I glanced at my watch. Twenty minutes. Huh. I was never wrong, especially when a guy gave off vibes as strong as that man had. He should’ve been back after five minutes. Ten tops. I stared at my Piaget watch, the blue watch face glistening in beautiful contrast to the steel casing. It was the exact color of his eyes. I hadn’t been sure until they’d lit the candles on the birthday cake—his gaze had flicked to me at that very moment and nearly took my breath away. He’d been beautiful before, but those eyes. Sparkling blue, clear, happy. They had let me know he wanted me.

Well, apparently not.

“Got some place to be? You’re staying at the B and B, right?”

I lowered my arm, turning my attention to the bartender. “I am. And no. No place to go.” I hadn’t been thinking of going anywhere, if the man had come back in his scheduled five minutes. Nowhere other than directly up to my room. I had plans to do things to his body that would cause the Victorian bedroom set to lose its religion, no matter what all it had seen in the past century.

Fuck.

“Can I get you another dirty martini?”

“Yes…” For a moment, I forgot his name. I never did that; pretty boy had thrown me off. Then it came, just as the bartender reached for a bottle. “Actually, Seth, how about on this one, you leave out the blue-cheese olive. In fact, leave out the olive juice altogether. Why mess up perfectly good gin?”

He grinned. “You got it.”

I glanced back at the door. Nothing.

Strange. I’d been so certain. I hadn’t imagined all of that. We were practically eye fucking in the middle of the dining room. In the middle of his family. At least, I thought that was his family. Maybe the burly guy was his partner or husband. I figured brother, but they hadn’t looked alike at all. Surely, he wouldn’t have stared at me with his husband across from him. Unless… No, the other hadn’t been interested. Hadn’t even glanced my way.

Whatever. I was only in town a night, though I’d reserved the room for two, just in case. I was in the middle of gay mecca, and while Lavender Shores wasn’t rumored to be as provocative as the Castro, I had no plans on sleeping alone. Well, sleeping alone yes, but with someone to warm the bed up for me first before getting the hell outta my room.

Knowing I was settling for second best, I slipped my cell out of my pocket and opened up Grindr. I nearly laughed at the number of options within the town’s two-square-mile radius. Gay mecca indeed.

The bartender peered at my phone screen and pointed at one of the top profile squares. “Not him. Trust me. He’s pretty, but he just lies there and expects you to do the work and worship what he’s offering up. So not pretty.”

I couldn’t contain my awe at Seth’s gall.

He slid me my “martini” and shrugged. “What? You’re a visitor. I’m part owner of this establishment, full-time bartender, and concierge. I wouldn’t want you to waste time at a bad restaurant, which, here, there isn’t one.” He grimaced and cocked his head to the side. “Well, except for Charley’s Tavern, but the food isn’t bad. Charley’s just a dick.” He pointed back to my phone. “So why would I let you have a bad lay?” He raised his brow.

I handed him my phone with a laugh. “Fine, by all means, give me the best sampler platter you have. I’m in town on business. What’s the point of being away if you don’t play a little?”

Seth’s expression darkened. “Oh. Wife at home?”

“No.” Not anymore.

“Husband?”

I suddenly realized what he’d assumed. “No. I’m single. Just a very… managerial father.”

Seth’s lighthearted air returned. “Oh, well, then let’s get you some, hunny.”

Actually, Seth was rather beautiful. I’d noticed, kinda. The hot guy earlier had dimmed his looks. “And you? What time do you get off tonight?”

He looked a little surprised. “I’m flattered. But no, I’m dating someone. Or… something. It’s complicated. Besides, I’m your concierge. I only offer you the best, and while I don’t just lie there like some people, I’m not a good power bottom. You’d be left wanting.”

I’d taken a sip of gin, which had been a mistake, and nearly choked. I cleared my throat before attempting to speak. “Good to know, but who says I need a power bottom?”

