Jess got up to go to the bathroom and found the cute guy with a bevy of blonde curls that went to his shoulders was wiggling his finger at her. She couldn’t help but smile at the man who was giving her a sexy grin.

Step by step, she made her way to him. “Thanks for the drink, Griff. It is Griff, right?” her words were laced with an Irish accent.

“It is. My full name is Griffin Houser. I’m from Montana, here on some unofficial business. And your name is Jess,” he said as he gazed into her icy emerald eyes. His favorite color. “And I bet you’re fresh from Ireland.”

“You’d lose that bet if you made it. I was born here. My siblings were born in Dublin, though. We summer there each year. Our accents come from our parents. Theirs are truly awful.” Her hand moved to rest on her hip as she said, “Jessica is my full name. But everyone calls me Jess. So, thanks again for the beer. It was nice meeting you. Bye.” With that, she turned and walked away, slightly shaking her rounded bottom, making Griffin drool a little.

He was met with a napkin, Ethan held to his chin. “Watch out, lover boy.”

“She’s hot!” was all Griffin could say.

“Go after her, stud,” Phoenix said as he caught Cait’s eyes. “I’m reeling mine in next.” With a wiggle of his finger, he found the adorable redhead getting up and coming his way as Griff vacated his chair, going after Jess.

Phoenix patted the empty seat near him. “Have a seat, gorgeous.”

Cait gave him a smile and took the seat. “So, did you like the Superman I sent you?” Her Irish accent was obvious.

He nodded. “What did you think of the Rob Roy I sent you, Cait?”

“It was sweet in more than one way,” she said as she found herself falling into the dark depths of his milk chocolate colored eyes. “You have a distinctive look, Phoenix.”

He scooted his chair closer and leaned in close to whisper, “I have a lot of distinctive features. I’d love to show you them all.”

A giggle erupted from her, and she found herself blushing, a thing it was hard for anyone to get her to do. Cait was a woman who wasn’t easily impressed. But the man in front of her was the most impressive man she’d ever seen in her life. “You’re probably a man I should run away from. Sure to be a heartbreaker.”

“Nah, I could never break your heart, Caity-cat.” He ran one finger along her collar bone, making chills flow through her.

“Where’re you from?” she asked him as she found herself allowing him to touch her and she never allowed such a thing.

“Texas, a little city, called Corpus Christi but I have some land in a little place called Karnes County too.” He leaned in even closer, taking in a sniff of her perfume. “It that cloves I’m smelling?”

“It might be. It’s a new perfume my mom gave me for my birthday last week.” Cait moved back a little as he was so close and the heat between them was growing intense.

“Birthday?” he asked as he closed the distance between them again, feeling the connection that was forming quickly. “And how old is my Caity-cat?”

“I’m twenty-three,” she answered. “And you are?”

He moved his fingers up the side of her neck as he said, “Thirty-five. I love the dark shade of auburn your hair is. It’s amazing.”

“Thanks, I get that a lot.” She settled back in her chair, making his hand leave her neck as it was making her want to kiss the man she’d barely met.

“I bet you do.” Phoenix wasted no time touching her again as he ran his finger across the bridge of her nose. His eyes went from her pale green eyes to the freckles on her nose and upper cheeks. “The dusting of light freckles is adorable. You’re utterly adorable. How’ve you not been snatched up yet?”

“Maybe because I’m not looking to get snatched up. I’m busy with work and college. I go to MIT, I’m majoring in food engineering. You’ll probably think a lot differently of me when I tell you this part, I’m into making meals out of insects.”

“Nope, I still find you fascinating,” he said then let his finger move over her plump red lips. “So, a few bugs have passed through those lips, huh?”

“A few,” she said as she fought herself not to suck his finger into her mouth that was watering for the inexplicable man.

The sound of her sister’s voice broke the spell she was under as Phoenix held her eyes with his, “Cait! What the hell are you doing?”

Cait looked away from Phoenix, finding her older sister standing with her hand on her hip, glaring at her. “What? This is Phoenix, by the way, Miss Rude. Phoenix, this is Kellie. A nosey person.”

“Nice to meet you, Kellie,” Phoenix said as he sat back a bit with the arrival of the protective woman.

Relieved to hear another Irish accent for him too, had Ethan watering at the mouth. “Leave them be, gorgeous,” Ethan said as he got up, taking Kellie’s hand and leading her to the bar. “I gestured for you to come over here for a very different reason than for you to come and chastise my friend’s new acquaintance.”

Kellie looked over her shoulder, giving her younger sister the eye that told her not to go too far with the man no one knew a thing about. Then she turned her attention to the handsome Scot who towered over her. “I can tell you now, Ethan Southern, there will be nothing that you think might happen that will happen. Not with me.”

