toilet tissue. “It’s okay, Cecily. You’re not the first person in here to hug the porcelain, and I doubt you’ll be the last. I could tell you stories that would make this seem like nothing.”

She wiped her mouth on the tissue. “Do you always give drunken customers the personal touch?”

He laughed. “Not usually. Just the ones I’d like to get to know better.”

Embarrassed heat flushed across her cheeks and she inhaled. “Yeah, because nothing says ooh baby, break me off a piece of that like the sight of a woman with puke at the corner of her mouth.”

Chase chuckled again. “I’m a bar owner, Cecily. I see past all that to what’s hiding behind the puke, and I don’t mean what they had for dinner.”

She laughed, despite herself. “Nice to know chivalry isn’t completely dead. If I didn’t stink to high heaven, I’d give you a hug, but unlike you I can’t get past the fact you held my hair while I threw up.” She scrunched up her nose. “I can’t believe I threw up. Thank god it wasn’t on you.”

“You’ve got beautiful hair and the thought of it swirling the toilet while you vomit was not an option.” He grinned as she teetered toward the sink to rinse her mouth.

She gathered the thick, dark mass at the nape of her neck and leaned toward the running tap to rinse her mouth. With a grimace, she dried her mouth on her hand. “God, I can only imagine what you must think of me.”

Chase moved behind her at the double sink and looked at her in the mirror’s reflection. “You had reasons to drown your frustrations tonight.”

Cecily shut the tap off and sucked in a steadying breath. “Still—”

He shook his head and reached for a couple of paper towels from the metal shelf above the backsplash. “Everyone deals with disappointment differently. My guess is it’s not like you to do this type of thing.” He winked, handing her the paper towels. “Right?”

She gave him a half-hearted smile. “I suppose not. To be honest, I don’t usually drink.”

He angled his head. “And yet tequila shots were your first choice.” He flashed a quick smirk. “Did you have a death wish?”

She snorted. “No. Although right now I would kill for the room to stop spinning.”

“I should get you a cab home.”

Cecily shook her head, swallowing against another wave of nausea. “Home is too far for that, I’m afraid. I took the train into South Station from New York this morning. I planned to check into a hotel after meeting with my father’s attorney.” She shrugged. “As you can see, that didn’t happen.”

He smiled, stepping back, giving her space. “I’m guessing you didn’t make a reservation ahead of time either, huh?”

She squinted at her watch. “I guess I could call around, though if I were a hotel clerk, I wouldn’t give a room to someone who walked in off the street smelling of tequila and vomit.”

Chase looked at her. “You could crash on my couch.” He pointed toward the ceiling. “I have an apartment above the bar. It’s not huge, but it’s comfortable and clean. Besides, I’m not exactly okay with putting you in a cab alone when you’re—”

“Drunk?” She frowned, interrupting him.

“I was going to say vulnerable.”

She smiled at that. “I’m stronger than I seem, Chase. I’m sure I can call a cab and get myself to a hotel, or I could call my father’s attorney and wake him up.” She frowned again. “But that means I’d have to listen to him lecture me, and to be honest, I’m not in the mood.”

“If you stay with me, then we can talk more. No lectures, I promise. If working behind a bar has taught me anything, it’s opening up to a complete stranger can be cathartic, and since I already held your hair while you puked—”

Cecily winced, lifting a hand before he argued the point more. “Ugh. Stop reminding me.” Looking past him, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and frowned at her wrecked hair and smeared makeup, not to mention her shirt dotted with splashes from the porcelain god. Chase, on the other hand, looked amazing. Too good to be true, yet there he stood.

“You have nothing to worry about from me, Cecily.” He put his hands up. “Hands off. I promise.”

It wasn’t his self-control she was worried about. It was hers. With the way he looked and how cool he’d been all night, she didn’t trust herself alone with him in his apartment. She’d be lucky if she didn’t jump his bones first chance she got, crawling on all fours like her inner cat wanted. Then again, he was the one who said she had killer curves.

Throwing caution to the wind for the first time in her life, her eyes met his and she straightened her shoulders. “Do you have a tee shirt I can sleep in?”

He nodded with a laugh. “I even have an extra toothbrush.”