Seth leveled a stare at me as if I’d just asked why choose top-shelf alcohol. “Are you kidding me? You walk in here in your billion-dollar suit and your watch with the diamonds and your shoes that I don’t know the designer’s name but can guarantee cost more than my entire wardrobe and not a hair out of place. You have controlling perfectionist written all over you, sweetie. You’re on the prowl to take out all your daddy issues on some hungry hole that can handle all the pent-up frustration you can pound out.”

My jaw fell open. I didn’t even try to close my mouth.

He shrugged. “Now, when you’ve reached the breaking point and can let loose enough to get fucked like a champ, come see me.” He winked then refocused on my cell, pointing to a redhead. “Now, this one. He’ll take all of you for hours and then ask if you have a baseball bat he can ride after.”

I tried to think of a response. Anything. Nothing came. I realized he was being funny, but he was right. I wasn’t typically so easy to read, or at least I thought I wasn’t. That was exactly the kind of sex I’d been planning. That I always wanted on business trips. A guy on all fours, me holding his neck to the mattress as I fucked and fucked and fucked, him whimpering for more the entire time. And the thing about me reaching a breaking point… I didn’t know what to make of that. It made my heart speed up in terror. Maybe a bit of a thrill too?

“Oh, look. Lamont just logged on. Sorry, you don’t know names. That’s the guy who was at the table you were staring at earlier.”

All thoughts vanished. Maybe I wouldn’t have to give up on Blue Eyes after all.

The profile picture threw me off. Handsome face, reddish hair with some gray at the temples. Oh, must be the other one at the table. The husband, or brother, or whatever.

Seth didn’t notice my reaction. “Not him. I have to insist. He’s a great guy but always seems a little sad. You know, the depressed artist type. Not what you need. And you’re for sure not what he needs.” He sucked in a breath and pointed at a blond. “This one. Micah. You will have one of the best nights of your life. A little young for my taste. I like my men thirty and above, but for what you need, perfection.” He smacked my shoulder. “And tomorrow, I want details.” At that moment, a woman approached the other end of the bar, and Seth walked away with a final wink.

I glanced back at my phone, at the blond. Stunning. Really.

Suddenly I didn’t care.

Maybe it was the third glass of gin. Maybe it was Blue Eyes. Maybe it was my father issues laid out on the bar for the entire world to see. Whatever it was worked better than a cold shower.

I closed the app, returned the cell to my pocket, and refocused on my martini glass. Finish this up and then go to your room. There was always work to do. The weeks leading up to this trip had been crazy, but still, I never jumped into a project without ample research. Dad had a twenty-five-page memo prepared on all things Lavender Shores. If there ever was a time to be unprepared, it wasn’t on my father’s new pet project.

“Hey.”

I flinched at the voice by my shoulder, causing some of the gin to slosh out.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

I looked over and lost my voice. Bright blue eyes met mine. They seemed nervous.

He’d come back!

He hesitated, glancing from me to the high-backed barstool beside me, then toward the door. “I… uhm…”

“You came back!” Oh my God, I sounded like a twelve-year-old who’d just gotten a puppy. Not a thirty-five-year-old professional.

A smile began to form, still nervous, but looking hopeful. “Yeah. I, uhm, thought we had a moment a while ago.”

I took a heartbeat to return my tone to normal. No one wanted to be with Mr. Desperate, no matter how many heated looks they’d exchanged. Wait. Desperate? Was I feeling desperate for him? That was ridiculous. The bartender’s claims of me needing a power bottom and a hungry hole to use came back to me. Yes, that was exactly what I needed. Just like that, Joel Rhodes was back in control. “Oh, we did. Several moments, if I recall. I think one of them nearly caught the room on fire.” I flashed my smile. The one that worked on everyone—client, enemy, potential lay.

He blushed but grew confident enough to take a seat. My fucking God, he was even more beautiful up close. Not mid-twenties like I’d assumed. Maybe twenty-nine, thirty? Much more my style. Dark hair, thick dark brows over those stunning blue eyes. Full lips curved into a crooked smile over gleaming white teeth. Clean-shaven jaw. My gaze got stuck on the slope of his clavicle showing in the open neck of his dress shirt. His body appeared lean and muscled under the fabric, like an Abercrombie & Fitch model from two decades ago had stepped out of their catalog and asked to come to my bedroom. If I were willing to take the time to go up to the bedroom. Why not make full use of the wide bar top?