“Aww, come on,” he said as he let her hand go and ran his arm around her narrow waist. “I don’t want a thing more than to hear your sweet voice as you tell me all about yourself and what makes a darling woman like yourself tick.”

“Please,” came her sarcastic reply. “I’m no fool, Mr. Southern. Your accent won’t sweep me off my feet. I’m Irish, I’ve heard plenty of accents like yours. So, what has you in our small town?”

He took a seat at the bar and lifted her up to sit on the stool next to his, facing him. She was tiny, just the right size for him. Her hair was shoulder length, straightened, showing off the caramel highlights in her light blonde hair. The blue of her eyes was so dark, he could swear he’d never seen that exact shade before.

“First, call me Ethan. Mr. Southern is my father. And I don’t expect my voice, no matter how smooth and charming it might be, to sweep you off your dainty feet, my dear, Kel.” He placed his hands on her upper thighs, making her eyes grow large.

“Now you need to understand this about me,” she said as she moved his hands. “While I’m interested in talking to you, Ethan, that’s all I’m interested in. So, keep your hands to yourself, or I’ll be forced to leave your company.”

“Noted,” he said with a sly grin. “So, the basics then. How old are you, what do you do with your time, and how long do you think you need to know someone before you tell them you love them?”

She laughed with his obvious joke then answered, “I’m twenty-five, an old twenty-five, I’ve been told. An ancient soul if you will. I’m in my last semester of business technology at MIT in Cambridge. And I work when I’m not in classes. And you?”

“Well, first let me say that I think there should be no particular length of time before two people exchange, I love you’s. That said, I’m thirty-two and a salesman for Red Head Scotch. And I’d also like to say that I think you’re gorgeous and you and I would make lovely children together and I mean that.”

Kel couldn’t help but laugh at the way the man talked. He was charismatic, she had to give him that. “Tell me, do these lines usually get you what you’re looking for from women?”

“Every single time, my love,” he said then picked up her hand and kissed the top of it. “Now, tell me what it is you do for fun?”

“I don’t have time for fun if you must know. This evening is a rarity for me. A night off work and no homework for the weekend have allowed me to come out, but that usually doesn’t happen.”

“So, you’re a hermit,” he said with a deep chuckle that made his wide chest jiggle, taking Kel’s attention. He was a monster of a man.

“I wouldn’t say a hermit. I am inside of one building or another most times, though. And home the rest of the time. But it’s not self-imposed as much as it’s necessary to get me to where I want to be.”

Griffin walking behind Jess to what looked like the exit, had Ethan looking over Kel’s head. He stopped breathing until he saw the two take a seat at a small table for two instead of heading out.

Jess was wondering what the hell the totally cool dude was coming on to her for. She was about as cultured as an alley cat. “So, you’re from Montana and a salesman for a cattle company?”

“Yes, and what do you do?” he asked her as he couldn’t take his eyes off the emerald pools hers were.

“I go to college in Amherst at the University of Massachusetts. I’m studying animal biology.” She glanced to the side of him as one of her old boyfriends from high school came through the door, smiling at her. She shook her head to let him know she was busy and he took the hint when he looked at the man she was sitting with.

“How old are you, Jess,” Griff asked then waved at the waitress, gesturing for two more beers.

“I turned twenty-one last month. And you?” she asked and took the beer that was placed in front of her. “Thanks, Bonnie.”

“I’m thirty,” Griff said then took a drink.

When she looked kind of freaked out by his age he frowned as she said, “Damn!”

“It’s no big deal,” he argued.

“For you maybe. For me, well, damn!” She took another drink of the beer then sat the mug down on the small round table that had more than a few names chiseled into its dark surface. Then she reminded herself the man who sat across from her wasn’t going to be in town for long so she shouldn’t be worried about their age difference. It wasn’t like he was asking her to marry him or anything. “Yeah, it’s not a big deal, Griff. Sorry for overreacting about that.”

He nodded and felt the tiniest bit of relief. “So, how about that? We both are in fields where animals are involved. That’s kind of cool, huh?”

“I guess so. What is it you do with the cattle?” she asked him as she noticed his eyes were a mixture of greens and blues with touches of browns in them too. “You have really cool eyes, Griff. They’re kind of freaking awesome, you know?”

“Thanks,” he said then reached out to stroke her cheek. “Your eyes happen to be my favorite color. You’re a real knockout, baby.”

“So are you, if we’re telling the truth here,” she said then found herself sighing as his touch was kind of melting her heart a bit.

Everyone was getting along so well, the men were pretty pumped about their chances to score. A little more time and they’d have the women right where they wanted them. On the way to a no-tell motel!