“I’m glad you’re still here.”

His voice brought me back from visualizing all the things I was going to do to him. I needed to focus, make sure I didn’t mess up what was obviously a fairly certain thing. “Me too. I thought you’d be back quite a while ago.”

That blush again. “You knew I’d come back?”

“Like I said, we had some moments.” I nearly stopped there, but I needed to know. Although, the other guy had been on the hookup app minutes ago, so even if they were husbands, they clearly had an arrangement. I glanced at his left hand. No ring, not that its absence proved anything. “I thought maybe you and your… partner went home.”

“My… Oh!” He chuckled. “No. That was my family. Tonight was my brother’s birthday.”

Done. We have a winner. God, please let this gorgeous man be the hungry hole I need. Despite the blush and the nerves that made him seem younger, something in those eyes promised he was just as ravenous as I was.

He kept talking. “My sister is part owner of the place, so I waited until she left. The last thing I want is Heather giving me a hard time about hooking up—” His eyes widened, and he stopped talking.

I nearly laughed. Beautiful and adorably awkward. And hungry. Oh yeah. Screw being prepared for tomorrow. I’d wing it. Tonight was going to be one for the record books. I wouldn’t even need to finish my drink. I could get up and walk to my room, and this guy would follow.

“Well, Andrew Kelly. Wonder why you came back?” Seth lightly smacked the bar top. “I know it wasn’t for the free drinks.”

For the first time that night, Seth’s charmer routine threatened to get him punched in the face. I was just about to close this deal.

The man… Andrew, it seemed, demonstrated what blushing actually looked like. “Seth, please keep your mouth shut to Heather. I don’t need a lecture—”

“On one condition.” Seth grinned and glanced at both of us. “I’ll require a video or a verbal play-by-play, complete with illustrations tomorrow night.” He winked. “Just kidding, kid.” He looked at me. “I’m assuming you’re not going to waste time on more drinks. Want me to keep the tab open for the rest of your stay?”

Just like that, he redeemed himself. “That would be perfect. Thank you, Seth.”

He nodded, gave another wink, this time to Andrew, and then walked away.

We sat there silently for a second. Then I stuck out my hand. “I take it you’re Andrew?”

“Yes, Andrew Kelly.” He looked like he was about to say something else; instead, he slipped his hand into mine and quit talking.

I couldn’t blame him. There wasn’t lightning or stars, but a chill coursed through my body at his touch—if chills could be like fire rushing through your veins. Hands still grasped, our gazes locked. More fire. I had to remind myself of who I was, why I was in Lavender Shores, and what the next few hours with this man were going to be about. I squeezed his hand and let my thumb make a path over the back. “Nice to meet you. Very. I’m Joel Rhodes.”

“Joel.” His voice was so quiet I doubted he’d even realized he’d spoken my name out loud. At the sound, thoughts of who I was and why I was there vanished, as well as my ability to think of anything beyond this moment. He smiled at me. “It’s nice to meet you too.”

Simple words. Said by every person who’d ever shaken hands during a first meeting. Words I’d just said seconds ago. But the way he said them… Like it was a relief. Like he’d been waiting. Waiting for me.

I was fucking losing my mind.

With a force of will, I released my grip and pulled my hand away.

What to say, what to say…

I had this down. This was nothing new. I’d done it countless times. The steps between handshakes and the bedroom. Ask about the weather. About his job. Buy him a drink. Flirt a bit more to make sure.

But I was sure.

Hell, the entire room was sure. Probably the whole population of Lavender Shores could feel this moment.

All those steps I knew like the back of my hand sounded like torture. Pure torture.

I licked my lips, strangely nervous, and met his eyes again. “Will you come up to my room with me, Andrew Kelly?”

He let out a trembling breath and nodded.